Page 134 of The Wild Charge

“Hm.” Devin rubbed along his jaw, grinning. “She hits harder than her mother, I’ll give her that.”

“Tennyson,” Ian said, crisply, “why is your father here?”

Tenny shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know the man.”

He shouldn’t have spoken; when he did, Devin turned, and finally fixed his attention on Tenny for the first time. Tenny had no doubt he could have bested him in a fight; stood a head taller and was more than twenty years younger, and didn’t find him intimidating physically. But hiseyes…

They were Fox’s eyes. Walsh and Albie and even Raven’s eyes. The eyes that stared back at him in the mirror, when he shaved, when he splashed cold water on his face, when he traced a finger over a new bite mark on his collarbone and marveled at the way Reese was getting comfortable enough to take what he wanted during sex. Eyes that locked onto him and held tight, holding none of the warmth the man’s easy smirk suggested.

He walked closer, across the rug, to Tenny’s post by the TV cabinet, until they were face-to-face; Tenny had to angle his head down to maintain eye contact, but the motion didn’t fill him with the rush of confidence it should have. “Tennyson,” Devin said, as if tasting the name. “Is that what they call you?”

“That’s his name,” Reese said.

Devin did a slow head turn toward Reese, brows lifting. “His name? And where did he get one of those?”

Tenny hadn’t wasted a moment’s time before now worrying over Devin Green. He didn’t care where he was, or how they were related. He didn’t understand, therefore, why his pulse had gone high and quick in his ears, and why he couldn’t seem to get his tongue to work.Go to hell, wanker. Fuck you. Fuck off. Eat shit and die. All suitable responses…but Tenny found himself grinding his back teeth instead.

He didn’t look at Reese, attention still fixed on Devin and his insufferable smirk, but he felt the air shift as Reese stepped up beside him. “I gave it to him,” he said, bold and stupid as you please. “He goes by Tenny.”

Tenny was dimly aware of murmurs in the room, people noting what Reese had said and remarking on it. Up ‘til now, Fox was the only one who’d known that Reese had pulled a book of poetry off a shelf, and gifted Tenny the name of dead artist.

Devin’s gaze shifted back to Tenny, narrowed, calculating, his smile a work of fiction. “Well, then. The perfect soldier has an Achilles heel. Standing right next to him, even.”

Youth had its advantages. Faster than either Fox or Albie had been, Tenny struck – and struck hard. He caught Devin’s smirk with his knuckles, and sent the man reeling back, blood spurting across the carpet.

Ian stepped neatly out of the way and Devin dropped down into the first available chair, hand cupped around his bleeding nose. He was grinning and wincing at the same time, teeth stained red. In the pin-drop silence that followed Tenny’s punch, he could clearly hear Devin’s wheezy chuckle.

Tenny flexed his hand and checked his knuckles. Bruised, but not cut-open. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with fight bite.

Belatedly, he realized he hadn’t taken a breath in…however long they’d all been standing in this ugly tableau. His ears were still buzzing, heart still fluttering, something like panic humming through his veins. His siblings were all staring at him, all with the same eerie, blank look.

It was Maverick who finally reacted properly. “Whoa.” He stepped into the center of the rug, turning in a circle to sweep all of them with a quelling look. “Whoa. Everybody knock that shit off.”

Tenny started to turn away.

“Hey.” Maverick snapped fingers in his face and leaned in close, expression stern. “We are chin-deep right now, so no infighting on my watch. You wanna hit your old man, do it in your off time.”

Tenny stared at him. “If you want to keep your hand intact, you’ll get it out of my face.”

A small, wry grin touched Maverick’s lips. “Nice try, kid. Be a shit all you want, but right now? I’m the president in the room.” He turned, gesturing to the rest of the room’s occupants. “Everybody got that? I might not be your president, but I’m the president who’s here.”

“Are you seriously pulling rank on us?” Albie asked.

“You’re damn right I am,” he said, evenly, hands landing on his hips. “And since I’m the highest-ranking Dog in this room” – Fox snorted – “I’m telling all you Tennessee assholes to go get some food and sleep. We’ve got an early morning, and my guys are getting started tonight.”

“We can–” Fox started.

“Nope. Absolutely not. Get cleaned up, wind down, whatever.” He put on a superior face. “That’s an order.”

“Sure, thing,prez,” Fox drawled, rolling his eyes.

Done with this whole conversation, with this whole evening, Tenny turned to leave again, and this time no one stopped him. Reese did follow, though, because of course he did. The backs of their hands brushed he settled in so close.

At the door, he heard Cassandra’s voice behind him, soft and uncertain. “Dad?”

Devin’s voice was muffled by the blood no doubt running down the back of his throat, but the tone was cheerful when he said, “Hey, there’s my girl!”

Tenny kept going and didn’t look back.

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