Page 128 of Blood

Ohhhh well.

Vin slides his eyes toward Lyric, who’s still glaring at Hux. My hunter’s expression freezes over, shock giving way to anger.

“What are you wearing, Lyric?” he bellows, stalking forward.

“A prom dress. God, Dad, you’re so old.” She rolls her eyes and places a hand on her hip, cocking it to the side. “Grandpa is way cooler than you.”

“She has a date,” Hux growls, his eyes riveted on Lyric, the madness in his gaze growing from an ember to a blistering inferno.

“Fuck no, you don’t!” Vin snaps.

“Oh, let the child be,” Cal retorts. He leans against the wall, his wings ruffling out behind him, his pink hair tousled. “Don’t you remember what it was like to be young and in love?” His voice takes on a dreamy, wistful quality that has me smiling. But then my cupid’s eyes harden, turning to granite, and he scowls. “But I also remember what it was like to be a hormonal teenage boy. On second thought, I agree with your other dads. You’re not going.”

“DAD!” Lyric stomps her foot yet again as I hide my face to keep my laughter in check. Immediately, my face connects with a hard, broad chest—Barret. I would recognize him anywhere, his power tickling over my skin in the smoothest of caresses.

Lyric suddenly freezes, her face draining of all color and her eyes growing wide. She glances around the room. “Where’s Daddy Dimitri?” she asks in a hoarse whisper. When no one responds, she repeats, louder, “WHERE IS DADDY DIMITRI?”

“Um...” All of my mates suddenly look uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot and avoiding both my eyes and Lyric’s.

My suspicion swells like a snowball rolling down a hill.

“Mason,” I begin sweetly, knowing he’s the one mate who won’t refuse me. “What did Dimitri do to Lyric’s date?”

“Be strong, man,” Vin whispers. He places a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Be strong.”

“Um...”

“MASON!” I snap.

“He brought him to his torture chamber!” Mason rushes to say, wincing nearly imperceptibly at the rage on my face.

“You’re weak. Weak,” Vin hisses angrily.

Frankie blows out an exasperated breath.

“You guys are all assholes!” Lyric cries. Anger distorts her features, and fire blossoms in the palms of her hands, crawling across her arms like sleeves of flames. Her blonde hair sways around her face, as if caught in an invisible breeze, and the full brunt of her fury pours out of her in a wave.

“Lyric,” I warn, my gut lurching with fear.

“I HATE YOU ALL!” she screams as, somewhere in the distance, the sound of glass shattering echoes through the house. My daughter is having one of her temper tantrums again—you know, the type where she destroys everything in the house.

“Lyric!” Dimitri booms from behind her, causing Lyric to spin around, her red dress flaring around her ankles.

“What did you do, Dad?!” she demands, her words ending on an angry screech. “Did you hurt Roger?”

“What the fuck kind of name is Roger?” Mason murmurs.

I elbow him in the stomach. “Be nice.”

Dimitri’s features remain utterly impassive, the face of the Grim Reaper himself, come to claim all the unruly souls and drag them to Hell.

A monster.

My monster.

“I wouldn’t have hurt him if I didn’t need to,” Dimitri replies ominously, still using that cold, detached voice of his.

“What did you do?” Lyric demands.

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