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“If you ever insult my wife again,” I tell him, “I’ll take my son fishing using your eyeballs as bait.”
I dive in and grab her as she’s distracted, throwing her over my shoulder. “Such a troublesome girl,” I scold, slapping her ass. “Why couldn’t I like the easy one? But no, I wanted this one.”
“Decent men don’t do this,” I tell her. “But that’s why I wanted this one. She’s a devil, just like me.”
“The only one who can bring Ivar Torrance’s father to his knees is Ivar’s mother.”
What’s one more order of business to add to the conclave anyway? Nine friends locked on a boat with alcohol, spear guns, and the black ocean at night? This was a fantastic idea.
“Mmmm.” She shifts under me and yawns. “You can’t come at me with your seven-hundred-dollar perfume and expect me to keep this platonic, Rika. It’s devastating.”
“I need Will back, Rika,” she whispers. I lift my head, resting my chin on her chest and seeing her eyes glisten. She purses her lips to keep her emotions in check, but eventually, she explains, “I love you and Banks and Winter and the guys, but…Will gets it.”
I stare down and pop another cold cut into my mouth, chewing. Did he land on his shoulder? How do you land on your frickin’ shoulder? He pops up through the surface, splashing and sputtering as he pushes his hair back over his head and glares up at me. I fight not to smile. Water hangs on his eyelashes and lips, and I’ve never seen two more pissed-off eyebrows. “You little shit!” he bellows. “Okay, yes, that was harsh. I admit it,” I tell him, teasing. “But it was only fair. I almost died that night, Damon.” “Get your ass in here, and I’ll show you what death looks like!” “Are you crazy?” I
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Damon shoves his chair back, making Banks and Ryen jump, and rises, scowling at Michael. But Michael is already on it, not bothering to get out of his seat as he glares up at Damon. “I was there when she was five and eight and thirteen, so you remember where you and she started the next time you want to imply you have any more responsibility or love for her than I do,” he bites out. “My woman. Sit down.”
“I wish I could go back to that night,” I tell Michael. “I would’ve tried not to get in that truck. I would’ve tried not to steal all this time from you.” Tears burn behind my eyes. I’m a burden to him. I feel like I’m making his life worse. But all of a sudden, his arms wrap around me, and his whisper hits my neck. “And if I could go back, I wouldn’t have wasted a moment.”
“We will have kids. If you want them. But I will never not have you.” He shakes me. “Do you understand?” A sob lodges in my throat. “Do you understand?” he growls again. “A world where there is no us can’t happen.”
“I can’t follow the rules,” he says, “and with you, I don’t have to. I’m not alone. I can’t go back to being alone.” He hovers over my lips, our mouths open and hungry. “I can’t fucking breathe without my little monster.”
“I love you.” I pause and then add, because I can’t help myself, “Mr. Fane.” “Oh, Jesus, fuck,” he grumbles and sits up. “I need a drink.” Huh? I hold tighter, damn-near falling off as he tries to get up from the chair. “Off me, now,” he orders. “I need a drink, Rika. Many drinks.” I slide to the floor, the carpet scraping against my ass. I wince. “Hey.” He pops the cigar in this mouth, shaking his head, and storms for the door. Rika Crist just doesn’t sound right. He’s going to lose this one. “We only have a weeks’ supply of food on this boat!” I yell as he opens the door. “So, don’t wait too
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“He’s crazy,” Bryce said. “He can’t work with people!” I laughed under my breath. I heard Kai sigh, because he was as much at his wits’ end as I was. Like, seriously. No one here could think for themselves. You had to tell them every little goddamn thing, and God help you if you had to give them more than one instruction at a time, because their brains would fucking short out because they couldn’t remember all that AND remember to breathe at the same time.
“He’s temperamental, but he’ll compromise,” Kai explained to Bryce. “We’ve been through this before.” “Compromise?” Bryce whined. “He threw an ax at my head!” “If I’d thrown it at your head, I would’ve hit your head,” I growled low.
“You are running on fumes,” Kai told me. “You just got back from Washington, and then California before that, you have a baby on the way, projects are piling up…” He trailed off, and I felt him inch closer. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you should start smoking again.”
“Why is she crying?” I barked at the doctor. “Because it fucking hurts!” she yelped, answering for him. “Well, give her something!” “It’s too late for that now,” he mumbled through his mask and then peered over Winter’s legs. “Plus, you wanted natural childbirth, right?” “What the fuck for?” I burst out, looking down at her like she had three heads.
“That’s what binds us,” she told me. “Who?” “Our family.” Our family? “Kai, Banks, Michael, Rika, Will, Alex…” she went on. “You and me. We all hear it. L’appel du vide. The call of the void.”
