“I want you to think of a wall, a bulletproof one that no matter how hard any weapon hounds on it, it could never break.” Rob had said, pacing up and down in front of the seven of us. We had been close all our lives, whether by family or by choice, they were my brothers. I chose to care for them, no amount of family influence could have forced the kind of brotherhood we shared—which made us the most lethal Kings created. The generations before us, my father had said they always fought or struggled to get along sometimes. Whether it be by girl or just by personalities not being compatible, it never happened. They never had a generation that flowed fluidly like we did, so they had big plans for us.
“A wall?” Nate snickered. “You brought us here to teach us about a wall?”
Rob waved him off diffusely and continued his army march backward and forward in front of us. “I want you to start building this wall inside of your brain, but before you do so, I want you to make sure there are six seats there beside you. Not eight, not two, not any other number but seven total,” he paused, looking down at me. I wasn’t a short kid. For a ten-year-old, I was pretty tall, but staring up at Rob in this moment, I felt two-feet. “I want you to start building this wall today. Work on it, I mean really train your brain to build it, because by the time you initiate in, I need that wall to be solid. To be unfuckwithable. This”—Rob gestured around—“was who you trusted. No one else.”
“What about my dad?” I argued, looking at the guys who all glared at me like “shut the fuck up.” Rob was scary, but I didn’t scare easily.
“Even your dad. He went through the same when he was your age, and so will the next ones who come after you.”
“What, as in we have to have kids?” Hunter scrunched up his face.
“Yes.” Dad interrupted, walking around the back of the cabin dressed in one of his fine suits. “You will have kids one day.”
“No, I’m good. I don’t want kids.” I knew at a very young age that children didn’t appeal to me, and I doubted that would change in the future. Call it the only-child curse.
“Oh I bet you will, I bet you and Khales will have kids by the time you’re sixteen,” Eli snorted, only no one joined him.
“No. I don’t want them.”
My dad kneeled down in front of me, searching my eyes. “You will, son, and lucky for you, I have someone lined up.”
My eyebrows pinched together. “What? Who?” I was still not having kids, but I’d ask him who he thought I could be matched with anyway.
He reached into his front jacket pocket and pulled out a small photograph, flipping it around to show me. It was a little girl, had to be around the same age as me or younger—unless she was just really small. She had brown wavy hair, chubby cheeks, a bright smile and blue eyes. A couple of freckles were scattered over her cheeks and she was holding a hunting rifle. “This girl.”
“That girl?” I questioned, obviously my dad was off his meds. That girl wasn’t anything great, I had seen better at my school, but she had something contrastive about her, an imbalance if you will, but her eyes. Her eyes ate up the distance between us, even if it was a photo that she was staring at me from. “Who is she?”
Dad looked sideways at me, noticing the other guys trying to get a look. He folded it and pushed it back into his pocket, shooting them all a warning glare. “Someone who is going to arrive in your life at the exact moment you need her to.”
“Like fate?” I asked. I didn’t really know what that word meant, but I had heard it be thrown around a lot with the adults.
He laughed. “Not fate—karma. Your wake-up call.”
My phone vibrated on the kitchen counter, pulling me out of the task at hand. Cooking. I wasn’t bad, because neither of my parents were around much, which meant I learned how to make the simple things, like toast, and eggs, and bacon, and that’s all that I really needed to live on, so I stopped my skill level right there. Reaching for my phone, I slid it unlocked and pushed it onto speaker when I saw it was Mom.
“Yeah?” I picked up the spatula and pushed the creamy eggs around.
“I’m just making sure you haven’t scared that girl off?”
I snorted. “Not likely.”
She paused, and I leaned over to check to see if the call was still connected. “Bishop, how much does she know?”
I checked on the bacon in the oven and licked the juice off my fingertips. “Enough but not all.”
“And how much are you planning on telling her?”
“All.”
“Bishop…” she warned. “I would say some, but all could be too much for her to take in too soon.”
“Mom, I thought you would have been all for this since Dad left you in the dark for so long and you were all ‘don’t keep too many secrets, son.’”
“For her safety, Bishop. You know your father, need I say more?”
I slammed the oven door and sighed. “You don’t need to, but if it came down to it, I’d handle him.”
“My son the knight…” She was playing with me because I could hear the slight humor in her tone, but I could also hear the apprehension. She was afraid. With good reason. No one goes up against my dad, but if there was anyone who ever would—it would be me. As much as I respected him, and obviously searched for his approval in most things I did, when it came to Madison, no one else mattered and I think he knew that.
“Where are you, anyway?” I flipped the oven off and took the pan off the stove top.
“I’m actually on my way home. I’ll explain once I get there, are you in your new place?”
“Yep. I gotta go. Talk soon.”
“Ok. Love you, son.”
“Yeah, you too, Mom.” I flicked it off and pushed my phone into my pocket. I was aware I never had outwardly told my mom that I loved her, but she was one of those women who just knew.
“Cooking? Have you been holding out on me all this time?” Madison was leaning against the entryway to the kitchen.
I grinned. “Nah, probably saved your life.” She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her face. It fell loosely around her shoulders anyway, and that’s when I noticed she was wearing one of my shirts.
My eyes narrowed. “You wearing anything underneath that?” I asked, gesturing to her legs with the spatula.
She looked down, gripping the bottom of the shirt and shrugging. “Um, no?”
I dropped the spatula into the pan and made my way towards her. She smiled when she saw I was coming for her, a look of shock passing over her eyes. Good. She should feel strange. Gripping her from the backs of her thighs, I lifted her off the ground until her legs wrapped around my waist and tightened. Pressing my lips to hers, I slipped my tongue into her mouth and sucked her bottom lip into my mine. “Fuck you taste good this early.”
“Yeah,” she rolled her eyes. “That’s because I brushed my teeth.”
A rumble of laughter escaped me. I always admired her flare for honesty. It was refreshing that she didn’t truly care what anyone thought of her. The sound dock turned on and Marilyn Manson “Killing Strangers” started playing, and I grinned, walking her towards the kitchen island and dropping her onto it. The back of her head smashed onto the marble and she groaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
“That hurt?” I asked, an eyebrow quirked.
She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. “Not really.” With her stretched out on the counter, I stood between her legs, gripped her thighs and pulled her toward me so her crotch was pressed against my cock. Then the palms of my hands slid up her thighs, pushing the shirt above her head until she was bare naked in front of me. I stepped backward, taking in every curve and slim line that marbled her tanned skin. “So fucking beautiful.”
Her cheeks reddened, and I fucking loved it. I loved that I could have that kind of effect on her with my words alone.
“Wait, I’m hungry.” She went to get up, but I shoved her back down.
“So am I.” Then a dipped my lips to her inner thigh and slid my tongue over her skin. Defeated, she dropped backward and arched her back. I took my tongue out and circled her clit, her taste invading my mouth. I lost it, and wrapped my lips around her, sinking a finger deep inside of her. She moaned out, pinched her nipple with her finger and arched her back farther.
I stood up, my thumb still pressing to her clit, circling it softly. “Wait.” Letting her go, I sucked my finger and went to the freezer, taking out a tray of ice. Her eyes lit up brightly, her cheeks flashing red. “I’ve not… is that dangerous?”
I chuckled. “No. It’s not.” I banged the ice cubes on the counter until they scattered out everywhere, then picked one up and slid it up her inner thigh. “Close your eyes, Kitty.”
I pressed my tongue to her clit and pushed the ice cube inside of her. A gasp left her instantly, her back arching off the counter in shock. I continued pushing it up, feeling the contraction of her insides and the melted ice dripping down my finger. Her body confused as my tongue ran circles on her. “I’m—I’m—”
“Come, baby. All over me.”
She moaned and I felt her walls pull my finger in deeper as she rippled through her orgasm. Standing, I yanked her closer to me, spread her legs wide and sunk my cock deep inside. Sweat fell off her smooth flesh and her lips parted, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
* * *
“There’s something weird about Mrs. Winters,” Madison threw out absently around a bite of her bagel. “Like I haven’t seen her since Tate and I got her to get our passports.” Then she stilled, her eyes coming to mine where they narrowed.
“Woah!” I threw my hands up in defense. “I haven’t got shit to do with her disappearing act, so point those eyes elsewhere.” She went back to eating, as did I. I wasn’t lying, I didn’t have anything to do with Tinker doing a runner. She would have done that all on her own as soon as she found out I knew where Madison was. She was a fucking idiot for thinking I wouldn’t know it was her that helped Madison though. We finished up eating and got dressed. I snatched my car keys off the counter as Madison was coming down the stairs, tying her hair into a high ponytail.
“Where we going?”
“We are going to teach you how to fight.”
Her hand stilled, still clutching her hair. “What? Why?”
“Because, all though you have me and the Kings, we may not always be around if you fall into trouble. And now that everyone who is anyone knows your affiliations with us, you’re pretty much a walking target, and I’m not about to take chances. Not when it comes to you.”
She seemed to think over what I had just said, and then shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “But I have my Glock.”
I forced myself from not rolling my eyes. “That’s good and all, but here’s the thing about relying on a Glock. That metal bullshit may not always be easily accessible to you when you need it, but do you wanna know what will always be accessible to you?”
“I get your point. But I don’t know if combat is my thing.”
“Well, we’re about to make it your thing.” I shoved the car keys into my back pocket and headed for the front door. “Come on, princess.”
She flipped me off.