Damien
"You know leaving her like that was a bit—"
"Don't say it. Don't wanna hear it. I saved her. I did my job as her husband." My eyes remained closed, my voice clipped.
"I get that! But you were supposed to stay with her at the hospital! What if the Talons come back? Remember what her right hand said—they couldn't get back up the mountain in time because of signal issues. This was clearly a planned attack," Mike argued, his tone exasperated.
"And I don't care," I cut in, my tone final. "I'm done. I'm already late for that ridiculous meeting at the main house because of her, so enough."
My irritation simmered beneath my skin. That woman couldn't be more cunning. Calling me with a conveniently failing signal instead of alerting her backup team? Ridiculous. She planned this. I wouldn't put it past her to join hands with the Talons just to get my attention.
But what the hell did she want?
"Still, you should've stayed, Damien. She's injured. And besides, it's going to look bad with her side of the family. We passed her aunt walking into the hospital as we left. What if they talk?"
"Don't worry about her," I said, rubbing my temples. "She didn't see us. All she thinks about is money—nothing else."
"That's even more pitiful," Mike muttered under his breath.
"Mike," I snapped, my patience fraying, "if you want to play hero husband, go find a wife and do that. Stop annoying me. Maybe your wife will play her role, unlike mine."
"Chill out, chill out. I didn't mean to upset you," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I just thought she looked lonely, that's all. Imagine it: with all that power, being coveted left, right, and center, and yet her own family doesn't care about her."
"Then feel sorry for me instead of outsiders," I shot back.
Mike slammed the brakes, glaring at me. "You? Why the hell would I feel sorry for you? Cousin, you're anything but pitiful. You're a devil in sheep's clothing."
I rolled my eyes. "The devil is the one who gave you a driver's license."
"Hey!" he barked indignantly.
Before I could retort, our attention shifted to the front gate, which was shut. Deliberately.
"Should I honk?" Mike asked.
I shook my head. "No. They'd love that. They're probably waiting for us to do something so they can criticize it."
"Then what do we do?" Mike pressed impatiently.
"What? Did you leave Jenny alone again?" I asked, casting him a sidelong glance.
"No, I left her with the granny next door to my apartment. But I don't trust her with my baby."
"It's just a cat," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Of course not! Damien, are you picking a fight?!" Mike exclaimed, rolling up his sleeves.
I gestured toward the approaching figures. "No. But they look like they want to pick one. Roll your sleeves at them instead."
Two servants from the main house strode up, their expressions smug and haughty. One knocked on Mike's window, which he rolled down with an overly cheerful, "Hello, friends!"
I facepalmed.
"Tch. Who's your friend?" the servant sneered before turning to me. "The master sent a car for you. Why didn't you use it?"
"I didn't feel like it," I replied coldly. "Now open the gate."
They froze, clearly not expecting me to give a direct order. One scurried off to open the gate while the other scoffed loud enough for me to hear.
"Tch, spoiled ungrateful grandchild. Who are you to act so arrogantly?"
"You—how dare—" Mike started, but I raised a hand to stop him.
"Drive," I commanded. "Since when do you entertain imbeciles?"
Mike calmed down instantly and drove through the now-open gates. The gravel crunched under the tires as we passed meticulously trimmed greenery.
When we stopped below the stairs, Mike gave me a warning look. "Alright, take care. Don't get into trouble. You're a celebrity. Remember that. I don't want to get a call from the police station."
I stepped out of the car without acknowledging him.
"Hey!" he shouted after me, but I ignored him, hearing him curse as he drove off.
I paused at the massive doors of the main house. Behind these doors were wolves and tigers baring their teeth, ready to pounce.
I exhaled and pushed the door open.