“Now, would you two care to explain why my daughter was fighting?” Mom asked calmly, crossing her arms. “Maybe, we can help work this issue out.”
Ember stabbed a finger in my direction. “She started it.” Good God. My parents did it to everyone. Gone was the strong, deadly woman I knew her to be. That woman had been replaced by a naughty child standing before a scary-ass principal.
I stayed silent, rubbing my forehead and staring at my lap.
“I didn’t ask who started it. I asked what the issue was about,” my mother said slowly as if she were talking to a halfwit.
Ember’s mouth shut, finally following my cue.
This would go a lot smoother if Ember kept it up.
A half minute passed in silence, and then my father dropped to his haunches, staring up at us since we were both looking down. “I know this is embarrassing, but we’re just trying to help. From what we saw on that video… That type of hostility and hate isn’t good for the mind, body, and soul…” And he was off. Lecturing and teaching all at the same time.
We took it silently. All fifteen minutes of it. I had heard this all before, but he directed as much of his sermon to Ember as he did me. He spoke calmly and patiently, but I knew he wasn’t because he kept running his hand through his graying blond hair and fiddling with his gold cross necklace hanging over his white button up shirt.
My mother bent down when my father stood, and spoke to us of the dangerous hazards of letting violence, hatred, and prejudice enter your heart and mind. This went on for at least ten more minutes. I knew the tour bus was going to be arriving soon, so I kept that in mind as my salvation as she droned on. Her voice powerful and commanding made it hard to ignore. But after twenty-eight years of hearing it, she only sounded like Mom to me and I could tune her out with the best of them.
When she stood, I breathed a tiny sigh of relief, still picking at my dress and started rubbing my forehead again. Then Dad stated, “Your mother and I will be staying here for the next few days, so if either of you want to come and speak to us privately about anything we just discussed, our door is open.”
I instantly flinched. They were going to be here for a few days?
Thank the Lord above we were leaving tonight.
“We won’t interfere with your work, sweetie. And we know your flight is scheduled for tomorrow.” My old flight had been scheduled for then. I had canceled it, taking Daniil’s private jet home tonight. I was fucked. Mom mistook my reaction and patted the air. “We’re just taking a small vacation with the added benefit of being here for you if you need us.”
Sure they were.
“Ms. Lerrus, we’re done here. You can go.” Dad paused. “And again, thank you for your incredible generosity.”
Ember popped up from her seat even faster than I had seen her move in the ring, nodding and quickly darting away to her group. I stared after her in envy. The group had started to quietly talk again, but when they saw Ember coming toward them, they all shut-up and watched her arrive, then started speaking to her. Ember’s face was blank, kind of shell-shocked, and it didn’t look like she replied to any of them. Yeah, I got that.
Dad said, “What are your plans for today?”
I looked at him directly for the first time in almost a half-hour. “I’m working. Going to the Hemingway House to see if I can get a story.” Not really the story bit, but it would keep them from tagging along with—
My mother’s face lit up. “Wonderful! I’ve always wanted to visit there.”
I groaned, my head falling back onto my palm. And then a thought occurred. “It’s a reserved event.”
She waved her hand. “We’ll drive ourselves. And we won’t bother you.”
This was bad.
A tour guide walked into the lobby. “The bus to The Hemingway House & Museum is waiting outside for anyone who’s attending.”
I jumped up, putting my purse over my shoulder. “Gotta go.”
“We’ll see you there.” Dad grabbed my hand and stopped me. His eyes glanced at the Lion Security group that was beginning to make its way to the entrance—Daniil was covertly watching me, along with most of his children, and Ember and Zane. “Are those the type of people you’re hanging around now? Because I can tell you, sweetie, those are not the type to bring anything good into your life.” He was watching me closely.
“They’re the story I hope to get,” I stated. I really hated lying to my parents.
His eyes flicked to my fading hickey, and I had to mentally stop myself from covering it with my hand. “If you say so.” He smiled, and it was…something…I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t one he normally gave me. “We’ll see you there.”
I rushed off, flying out the doors of the resort as fast as I could. I climbed the stairs to the bus and glanced around for a seat, more than embarrassed for my parents’ interaction. Daniil sat in the back of the bus with a seat empty next to him. There were others closer to the front, and I really debated sitting in one…until Daniil’s eyebrows rose in a mocking gesture when I glanced at him again.
Fine. I wouldn’t wuss out from shame. Trekking my way down the aisle, a few teasing comments pinged in my direction from Lion Security’s group. But when I started to pass Ember, she threw her right arm out, stopping me. Staring at the back of the seat where her arm was a barrier in front of me, she stated quietly, “I don’t owe you any longer.”
No. She didn’t owe me shit after that. She near killing me was now forgotten.
I nodded and moved to Daniil, ignoring his children’s gazes. Daniil had sat in the aisle seat, and I squeezed between him and the seat in front of him. His guards were sitting in the seat across from us, and Zane and Brent were in front of us. He was in no mood for secrecy right now his hands landing on my hips and helping me get past him.
I sat and stared out the window while the tour guide gave a small spiel.
Daniil’s left hand slid around the back my neck under my hair. He just left it there, gripping my neck possessively. I turned my attention to him as the bus began moving and met his brown eyes. He stared at me, not saying anything.
He bent and cupped my cheeks, kissing me softly.
His mouth felt like heaven and fireworks exploded. It was what I needed right now. No condemnation. No lecture. No questions. Nothing but kindness and contact. It was a small act a lover gave another when they were having a bad day. I moaned against his mouth, taking his offering.
At the sound, he pressed harder.
From the seat in front of Zane and Brent, Eva muttered, “They had better not be doing anything back there.”
“I don’t even want to think about it, so shut up,” Artur grumbled.
Daniil paused, and we both opened our eyes, staring at one another.
Zane chuckled, hearing my moan only a moment before.
Daniil gently kissed me once more, rubbing his thumbs over my temples, then whispered quietly in my ear, “It’s probably best to wait on this until they’re not around. They need time to adjust.”
No shit.
“That’s fine,” I whispered just as softly. “And thank you for not commenting…on that.”
He grinned against my ear, kissing softly right behind it, his lips soft and warm.
I shivered, making him grin again against my skin before he pulled back. But he did put his arm behind me and wrapped it around my waist, tugging me against him. Letting my head fall against his shoulder, I stared out the window and played with his fingers, watching the scenery pass by.
“My parents, aunt, and cousin will be staying for a few days,” I stated. “I won’t be able to leave tonight with you.”
He placed his chin on top of my head, watching out the window with me. “I figured as much.” He raised his voice louder. “We’ll wait it out with you and take my plane home when you’re ready.”
Answering groans erupted from the Lion Security group.
“Thank you.” That helped. I played with his pinkie, twisting the small onyx rin
g he wore there in steady circles. “They embarrass me.”
“Because they love you.”
“To death.”
“That’s what parents do.”
I sighed. I would just have to take his word on that since I had no personal viewpoint. “It’s still humiliating.”
“I would imagine so.”
“Did your parents ever do anything like this to you?”
He chuckled softly. “It’s safe to say Papa kept me in line growing up. And not always privately.”
“What about when you were my age? Did he still do it then?”
“Even then. He’s never stopped. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“Parents are a pain in the ass,” I muttered darkly.
He laughed outright. “Yes. They are. But they’re also a necessary evil.”
I went silent. He was showing his age again. He knew things that I didn’t, and was talking about things I didn’t understand. To me, my parents needed to butt the fuck out. I had no clue why it was a necessary evil. I didn’t like not understanding things like reasoning. It made me feel stupid.
A few moments later, I felt him still before he slowly took his chin off the top of my head and whispered in my ear, “You’ll understand in time. It’s not something I can explain. You have to experience and feel it to fully comprehend what I mean.” He kissed my neck and then sighed. “This is difficult. Even for me. Don’t think it’s not.” He kissed my neck again. “But I believe it’s worth it.” He bit down gently on my neck, making me sink back against him, completely relaxing.
Yeah. We may have an age-language issue, but it was definitely worth it.
The tour had been dreadful. Not because of the location—that was amazing since Hemingway was one of my all-time favorite authors—but because my family had actually beaten us there. They had been waiting, my mom and dad watching from the parking lot. It was only luck that I had noticed them, and I had quickly exited my seat and shot forward down the aisle, being one of the first to exit the bus. And Lion Security’s group found it pretty damn amusing that my family had tagged behind, silently taking the tour with us.
They weren’t finding it as amusing now, where we sat in a restaurant that overlooked the ocean—with my family coming right for us after my dad somehow managed to coax an invite out of Anna before we loaded back onto the bus. Lion Security’s group was glaring at her, and her cheeks were pink while Carl kept an arm around her protectively, scowling at the group. She hadn’t meant to. I knew that. I really knew that. Dad just had a way of getting what he wanted. No one was safe when he was on a mission.
And, like clockwork, as soon as Dad stepped up to the table, everyone seated at our table sat up straight, as if a drill sergeant had just bellowed, even though Dad hadn’t even spoken and was only perusing everyone. Daniil sat across from me, fully knowing my dad was showing up. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I kept my gaze firmly off him.
My cousin Katie, who looked a lot like me but with blonde inhuman hair, sat on my left and my aunt Susan, who looked like an older version of her daughter, also with inhuman blonde hair, quickly sat on my right. My mom, who appeared like an older version of me with the same crazy hair—but with white streaks in her strawberry blonde curls—sat next to my aunt while my dad instantly went to the far end of the table. Away from me. He sat between Roman and Torrez.
I blinked at him.
Then at the empty chair next to Katie.
Back to him.
Now the empty chair.
What the hell was he doing?
Picking up my water glass, I whispered to Susan, “What’s Dad doing?” She was my cool aunt. My mom’s sister. They couldn’t be any more different in personalities.
She didn’t even glance at my dad. “He’s trying to figure out who you’ve been having sex with, dear.”
Water spewed from my mouth. Like a broken fire hydrant. It landed all over my plate. The flower arrangement in the middle of the table. Daniil’s plate. And on his black shirt.
The table fell silent. Staring.
Daniil’s lips had twitched for a second at my aunt’s quiet pronouncement, but he had quickly pinched them, so it looked perfect for my undignified blunder. He gradually picked up his napkin and started drying off his shirt, his gaze down on his task.
“Elizabeth, what in the world?” my mother sputtered, her attention turning to Daniil, and although she was shocked, she watched him warily. She glanced at me quickly. “Apologize. Now.” My mom was actually fearful of Daniil.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured quietly, wiping my mouth.
Zane and Stash start speaking to Dad, distracting him.
The conversation around the table slowly picked up.
But they were all multitasking, listening in.
Daniil’s hair hung down around his face as he soaked the water from his shirt into his napkin, saying quietly and evenly, “That’s all right, Beth. I’m sure it was an accident.”
I froze.
So did my mom, aunt, and cousin.
Mom got over her fright in a hurry because, from her frozen state, she asked—this wasn’t a good thing—delicately, “What did you call her?”
Just barely, Daniil’s head tilted up, his eyes lifting as he held the napkin to his shirt. His dark gaze darted to each of us under hooded lids. I should have warned him earlier. But I hadn’t even thought about it. It hadn’t even entered my damn mind. And now I was going to faint because I had forgotten one very simple detail.
Daniil’s eyes landed on my mom, and he finished lifting his head. He casually placed his napkin on the table, his accent heavy, answering in a bored quiet tone, “Her name. Why do you ask?” He relaxed back in his chair, his arms comfortably in his lap, his expression serene.
“No, you didn’t. Her name’s Elizabeth, so why did you call her Beth?” My mom kept her voice very soft as she zeroed in on him.
I bit my cheek. This wasn’t going to end well.
Daniil’s eyebrows pulled together, his expression turning thoughtful. When he spoke again, his accent was heavy. “Beth is a…” His right hand waved in the air. “…short name of Elizabeth, correct? Like Jon for Jonathan or Joe for Joseph?”
My mom stared for all of a heartbeat. Her expression unfroze, and her shoulders lowered, easing. Same as my aunt and cousin.
My God.
He was playing dumb with our language. I blinked, utterly astonished. Somehow, I was betting he very rarely played stupid for anyone. Carl, who was sitting next to him, even stared at him for a moment before grabbing his coffee and sipping at it. His gaze darted to me, thoughtful…then stunned…before quickly cooling to steel.
Well, Carl had figured it out.
Mom nodded. “Yes. It’s a nickname. But Elizabeth doesn’t allow anyone to call her that. I imagine my daughter…” She glanced at me. I quickly looked down and started drying off my plate. “I imagine she was a little intimidated to inform you of this. I’m sure she would appreciate it if, from now on, you would call her Elizabeth instead of Beth.”
Setting my napkin down, I gradually peered up.
Daniil was staring at me, his eyebrows unfurling. He continued speaking with the heavy accent. “My apologies…Elizabeth. I did not realize this.”
I bit my lip. Hard.
Christ.
I wanted to laugh my ass off. I lowered my gaze so no one would see my expression since I evidently suck at keeping a blank face. “It’s all right. No harm done.”
He grunted deep in reply.
I almost lost it, kicking his leg under the table. If I started laughing, it would give it all away. He needed to cut it out. He was just being mean now.
Carl was choking on his coffee.
Anna rubbed his back, evaluating him with worry.
But Carl kept his gaze away from us.
Probably a good thing since I was close to busting up.
Artur took his seat next to his father, returning from the bathroom. He blinked fr
om my mom to my aunt to me to my cousin. He stared only at our hair. “It comes in fours.”
I lost it then and chuckled loudly.
And…that’s when Mom honed in on him.
Poor Artur didn’t know what hit him. He stared at her in rising confusion and shock as she asked him who he was—his age, his profession, his hobbies, his views on politics…that was when Daniil cut in, saving his son from further inquisition, since Artur was utterly baffled and ready to bash his head against the table.
Mom no longer looked at Daniil with worry. In fact, she spoke slowly to him—making Artur even more muddled—when he asked her what she would recommend from the menu. She must have felt damn brave because she…she pulled out pamphlets from her purse.
“Mom!” I groaned. I didn’t have a problem with the statists of rising violence, but I was pretty sure this group was going to give me hell for this later. “Not now.”
She shook her head and passed them out while the waitress took our orders. “This is the perfect crowd for this, sweetie.”
“Not really,” I muttered, sinking back into my chair.
Katie nudged me and leaned over, whispering, “Mom tried to stop your parents from coming down here, but they were dead set on it. We decided to rescue you by tagging along.” She glanced at my dad and then came back to my ear. “Your dad made your mom drive here from Hemingway House because he wanted to get started on a list of possible men—from this group—that has to be responsible for your sudden downfall.” My eyes bulged. “He put them all in order from hair color and age since he didn’t know everyone’s names. You should see it. It’s fucking hilarious.”
I groaned, nodding. “Good to know.”
She grinned. “Uh-huh. I thought so.”
I rolled my eyes, ignoring how everyone was either staring at my mother—or at the pamphlet in their hands—wide-eyed. “You’re enjoying this and you know it.”
She shrugged, still smirking. “I’m no longer the black sheep of the family.” She raised her right hand, holding it there. “You hold that title now.”
Obsidian Mask Page 2