We are the Answer {boyxboy} ✔ (Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series, Book I | Rhys)

Chapter 29

A/N: I'm going on a vacation soon and won't be taking my laptop with me. That means that there won't be any updates between July 16 and July 23. However, I'll post a chapter before I leave on the 15th and it will be new content that wasn't available in You are the Answer.

What about you? Are you planning anything for the summer?

*****

His skin looked golden under the yellow light of the two lamps that he passed between as he walked through the door. His gaze, bored as ever, slowly ran over each person in the room. The thud that Riley's dropped knife produced when it fell to the floor was deafening in the silence with which we greeted my unexpected nephew.

"Be careful when you pick it up, Riley." Alec's lips barely twitched upwards. "We don't want any blood, do we?"

"You could've called." I leaned down to pick my mate's utensil for him. "Keri was..."

"Ah, yes. The beautiful and talented Keri."

I clenched my teeth at the vulgar tone my nephew spoke with. A shaking hand covered my balled one and I released the breath I was holding. I had to stay calm for Riley's sake.
Alec stepped further into the room, slowly, his pale eyes a silent challenge for me to lose my control, to lash out on him and fill my mate with horror.

"Beautiful, talented and smart," the half-Dayer went on before he stopped at the end of the table. "Such a shame she still doesn't have a..."

I sprung to my feet to cover his mouth, but my father caught me by the wrist and held me firmly, probably misinterpreting my movement as a desire to strike Alec. I looked down at dad's face. He nodded encouragingly towards my chair, but I didn't sit back down.

"... Boyfriend." Alec finished his sentence, this time not hiding a satisfied smirk - the evidence of just how much he'd enjoyed my reaction. "What's the matter Uncle Rhys? Did I say something inappropriate?"

He turned his back to me and walked to the small table where we'd put come extra cutlery and china. A moment later, one daffodil plate was in his grasp.

My teeth grit again with such force it was a miracle I didn't break them.

It was clear what Alec intended: he had the gall to join us for dinner.

"Rhys." Riley's inflection was pleading and when he took my hand and tugged me down, I sat back in the chair by his side.

"Why are you back, Alec?" I didn't look at the boy as I spoke to him. Seeing his sneer would no doubt bring me back on my feet, wanting to throw him out of my home. "If you are here to cause more trouble..."

"Trouble?" I picked up on the clank of a plate and then the chair next to Carter's being pulled back. "I heard you were all here and came to have a nice family dinner."

I chanced a glance towards our undesired guest. He seemed pleased at the reactions he was getting: fear from Riley and Carter, anger from Kennedy and I, and worry from everyone else.

"Good." Kennedy spoke, meeting Alec's gaze head on. "'Cause if you try anything, I'm going to drive a spike through your heart."

"How old fashioned of you." Alec replied, his amusement only growing at the threat.

"Where have you been?" Everett's hesitation of whether he truly wanted to know the answer was clear in his voice.

Alec's smirk vanished and was replaced with annoyance as soon as he heard his father speak.