A King's Weakness (Book 1)

Chapter 17

WHEN KAGE PICKS ME UP AFTER SCHOOL, I'M ON EDGE. I don't know what to expect from him in terms of my middle of the night disappearance, which has me on eggshells the entire afternoon.

Finally, he puts me out of my misery.

"So, is this going to be another Los Angeles?" he asks abruptly as we skirt around each other in the kitchen, orbiting like two planets around the sun—AKA the fridge. "You know I'm not uptight about all the partying shit, but the least you could do is leave a note next time you leave. Oh—and not try to make such a piss poor excuse in the morning," he adds with a wry smile.

Oh. He thinks I was out all night drinking.

My mind fires several thoughts through my brain all at once. I could tell him the truth, I could stick to the original lie, or I could come up with a new one.

In the end, I shrug noncommittally. "Noted. I'm going out tonight with a few friends, FYI." It's easiest to not answer his question at all, to let him draw his own conclusions.

He doesn't seem to mind, and we take up our usual spots on the lawn chairs in the backyard.

The silence lasts for about two minutes.

"There are a few things you should know," Kage begins gruffly, instantly setting my nerves on edge. His voice is only ever like this when he's about to say something he is uncomfortable talking about. "When a boy and a girl like each other very much, it's best if they use some sort of protection."

Vomit rises in my throat, and I spring from my chair, nearly knocking it over in my haste.

"Stop, stop! I'm almost eighteen, I know about the birds and the bees," I cry, clapping my hands over my ears.

But when I see the unrestrained grin on his face, I drop my hands and narrow my eyes.

"Kidding," he chuckles, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye. "You should've seen your face."

I want to kick him in his face, but I somehow manage to restrain the impulse. "You suck."

He pats my chair, and I sit back down with a loud huff. "I do want to talk to you about something, just not that. I want you to know more about our family and how magic factors into everything," he says, running a hand through his hair.

Well, I will happily take this conversation ten times over if it means we never have the other one.

"I told you that our family tree has several powerful wardens. The shitty thing about power is that some people just aren't built for it, and it fucks them up in the head. There has to be some sort of checks and balances," Kage explains, scratching his head like he isn't entirely sure where he got the term "checks and balances" from.

I lay my head back against my lawn chair with an audible thunk. "Like the government?" I offer, and he nods, seizing the opportunity I served on a silver platter.

"Yes! Exactly like the government." He twists his mouth to one side. "But not the American one. Think more...British."

"A constitutional monarchy, then." It's hard not to sigh. I have no idea where he is going with this.

He blinks at me. "Well, not exactly. Minus the constitutional part."

At this, I turn my head to stare at him, impatience boiling in my belly. "Kage, get to the fucking point."

"The wardens have their own kingdom—with a king and everything."

I want to bang my head against a goddamn wall.