“I like parties,” Tiggy said.
“Vadoma,” Morgan said. “I have given you leeway in this. I have bitten my tongue as you’ve done nothing but waggle yours. No longer. I frankly must insist that you back off before there are complications.”
“There will be no backing off,” she scoffed. “You are a wizard, but you are still a man. The stars have spoken for the gods, and Sam must answer to them. You can’t hide him away any longer, Morgan. He is no longer a child. He’s not yours.”
“And he’s not yours either,” Mom snapped, taking a step forward. “After all this time, daj, you have no right to come here and make demands of him. We raised him. Myself. Joshua. Gary. Tiggy. And Morgan, who has done more for him than anyone else. You know nothing about him.”
“I know his fears,” Vadoma said. “I know his hopes. I have seen into the heart of him. I also know the lies he’s been told. The secrets kept from him.”
“I think it’s time for you to take a step back,” the King said. “Regardless of what your beliefs are, regardless of who you are and are not related to here, surely you can agree that I am still your King. And as your King, I am ordering you to shut your mouth.”
“That might have given me an erection,” Gary said to Tiggy.
“Power kink,” Tiggy said.
“Like you wouldn’t even believe,” Gary agreed.
I expected Vadoma to defy even the King, but she didn’t. I didn’t think it mattered. The damage had already been done. It probably didn’t help that I had to choke back my magic as best I could, because I wanted to launch it at her, wanted to call upon the earth to wrap her in stone, call upon the skies to rain lightning down upon her. Something, anything to get rid of that look on Ryan’s face.
“Is that true?” Ryan asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m learning that there’s a lot I haven’t been told.”
“Oooh, someone’s in trouble,” Gary whispered.
“Is it me?” Tiggy asked. “I in trouble?”
“No, kitten. It’s not you. You’re too wonderful and could never do anything wrong and everyone loves you.”
“Tiggy smash?”
“Possibly. I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
Tiggy glared at just about everyone after that, as if they were all capable of needing a smashing.
“Maybe Morgan or Randall can fill in the blanks,” I said. “Since they’re obviously so knowledgeable on the subject.”
Randall and Morgan didn’t react. They were good. They were very good.
But right before I was about to be better (and undoubtedly make them break and wail in pain at the power of my appropriately demoralizing comments), Dad said, “Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pete run that fast unless there was gravy involved.”
Which didn’t really make much sense in the current conversation.
We all turned, and sure enough, you would have thought we were all made of gravy with how fast Pete was hauling ass toward us. It was a sight to see, those thick tree trunk legs hefting up and down, his sloping gut falling side to side.
“Well, that can’t possibly be good,” I said.
“He’s going to give himself a heart attack,” Justin said, crossing his arms. “Shouldn’t he just retire already?”
“In his own time,” the King said to his son. “He’s just worried about getting bored.”
“What is it?” Ryan asked me.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But there’s got to be a reason.”
It didn’t take long for him to reach us. His face was bright red and slick with sweat. He took in great gasping breaths as he bent over, hands on his knees.
“There, there.” Tiggy patted him roughly on the back. “There’s no gravy here, tiny Pete.”