Chapter 4 The Host #2
“We don’t use that word,” August corrected gently.
“You know what we mean,” Adelyn said, stomping her foot with tiny fury.
“Then say what you mean.” August’s tone was calm but his eyes sparkled. He winked at Lucas, who was clearly enjoying this.
Adelyn huffed dramatically and delivered a world-class eye roll.
“Fine,” she said, drawing the word out into multiple syllables, before turning to Lucas with a look of superior understanding.
“You can always find us with your psychometry.” Then she turned to her other father, sweet as sugar. “Is that better?”
Thomas bit his bottom lip, exchanging an amused glance with Aiden as August and Lucas traded a look that said everything words couldn’t. The unspoken conversation of parents who loved their children but occasionally fantasized about selling them to pirates.
He wasn’t sure who he was prouder of, his granddaughters for their sass in the face of a professional killer, or his son and son-in-law for showing the patience of saints.
“Yes,” August said tightly. “Let’s get you upstairs before your father and I reconsider our stance on gentle parenting.”
Aiden snorted a laugh, hand half-covering his mouth. Adi narrowed her eyes at August. “I know what that means,” she said accusingly.
August patted her head, deadpan. “Good for you, smarty pants. Keep it moving.”
Arabella tossed her curls. “We should be able to explore our boundaries safely like other kids who have normal dads. Using your gifts is cheating.”
Aiden muttered under his breath, “She’s going to be terrifying when she’s older.”
Thomas chuckled. “She already is.”
They watched the family disappear up the stairs, the girls chattering at high speed, Lucas shaking his head in mock despair, August’s cape trailing behind him like a shadow. The last thing Thomas heard before they were out of earshot was Lucas’s weary voice:
“Yeah, yeah. Save it for your therapist.”
Thomas smiled faintly. For a moment, it almost felt like a normal family gathering, children laughing, parents scolding, the house alive with warmth. Almost. If you ignored the weapons hidden in the walls and the secret purpose waiting behind all this glitter and laughter.
Adam and Noah arrived next, dressed as…Sherlock and Moriarty.
The irony was not lost on anyone. Their dogs bounded in ahead of them, a tangle of fur and chaos.
Dexter, round as a pumpkin and twice as determined, heaved his rotund body up the marble staircase, nails clacking with each heroic step toward the sound of the children’s laughter.
“This is insane,” Noah said, sweeping his gaze over the crowd gathering below. “Fifty people, Dad. Fifty.”
“Fifty-two, actually,” Thomas corrected without missing a beat. “But who’s counting?”
“You are. Obviously.” But Noah was grinning, eyes bright despite the complaint. “Everything in place?”
“Everything.” Thomas’s gaze flicked to Aiden, who gave a subtle nod. “The guest of honor should arrive any minute.”
Noah groaned. “You’re still not going to explain anything to me? You’re starting to hurt my feelings. I can’t believe you planned this whole…thing without me.”
“Trust me,” Thomas said, voice smooth as glass, “once the games begin, you’ll be in charge, as usual. But until I’m certain our guest has entered the trap, I’m keeping this one close. But fear not. I always have a backup plan.”
“But we are gonna, like, get to kill someone, right?” Adam asked casually.
Noah turned toward him, scandalized. “What? Why would you say that?”
Adam shrugged, all lazy sin and amusement. “Just something the twins mentioned yesterday.”
Noah rounded on Thomas, jaw dropping. “You told the twins but not me?”
“Extenuating circumstances,” Thomas said mildly. “You’ll understand soon enough.”
Noah huffed, muttering something about family betrayal.
Thomas looked at Adam. “And you, no killing violence until its time.”
“No promises,” Adam added cheerfully.
Thomas smiled faintly. The chaos was almost comforting, like the hum of a well-oiled machine disguised as dysfunction.
The next four arrived together, Avi and Asa in their Jekyll and Hyde costumes, Avi sharp in a tailored Victorian suit, Asa in tattered clothing and smudged makeup that made him look like he’d clawed his way out of the grave. Behind them came Zane and Felix, dressed as Hades and Persephone.
Zane looked devastating in black and silver, the king of the underworld, dressed for judgment. Felix beside him was ethereal, pale silks flowing like smoke, the picture of mercy in contrast.
Thomas’s smile softened as he watched them enter. But beneath the admiration, he caught what others might miss. The way Zane’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The way his hand clutched Felix’s just a little too tightly. The almost imperceptible flinch when someone laughed too loud nearby.
Thomas knew that look. Anticipation tangled with dread. It was the expression of a man who’d been brave for too long.
He excused himself from Aiden’s side and moved toward them, the crowd parting instinctively for him. “Zane,” he said quietly, drawing him aside while the others exchanged greetings. “You good?”
Zane’s answering smile was tight, automatic. “I’m fine.”
Thomas gave him a look that said try again.
Zane hesitated, then sighed. “Are we really doing this?”
“It’s up to you,” Thomas said, voice even. “It’s not too late to call it off. I’d never force you to make this decision if you weren’t certain. But if you’ve changed your mind, tell me now. Do we proceed?”
Zane’s jaw tightened. Despite the fear flickering in his eyes, he nodded before Thomas even finished the question. “I can’t do it anymore.”
Thomas inclined his head, the motion small but approving. “Anyone else would have collapsed long before this.”
Zane’s breath hitched. “Does doing this make me a bad person?”
“No,” Thomas said firmly. “It makes you human. Which is why this family will always rally around you. We protect our own. That’s the only rule that’s ever mattered.”
Zane swallowed hard, eyes glinting with unshed emotion. “Is she really coming? Or is this just…preparation in case she shows up?”
Thomas’s gaze slid briefly toward Aiden, who was now speaking to Jericho across the room. His expression didn’t change, but his tone turned cold as polished steel. “She’s coming,” he said. “People like her always do. They think they’re untouchable, until they remember whose son you really are.”
Beverly Scott might have brought Zane into the world, but she’d never deserved him. So the universe had placed him with the Mulvaneys for safekeeping. He was theirs now.
Zane gave a stilted nod. “O-okay, good.”
Felix joined them, every inch the pale Persephone to Zane’s brooding Hades. “You know she’s going to make a spectacle of herself,” he warned gently. “So mentally prepare yourself.”
Of course Felix knew exactly what they were talking about. Sometimes Thomas wondered if he and Zane had somehow psychically linked up like the twins, a shared sixth sense born from love and survival. It made sense. People who’d been through hell always learned how to hear each other’s ghosts.
Zane took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know. Even on the night of her death, she still gets to humiliate me one last time.”
“No, baby,” Felix said firmly. “She’s embarrassing herself. And signing her own death certificate. Everyone at this party loves you, even the ones who barely know you. When they see how she treats you, they’ll just make her suffer extra, extra slowly.”
“And then she’ll never hurt you again.” Thomas placed a steady hand on Zane’s shoulder. His voice softened, dangerous in its calm. “You don’t have to participate. You don’t even have to watch if you don’t want to. But she will not leave this property alive. Do you understand?”
Zane’s eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them away quickly, shoulders straightening, posture tightening like armor. “Thank you.”
“You’re family.” Thomas pulled him into a brief but solid hug. “We protect family.”
Asa appeared at Zane’s side almost immediately, an instinctive shadow. His arm slid around Zane’s waist as if the motion had been rehearsed. “You okay, Lois?”
Zane gave a watery laugh, leaning into him. “Yeah. I’m okay. Are the boys in the nursery?” he asked Thomas?”
Thomas nodded. “The nanny has them in the play room. They’ve been having a blast. As soon as Ever arrives, she’ll be escorted off property.”
They’d dropped the boys off last night to let Zane have a bit of alone time with the others before tonight.
Zane nodded. “Let’s go see our babies and the niblings before the party, uh, kicks off.”
“I’m sure they’ve missed you,” Thomas said quietly.
There was steel in Zane’s spine again. He’d been breaking for months, every time the woman reared her ugly head, another crack had formed, but tonight he was steady.
Ready. And Thomas would see to it that when this night ended, the thing that haunted him was gone for good.
Aiden drifted by, brushing a reassuring smile across his lips and a quick pat to Thomas’s ass before moving to check the far entrance. It was grounding, their wordless shorthand, a reminder that they’d done this dance before.
More guests filtered in. Archer and Mac arrived next, not from outside, but from upstairs, dressed as Jack Sparrow and Lieutenant Norrington. They still looked as travel-worn as when they’d arrived, but there was an energy about them, that restless, ready hum that came before the violence started.
Dimitri and Arlo followed, striking in their sailor and siren costumes. Appropriate for sure. Behind them came Calliope and Lola, Emma Swan and the Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time. Everyone was nailing the Villains and Vigilantes theme, and somehow, it all felt too appropriate.
Calliope and Lola dropped kisses on every cheek they passed, Lola’s laughter ringing through the room as Calliope murmured to Thomas, “I’m heading to the war room for final comms check. Everything’s up and running.”