One Bad Knight (Demon Knights Book 2) by Holly Roberds

Author:Holly Roberds [Roberds, Holly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

16

Kat

The next day, it was less of a shock when I brought Gatsby down to breakfast. Though the air was no less tense. The way my family eyed the tattoos on his neck, as if they could will him out of his existence, or the very least, from the dining table.

“So Gatsby, where are you from?” my uncle asked.

“Yes, where are you from?” Dave parroted.

I had to keep from rolling my eyes. Sometimes I wondered if Dave's one wish was to be a carbon copy of my uncle.

Even Gabe set aside his tablet to hear the answer.

Gatsby didn’t answer. He was shoveling food into his mouth with that single-minded efficiency again.

“He’s moved around a lot,” I explained for him.

“Army brat?” Gabe guessed.

Gatsby grunted. It might have been to keep from choking on his food, but my family took it to mean assent.

When Gatsby finished cleaning his plate, he sat up to find everyone looking at him. I poured myself some more French roast, as I sorted out the warring feelings I had sitting between the perfectly proper family and the man I let do bad, unspeakable things to me.

“What did you think of Kat’s gallery show last night?” Gatsby asked.

Suddenly I wanted to shrink into my seat until I disappeared. The sting of my uncle’s critique was still fresh.

When my uncle had seen my painting, the Boy in Darkness, he’d known it was the same boy I’d spoken of as a child. He sharply whispered to me that I needed to control myself before people found out. That his entire reelection was at risk. Then asked if I only cared about myself?

The shame burrowed to my core.

My uncle set his elbows on the table and threaded his fingers together. “It was… fun.” His tone suggested it was anything but.

“Why weren’t you two there?” Gatsby asked my cousins.

I sunk a little further in my seat, but my eyes lifted, wanting to know the answer. I’d never asked them anything like this before.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room as Gatsby pinned them with his probing gaze.

“I had to work late.” Dave glared at Gatsby before throwing me a lofty excuse. “Sorry, Katherine, had I known sooner, I would have been there.

“I sent you an email a month ago. You replied that your assistant would block off that time,” I said, not believing I spoke up.

“I did?” Dave said it as if it were a question, then said more resolutely, “I did. She did. But work interfered. You know how it goes, Katherine.”

I didn’t. But I couldn't say his excuse surprised me.

Still, I opened my mouth again. “You couldn’t be there one time? How many of your polo matches and fundraisers have I shown up to?”

“Are you really her assistant?” Gabe asked Gatsby, turning the conversation around.

“No,” Gatsby said.

“He’s my boyfriend,” I rushed to fill in before he could say something inane, like he was my bodyguard. That led to too many questions.

The table went mute. Even Gatsby stared at me, as if he struggled to comprehend what I’d just said.

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