Page 27 of Vengeful Queen
My blood runs cold and shakes my bones. Thinking about Asher facing off with his uncle Trunk makes my stomach instantly sick. Asher has a fierce temper, but his uncle is psycho. The man doesn’t waste his time on morals; he’ll do something lowbrow to Asher and hide the evidence.
“No.” Jaxon’s reaction reflects mine. “I don’t want to hear the gory details on the true crime podcast.”
“No offense, Ash,” I tell him. “But your uncle has no honor toward his actual family. He treats the MC like family, not you. He won’t play fair. And I’m tired of funerals.”
Asher leans back against the tall seat. “He will shred me and then tell people he only has one nephew. The Hunt will use me for practice. You’re right, you fuckers.”
“Damn right, dumbass,” replies Jaxon. “We’ll help you raise your grades from the dead. But you’re going to have to stop staring at Charlotte’s ass instead of studying.”
“Have you thought about your major yet?” I ask him.
Asher smiles so wide it reaches his ears. “Yeah, I’m declaring pre-law.”
“Yes.” I clap my hands. “Put those shank-making skills to good use. Did you see Charlotte’s eyes when you cut up that can? I thought she was going to faint.”
Jaxon cracks. “She was expecting a ring, and you gave her a shank.”
Asher tears up with laughter. “Fuck Alpha; you guys are my bros. We’ve got to stick together. Jax, pledge next year after Kurt graduates. And I will demand they let you in.”
I slap the table and laugh. “We’ll let you hold the paddle.”
I can’t imagine Ivymore without Asher or Jaxon. I try to recall if I had friends this close in high school, but nothing compares to what I have with them. We share it all—wonderful and shitty. It can’t be any other way.
“Besides, she needs you, Ash,” I reply.
“She has you two.” The moodiness creeps back into his voice.
“No, it’s not the same to her,” replies Jaxon. “You don’t get how much she loves you.”
Asher meets his gaze. “How do you even know that?”
I answer with a smirk. “Good times, bad times. She runs to you first.”
“Whenever a girl checks you out, I see steam pouring off Charlotte’s head,” replies Jaxon. “She balls up her little fists and bares her teeth.”
“She looks like she’s going to break out the girl-on-girl action,” I reply.
But Asher’s bleak expression doesn’t change. “So, what are we going to do when she chooses one of us? Are we still going to be friends then?”
Jaxon makes a face. “Have you met the sister?”
Asher scoffs like Jaxon is light on brain power. “Yeah, Astrid and I grew up in the same neighborhood. She can’t stand me, and I had to stop calling her names, or I’d piss off Charlotte.”
“Well, Charlotte stood up for her and told me off,” replies Jaxon.
“What did she say to you?” I ask.
“Not important...” He pauses and then confesses. “Except her sister has four SOs, and then Charlotte called me a man-ho.”
I laugh while Asher chants it a few times. “Hey ho, man-ho.”
Jaxon looks annoyed with our ruthless teasing. “I’m serious, you douches. I realized too late that she was talking about it because she was hinting about us.” He sighs, low and long. “I punched Kurt because he wanted to watch. I wasn’t against the idea of being watched. I was angry it was him.”
“He is unfinished business,” I growl.
“So if it had been one of us?” Asher asks Jaxon.
Jaxon’s frown is anxious. “We had an agreement, and Charlotte almost found out about the game. We better come clean with her.”