Page 37 of What the Hex
His mate had quite the impressive family. Some might even say intimidating. He imagined there was a lot of pressure to live up to the family legacy.
“And you’re the youngest?”
“Yeah, my brother and sisters are all two years apart, but Royal is fourteen years older than me.”
“That’s quite the gap.”
It did explain why King claimed not to be close with his siblings, though. They would have all graduated by the time their baby brother started kindergarten.
“Yes, but my mother swears I was planned.” He flipped his blinker on and checked his blind spot before changing lanes to pass a slower moving vehicle. Then he shrugged. “Maybe she was bored.”
Well, that was a pretty bleak way of looking at it. Sure, waiting that long to have a fourth child might not be the usual, but it wasn’t so strange. He also considered the possibility that King’s birth had been a happy accident, and his mom had told a small fib to protect his feelings. That still didn’t mean he had been unwanted.
Clearly, there was more to these family dynamics than his mate let on. Instead of interrogating him about it, however, he decided to wait and find out for himself when he met the Mathers clan.
Which turned out to be sooner than he had anticipated. The last signage he’d seen had reported another twenty-two miles to Colorado Springs, but a few minutes later, King exited the highway and turned onto a narrow, two-lane road.
Businesses gave way to residential neighborhoods, which eventually became rows of densely packed trees with the occasional glimpse of mountain peaks in the distance. They didn’t speak, and King appeared to barely be breathing, growing more tense with each passing mile.
After a while, King slowed once again, turning onto a paved lane that led to a massive wrought-iron gate set into what appeared to be a brick wall. Reaching overhead, he pressed the center button on a remote attached to his sun visor. With a loud creak and a low rumble, the gate parted, rolling away to permit them entry.
The lane turned out to be a long driveway with lush, manicured lawns on either side. A fountain topped with a life-size fairy was displayed like a centerpiece in the middle of the circular part of the drive. Carved from white stone, it glimmered in the fading sunlight while waterspouts skipped merrily over the surface of the basin.
The house itself was an interesting mixture of traditional and modern with large bay windows, more white stone, and dark wood trim. The porch stretched the length of the home, though apart from a few potted plants, it didn’t appear as if the residents spent much time there.
No chairs. No swing. Nothing to indicate it was for anything more than decoration.
Exiting the vehicle, he met King at the bottom of the front steps and offered his hand. He wouldn’t push the issue, but he wanted his mate to know he was there if King needed him.
After a brief hesitation, King smiled and linked their fingers together. “Are you ready?”
“Ready.”
“I’m just going to go ahead and apologize in advance for anything my family might say. They have absolutely no filter.”
The guy didn’t seem to realize he wasn’t responsible for the behavior of others, but he was dealing with enough stress at the moment. As such, Storm decided to keep his comments to himself and wait for a more appropriate time to discuss it.
Besides, he fancied himself easygoing with a fairly high tolerance for bullshit. If they wanted to offend him, the Mathers would have to work hard for it. As long as they didn’t disparage his mate, he could take whatever they dished out to him.
“I promise not to take it personally.”
He knew he’d said the right thing when King nodded and let out a deep breath before leading him through the front door. The sounds of conversation came from deeper within the house, but even when King called out, no one came out to meet them.
Following his mate through a beautiful sitting room decorated in neutral shades of sand and sage, he couldn’t help but notice how unused everything appeared. The mocha-colored sofa and its matching armchairs had probably cost a fortune, but there was no sign that they were actually used for their intended purpose.
The walls were decorated with eclectic pieces of art, including metalworks, wood-carved masks, and modern paintings. The mantel over the fireplace contained vases of fresh flowers, along with half a dozen miniature sculptures. A stack of self-help books adorned the coffee table, and weird bowls of wicker balls sat atop a long table just beyond the foyer.
Nowhere, however, did he see a single photo, or anything else that might hold meaning. Honestly, it kind of felt like walking through a museum, and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his chinos to avoid even accidentally touching anything.
From there, they passed through a wide corridor that reminded him remarkably of a waiting room. With a brick wall on one side, and a glass wall on the other that looked out onto a courtyard, the only thing that occupied the space was two benches and some fairly generic paintings.
They hung a left at the end of the hallway and entered an expansive dining room with a long, marble-topped table surrounded by eight leather chairs. More generic paintings took up valuable space on the walls, and a couple of fake palms in wicker baskets filled each corner of the room.
An arched doorway led to a kitchen that appeared small and outdated compared to the rest of the space, but Storm only caught a brief glimpse. The main attraction was the east wall, which consisted of glass accordion doors that stood open to a covered patio that abutted a huge pool, complete with a natural rock waterfall.
That was where they found King’s family, gathered in another sitting area with two sofas and four additional armchairs. Directly behind one of the sofas was a fully stocked tiki bar, which the Mathers seemed to be putting to good use.
“King!” A young woman with golden curls just like his mate held up a colorful cocktail with an equally colorful paper umbrella. “What are you drinking?”