Page 79 of King’s Kismet

Amelia glowered at her mates for a brief second, then sat on the ottoman as she rolled her eyes. “We were supposed to meet in secret, so the riddle wasn’t anything unusual. It led me to the camel, which I almost didn’t get on... But the owner told me the old man with long gray hair said I would be there. So I got on the fucking camel.”

Rig snorted, though he tried to cover it with a cough.

“I rode into the next town, which took hours,” she explained. “A young woman was waiting for me as I crested the hill, and she led me to the so-called neighbor.”

“And you killed him because…” I trailed off, leaning forward.

“Because he and Rig were fighting inside the house.”

I squinted at my parents, all of them wearing different expressions while revisiting this story. “Fighting about what?”

“Nothing,” she nearly shouted, throwing her dish towel at the angel. “They were faking the whole thing. And I killed him.”

“I’ve killed for less,” I acknowledge.

“He was a vampire,” Rig dryly retorted. “He popped right back up.”

“He scared the living fucking daylights out of me,” she fumed. “And you laughed.”

Rig canted his head, struggling to hold his smile at bay. “It was funny.”

“See?” she demanded. “Fucking children.”

“I would have killed him too,” I admitted, though I could see the humor in scaring her.

The next time I died, I kind of hoped my guys called her in to watch over me… That would be even more hilarious than the story.

Rig finally cracked, and his laughter was contagious, inciting the other centuries old schoolgirls in the living room. Amelia threw her hands in the air, exasperated with them.

“She did,” he confessed around his gasping giggles. “Sliced me right in the gut and left me on the ground to bleed out.”

“That seems fair,” I told her. “A little mild, but fair. I would have used my hand to—”

“Don’t give her any ideas,” Rig interrupted.

“Never thought I’d see the day where we had to worry about our daughter giving our mate ideas for killing one of us,” Charlie whispered to Nate and Sam.

Sam scoffed. “You never saw this coming? Really?”

“I’m blaming this on you,” Nate mumbled back to Charlie. “It’s all your fault.”

“What did I do?” Charlie snapped, not completely offended.

“I wanted to teach her how to use a bow,” Nate complained.

“I can,” I reminded him. “You assholes taught me how to kill, but not cook. I get plenty of shit for that.”

Charlie shrugged. “If you can’t hunt, you can’t eat.”

“Says the carnivore to the vegetarian,” I sassed.

“Come on,” Amelia called, nodding for me to follow.

I raised a brow at her insistence, but stood anyway, curious as to why she wanted me. Before I trailed behind her, I moved my queen and scurried out of the room as Rig cursed me.

“Godsdamnit. How does she keep winning?”

“Because you suck at chess,” Sam replied.