I raise an eyebrow.
“Like I said, you’re more of a family to me than my own was.”
“We have a funny way of doing that to people.”
“What?” He wiggles his eyebrows and rubs his palms together. “Luring innocents into your freaky bikers-in-the-woods cult?”
A burst of laughter escapes me, even though I know better than to encourage Carter. “Yeah, that.”
“Hey,” Charlotte calls as she steps out of the side door. “Are we going or not?” She jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “Wrath and Ravage just pulled up out front.”
“Why?”
She shrugs and walks over the grass to meet us.
“Hey.” I tug on her sweatshirt. “Come here.”
Charlotte’s too good to me. Never holds a grudge, even when I deserve it. She curls her arms around me and rests her cheek against my chest. I lean down and whisper in her ear, “I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head and squeezes me tighter.
“Little dude!” Ravage’s voice carries over the grass. His heavy footsteps thunder against the ground. I pull away in time to see Rav tackle Carter from behind, lifting him in the air. “What’s good, buddy?”
“Would you stop doing that! Put me down,” Carter yelps.
Rav takes one look at my thoroughly unamused expression and sets Carter on his feet. “Hey, I gotta ask you something.”
Carter turns his wary eyes on Rav. “What?”
“How are you with the sea creatures?”
Carter’s face scrunches into a thoughtful squint. “Be more specific.”
Rav spreads his hands out wide. “I want you to paint a giant sea witch on the fuel tank of my bike, so it looks like I’m riding Ursula.” He throws in a few hip thrusts in case we can’t grasp what he means by “ride.”
Charlotte buries her face against my chest and laughs.
“Uh, okay.” Carter slides his gaze my way as if he’s worried he’s being punked. “Are you allowed to do that?”
“Yeah. Rock said I could ask you if you had time to do it.”
“No. I mean, a sea witch isn’t very Lost King-y.” Carter wiggles his hands in the air around his head. “Aren’t you supposed to stick to crowns and skulls and stuff?”
I duck my head and laugh.
Rav clasps Carter’s shoulder. “You raise an excellent point, young lad. But you forget one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I do whatever the fuck I want.”
“And suffer the consequences,” I add.
“Exactly.” Rav points to me. “A man takes his punishment like a man.”
“You’re a fucking expert at that.” Wrath slaps Rav on the back, sending him forward a few feet.
“Can I get a sea witch painted on my bike?” Rav asks Wrath with an absolutely straight face.