The Broken Puppet (The Elite King's Club 2)

Dad looks at me suspiciously. “He’s out on bail. Happened just this morning. I take it he will be at home now.”

I can’t help the smile that comes onto my mouth, my chest warming. “At our home? Okay, I’ll go up there now.”

“Madison.” My dad puts his hands into his pockets. “We need to talk about Daemon though, so I’ll get Sammy to meet us back at home.”

“Okay,” I whisper, relaxing so much more, now that I know he’s on bail and at home. I can’t imagine Daemon in a prison cell, and he doesn’t deserve to be in a one. I know what people say about him, but he would never hurt me—regardless of what he does or has done to other people. I don’t know why I have such certainty about Daemon, but I do. My ease with him is effortless. Maybe it’s a twin thing, I don’t know.

I follow Dad back out of the station and wait as he tells Sammy that she can meet us back at home.

“So,” I begin, unlocking the truck and getting into the driver side. Dad gets into the passenger seat and clips in his belt. “What is it you want to talk about?”

“Daemon.”

“Yes, we can start with him,” I murmur, pulling out into the oncoming traffic. “Why?”

Dad looks at me. I can see him from the corner of my eye. “Why what?”

“Why didn’t you and Mom want him?” I ask, risking a quick glance toward him. “I mean, it just doesn’t seem fair that I got this life and he got his.”

“Whose life do you think is worst?”

Interesting question, but that’s Dad for you. He has always had a way of expressing his knowledge—a way I hated growing up.

“I don’t know,” I scoff. “Don’t make me answer that. I got a luxurious life, though it hasn’t been easy at times, and I’ve….” I clear my throat, not wanting to get too touchy with this subject. “But Daemon’s life seems messed up, Dad. So why? Why’d you and Mom decide he wasn’t worthy of your love?”

“It’s not that, Madison. He wasn’t fit to be a King, so he had to be a Lost Boy.”

I laugh. I can’t help it, but “he’s not fit to be a King” just grinds me the wrong way. “That makes no sense.”

“You will never make sense of this world. You need to understand that.” He looks at me, and I glance back at him. “Trying to figure out this world will never happen, Madison, and it will kill you like it has killed many others who tried.”

Taking my eyes off him, I look back to the road. “There are so many questions.”

Dad nods. “Yes,” he looks ahead of himself, “and just when you think you know everything, something else gets thrown into the mix,” he mutters under his breath, almost like he didn’t mean for me to hear.

“Like what, Dad?”

He looks back to me and smiles, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. “That’s not for you to worry about. Just be careful with Daemon. I know he wouldn’t… intentionally hurt you. But he’s a dangerous sort, Madison. He’s so very dangerous.”

“Why do people keep saying that?” I don’t mean to, but it comes out as if I’m annoyed. I guess I am. I’ve seen a glimpse into the dark side of Daemon. I say glimpse because of the way people are talking about him makes it seem like he has a very, very dark part about him. But even in that mode, he wouldn’t hurt me.

“Because it’s the truth.” Dad exhales. “Just be careful. If I tried to explain Daemon to you, it still wouldn’t scratch the surface, but I have rules.”

“Rules?” I inch my head back. “Since when do you give me rules?”

“Since a bullet grazed your temple, Madison!” He raises his voice a little toward the end but then breathes out, exhaling all his anger. “Look, stick to these rules or I will father you, and I don’t care how old you are.”

“Fine.” I slump into my chair, pulling down our street. “What are your rules?”

“You are not to be alone with Daemon under any circumstances. The Kings know, so if you want to spend time with him, one of them needs to be there with you.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“No, that’s the rule. They don’t have to be right beside you, but they need to be there.” I pull into our gated driveway. “Elena and I are flying to Dubai tomorrow morning. Stick to that one rule or I will be on the first flight home, understood?” He looks at me just as I pull up the emergency brake.

“Fine.”

“Good.” Dad smiles. “Oh, I’ve moved Daemon to the bedroom on the other side of Nate’s room.”

“Why?” I ask, getting out of the truck and rounding to the front. “Why not beside my room?”