Which was basically the same thing I’d done with Lyric, minus the broken hip, but I sure as hell was walking like I had.
Finally, Theo and Tavia were declared husband and wife, and while everyone was cheering, Mom leaned close to whisper in my ear. “Was it at least good?”
“Mom!” I grumbled, glancing at Dad. But his attention wasn’t on us. It was on Monroe, who looked like she was about to start sobbing at any second.
Forgetting about my aching body, I focused on my sister. “She’s just really happy for Tavia, Dad,” I told him, pushing a tissue into Monroe’s hands and hugging my sister to my chest. “Get it together. He’s going to start slitting throats if you cry.”
I felt her shudder, then nod before sucking in a deep breath. “I’m good,” she promised, and she turned with a weak smile for Dad. “She looks so beautiful, doesn’t she? And they’re so in l-love.” When her voice broke, Dad’s eyes grew wild. Didn’t matter if Monroe or I cried because we were happy or sad. Our tears brought out a side of Dad that had most people trembling in fear. “It was such a beautiful ceremony.”
Her answer didn’t appease Dad in the least, but he didn’t call her out on it. Instead, he only watched her closer as we left the church and went to the reception. But we wouldn’t be able to stay long.
The Vitucci jet was taking us all home that evening so Aunt Raven would be there in case Lexa went into labor. Everyone but Garret and Nova, who would be spending the summer with their New York family, was already packed and our cases in the SUVs that had picked us up from the airport the day before.
I sat at a table with Maverick, River, and Monroe. We’d all gotten plates of food from the mile-long buffet table that was set out with enough Italian food to feed an entire country, but Monroe only picked at her meal with her fork, not even pretending to taste it.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Monroe spoke up out of the blue. Pushing her still-full plate away, she looked from me to our brother and back again. “I decided which college I’m going to.”
I felt my stomach bottom out, and I quickly pushed away my own plate of food, knowing I wasn’t going to like what she was going to say. I knew this was because of whatever happened with the stalker guy, and I wanted to nut-punch him so damn bad at that moment.
“Fuck,” Mav muttered, and River touched his arm, trying to reassure him.
“I’m sorry, guys, but I think—”
“You will not sit there and act like the world owes you something, princess.” Aunt Raven’s voice filled the entire room. Considering the place had a potential capacity of over two thousand, her angry tone had all us kids turning to see who was getting the wrath of our queen.
She stood behind the table where Tavia and Theo were seated. His best man, Ryan, was sitting with Nova on one side, while Sofia sat on the other side of Tavia. My honorary cousin sat there, her fork poised in midair, her hurt-filled dark eyes filling rapidly with tears as she looked at Sofia.
Theo was practically shaking, he was so pissed, but what had everyone at my table gulping and instinctively moving closer to each other was the absolute rage that was pouring off Aunt Raven and filling the entire building. Suddenly, every eye was on her and the defiant, almost petulant expression on Sofia’s face.
I felt more than saw Dad and all my uncles moving closer to Aunt Raven, always ready to defend their queen, even if it was from a spoiled little bitch like Sofia Volkov. Not that Aunt Raven needed protection. The woman was the ultimate badass in my eyes. She could and would have snapped Sofia’s pretty little neck in a heartbeat if she’d truly wanted to.
Luckily for Sofia, she didn’t. But I would have been all too happy to help my aunt get rid of her body if she changed her mind.
“This is none of your business, lady,” Sofia snipped, not seeming to understand that she was an inch away from death.
“You just made it my business, sweetheart,” Aunt Raven snarled at her. Bending, she got in Sofia’s face. “You think I’m blind? That I haven’t seen you trying to make everything all about you? The last two days, you have done nothing but complain and insult Tavia. But I’ve had enough, little girl. You just crossed a line you can’t come back from, and I’m about to teach you a few hard lessons, you whiny little bitch.”
“Excuse you.” A new voice joined the conversation. “You will not speak to my daughter like that. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Oh shit,” Maverick muttered, half in awe that someone would dare talk to our aunt like that, half in glee at the potential of a fight. “It’s about to go down.”
Her every move slow and measured, Aunt Raven straightened and turned to face Theo and Sofia’s mother, Victoria Volkov. The beautiful redhead stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed. A dangerous vibe rolled off her, but she had nothing on the blonde in front of her.
&nb
sp; “I’m the one who understands that Tavia’s special day has been overshadowed by your little princess here. You gush and you coo and say Tavia is just like a daughter to you. You have her call you ‘Mom’ and pretend like you are this amazing mother who takes care of all of your babies. But you are just as much at fault for the tears in Tavia’s eyes right now as your spoiled daughter,” Aunt Raven snapped at her. “You let her do whatever she wants—fuck anyone else and their feelings. You are supposed to be protecting Tavia, yet all you do is let this little bitch walk all over her and anyone else who gets in her way. She’s so spoiled, she has done nothing but sulk and pout and whine because no one is paying the least bit of attention to her. All eyes are on Tavia, and she’s practically green with jealousy because she can’t stand it.”
Victoria’s mouth opened, then closed. Her face tensed, and she glanced from Sofia to the tears running down Tavia’s face. The bride quickly looked away, angrily dashing at her tears. Turning her gaze back on Sofia, her mother demanded, “What did you do?”
“What hasn’t she done?” Aunt Raven half yelled before changing her voice to make it annoyingly high and whiny in what was the perfect imitation of Sofia, in my opinion. “Poor, pitiful me. No one is paying me any attention. Tavia is being gushed over because she’s so beautiful in her wedding dress. Better insult her. Tell her the dress isn’t good enough, but in a backhanded way so no one will understand I’m actually insulting her. Tavia is leaving for Italy for her honeymoon. Better remind her I was supposed to be in Paris with my friends this week but couldn’t go because I just had to be her maid of honor.” Aunt Raven was seething now. “Because according to your daughter, she’s Tavia’s only friend, and no one else would even think about taking time out of their lives to attend such a boring wedding.”
“She would never treat Tavia like that,” Victoria defended, but her voice lacked conviction.
“You calling me a liar?” Aunt Raven took a step closer to the redhead, and everyone tensed, knowing there was about to be bloodshed.
“Settle down, both of you,” a calm, slightly accented voice commanded. Anya Vitucci wasn’t just small, curvy, and gorgeous. She also carried an aura of danger around her that screamed she was in charge without her ever having to open her mouth.
“Are you just going to let her talk about your niece like that?” Victoria demanded.