Chaz groans. “I feel left out of this conversation.”
Thad and Roslyn continue to stare at me. “Let Alyssa decide,” Thad finally says. “I can’t be trusted to weigh in because you feel stronger than usual.”
“Possibly because she’s had Slade’s blood,” Kya says, then her eyes widen when I glare at her.
“That explains so much,” Chaz grumbles under his breath.
“Kya!” Dice shouts, and since she typically ignores him, I know she’s running up those stairs after the beckoning to get away from my glare.
“It’s not his blood that makes me want to—”
“Act dominant and take on the dragonites against your father’s orders?” Chaz finishes, completely different from how I planned on finishing that statement.
“She’s not acting dominant,” Thad tells him. “Trust me when I say that comes with all its own issues, and to be honest, I should have thought of it before.”
Kya materializes in the room, heaving out a frustrated breath. “Sometimes I wonder how this became my life so fast,” she says before snapping her fingers to a beat.
The lights start flickering in time with her snaps, and we all look at each other when ACDC starts blasting throughout the house.
Our eyes all flit to the stairs as the lights continue to flicker with the beat of the music, Kya’s power being put to odd use.
Dice comes down the stairs, singing every single word, and steps into view just as Back in Black gets to the chorus. Dressed in all black leather as he runs a hair through his black hair, he pushes his black sunglasses up on his nose after looking over the rim at us.
He air-guitars his way down the rest of the stairs while also head-banging.
Then he does a little moonwalking across the kitchen floor.
Kya finally stops flicking her fingers, and dematerializes from the room. The music cuts out, and my ears continue ringing.
“Ah, you couldn’t give me my moment?” Dice gripes.
She rematerializes in the room, flipping him off as she walks on. “Someone tell me when I’m needed. Since this is all vague to me, I’m going to go check in with Slade.”
Just hearing his name makes it hard to resist going with her. Clearly I really have spent too much time with him, or maybe it’s because his blood is so fresh in my veins.
I filled him with my blood, and he walked away. Then again, he did spend time basically cuddling with me in bed, so…that’s a new development.
“While you’re at it, ask him what he’d do, and I bet he gives you the same answer Ella just gave us,” Chaz says, laughing humorlessly. “Did he do this on purpose?”
Kya hesitates, looking over at me, and I huff out a breath. It’s Thad who finally snaps.
“She’s saying she’s terrified of Alyssa disagreeing with her, because right now, Alyssa is queen. And all our animal senses are on hyper-drive since that portal unleashed a stream of unresolved conflict with unapologetic enemies.”
Chaz’s brow furrows.
“He’s saying I’m worried I’ll end up challenging my mother if/when she disagrees with me,” I say quietly, clearing my throat. “Hence the reason I wanted to avoid her and ask my father for forgiveness rather than permission, because I don’t trust myself.”
Dice drops to the counter in a lean, his eyes blanking a little as tension coats the room.
“It’s not like I want to go behind their backs, but…”
My words trail off.
“But between whatever takes over when you use too much power and the animal clawing at you from the inside to stop being so inactive, you’re worried you won’t be in control,” Thad finishes, looking away.
“Good. So we’re going with the ask for forgiveness thing instead. I’m on board now. Should have just led with that instead of the urine bit,” Dice says, clapping his hand on the counter. “Someone give me a lift to Karma before we do this.”
“I’ll take him. I need to speak with Alyssa myself and see what she says,” Chaz grumbles.