Page 110 of House of Malice
Jolene giggled, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “Talk about the handfasting ceremony of the century.”
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When Blaze got the message that his father was expecting him at dinner tonight, he knew what was coming.
What surprised him was how calm he felt as he took a shower and got dressed.
His mind was clear. His thoughts sharp.
He took the carriage to Avalon Hills, and he felt eerily calm all the way to the Leveau penthouse.
The quiet before the storm.
Throughout the dinner, his father didn’t pay much attention to him. It wasn’t unusual. Blaze ate, drank, and spoke with the witches at the table like he did on any other night.
Once the dinner was over, they all retired to the cocktail lounge. Blaze was finishing his second drink when the invitation to join his father in his study arrived.
Blaze gulped his drink down, buttoned his jacket with one hand, and followed Galliermo down the hall. He knew the way so well, he could have found it blind.
His father entered the study first, and Blaze followed. He closed the door behind him. For a long moment, Galliermo stood with his back to Blaze, silent.
Then Blaze heard a chant, and before he could react, something collided with his chest, sending him backwards.
His head and back hit the wall, knocking the wind out of him. Galliermo had never used magic on him before.
Blaze panted, trying to scramble back to his feet.
Galliermo turned to face Blaze, his features twisted with fury Blaze had never witnessed before.
“Did I not make myself clear the last time?” Galliermo asked through clenched teeth. Blaze squared his shoulders and tilted his chin. “You were to stay away from that half-breed unless you wanted to find yourself in Grimswater.”
Blaze bit his tongue and ground his teeth. He kept his father’s gaze, his heart hammering so hard against his rib cage, it hurt.
Galliermo sent a punch to his side, and instead of taking it, Blaze caught his fist before it reached him. Surprise flickered in Galliermo’s face for a moment before fury took over once more.
He murmured a chant, and Blaze was up in the air, flying through the room. He slammed against the bookshelves and fell to the floor. Blaze grunted, his body screaming with pain from the impact. A dozen books fell over him, so he covered his head.
Blaze wasn’t quick enough to dodge Galliermo’s shoe colliding with his ribs. Blaze wheezed from the impact, but Galliermo didn’t give him a chance to recover.
He fisted the hair at the back of his head and punched Blaze in the face.
That was also something Galliermo never did.
Now Blaze was worried.
Galliermo seemed intent on killing Blaze.
“You are an ungrateful, spoiled piece of shit,” Galliermo said, then punched him again. “You only need to attend college and make sure that you play rockey well enough. But you can’t do that. You have to drink yourself stupid and fuck witches you aren’t supposed to fuck. What is it about her, huh? What is it about her that you can’t find elsewhere?”
Galliermo let go of Blaze’s hair and then kicked him on the ribs once more. Blaze curled up in a ball, riding out the wave of pain that washed over him.
He was pretty sure he heard his rib crack.
“If you are so desperate to fuck mortal pussy, then go get a whore!” Galliermo shouted. “You do not go after that girl, do you hear me? She will be the end of you. I will not have you ruin my legacy because you fell in love with a treacherous half-breed!”
“She’s not Demitria,” Blaze managed to say.
“What was that?”
