“We can see that,” Randall said. “Trust me, we can all see that. It makes you wonder where you went wrong.” He glanced over at Morgan.
“Don’t look at me,” Morgan said, raising his hands defensively. “It’s hard to train the obliviousness out of someone when apparently all they do is wallow in it.”
“I despise all of you,” I said.
“Hi, Sam!”
“Except for you, Tiggy. You’re still my favorite.”
Tiggy looked very smug at this.
“Maybe we should handle this,” Kevin told Gary.
“Please don’t,” I groaned.
Gary glared at Ryan. “Maybe we should.”
“Um,” Ryan said.
Kevin reared himself up to his full height. For someone who thought he was my pseudofather and yet still threatened to suck me off on a regular basis, he was an imposing figure. The knights took a step back as one as he bared his teeth.
“You hurt my boy,” Kevin rumbled. “Tell me why I shouldn’t eat you right now.”
“Not my real dad,” I reminded him.
“Make sure you don’t hurt your teeth on his armor,” Gary said. “It’ll be sort of like eating shellfish, I suppose. Crack the hard exterior to get to the meat.”
“So bloodthirsty,” I whispered in wonder.
“You wouldn’t eat me,” Ryan said.
“Wouldn’t I?” Kevin asked. “Do you really want to test that?”
Ryan looked back at the knights behind him, like he thought they’d back him up.
Pete shot that shit straight down. “I don’t expect you’ll find much help back here, boy,” he said. “Oh, excuse me. Knight Commander.”
Ryan looked utterly betrayed as the knights smirked at him. I knew I liked them for a reason.
“I raised him to be a strong man,” Kevin said, eyes narrowing. “To not take shit from anyone.”
“You didn’t raise me at all,” I said, though no one was really listening to me anymore.
“And then you came along,” Gary said. “And gave him a heart boner.”
“That’s embarrassing to
hear someone say out loud,” I said. “Though probably factually accurate.”
“You don’t touch his flower,” Tiggy growled, taking a menacing step toward Ryan. “Tiggy smash your delicious face and make it hamburger face.”
“Ye gods,” I said. “This is turning brutal.”
“You’re a cornerstone,” Morgan said. “Something revered and treasured. Except apparently you don’t know how to act like one.”
And that was all I could take. He wasn’t theirs to berate. He was mine. They were my family but this was Ryan. “Stop,” I said as Ryan took a step back.
Randall looked between the two of us. “All morning,” he said. “I’ve been electrocuting him. Giving him just a mere taste of what he is capable of. And then the moment you turn the corner and come onto the sparring fields, I could see the difference. I gave him everything I could. He shouldn’t have survived that.”