Page 10 of Storm's Deliverance

“Your dad hasn’t come out of his office since he was told,” she warns me. I give her an ‘are you fucking kidding me’ look. “Good luck.” She pats me on the back.

I turn and come face to face with Rage. Oh god, this could go very badly, very quickly. He just stands there, glaring at Zeke. “Err, Zeke, this is Rage. Rage, this is Zeke, my boyfriend, and who I am moving in with,” I introduce.

Rage just blinks. “You have an unusual nose.”

“Ah, okay Rage, you aren’t collecting right now,” Mom rushes out, reminding him.

His gaze flickers to Mom, instantly softening. My mom has always had a way with calming Rage. There were times he would take us to school, and the other parents would look at him in pure fear. Kids would be told to stay away from us, None of us cared. We had each other, and no one dared to mess with us, for the fear of the repercussions.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Zeke replies, his voice wobbling with fear.

Rage merely looks at him, his brows furrowed, like he’s an alien. “Not sir. Rage. You’re a doctor?” Rage asks.

Zeke grins proudly. “Yes, I am. A surgeon.”

Rage curls his lip in disgust. “I don’t like doctors,” he spits, taking a step closer to Zeke, towering over him. I swear I feel his hand tremble in mine. I give him a reassuring squeeze. “But you cut people.” His eyes alight. “What tools do you use? Do you have that crank thingy, for the chest? So you can access the heart? What’s the rarest thing you’ve removed from a body? Is there a freezer where you keep the parts you remove? Tumours, have you ever removed any that have hair and teeth on them?”

“Okay, okay.” Mom guides Rage to the side, giving Zeke space. His eyes are wide, stunned. Mom lets off an awkward laugh. “He’s such a joker. He’s just fascinated with the human body. It’s, er, a hobby of his.” She smiles with a slight grimace,giving Dixie a glare to come get your man before he ends up sectioned.

Dixie comes running over. “Rage, come on. Leave Storm’s friend alone. He doesn’t want to hear about your erection.” Dixie looks over her shoulder, mouthing sorry at us.

Mom pinches the bridge of her nose. “Fuck me,” she sighs before forcing a smile on her face. “She has a speech impediment. Come meet the rest of the family.” She wraps her arm around Zeke’s shoulder and guides him towards everyone. Zeke drops my hand as Mom looks at me over her shoulder, giving me her lethal glare. “Storm, go check on your father.” It’s not a suggestion. It’s a ‘you may be an adult, but I can still whoop your ass’ comment.

I sigh and salute her before turning on my heel to find Dad. It’s laughable, really. Our parents are known for their violence, but neither of them has ever raised a hand to either of us. They never needed to. They only needed to give us a look, and we would behave. Well, Enzo likes to push the boundaries most of the time. If I told him he was upsetting Mom, then he would stop.

I walk through the compound and straight to Dad’s office. I give a light knock and wait. You never just walk in. I learned that quickly, too. I shudder at the memory.

“Fuck off,” Dad barks.

I exhale a slow breath before turning the handle and stepping in. He glares in my direction, a small blade in his right hand, ready to throw it. When he sees it’s me, he gets to his feet. He drops the blade, his hard exterior softening a little.

“Fuck’s sake, Storm! I nearly fucking threw my blade at you,” he barks, walking around his desk, his arms out wide. I smile and go to him. His muscled arms wrap around me protectively as I rest my cheek against his firm chest. I breathe him in andsigh, his scent instantly calming me. My safety. He kisses the top of my head. “You know I’m pissed at you,” he murmurs.

I don’t look at him, my cheek still resting against him. “I know.”

“Is it here?” he asks with utter disdain.

“His name is Zeke,” I correct him.

“He has no name until I decide he’s worthy of me calling him by a name. So, for now, he’s it,” Dad counters, his deep voice rumbling against my ear.

I look up at him, his once dark hair now salt and pepper, and creases on the edge of his ice blue eyes. He’s always been a handsome guy. Even now as he’s gotten older, women and girls my age still throw themselves at him. I stare him down, and he smirks.

“You know your mother has been giving me that look for years. It doesn’t work on me,” he brags.

I roll my eyes and step out of his hug. “You need to come out there and meet him,” I demand.

“Don’t tell me what to do in my damn club,” he snaps.

I place my hands on my hips. “I’m moving in with him. I love him, and who knows, maybe one day we will be like you and Mom and get married and have kids.” I pause. “I want you to love him, because he’s an important part of my life.”

His ice blue eyes pin me, fury swirling in them. “You will not be having kids. Because for that to happen, it means you have to have sex. Which you are not. Because you are not thirty years old,” he growls.

I roll my eyes. “Dad!” I snap. “Stop being a dramatic toddler and come and meet my boyfriend.”

“Fine, but I reserve the right to hate the fucker,” he counters.

My lips twitch, fighting a smile. “Sure.” No one can ever make my dad do anything he doesn’t want to. Well, except my mom. She can usually break him. “Just don’t threaten him,” I plead.