Venomous King (Venom #2)

9. Mia

Chapter nine

Mia

“The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives,everything he does becomes tainted.”

Mahatma Gandhi

M y eyes narrow on Carter as he once again checks his phone, trying and failing to be discreet about it, and that nervous tic he has, the one that always gives the scheming asshole away, begins in his jaw. I’ve been watching him since we arrived here in Oregon for my sister’s wedding, and he’s been acting shifty since the minute we got off the plane.

I don’t know what he’s up to, but I mean to find out, especially if it concerns Isabella and her happiness, and if he doesn’t tell me, I will make an eunuch out of him, and ensure the fucker can’t fill me with any more of his wild children.

The husky, blue-eyed, wild children who are currently running around my sister’s house, destroying things, and receiving a tongue-lashing from her best friend, Rachel. I can hear them through the walls here in her family room from the outdoors. I can also hear my little warrior-princess niece giving them a run for their money. Good luck to them keeping up with that hellion, she takes after her great-grandmother. That thought tries to crest a satisfied smile to my face, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to try to keep it disguised from my guys, knowing how they feel about the situation.

The smirk I can’t entirely hide makes my lips twitch, at the image of my oldest tattling on his cousin, because the tiny little dark-haired princess gave him a black eye, and almost knocked his brother’s tooth out. I know, as a mother, I should unequivocally be on my spawn’s side, but I know full well the terrors my sons are. Their four fathers encourage them, especially the one sending me cautious glances from beneath his dark lashes, to see if I am watching him. What have you done, motherfucker? I will pry it out of you by force if I have to.

I turn my head and watch another of my fiancés, Theo. He’s got his usual stern mask disguising his thoughts firmly across his face. He can’t fool me, though; he is just as observant of Carter’s behavior as I am, and he’s just as suspicious.

He’s also nervous about being here with our sons. He’s worried someone will try to attack us, and by us, I mean Stella and myself. We have too many Stratford enemies just itching to take the two of us out. That would leave the only two remaining Stratford heirs as three-year-old twin boys, or so the world believes. They don’t know Issy is still alive, and has a daughter.

I get up from my place on the sofa, prepared to, as usual, do battle with Carter. Of the four of my men, he is the one that gives me the most trouble. The reckless, unmanageable, and possessive idiot has not mellowed with age, in fact, he seems to be even worse than he was four years ago when we lived in Casbury. It, of course, doesn’t help that Grandmother Stella indulges the idiot, and lets it be known he is her favorite. After all, the fucker managed to give her what she desperately wanted more of; heirs .

“Whatever you have done, Carter, undo it quickly, or I will castrate you with a rusty butter knife.” My arm strikes forward, and my fingers wrap around his colorful tattooed neck, my nails sinking into the soft flesh. Husky blue-gray eyes surrounded by light brown, thick lashes meet mine, his pupils dilate, and a hoarse groan escapes his lips.

Great, the insane fucker is getting turned on by my infliction of pain and violence. Some things never change, the thought crosses my mind even as my core tightens. Nope , not giving in, not even as I watch his muscular chest rise and fall more rapidly, and he bites down on that plump bottom lip that I long to suck on. Be strong, Mia, resist.

Temptation, sin, destruction; he’s an enticement that I don’t have time for right now, and I can’t allow him to muddle my brain with that delectable, pierced cock of his. Even though my pussy is adamantly disagreeing with me right now. I need to discover what he’s actively trying to hide. Whatever he’s involved with will cause trouble; that’s his middle fucking name, after all, or at least it should be.

“Babe! I swear I haven’t done anything terrible. I’m offended you always think I’m up to no good.” I notice he won’t meet my eyes, and that tic is now doing jumping jacks. Fuck, what has this idiot done? Regardless of whether he’s Stella’s favorite or not, she will have him shot if something goes wrong tomorrow, and he’s the cause.

Finn chuckles as he catches the last part of Carter’s statement as he enters the room. “‘Cause you usually are up to no good, dick.”

“Stella will murder you with her bare hands, if you are the cause of anything going wrong at this wedding, Carter,” Theo drawls from where he’s sitting, on a dark brown leather club chair, like a king on a throne. Some things never do change. Theo will always be a king, regardless of whether he has a current throne to sit on, and he obeys his queen’s wishes, well, most of the time.

“What do you mean? Stella loves me; I’m definitely her favorite grandson-in-law. You’re just jealous, Theo, ’cause my sperm beat yours out to knock up Mia.”

I release my hold on this fool’s neck, and drag my fingers over my tired eyes. Here we go again with this bullshit. I blame MotherFuckingNature, and those bitches called Fate. Who the fuck would have guessed getting a steroid medication, to reduce swelling and inflammation in my lungs after getting an infection, would cause my birth control to fail, and allow that fucker to knock me up? If I weren’t positive that he was just as shocked as the rest of us, when his twin sons came into the world with his eyes, I would say the psychopath planned it all.

“Sure you are. She especially loves it when your mini-lookalikes destroy her mansion,” Finn snorts.

“Listen, Finn. If you want some mini-mes, too, I suggest your swimmers work harder, and you stop fucking Mia’s ass and throat religiously; babies don’t procreate from those holes.” Carter darts out of the way of Finn’s flying fist.

“No one is putting any more fucking kids inside of me any time soon! We can barely control the two we have, mainly thanks to you four fucking around, and letting them run wild and terrorize the world at large.” I point my finger in Carter’s face. “As for you, when I find out what you have done, and I will, Carter, because you can’t keep a secret to save your fucking life, I will gut you, and make sure that the only holes you go near in the future, are the ones attached to the wall Stella will have you chained to.”

“ Mi reina! (My Queen!) “ Mateo storms into the room with a furious look on his olive complexion, and his green eyes blazing. He has our son, Alexander’s, hand firmly in his grip, and the boy’s nose is bleeding. Here we go, in three, two, one.

“What the fuck happened?” Theo shouts and rises immediately, getting down on his knees in front of Alexander, and swiping at the blood trickling over his trembling lip. Theo instantly resembles an enraged lion, ready to go after anyone who has come after his cubs, regardless of whether said cubs probably started it.

“Tell him, Alex, and it better be the truth,” Mateo commands.

“Papa Theo, I didn’t do it. It wasn’t my idea. It... was... Caesar.” I roll my eyes at the dramatics. My son knows how to play his fathers, all fucking four of them, but especially Theo, who is beyond overprotective, and will set the world on fire to keep his sons from harm.

“Truth, Alex. It will be worse if Papa finds out later. Not to mention, Gammy is on her way. She won’t be happy when she finds out what you did to Julia.”

“What have you done, son? You can tell me the truth. You are safe with me, Alexander.” Theo runs a finger down our son’s golden cheek, and his midnight blue eyes soften.

“Ceasar... Ceasar cut her... hair with the scissors. I... I just sat on... her while... he did it. Papa, please don’t take away my screen time.”

“Jesus fuck, do you see what happens when you let them do whatever they want? Where is your brother, Alexander?” I demand, thoroughly annoyed with every male in this house at the moment.

“Hiding, momma.” He stares down at his little feet, with shame on that adorable cherub face of his, and my heart melts. I’m a sucker for that pouty lip and those mischievous eyes of his. Fucking Carter mini-mes.

“Did Julia do that to your nose, Alexander?” Carter asks after ruffling our son’s hair, and trying to soothe him, God forbid the boy actually feel bad for a second for being a menace. Cue a massive eye roll.

Alexander nods his little head, while giving his fathers glances from below his lashes, to determine, I am sure, if he needs to produce more tears. God help me with these two, if their fathers don’t push me into an early grave, their offspring will.

“How short did you cut her hair?” Finn asks, arms folded across his large chest. He catches me looking at him and winks. He’s still the most level-headed of the four, and the peacemaker. The one the other three send in when they have royally fucked up, which happens to be often.

Alexander uses his hand to motion to his shoulder, and my breath gets trapped in my chest. Shit , my sister is going to lose her mind the day before her wedding. Never mind, Issy, Rachel will make an offering of my son to the old gods she believes in.

“Shit, we better find him before Rachel or Kai do.” Finn storms from the room, quickly followed by Carter, Mateo, and Theo, who now has Alexander cradled in his arms, and is whispering in a hushed, soothing voice to him and promising him ice cream, if I am not mistaken.

I follow after them, knowing this is my life now, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have my kings and my princes; what more could a girl want?

Well, maybe some peace and quiet occasionally, and a little less testosterone in my house. Perhaps I’ll take myself off birth control without telling them, and see if one of them can give me some daughters to equal things out. Stella would be thrilled with more Stratford princesses.