Homelands Pt. 06 Ch. 01

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eric asked.

"All I'm saying," his father said, planting a hand on Eric's shoulder, "is that you don't have to think of everyone as an enemy, but you also shouldn't make the mistake of thinking you can rely on anyone the way you can your mother. Not your brother, not your sisters, not anyone but Gabby."

"What's so special about my mother?" Eric asked.

His cheeks burned the moment the words left his lips. That wasn't what he'd meant at all. It was just confusing to hear his father talk about her that way, especially since it didn't sound like he himself counted Gabby among the select few individuals he trusted.

A coy smile spread across his father's lips before he said, "Nothing, so far as I'm concerned. But what the two of you have is. You are in love, aren't you?"

Eric didn't respond.

"As I thought."

"And why shouldn't I trust the Hardts?" Eric asked.

"Where were they when your sister went missing?"

"Nick nearly died trying to-"

"Do you think that was out of loyalty to you?" his father interrupted. "Why then did he go off on his own rather than backing your play?"

"You yourself told us that it would be smarter to-"

Again his father cut him off. "You've heard of reverse psychology, haven't you?" When Eric didn't respond, he said, "That was for your benefit. As was the visit from Nina."

Eric's skin burned.

"Come on now. I'm not really telling you anything you didn't already know here, am I?" his father asked. "Anyway, the point is, trying to kidnap Phil's sons was about the stupidest thing you could have done. Even if they'd succeeded, they'd have been in serious trouble. The king never would have played ball." His eyes twinkled as he added, "Especially since he didn't have anything to trade."

It took a great deal of effort on Eric's part to keep from grabbing his sword.

"Had Nick and Veronica, let alone the rest of the Hardts, gone with you, your uncle might be alive today. And you might have slain the king before I ever showed up. Who knows. Maybe it wouldn't be me sitting on the throne right now."

Eric's jaw nearly cracked, he gritted his teeth so hard. "If I wanted to be king, I could have been anyway. I didn't step aside because it was you who delivered the killing blow. I just knew that I wouldn't be able to hold it."

His father raised an eyebrow at him. "Your brother's not the only one who takes after his father, is he?"

"Besides," Eric continued, "you have no way of knowing that Wes would have been any more likely to survive that fight."

"Of course I don't," his father replied. "But my point still stands. The Hardts may not bear you any ill will, but you'd be a fool to trust them the same as you do your family."

"They are my family."

His father laughed at him.

They'd reached the edge of the garden anyway. His father gestured towards the hedge maze, a unspoken question lingering in the air.

Eric nodded. He didn't love the idea of letting his father lead him into a maze, but it seemed clear enough that the point of this whole conversation was simply to spook him. Nothing more. And even that wouldn't work unless he let it. Which he wasn't going to.

Except maybe a little. For as soon as he and his father walked under the arched entrance, the hedges filled in behind them, and, despite himself, Eric gave a start at that.

"It does that," his father explained. "The only way out is at the center."

"But you know the way there, of course," Eric said.

An awkward moment passed before the king said, "Of course."

They turned left and kept walking. In silence.

"Your mother," his father said. "Is it her huge tits? The insane contrast between her waist and her hips? Or do you just have a thing for blonde hair and blue eyes?"

Eric shook his head by way of response.

"There are plenty of other women in the Homelands built like her, you know."

"Fuck you," Eric said.

His father shrugged. "Just sayin' that it might be time to start thinking about taking a wife. Starting a family." He peered at Eric out of the corner of his eyes, those damned emerald orbs of his glowing. "There are plenty of houses that would love to marry their daughters off to the king's strongest son."

"I'm sure they'd be very thankful to you for arranging it too," Eric said, pointedly avoiding his father's gaze.

"Oh, my dear boy. This isn't about me," his father said.

"Of course not," Eric replied. "You're just looking out for my best interests. Mighty kind of you." In his most mocking tone, he tacked on, "Your Majesty."

The only reaction that got out of his father was a grin.

They rounded a corner and started down another identical stretch. Literally identical. Right down to the same bumps in the ground and clouds in the sky and stray branches of hedge obstructing their passage.

A shiver ran down Eric's spine. Creepy as they might be, ordinary mazes weren't so bad. Veronica had told him years ago that all you had to do was keep your hand on the left wall and sooner or later, you'd find the exit. But that obviously wouldn't work here.

"You're the head of House Moody now," his father said. "To survive, a house needs to grow. That's just how it is, here in Summer and throughout the Homelands."

"And we're down two members now," Eric said. "I get it."

He was being an asshole about it, but his father did have a point. House Moody was no longer what it was. And something needed to be done about that.

They tried not to think about it, but at times, it felt like his uncle's ghost was there in bed with him and Gabby. And he couldn't deny that he was really starting to miss Olivia. And with Patty spending as much time with the Hardts as she did at home, their spacious villa could feel awfully empty.

"What's it to you, though?" Eric asked.

Suddenly, his father's cane lashed out, striking the nearest hedge. The foliage immediately began to retreat, revealing a paved clearing. Along the edges sat stone benches. In one corner, there was a shallow pool with glistening lily pads and crystal blue water. Scattered throughout were jade statues, twin to those standing in the garden.

At the center of the clearing stood a wooden door. It wasn't set into a wall or anything though. It just stood there, looking for all the world like a waste of lumber.

"Is that the way out?" Eric asked.

"Think about what I said," the king replied, gesturing with a sweep of his hand towards the door. "While this might not mean much to you coming from me, for whatever it's worth, I think that you'd make a great father."

#

Their mother was trying her best to give the impression that she was there of her own volition, not because she'd been browbeaten into submission by her own mother. She wasn't fooling anyone, though. Least of all Nick.

Her brother, bless his heart, always seemed to know when something was bothering the women he cared for. Often before they themselves did. And if it was in his power to do anything about it, he'd waste no time doing so. So it was no surprise to Veronica that as soon as their mother tensed up, her brother forgot all about her. The hand that had held hers just a moment before now rested on the small of their mother's back. Though Nick faced Gabriela, he kept peeking out the corner of his eyes at the mother standing by his side.

It was sweet.

Really, it was.

That her brother was so attentive and caring was one of the things Veronica liked best about him. If it also seemed like one of his greatest faults, particularly when other women were the beneficiaries of his sensitivity, that was just the price she had to expect to pay in order to be with a man who was so perfectly attuned to her feelings. It was not fair for her to get upset about it.

But she couldn't help thinking that it was their mother's own fault that she couldn't bear to set foot on the palace grounds without freaking out. That she even seemed to dread speaking to her former wife, despite the fact that Gabriela hadn't wronged her in any way, let alone as badly as the father of her children had. If their mother chose to react this way before anyone even said anything unpleasant to her, well, that was no skin off Nick's nose. Certainly no cause for him to forget all about the woman he supposedly loved more than anything in the world.

No, that was no fair.

To their mother.

She hadn't asked Nick to swoop in and protect her. Hadn't said a word of protest since the night before, however much they could tell that she wanted to do so.

And she was already warming up to her former wife. Gabriela was marveling at how good she looked in her simple dress and how nice her hair looked in a braid. With just a few kind words from her former lover, Veronica's mother seemed to loosen up. Tension started to seep out of her like water from an ice cube set out in the sun. Something very much akin to a smile even spread across her mother's face. When she told Gabriela how fabulous the latter woman looked in her floral skirt and tube top, it sounded as though she truly meant it. If Veronica wasn't mistaken, she'd have said that her mother was genuinely pleased to see the statuesque blonde who'd once warmed her bed at night.

If Nick thought someone other than Veronica needed his attentions, that was on him.

Veronica felt thoroughly disgusted by her brother's sycophantic need to monitor their mother's emotional state, especially as it became clearer and clearer that she was actually enjoying herself, if only for the time being. She looked around the garden to see where her grandparents had gotten off to. Looking for an escape.

She was pleased to find them talking to Annie and Patty. If they'd been talking to a convicted child molester, Veronica might have preferred their company to her brother's just then. That they were with the sister she'd hardly seen in months was all the more reason for Veronica to go and join them. So she patted her brother on the arm, indicated that she was going to talk to their grandparents and sisters, gave Nick a peck on the cheek, and then struck out for greener pastures.

As she headed towards the other group, Veronica found herself feeling a bit overdressed. Her grandmother and her mother had both opted for more casual wear. The one wore khakis and a white blouse, the other an open-backed gray dress of plain cotton. Her grandfather wore an unseasonable sports coat, but it was paired with worn jeans and a threadbare T-shirt. Even Patty was dressed comfortably. Which was not to say that her sister looked anything less than adorable in her pink sundress. Veronica doubted that anyone could pull off the pretty in pink look the way her sister could. But it certainly wasn't the kind of thing you wore to sip martinis and dance with men wearing tuxedos.

Annie, though, wore a breathtaking cocktail dress that would have been suitable for a red carpet affair. Lest anyone forget who she was with these days, it was, of course, emerald green. Her hair was worn up and styled beautifully. The blonde streaks didn't even look as silly as Veronica usually thought they did.

Whatever small part of Veronica was tempted to be jealous of her sister backed off as soon as she saw the smile on Annie's face. When last she'd seen her sister, there'd been rain clouds hovering over her head. Now, she looked as happy as Veronica had ever seen her.

If that was an illusion, if their father went and broke Annie's heart the way their mother was convinced that he would, Veronica would rip his balls off. Her sister deserved to get to smile like that. Any man who took that away from her would pay for it dearly.

"Vee," Annie said as she approached. "It's been too long. How come you never visit?"

"Have we been invited?" Veronica asked as she wrapped an arm around her sister and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Patty tried to hide a snicker.

"You're welcome to come see us, dear," Grandma Flori cut in.

"Yeah," Grandpa Randy added, grinning. "We wouldn't complain."

Their grandmother rolled her eyes at her husband, but her lips soon stretched into a grin and she reached over to pinch his bottom.

"I'll do that," Annie said. "Soon as I finish renovating." She smiled wistfully to herself as she looked back towards the hedge maze, where their father had taken Eric just a little while ago. "You wouldn't believe how hard I have to lobby to get him to change the tiniest little thing. Especially since he always ends up admitting that I was right after he's had a chance to get used to the new look."

"Actually, I think I would believe that," their grandmother said flatly, gazing off at one of the fountains. "Your father is not known for giving up easily."

"You're telling me," Annie said.

Their grandfather smirked at that, but their grandmother frowned.

Veronica regarded one of the statues. It depicted a dragon poised to take to the sky, wings stretched wide and weight balanced on its hind legs. "The jade was his idea, right?"

Annie blushed. "Actually, no."

With an eyebrow raised, Veronica asked, "Really?"

Before she could answer, Patty interjected. "Annie was just going to tell us what the king's big announcement is." With a tap on Annie's elbow, she added, "Weren't you?"

"Look at you, little miss sweet and innocent," Annie said, staring at her sister in amazement. "That almost sounded like you were bailing me out."

Patty gave her younger sister a guilty grin.

Veronica looked from girl to the other, trying to read between the lines. She wasn't sure exactly what had just transpired between the two of them, but she didn't think they were going to get anything out of Annie.

"So you do know what it is?" Flori asked, in a tone that killed everyone's smiles. "The king's announcement?"

"I...I don't...," Annie said. She looked to her grandfather for help.

Unfortunately for her, he responded with a simple shrug of his shoulders and a look that said, "Don't drag me into this."

However, that was also when the remaining guests arrived. An insanely beautiful woman in a gossamer blue dress led two handsome young men into the garden. One of the men was black, the other had green skin and a decidedly draconic appearance. As different as their complexions were, they were of a height and had similar builds.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Annie said, "That, girls, is our aunt. Her name's Nina. And the guys with her are sort of our cousins and sort of our brothers, seeing as she's their mother but the king's their father."

Veronica and Patty gasped at the same time.

Grandma Flori's lips tightened. "Well. Isn't that...interesting."

#

"Hey, sweetie," Nick's mother said, tapping him on the shoulder. "We're leaving."

"Already?" he said, turning away from the cheese board.

She nodded.

The sky was a canvas that the sun had painted gold, orange, crimson, and violet. The drinks had been flowing freely for some time, and they'd all just about had their fill of the rich spread of hors d'oeuvres the king had laid out. But the ice still wasn't broken between them and the newest members of House Fisher.

More importantly, Nick suspected his father still had another bomb to drop.

Not because the news that his new children had been mothered by his sister wasn't big enough to explain why he'd invited them all here. It was. But his father wasn't the kind of man who made reckless decisions. And, as forbidden as inbreeding was supposed to be throughout the Homelands, Nick could only assume that there was going to be some kind of a backlash when word got out. His father would assume that too. If the king was ready to go public with such a shocking revelation, then there had to be other things that he hadn't told them yet. Contingency plans or whatever. One way or another, changes were coming to the First Court of Summer. They'd have to be.

The only question was whether or not the king was going to inform his loyal subjects of such changes before they occurred.

But, then, it was a wonder his mother had stayed as long as she had. As much as it had seemed like she'd actually been enjoying herself while catching up with Gabriela, the return of the king and the arrival of his new family had made her look like a vegan touring a slaughterhouse. There was no way that he was going to talk her into hanging around a while longer in order to see if his father had any more big announcements to make.

"Grandma and Grandpa too?"

His mother stroked his upper arm. "Keep an eye on your sisters. Especially Patty."

That took him by surprise.

Not long ago, his mother couldn't be bothered to acknowledge that Patty actually was his sister. She'd warmed to Gabriela's daughter in the months since Nick and Veronica had brought her back from the Eternal Garden of the Sun, but he'd never thought he'd see the day that his mother would tell him to look after Patty.

Even setting those concerns aside, he'd still have expected her to single out Annie. They'd all been waiting with bated breath for the moment when the king would reveal his true colors, when Annie's decision to go live with him would prove itself to be a mistake. But, then, over the past few hours, he'd started to believe that it just might be possible that such a moment might never come. The two of them had such chemistry together that even when they were talking to other people, the air hummed with electricity. Had his mother actually picked up on that? Was she capable of admitting to herself that the man she loathed and despised might be a good match for her daughter after all?

"I will, Ma. Don't worry."

She gave him a wan smile. "I know you will, baby. Sometimes I just need to hear myself say these things." For a moment, she simply stared into his eyes, and Nick felt their Libidos stir in unison. "They're lucky to have you for a brother. Sometimes you remind me of...."

His heart pounded in his chest, so loud he could barely hear anything else. It took him a moment to process what she'd said, and what she hadn't.

"Yes?" he asked.

His mother sighed, and after a few moments, he realized that was all the answer he was going to get. Rather than tell him who he reminded her of, she turned her head and tapped her cheek in a silent bid for him to give her a goodbye kiss.

Instead, he grabbed her by her big ass, pulled her against him, and kissed her properly. Which was to say, not on the cheek.

If she hadn't pulled away when she had, he might have ripped her dress off and had his way with her right there, even if that would have meant that everyone would be watching. The feel of her full lips on his, her big breasts pressed against his chest and her absurdly perfect ass in his hands, to say nothing of the pulsing desire of her Libido, made it almost impossible to restrain himself. Considering that they lived under the same roof, they enjoyed one another's affections entirely too rarely.

"You're a good man, Nick," his mother said, raking her nails through his hair. "I'm so proud of you. Probably don't tell you that often enough, but it's true."

"I know you are," he said. "And I appreciate it."

"Don't stay too late," she said, the way mothers do. Then, in a decidedly unmotherly voice, she added, "There might be room in my mother's bed for the both of us tonight."

Nick smiled. "I'll see what I can do."

Those were good nights. Very good nights. But unless Veronica wanted to spend the night with their grandfather, it wouldn't matter how late they stayed. He never left his sister's bed unless she wanted him to do so. During the day, they were a bit freer in spirit, taking other partners with some frequency. But one of the reasons that neither of them had any problem with that was that they had a standing agreement to share a bed at night. To fall asleep in each other's arms and wake up beside the one they loved. Every now and then, Veronica got in the mood to change things up, but only rarely.