His chuckle sounded groggy. “Glad to help.” He blinked. “I didn’t expect you to go for the neck. I almost zapped you.” He chuckled again. “But your mind hold isn’t so bad.”
It was my turn to blink. “Yeah, um, sorry about that. It’s what I’m used to and I’m so thirsty I just kind of lost it there for a second.” Slowly, I helped him sit up, resting him against the headboard. My eyebrows puckered in confusion when a bottle of orange juice was dangled in front of my face. I glanced up, seeing Cahal holding it out while he listened to Ezra and Elder Merrick argue about my ‘new and improved’ training schedule they were concocting all by themselves without my input. Since there was time to argue about that later, I took the juice, mumbling, “Thank you.”
He ignored me. Same ol’ Cahal.
Opening the juice, I put it to Antonio’s lips. He opened his eyes when the liquid hit his mouth, and took the bottle from me, chugging it. I had taken enough to make him groggy, so I wasn’t worried about his sluggishness, plus his heart rate was within normal parameters. Although, he did mutter incoherently, “I need…spell.”
“What do you need?” I asked, taking the empty from him and placing it on the nightstand.
He shook his head hard, and I bit my lip when he reached out a hand and yanked on Cahal’s shirt, startling him. Cahal glanced down, eyebrows furrowed. Antonio waved his hand, the action wobbly, mumbling, “Come here, Cahal. Need to do something.” He sounded a little drunk. Everyone glanced at Antonio, and I tried not to laugh at Cahal’s wide-eyed expression to the demand in Antonio’s tone, even if slurred.
“Excuse me?” he asked with a blank face.
“Don’t pull that,” Antonio waved the shaky hand again, “higher than thou crap right now. I need to do a spell on,” he waved a wobbly finger at Cahal, Elder Merrick, Elder Jacobs, and Elder Venclaire, “you guys, so get your ass down here so I can finish up with everyone else before I pass out.” When everyone stayed motionless — including myself — at the woozy Mage’s abrupt demand, Antonio sighed and lifted the empty orange juice bottle off the nightstand…and literally…smacked Cahal in the ass with it. “I. Said. Ass. Down. Here. Now.”
Ezra leaned, whispering at my ear, “You didn’t take that much blood, did you?”
I shook my head, eyes huge, not sure if I should laugh at Antonio for his drunken antics or protect him, since Cahal looked like he wanted to pummel him. “Enough to make him woozy, but not delirious.”
“What spell?” Elder Merrick interjected, just as Cahal opened his mouth to say something I was sure wasn’t going to be…polite…to Antonio.
Antonio grinned. Tapped his head. “Trust, my friend. Trust me to do right by you.”
Well…that explained shit.
Antonio blinked and glanced down at Elder Venclaire, and his eyes narrowed. “Well, I guess I could leave him out.” His head tilted haphazardly after a moment, his golden gaze meeting mine. “You really think of me as your dad?”
Mentally shaking myself at the abrupt change in topic, I nodded. “Yes.”
He waved the orange juice bottle at Elder Venclaire. “What about him?”
Um, not really the intimate conversation I wanted to be having in front of everyone, but he was looking so intently at me, even if blinking repeatedly, that I didn’t think he was going to let it go. I cleared my throat, watching Antonio closely. “I don’t know what to think of him. I know that he’s intelligent, cunning, a smart ass, and powerful.” I shook my head. “But other than that, I don’t know much about him, except that he loved my mother — even though she still ran from him when she found out she was pregnant.” I licked my lips. “With all that being said, I would like to know him better, but as far as a dad is concerned, you’re always going to be first in my mind and heart.” I shrugged, the action fairly easy. “You’re my dad.”
Slowly, Antonio began to smile until his grin was brighter than any twinkling star. “Well, alright,” again, the orange juice bottle waved drunkenly in the air, “I guess I’ll do the spell on him since he’s no threat.”
Huh?