Bound In Secrets : A Death Kings Novel
Mamba King

**Sawyer**

"Dere be ma cherubs! Where are ma hugs?"

"Uncle Tee, Tee!" Katie shouts around a mouthful of pizza. The partially eaten food falls from her lips as she jumps up from the chair at the round light green plastic kids' table, knocking her baby pink chair to the ground.

Etienne catches Katie, holding her close and spinning around with a massive grin on his handsome, tan face. The fading light of the sun catches his dark hair, highlighting the rich violet hue.

Meanwhile, Darius has spotted Jaxson. With a mischievous smirk, my son swallows his before standing. He runs with his head down, running full tilt as he rams his head into my ridiculous uncle's gut. Jax gasps with a hyena laugh, picking up Dare with his head pointed to the ground and feet in the air.

"Gimme that milk money, you gowl." He tells him just before he shakes my son by his feet, attempting to dislodge said 'milk money'. Darius is laughing the entire time.

Smiling, I sauntered over to my uncles to give them hugs alongside my father. "Glad you two could grace us with your presence. You guys might outta get some pizza before the teenagers eat it all."

I give Uncle Etienne his hug first while he holds Katie perched on one thick arm. Uncle Tee gives the best hugs.

"My turn!" Jaxson chirps, pulling me out of Tee's arms and into his with my son hanging from his back like a koala to a tree. Uncle Jax gives solid hugs, but something is calming about Tee's hugs. Jax's are more jovial and filled with energy.

Upon releasing me, I removed my son from his back. "Go eat, you monkey," I order Darius with a playful swat to his rear. He smiles, returning to the kid's table and his light blue plastic chair.

No sooner than I sent Darius off than Jaxson was tackled to the ground by his sons. I watch as they wrestle for a moment before rolling my eyes and walking back to the patio where Tee is setting Katie down.

Tee gets his food and beer. He indulges Katie by sitting next to her at the tiny table. He sits on the concrete floor sideways with his muscular legs stretched out and crossed at his ankles. He is wearing an old, faded pair of blue jeans with the knees blown out and brown alligator-skin square-toe cowboy boots. He has this paired with an emerald and black checkered pearl snap with the first half of the buttons undone and a black ribbed tank underneath.

As I'm eating, a shout of pain has me looking up to see that Jaxson has both boys by their ears. He is sitting between them with his legs over their necks. His arms are between his legs with an ear from each boy whose faces are pressed to the ground, unable to move for fear of an ear being ripped away.

"Uncle Jax, come eat," I command.

With a rictus, he releases Kass and AC. They pout, rubbing their sore ears. I don't feel bad for them. They started that battle. They should have known that the man who raised them would win.

Jax stands, walking to me. He puts an arm around my head before kissing the top. "Have the boys been good?"

I smile at him. "Of course, they have. They are always good for me."

"They better be, mo cherub beag. We raised them to be good boys who mind their manners with everyone who isn't their fathers and mother."

"As it should be. Home is a safe space where they are comfortable to act out. Kids are always better for someone who isn't their parent," I remind him.

"Aye," he mutters before getting food.

Everyone grows quiet while eating. When everyone is just able done, I speak. "Before we disperse to get the movie set up, I have something that we need to address. First, I talked to Ryder this morning about Ash. On the way here, I got confirmation from him. His uncle has been barred from the academy list as guardian. The next step is to name a new guardian, but that should be Ash's choice. Whoever you choose will be placed as your legal guardian until the age of eighteen. When you turn eighteen, you can then become your little brother's guardian."

"I want Riggs," he says with no hesitation or stutter. We all look at him in shock.

"I...I...I..." Poor Ash stutters.

"Riggs has been hanging out with us all day. We like the biker. Ash has a connection with him. They've had similar pasts. If anyone can help him, it's Riggs.

"No offense, Auntie Seraph, but you have your kids to raise. You don't need a broken teenage boy to add to your already full plate. You are already training us and watching out for us while we are at the academy," Kassius explains Ash's quick decision.

I look at Riggs. The Black Mamba has a look on his face as if his heart is about to break. There are no tears gathered in his eyes, but the way he is looking at Ash... Forlorn, that's the expression on his chiseled bearded face.

Now that I'm looking at him closely, I can see the faint tell of crow's feet at the corner of his eyes. I'm sure if it weren't for his beard, I would see laugh lines. The man is almost ten years older than me. He had a life outside of the MC and before it. I hope he shares his past with me.

My memory hits me of a younger version of Riggs without a beard and fewer lines on his handsome face sitting on the bar stool beside him in the clubhouse. He was asking me what I did for my birthday while holding a toddler boy with dark curly hair. A gentle woman with spiraling dark hair and cognac eyes takes the baby from him, but not before he pulls her between his legs. The love between them was palpable and I remember thinking that in the future I hope to replace a consuming love like theirs. I had just turned fourteen.

"What happened to your family?" I ask him, seemingly out of the blue, with no thought.

"They died almost a decade ago. My son would have been fifteen," Riggs informs me.

The air is pregnant with sorrow.

Riggs offers me a comforting smile. "Don't be sad, Viper. I can think of my wife and son fondly now. I miss them, but I'm fine without them. If that wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't be sitting here. I'm glad Nate brought me." Damn. This. Man. He did it again! He obliterated the pikes standing guard the first night. Demolished the wall this morning. And now he cut the barbed wire protecting my heart. Damn him!

"Ash, I will be your guardian. Will I get to meet your little brother too?"

"A-as much as I want to p-protect him from the world. I can't. We can't go b-back t-to th-that p-p-place." Riggs reminds Ash to take deep breaths to calm himself. He does. "He can't go back to my uncle on breaks. I must keep him safe. You will protect him."

"I will. I will protect Landon for you," Riggs assures the boy.

Ash's stiff shoulders sag in visible relief. Another weight has been removed from the boy.

"I'll let Ryder know the decision. However, you aren't family," Jaxson says sternly.

Etienne kicks his chair out from underneath him, causing Jax to land on his rear.

"Ouch! Pheata... What did you do that for?" Jax whinges with a pout. His personality switches give me whiplash.

"It don't matter none whether he be family or not. He is who da kid chose. We respect dat, you," Uncle Tee chastises his husband.

Etienne's eyes narrow in on Riggs. "Dat bein' said, we be needin' your info. Better hope you don't have skeletons in your closet. Cause if you do, dey will surface. If you hurt dose kids, da Death Kings will come a knockin' at your door. From dat point on, you'll be no more," he threatens, quoting the lyrics to a song Callum wrote.

I haven't heard that song in a very long time. I often forget that my uncles and aunt were once The Kings of Death rock band. They hide their identities behind makeup and fake names, wanting to be anonymous so they can do what they love without repercussions from their everyday lives. The band has since retired, seeing as how they are now in their forties.

Riggs smirks, "I sort of figure you two might be Kings, seeing as how Sawyer is one. I just wasn't aware of the family ties." "Etienne is my stepbrother. My father married his mother. That makes Sawyer the niece to the Gator King," Nate says.

I look around for the Meyers, but they have gone inside with Darius and Katie to make popcorn. Thank goodness, because I did not want to explain what was being said. Carmen and I do our best to keep them out of our other world. "So, the feisty redhead must be the Sidhe King. Where's the Fox? I've always heard that they are never apart," Riggs comments.

"Our foxy husband is a busy man. He is currently at some medical conference with the Shadow King, while our Bloody Angel King and Demon King hold down the fort at home," Uncle Jax comments with a shrug of his shoulders. "I heard something about a movie. Come with me, Tempest. Let's get all set up," Jaxson suggests, transforming the subject. My boys snap to attention with thunderous "Yes Sir!", darting to their feet.

I snicker internally. There is only one reason for that type of swift reaction to the commands of my fairy uncle. They have disobeyed him before and don't want to relive that experience.

When they leave, Riggs asks, "What was up with that reaction? They've been mean mugging me all night, but their demeanor changed when he barked."

"If you come over tomorrow, I'll tell you the story my Chaos Uncles told me," Kassius says and then snorts at the image in his head.

I wink at Riggs. "It's a good one too. My friend Carley told me about it. Let's just say my uncle Jaxson thoroughly enjoys Shibari."

Etienne scoffs, "Dats an understatement."

Riggs pulls out his wallet from his back pocket, handing it to Uncle Tee. "This has all my information. Just so you know, I was the MC's Sergeant-at-arms for years. I also get hired to make people disappear."

I give my uncle a ruthless grin. "You know how Preston has been trying to track down the Black Mamba to recruit him to the family?" Tee nods his head in confirmation. "This is him."

My uncle gapes at me in disbelief for a moment before an indolent smile takes over his face. "Ryder is going to like you. We been tryin' to replace you for years to add another skilled assassin to our organization. Here you be. Dis is fate at its finest."

Riggs crosses his arms over his chest. "I'm not joining any team."

"Yes, you are," I refute. "My team."

"Gotta say, I like this idea. But I still need him as my VP," my father counters.

"Okay, Dad," I concede.

"Guess I'm not getting a choice," Riggs grumbles.

"No choice." "You join." Kassius and AC inform him. "Or you die," they say in unison.

"Out of the mouth of babes. We aren't giving you a choice. I'm keeping you. You will be part of the family," I confirm.

"Welcome to the family, Mamba King," Uncle Tee drawls in his rich Cajun accident.