Page 28 of The Rise

“Fuck you, Hunter,” Rylan responds as he walks up and fist-bumps me. Just then, Lana screams, and they turn their heads.

“What the hell is going on?” Silas asks.

“Just a little punishment. Go look.” I nod toward the door. The two of them share a look before walking over, shoving the door open, and sticking their heads in before stepping back out and closing the door.

“Where did you get a chair like that?” Rylan asks.

“Hoax made it.”

“Fuck. I’m going to need him to make me one.”

“Hell yeah. She seems to be enjoying it,” I tell him with a smile. “What’s up? Why are you guys here?”

“Silas has a dick in a knot and needs to work it out,” Rylan replies, slapping Silas on the back.

“It’s stress motherfucker. Just stress.”

“You want a fight?” I ask, looking at Silas, who nods his head. “We have three in there. Pick one.”

“Any of them?” he asks.

“Don’t matter to me. They are going to die anyway.” He nods his head and goes back into the room, closing the door behind him.

“How’s things with Lana aside from that?” Rylan asks, nodding toward the door.

“Not bad. She’s worried about them finding her. I think I need to do a little recon on them.”

“You want help?”

“No, I got this. This isn’t a King issue; it’s a Gods issue now.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t help,” he says.

“I know, and I appreciate it, but I think I have it covered. There’s just so many I want dead,” I tell him.

“Like who?”

“Her brother, her father, the man who had her when she was younger, and her little boyfriend.”

“Oh shit. She has a boyfriend?”

“If that’s what you want to call him. Doesn’t matter, really, because I plan on killing him too,” I say. Ry laughs and shakes his head.

“Does she know that?”

“Pretty much. I plan on keeping her.”

“Jesus,” he mumbles, running his hand through his hair. “Does she know that?”

“Most of it.”

“What does that mean? Most of it?”

“It means I’m taking her to the chapel.” Rylan’s mouth falls open at my words, and he just stares at me for a long second.

“That’s it, Hunter. You realize that, right? Just like a King gets their Queen, that’s it for you.”

“I know what it means, Rylan.”

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