Page 46 of Grave Curse

Frustration flashed across his expression. “When that fucker threw those billiard balls at you, he told you it was because I had done something wrong, and you were receiving my punishment. Remember?”

I nodded stiffly. How could I forget?

“Do you know what I did wrong?”

“No one told me.”

“No one told you what I did wrong that day, because I didn’t do a goddamn thing.”

My breath halted in my throat, and in some dark corner of my mind the resentment that had existed from that horrible moment began to dissolve. The relief of it leaving me was so heady I nearly passed out. “What?”

“My uncle H is a top-tier sadist, and he was in a mood that day to flex on us both. Oh, he later made up some horseshit about how I’d been late on a run I’d made to Detroit, but it was a lie. Yeah, I rode along with someone to Detroit, but I was only sixteen at the time, remember? I wasn’t in charge of shit. He just wanted to torture us.”

Another tear trickled out as I stared at him. “Really?”

He nodded and again wiped away my tear with a gentle swipe of his thumb. “And when he sucker-punched you so hard he knocked out your front teeth? He said it was because I wouldn’t hit his bitches stabled at the Barracks. The truth is that he never ordered me to fucking hit them to keep them in line. That was just him moving the damn goalposts to make me the bad guy in your eyes. He did it to isolate you, and to make me feel like an impotent piece of shit who was helpless when it came to protecting his woman.”

The raw pain in his tone hurt me so much I almost missed the meaning of his words. “I was never your woman.”

“You’ve been my woman from the time you were seven years old and you gave me the gift of your very first kiss. And I’m your man, who’s so insane when it comes to protecting you that I bought up real estate to house you and keep you in business. I will never—and I meannever—allow anyone to make me feel like I can’t protect what’s mine.Youare mine, Ginger Sisko. So if you ever dreamed of someday having a family of your own, the only babies you’re ever going to make are going to be mine.”

Wow.

Oh… wow.

“That’s some kind of choice,” I managed weakly, because the intensity of his gaze took my breath away. “Die old and alone, or be your baby-making factory.”

“If you get right down to it, every family that ever got started made that choice. I’m just stating it out loud so there’s no confusion.”

“What if I want some other daddy for my babies?” I didn’t, but a girl had to fight for her independence.

The look on his face turned savage. “I told you—no talentless tattooist or California delivery prince get to touch what’s mine.”

At last, the light went on. “I know you evicted Draco, but did you do anything to Jake Anderton?”

“What the fuck, woman. You still remember that loser’s name? Forget it and forget him. He doesn’t exist for you.”

“I asked you a question. Did you do anything to him to make him leave?”

“I didn’t.”

I relaxed a fraction.

“Loki did it for me.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and pictured my head exploding. “Why?”

“It had only been a couple years since I split from the Chicago Gravediggers and started up my own chapter—a bold and obvious move against my uncle. I didn’t want his spies clocking me as I rolled up on your soft-boy delivery guy to kick him out of Chicago. That would’ve told H you were still a weakness that he could exploit. That’s why I sent my brother to take care of it for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh my God, Tyr, I’m not asking why you had Loki do your dirty work. I’m asking why you did it in the first place.”

“Are you really asking me this?” He looked at me as if he doubted I had enough intelligence to tie my shoes, muchless comprehend his answer. “There’s no way I’d ever let some unworthy daddy’s boy have you. He didn’t have any right to even look your way.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

“The hell it isn’t. Did he ever break a man’s neck with his bare hands just so he could get to you? No, he didn’t.Idid that. Did he ever suffer countless petty humiliations on a daily basis the way I did while not reacting, because you’d be punished if I stood up for myself? No, he didn’t.Idid that. Did he ever lose sleep watching over you to make sure you were safe? No, he didn’t.Idid that. I didallof it, and I’ll continue to do it whether you like it or not, because that’s what keeps you breathing. I’ll walk in and out of here like I own the place,because I do, and I’ll keep an eye on you with every piece of tech I can get my hands on to make sure no one touches what’s mine. Blame Hades for making me a fucking paranoid freak, I don’t give a damn. Whether you were aware of it or not, this is how your life has been for years, and this is how it’s always going to be. The only difference is now you know about it.”

I prided myself in being strong, but in that moment I couldn’t even begin to find the words. So many odd moments of my life—from Jake just up and leaving, to a delivery ramp being built at Vixen’s Den, to things being slightly out of place in my own home—all of it now made sense. And as much as I knew I should immediately look for a new place to live and work, all I felt was sorrow at how badly Hades had damaged Tyr during his formative years. He’d been made to feel powerless—hell, he’d had his powerlessness shoved down his gullet every damn day when we were under Hades’s thumb. And while Hades played every psychological card in the deck to make me hate Tyr, Tyr had still done all he could to keep me safe.

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