Page 7 of Say It Slowly

I swallow, watching him. Normally, I wouldn’t condone something like this, but I feelzeroempathy for this asshole. Just a few days ago, he thought he was a big man. He thought he could assault and humiliate me without any repercussions. He thoughthehad the power.

Now he’s naked and kneeling at my feet.

Thisis the power Wyn was referring to that night at the Preference Ceremony. The power of being Roman’s consort.

And I’m not gonna lie, I could get used to this…

CHAPTER THREE

Lux

“Place your foreheadagainst the floor, ass up,” Roman instructs gruffly.

With a hint of hesitation, Tyler does as instructed. The second his ass is in the air, Roman pulls his arm back and brings the paddle downhard.No warning, no countdown. Nothing. The fleshywhackreverberates through the room and Tyler’s entire body is jolted forward, nearly colliding with me.I step back in shock as his face contorts and he cries out in pain.

Oh, shit.This is alreadywaymore intense than I imagined.

What Tyler did was fucked up, but I’m not sure I have the stomach for this. We’re only one strike in and I’m already feeling queasy. But before I can even put a stop to this, another violentwhackcomes down on Tyler’s bare ass—this one more savage than the last.

Another agonized cry echoes off the wood-paneled walls as Tyler crawls forward. He gets a short distance away before collapsing to the floor and twisting around, hands up, to fend off any additional blows.

Roman straightens, and lowers the wood paddle to his side. “Do you forfeit?” he asks coldly.

“This is bullshit,” Tyler screams, scrambling to stand up, hands cupping his dick and balls protectively. “I didn’t even fuckingdoanything.” He removes one hand from his crotch to point at me. “Thatbitchwas going to tase me.”

I notice Roman’s hand tighten on the paddle as he lowers his head, his gaze darkening. It looks like he’s struggling to keep his anger in check. “You are hereby expelled from the Society of the Burning Crown. You may never be readmitted, and you may never set foot on Burning Crown property again.”

Roman pulls a small knife from the folds of his robe and brings it up, then down quickly, in one motion, slashing the brand on Tyler’s chest. Tyler cries out and reels back, one hand flying to the wound, blood spilling from between his fingers.

That seems like the last straw for him. Tyler’s attention turns to the other members. “You’re just going to allow this?” he spits at them. “You’re going to take the word of a non-member, an usurper, over your ownfuckingbrother?” He yells that last word and the absolute vitriol in his tone makes me jump.

“That’s enough,” Roman says, his deep voice filling the entire space. “Get out.Now.”

Tyler cups his small dick with one hand, his chest with the other, and turns toward Roman. I get the sense he’s trying to calculate his odds if he were to attack Roman. The Sacred Sons must get the same feeling, because Lucas, Jackson, and Christian all stand up in unison, ready to intervene, if necessary.

Thankfully, Tyler gets the hint. With a scoff, he moves toward the door, and for the first time since the paddling, I see his flaming red, already-blistered ass. It looks incredibly painful.

A male member separates from the crowd and opens the door for Tyler. Just as he’s about to walk through it, he turns,and looks directly at me, his eyes wild and furious. “This isn’t over, cunt. Iwillmake you pay for this.”

The male member escorts Tyler out, and as soon as he’s gone, I release the breath I’d been holding. The low rumble of shocked chatter fills the room, but Roman quickly calls everyone back to attention. “Quiet,” he says loudly. “Let’s finish this.”

He hands the paddle off to Lindsay, and on his way back to his chair, he stops in front of me, reaching out to touch my elbow. “You okay?”

I’m a bit numb, actually, but I nod wordlessly. His hand slides down my arm and his fingers hook with mine, then he leads me back to my chair, and I lower myself into it.

“Let the record show,” Roman intones, still standing to address the membership present. “Tyler Savano has willingly forfeited his position within the Society of the Burning Crown.”

He says more, just closing out the tribunal, but I don’t even hear him. My mind is focused on Tyler’s declaration before he left, and the absolute conviction in his tone.

Iwillmake you pay for this.

He’s a bully and a coward, and I’m tempted to cast his threats off as bravado, but I’ve been through too much in the last year to ignore a statement like that. Tyler might be a coward, but he’s definitely delusional enough to follow through with his threats.

When the tribunal is over, the members file out first, leaving the Sacred Sons and their consorts behind in the room. No idea why we have to hang behind, but whatever. At this point, I’m just going with it. That Tyler shit took everything out of me, and I just don’t have the energy to ask questions tonight.

Christian is the first to break the silence. “Tyler has always been a pussy, butdamn,that was next-level psycho.”

“What was that even supposed to solve?” I ask. “Why did you even give him the option to stay with the Burning Crown after what he did to me?”

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