Page 59 of Tyrant

I offer Luc one more nod and then I walk away from him. That’s enoughbrothertime for one lifetime if you ask me.

My eyes naturally gravitate right toward Serafina as she sleeps peacefully on top of the blanketed table. This entire thing is so fucking morbid.

“Hey, brother, I guess I should wish you congrats,” Peri says to me.

“Something like that,” I say.

Someone bumps into my shoulder. It’s Demo. He’s the only one who can do that to me without getting punched in the face.

“She looks beautiful over there,” Demo says. “You’ll have a blast with her. I mean if you haven’t already, right?”

“She doesn’t fit the part around here,” I say. “And someone is after her. There’s more to her story.”

“And you want to research it?” Peri asks.

“What are we researching?” Vic asks as he decides to join the conversation.

“Nothing,” I say. “Leave it all be. We all have jobs to do, right?”

“You’re tense as fuck, man,” Vic says.

“Did I ask for your opinion on anything, Vic?” I growl.

“No. But I love giving my opinion.”

“Get the fuck away from me,” I tell Vic.

Vic laughs, knowing he’s under my skin. He’s always looking for a fight. No matter what. He’ll fight enemies, friends. He’ll fight family. It’s his thing.

He and Peri go to a bar to get a drink. That leaves me alone with Demo.

“You’re calmer than I’d be,” he says. “Someone fucks around with myclaimed one… watch the fuck out. I would burn this entire place down and dig through the ashes.”

“I know you would, Demo,” I say.

“Can I get you a drink, brother? We’ll have a toast to the ceremony.”

As I open my mouth to reluctantly accept the offer I notice Des closing in on Serafina. Demo is already moving his left hand out, preparing to stop me. I’m already walking, pushing by Demo’s fucking hand. Nobody is going to get too close to myclaimed one.

Not even her future husband.

“Areyou going to stand there and watch me, Ty?” Des asks without looking back.

“That’s right. I’ll be right here. Watching. Or you can just walk the fuck away from her. She’s not yours.”

Des looks back at me. “Not yet.”

My eyes go wide.

Des smiles. “She is beautiful. I’m very lucky for that. Some of the women around here are just awful looking, you know? Imagine getting paired up with some ugly woman. And that’s your wife. I mean, yeah, the marriage is all bullshit, right? I’ll get my dick sucked by anyone I choose. I’ll fuck ten women a night and not a single one will be my wife. But you get the picture, Ty. Can’t have some nasty, ugly woman hanging off your arm like a tumor.”

My hands roll up into tight fists.

“I’ll take good care of her,” I say. “I have to warn you though, she won’t be the same when I’m done with her. Hope your dickgoes through a growth spurt or else you won’t be able to take care of her.”

“Oh, I’ll do just fine,” Des says. “You think I’m going to enjoy her in that way? I’ll have exactly what I want. She’ll just be a plaything for me. Something to have hanging off my arm. Something to toss around when I’m in a bad mood.”

“That’s quite the future for you,” I say. “That’s the big plan? Beat the hell out of your wife every night?”

---