Page 64 of Tyrant

I slam the book shut, then throw all the books off the bed and hug myself.

I don’t know why but now I’m wondering if Tyrant is with someone else. If he’s fucking someone else. I mean, he has no loyalty to me, right? What am I to him? I’m his…claimed one. Meaning he gets to do whatever he wants with me. And to me.

He’s myace, which I guess means he protects me when he’s not fucking me. Nothing in there suggests I’m his only one. After all, I’m just going to get passed along to Des to be married.

I grab a pillow and bury my face into it and scream. Nobody hears me.

Except me.

Chapter Twenty-Five

TYRANT

When myclaimedonewakes again, I’m back at her side. She blinks a few times, knowing she’s lost more time, but not sure how much.

There are books all over the floor, telling me she either threw them there out of frustration or she fell asleep and kicked everything off in her sleep.

She blinks some more and reaches for my face.

“Ty,” she purrs.

Her voice is soft and sweet. She licks her bottom lip. The curiosity pours from her. She wants to know. Yet it’s none of her business.

I spent the entire night digging into her past. Chunk after chunk of the life that makes upSerafina Lockart. And truthfully there isn’t much that makes sense, other than her evil cunt of a stepmother. That story feels cliché though if you ask me.

Serafina’s father died and her stepmother hates her but raises her anyway just to stay rich. But now all of a sudden her stepmother decides to send her toSinners Academy. Painting this big, elaborate story of a fire and how dangerous it was. It’s not the normal for a new arrival around here.

“Will you say something?” Serafina’s voice asks so politely.

“Who is after you,claimed one? Who did you hurt?”

“Me? I hurt someone? What did I do?”

“That’s the truth we need to find out.”

“It was Des at the party, right? It had to have been.”

I cover her mouth with my right hand. “Don’t ever speak his name while you’re in bed with me. Ever.”

I tighten my grip on her mouth. Her eyes well with tears.

“Who the fuck are you, Serafina? Why the fuck are you here?”

“Are you mad at me, Ty? Did something happen while I was sleeping? I’m-”

I move my hand over her mouth to shut her up. Of course I’m fucking mad at her. I’m fucking livid at the entire arrangement.

“Roll over and take your pants down,” I tell her. “Not all the way. Just expose your ass.”

Her eyes go wide but she nods. I move my hand from her mouth. I watch as myclaimed onedoes as she’s told. She moves to her belly, a familiar position for her, for me to enjoy. She reaches for her pants and pushes them down.

I watch as her ass crests and appears. Soft and smooth skin. She’s like silk when I place my fingertips against her skin.

I think about our first time in the shower when I made her touch her ass.Finger her ass.

“Touch yourself,claimed one,” I say. “Touch your cunt. Your clit. Think long and hard about who would want to hurt you and why.”

“Ty, there isn’t…”

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