Page 176 of Bake the Town Red

What Tyler has set on the other stove will hurt Johnathan far more than anything we’ve already put him through.

“You deserve worse.” I’m used to abuse, cruelty, and other scary things. None of them are half as intimidating as Tyler’s vibrant, deranged energy. “You deserve us spending days”—Tyler flips his wrist, scoops a small chunk of Johnathan’s intestines, and flings it behind his back—“monthseven, of us torturing you. You don’t touch what’s mine. Don’t threaten what’s mine.”

Johnathan’s conscious one moment, gone the next.

“Rude, John-John.” I slap one cheek. The other. “You don’t get to sleep. Tyler’s talking to you.”

The coward doesn’t stir. While Tyler’s tossing another red, bleeding piece of flesh to the tarp, I saunter over to a shelfabove the table. I lean forward and rise on my toes until I have what I need.

My butane torch.

Johnathan might not wake up from Tyler’s continuous torture of his intestines. This sharp pain should do the trick.

I aim it at his temple, press my thumb to the button at the back, and—

“Mmmm!”

“That’s more like it.” I click the button a second time, for no reason but for my own entertainment. He cries. I smile. “You brought this on yourself. Where are your manners? My boyfriend has a lot of things to say to you and you fall asleep like that?”

“Fiancé,” Tyler corrects me.

My heart stutters. Hops in its cage. Stops abruptly. Despite what I have to tell Tyler later, this seems bigger. Heavier. But not better. Just as great.

“You haven’t asked, Ty.”

He tilts his face up. The brown in his eyes is once more these dangerously seductive swamps. There’s so much hiding inside them. Creepy.

Delightful.

“I didn’t realize I had to.”

Johnathan’s body rattles. Tyler carves through his flesh, tossing it in Johnathan’s face while his eyes are glued to mine. “I love you. You’re mine. I decided you’ll be my wife, so that’s what’s going to happen. End of story.”

This isn’t a Hallmark moment we’re having. Tyler in his black, terrifying mask. His need for revenge and slaughter and sex bleeds through his pores.

And me, in my freaky rabbit mask. Enjoying the fuck out of myself for abusing the man who threatened Tyler.

No, this moment isn’t anything remotely sweet and fuzzy. Other people would be traumatized for life just fromhearingabout what Ty and I are doing here.

Fuck other people.

I’ve just been forced into this engagement, into a promise for eternity with my soulmate.

This is the second happiest moment of my life.

“The first one was today when I noticed my period was two days late.” I finish the thought in my head out loud. “I waited to tell you that after tonight, except now I—”

A feral, barely human growl. It makes my toes curl and my knees weak. With another final movement, Tyler finishes up the circular shape in Johnathan’s stomach. He discards the bleeding flesh and ice cream scoop.

“You could be pregnant.” Both his hands lift my mask, shoving it to the top of my head. He raises his hand soon after and cups my cheeks. His hands are bloody. I don’t care. “You could be pregnant.”

“Mmmm! Mmmm!”

“Wecould be.” Stupid tears burn the corners of my eyes. I blink them away. “Are you happy?”

Tyler holds his breath. His fingers bruise my flesh. They dive lower, to my throat. His hand on my scars and snake tattoo squeezes tight. He doesn’t hate the tattoo anymore, that’s whathis grip says. He owns it. Owns my past, my present, my future.

Other than that, I can’t read him.

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