Page 68 of Reign of Psychos

“Have you been watching stupid animal videos on my Tiktok?”

From the shifty look on his face, I took that to be a firm ‘yes’.

“I may have watched a few. Why?”

“Because the fucking algorithm thinks I want to watch herds of baby goats do stupid shit like jump off roofs and play dead!”

He rolled his eyes. “Jesus. You need to take a psychopath test or something. Everyone loves cats and goats. It’s a fucking fact.”

“Not me!”

I stabbed my phone screen in irritation. Maybe YouTube would have better results. So I opened the YouTube app. Only to find I was now following a bunch of backyard chicken content creators. Frantic clucking echoed around the room as one of the videos auto-played.

“Landon! I’m going to fucking kill you!” I threw my phone across the room in frustration. It hit a vase, which tumbled to the floor and smashed.

“Great,” Cassian grumbled. “You do realize it was probably a priceless antique, right?”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?” I snarled. I needed some air. This apartment was stifling. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the elevator. Just as I reached it, the doors opened and Thea appeared, Dario at her side. They’d been down to pick up some pastries. My girl loved chocolate treats, and luckily for all of us, there was an Italian bakery two streets away that sold the most decadent baked goods.

Even I was a convert and I rarely craved sweet treats. Apart from my kitten.

“Hey, man—” Dario started, but I ignored him.

“I need you,” I told Thea before shoving Dario out of the elevator and pressing the close door button. The doors slid shut on his angry face, but I gave no shits.

Thea looked up at me, waiting for me to explain, but I didn’t have the words. After a moment, she stepped close and wrapped her arms around my waist. The moment she touched me, I relaxed, letting the tension flow out and away.

It wasn’t fresh air I needed. It was her. But maybe a walk would do us both good.

Once we reached the ground floor, I took her hand and led her outside.

Horns blared, engines idled, men in suits hurried along while tourists lingered and gawped at the tall buildings of central London. Thea said nothing as we walked down Grosvenor Street, past the small park, and then into much larger Hyde Park.

My breath steamed in the cold air, but I barely noticed the chill. We attracted a few curious looks as we walked down a path toward the boating lake. A gray-haired woman with a small dog wearing a pink coat veered away with alarm when she caught sight of my tattooed arm and the yellow bruises on Thea’s cheek.

I curled my lip at her and she skittered off, tugging the yapping fluff ball with her.

“Where are we going?” Thea asked after a few minutes. “It’s freezing.” She tried to bury her hands in her pockets, but I snatched one away and wrapped my fist around it. It felt like holding an ice cube. Maybe a walk outside was a bad idea. I probably should have taken her somewhere warm, like a cafe.

Still, with a bit of luck, this wouldn’t take long. I’d ask her to marry me, she’d say yes, and then we’d go back to the hotel where I’d make her scream with pleasure.

“There’s a coffee kiosk by the lake. It serves hot chocolate with marshmallows.”

Almost immediately, she perked up. I grinned. “I’ve been grabbing coffee from there on my morning runs.”

“I need to start running again,” she grumbled softly.

I slammed to a halt and spun her round. “No, you fucking don’t. You’re carrying my baby. I don’t want you to overexert yourself. You look perfect.”

“You’re seriously telling me what I can and cannot do? Fuck you, Kyril!” She yanked her hand from mine and stormed off. Dammit. Now she was angry. As much as I adored angry Thea, I knew she’d never agree to be my wife if she wanted to murder me.

The ring in my pocket reminded me I had a mission to complete and time was running out. It took seconds to catch up with her. She could run, but because it was cold, and she clearly didn’t feel like overexerting herself, I reached her as the path skirted the lake.

“If you want to jog, kitten, I’ll jog with you. Just not right now, OK?”

“Fine,” she huffed, glaring at me. “Tomorrow, first thing, we run.” I smiled, knowing full well she’d be asleep until midday.

Once we reached the kiosk, I bought her a hot chocolate and a coffee for myself. We walked over to a table overlooking the lake and sat down. She didn’t protest as I pulled her between my open legs.

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