Page 115 of Sweet Dominion

Marcy spoke, “She’s not the Mountain Mistress yet, not officially.”

Oh, God.

I glanced over at Lei and it was like looking at a tightly coiled spring, ready to snap. His eyes were locked on Marcy, a dark storm brewing just beneath the surface.

It wasn’t lost on me that several moments ago, Lei’s men had been holding him back, keeping him from launching himself at Marcy for that crazy hug he had given me.

How in the world are we going to have a cookout today without someone dying?

Chapter twenty-two

The Best of Friends

Lei

Tension hung in the air like a storm cloud, ready to break at any moment. I could feel the weight of every gaze, every unspoken word, and every barely suppressed impulse to let violence take over.

But Moni had somehow gotten control of those fucking idiots.

It was strange how they easily listened to her—these men who had grown up in the same sort of chaos and violence that I had.

Men who respected power, feared nothing, and answered to no one.

Yet here they were, standing down, because she told them to.

I watched as she held their attention with just a few sharp words, her voice steady, her gaze unyielding.

There was no hesitation in her.

No doubt.

And they recognized it.

They knew better than to push Moni and it was almost as if they feared disappointing her.

These were men who had seen and done terrible things, who commanded respect through fear and strength.

And yet, when Monique spoke, they listened.

Good.

It filled me with a sense of pride I hadn't expected.

More and more I was seeing how Moni wasn’t just any woman; she was a force of nature, capable of holding her own in my world of shadows and danger.

She may end up being a better Mountain Mistress than my mother.

And while, I still wanted to kill Marcelo—rip his fucking innards out of his body and feed it to Banks—she had everything calm and under control.

So I had to push down my violence and have her back.

Good job.

Dima watched me and jotted down another note.

What the fuck are you writing about?

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to relax my clenched fists and stepped forward, pulling Monique closer to my side. The words were sharp in my mouth, but I kept my tone steady. “Dima, let me introduce you to Monique. She is myofficialMountain Mistress.”

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