Page 91 of The Protector
“I have to disagree,” Pearl said softly. “We have many couples living together and our men are wonderful, thoughtful, caring, and emotionally intelligent beings that are fully capable of attracting partners if desired.”
“Great!” Magni squeezed the knife in his hand tightly. “My wife is without protection and now you tell me that your Momsiboys are a threat to her?”
“Your wife is safe in the Motherlands. No one will harm her, but obviously…” She trailed off.
“What?” Magni said aggressively.
Pearl looked down. “Nothing.”
“What?” Magni raised his voice and slammed his hand with the knife down the table.
“Calm the fuck down,” Khan told his brother.
Pearl sighed and lifted her face, giving Magni a look of great empathy. “It must be difficult for you. I’m sorry if I made it worse.”
“Just finish your fucking sentence,” Magni demanded, low and threatening.
“If you insist,” she said. “Laura is safe and no one will harm her, but obviously, there’s the possibility of her falling in love with someone. It can be a rush to be treated with kindness and respect if you’re not used to it.”
That set off Magni, who jumped up, knocking his chair back. “Are you saying that I didn’t treat my wife with kindness and respect? I fucking fought for her and protected her until that little bitch over there filled her with fairytales about the Motherlands.” He pointed a finger at me, and that made Boulder get up from his chair roaring at Magni.
“Apologize!”
“No!” Magni roared back. “Laura would still be here if not for that bitch of yours.”
Boulder was at Magni’s throat before he had finished the sentence. “Nobody talks about my wife that way,” he said in a low and menacing growl. “Apologize or you and I are going outside to settle this like men.”
“Go die in a fire,” Magni spat back at Boulder.
“Calm thefuckdown, both of you!” Khan shouted, hammering his fist upon the table.
Pearl’s eyes were huge and she was holding her hands to her chest. Over the last two weeks, I had been conditioned to these sorts of outbursts, but she had never experienced anything like the vile talk, the testosterone filling the room, and the hateful glances between Boulder and Magni.
I met her gaze, trying to signal that it would be all right.
“Finn.” Khan snapped his finger. “I think my brother needs a night out to blow off some steam.”
“Any place in particular?” Finn asked and was already pushing his chair back.
“Whatever he wants. Booze, fights, sex-bots.”
Magni pushed past Boulder and muttered, low and hostile. “Enjoy your wife while you have her.”
“Is that a threat?” Boulder growled.
“Just a friendly reminder that she’s going home soon,” Magni hissed low and stomped out of the room while Finn snatched the steak from the plate before him, took a big bite, and followed.
An awkward silence filled the room before Boulder raised Magni’s chair from the floor and returned to his own seat.
Khan followed suit. “I apologize for my brother’s loss of temper. As you can see, he is not taking Laura’s disappearance well,”
“Has he talked with anyone about his anger issues?” Pearl asked with a troubled look.
“Anger issues?” Khan asked in annoyance. “What are you talking about?”
Pearl blinked in confusion. “He’s full of rage. Surely inner peace would be much more pleasant for him and the people around him.”
“Inner peace?” Khan leaned back. “Who the hell can be peaceful if their spouse disappears?”
