Chapter 22

Lorenzo

After Mateo followed Nyx upstairs, Karrion seems a little more off than usual. He's never going to be the most mentally stable man in the room, but even for him, he's just…Off.

"In the good tupperware? Really?" Alaric sighs, looking down at the head in the bowl. "I just fucking bought these after you ruined my metal mixing bowls." "Ok." Karrion slaps his hands down on the counter. "How the fuck was I supposed to know that hydrochloric acid melts metal?"

"How do you know it's not going to melt the fucking plastic?" Alaric shouts back.

"Because, Mr. Smarty McGoo, I googled it this time." Karrion smiles at his brother, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What exactly did you google?" Alaric arches a brow, "What type of bowl is best for dissolving a human body?"

"Wait, it won't fuck up the bones too, will it?" Karrion asks, slightly concerned.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Alaric rubs his hands down his face. "Of course it's going to dissolve the bone. What are you trying to do?"

"I just want the skin and tissue gone. I'm going to add her to my collection." He smiles like he's just so damn proud. He looks up to the ceiling before he focuses on me. "Do you think he's fucking her up there?"

"Honestly," I shrug my shoulders, trying to decide what the best way to go about this is. "He probably is."

"I don't like it." His eyes dart around the room, like he's trying not to look at me again. Shaking his head, he picks the head up from the bowl and throws it against the wall. "I don't fucking like it." He roars, sitting down in a chair, rocking from side to side. Alaric's eyes meet mine, and his jaw clenches. He subtly shakes his head no. Does he really think I'm stupid enough to poke the fucking bear right now?

"Is she leaving me?" His rocking stops suddenly and his eyes darken. He's looking straight at me, but I don't think he even sees me. "Is he going to take her from me?"

"They don't even like each other, Karrion." Alaric steps in front of his brother, blocking me from his view. "She agreed to stay here the very first night you met her. She matches your crazy, remember?"

"Since we're remembering," Someone behind me calls out. I turn around to see Rune walking through the doorway, shirtless as always. "Remember the last girl that matched your crazy."

"Now is not the fucking time, Rune." Alaric states, never taking his eyes off Karrion.

"Yeah, it's never the time." He grabs a bottle of water and walks back out of the kitchen. He goes upstairs and slams a door shut. A second later, crashing and banging sounds fill the house.

Karrion stands so fast the chair tips backwards. His eyes are squeezed shut and his hands are in tight fists at his sides. He rolls his neck from side to side. My heart stops beating for a second when his eyes shoot open, and they're locked on me.

"Go get Nyx. Now." Silas whispers as he walks behind me. He steps in front of me, once again blocking me from Karrion's view. I can't say that I'm disappointed; Karrion is intimidating on a good day.

By the looks of things, this is not a good fucking day. I quickly back out of the kitchen and run up the stairs as quickly and quietly as I can. When I reach the top step, Mateo steps out of a room at the end of the hallway.

"Where the fuck is Nyx?" I ask, looking behind him.

"In there." He points to the door he just came from. "Probably about to shower."

I run past him and fling her door open.

"Knock much?" She yells, pulling a shirt over her head. Judging by the size, I know it's not hers, it's probably one of the brothers.

"Karrion needs you in the kitchen. I don't think he's firing on all six cylinders right now." I rush out, hoping she can sense the urgency.

"Jesus fuck." Is all she says before she runs out the door and down the steps. I follow her quietly so I'm there if they need me, but I'm not going into the kitchen, so I don't piss him off even more. Just as I reach the bottom step, I hear a loud crack before Nyx is screaming, "FUCKING STOP IT!"

Running through the doorway, I'm frozen in place when I see Karrion has Mateo against the wall, holding a knife to his throat.

"Put the fucking knife away, Elias!" Nyx shouts as she grabs Karrions arm, pulling it away from Mateo. The second she touches him, he visibly relaxes. Thank god, but who the fuck is Elias?

"I won't let him take you from me, Princess." He caresses the side of her cheek and she leans into him.

"I'm here, baby." She grabs both sides of his face, pulling his forehead against hers. "I'm not going anywhere."

He whispers something in her ear that makes her giggle, then throws her over his shoulder, leaving the kitchen.

"What the fuck just happened?" I ask, scratching the side of my head.

"Pussy power!" Silas laughs for a second before his face turns serious. "He snaps sometimes when feelings hit. It can get pretty ugly if nobody is there to bring him back. Pussy is his favorite distraction."

"You probably shouldn't fuck her again." Alaric chimes in, looking at Mateo. "We won't be able to help with your plans if you're on his bad side."

"I didn't plan on fucking her again, it just happened."

"When are you going to grow the fuck up, Mateo?" I sigh, exhausted from dealing with all of this bullshit on top of what we already have going on. "We all knew the second you walked out of this kitchen that you were going to fuck her again."

"Okay, this sounds like a super fun conversation that I would definitely like to avoid." Silas pulls a piece of paper from his pocket. "I just came downstairs to give you this." He hands me the paper and I unfold it. It takes me a second to realize exactly what it is, but once I do, nothing else seems important right now.

"I know what we're doing the rest of the day, Teo." Folding the paper back up, I slide it in my pocket and grab my phone. "Is it cool if the girls sleep here while we go grab the prick and get him back to the house?"

"Fine by me, I won't fuck with them, my tourny starts soon." Silas grabs a soda from the fridge and walks out.

"They're fine here." Alaric mumbles, bending down to grab the head from the floor.

"Great." I clap my hands and rub them together. "I'm going after the shit head that punched my woman. Are you coming?"

Mateo's eyes light up as he walks toward me. "Let's fucking go."