Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

TYRANT

I haven’t slept in days and I haven’t stepped away from Serafina’s side. Now that I know she’s awake and talking and the vibe is that she will make a full recovery, it’s time for me to shift gears completely. From protector to killer. That’s an easy swap for me. Almost too easy.

Sitting in the silence of the hospital room with the medical equipment beeping as some kind of deathly symphony, all I could do was think. My mind has played out every scenario I can find. A list of people in my head. Someone wants my claimed one dead. I want to know who, and why.

I want to know the truths and secrets of Serafina Lockart’s life and why she’s really here. Why she’s been given to me for a little while. And why the fuck she’s the chosen one to be Des’s wife .

Des has always been number one on my list. Part of it makes complete sense, yet parts do not. He’s a fucking psychopath for sure, but killing his wife-to-be doesn’t add up. A gift from the legion itself to him. A chance to have a woman forced into marriage and forced into loyalty. He even said it himself what he intends for Serafina once they are married. So why kill her now?

Trust me, I still want to wrap my hands around Des’s throat and watch the life slowly drip from his soul. Give him death. Take his life. For the moment, I have to let that go. Start at a different spot on my list.

“I’m getting tired, Tyrant,” my claimed one whispers.

“Let me make sure you’re allowed to sleep again,” I say.

The thought of leaving her side does not sit well with me. I have no choice. I kiss her forehead, exit the hospital room and call for the doctor. He and two nurses come hurrying my way.

“She wants to rest,” I tell the doctor. “Take care of her. Make sure security is nearby.” Before the doctor can respond I turn and look at Demo. “With your life, okay?”

Demo nods. “Whatever you need, Ty.”

I’m giving myself away a little bit here. Me calling for protection for someone who is claimed isn’t the best look for me. Demo doesn’t question a thing. I respect that.

I’ve got other business to tend to. My eyes go in that exact direction.

Naya.

As I close in on her, she stands up.

“How is she? Tell me she’s—”

I grab her by the throat and press her against the wall.

“Did you fucking do this to her?” I growl.

Naya shakes her head. “No…”

“Tell me right now,” I say. “The fucking truth, you fucking whore.”

I’m well aware there are eyes watching me. I don’t give one single fuck.

“Ty… please… Ty…”

Naya’s voice is strained. I take my hand away from her throat.

She gasped for a breath. “I would never. I like Sera. I swear on it.”

“You’re fucking lying to me,” I growl at her. “I see it in your eyes. What the fuck do you know that I don’t?”

“Shit,” Naya whispers. “Ty, it’s nothing. I swear. It’s—”

I lift my hand and Naya flinches. I think she gets the point now. I will fucking kill anyone who might be hurting my claimed one .

Not part of the job, is it, Tyrant?

I tell that voice in my head to fuck off.

“Okay, listen to me,” Naya says. “It’s nothing, I swear. When Lia is about to get her period, she’s a bitch.”

“Lia?”

“She gets very mean. Sera stopped by to say hello or whatever and Lia was nasty to her. Totally jealous over the arrangement you and Sera have together. I told Sera that’s just how Lia is though. It’s not a big deal.”

“Didn’t that bitch stab someone in the face with a pen once?”

“Yeah, but…”

“Shut the fuck up, Naya,” I growl. “You’re the only one besides Demo I trust in the hospital room with Serafina. Anything she wants and needs, you’re going to take care of while I handle this.”

“Anything?” Naya asks with that whore grin of hers.

Always looking for someone to fuck, man or woman.

“Fucking whore,” I say.

“Naya! Hey!”

The voice pierces my ears and I turn my head to see Lia walking down the hallway.

“Oh, shit,” Naya says. “Ty, please. Don’t. There’s no way she…”

I’m already charging toward Lia. I make it a handful of steps before Lia realizes I’m coming after her. She turns and drops her bag and her drink. The lid pops off and some kind of orange liquid splatters all over the floor. I jump over the liquid so I don’t slip and fall.

Lia turns a corner in the hallway and disappears for a second. I catch right up.

“Tyrant, what are you doing?” Lia screams. “Help! Someone help!”

“You fucking stupid bitch,” I growl.

Now I have no choice. I’m close enough that I can grab for her head. When I do, I throw her to the left. Though not too hard that I knock her out. That wouldn’t be helpful to me. Her head hits the wall and she falls to the floor with a thud and rolls to her back.

I step right over her as she touches the left side of her face. There’s blood. Ask me if I give a single fuck.

“What did you do to her?” I growl.

“You think I did this? Why? Why would I attack my own roommate?”

“You’ve never been claimed before. And it’s too late for you. But here comes this new arrival. She’s treated like a fucking princess, right? Doesn’t it bother you?”

“No!”

I lift my foot. I’ll stomp her face so fucking hard she’ll have to date guys solely online because nobody will come within ten feet of her.

“Fuck! Tyrant! Of course I’m jealous! I’ll never experience a thing. Okay? Ever. I’ll finish up at Sinners Academy getting used and tossed around and then what? Someone is going to marry me? Who? Huh?”

“The truth comes out,” I say.

“But I would never hurt someone over it. Not Sera. I swear on my life.”

I crouch down. Lia bursts into tears. Someone this pathetic…? No chance she hurt my claimed one .

“I already spoke with Naya,” I whisper in a deep voice. “She swears her innocence too. I gave her a job to keep an eye on Serafina. Now I’m giving you a job. You hear anything, you tell me. Got that? And I mean anything. Rumors, gossip, I don’t give a fuck.”

“Okay, Tyrant. Yes. Of course. Anything to help Sera. I’ve been good to her. I’ve been her only friend around here. You know how Naya is. Naya wants to fuck her. I just want to—”

I make a fist and Lia squirms and cries once more. I stand back up and start to walk away. This time to the elevators.

The doors open and I step in, alone. I remain alone, which is good. Anyone that comes within a three foot radius of me is putting their life at risk. I can flip the switch in my head to murder in a breath.

This feels different. I tell myself Serafina Lockart is just a claimed one . Nothing more. She can’t be anything more. She’s to be married to someone else.

So why the fuck am I going on a murderous rampage right now?

Serafina’s father’s name is Duncan. He’s the one who bought the house I’m looking at right now. I can tell you all the details of the financing and how it was paid off. What it was used for in terms of collateral for other property purchases that have since been sold. The proceeds going right into the pockets of Bridgette Lockart . Maiden name Nealey. Nothing but fucking eye candy with a salesman brain. She hooked herself right onto Duncan. Channeling that fake care because the man lost his wife and felt his daughter should have a mother figure.

I also do a full research into people before I go near them.

The property has a security system but it hasn’t been updated in a while. All Bridgette cares about is the money. The estate. The value. And most of all, getting Serafina out of the picture. Would a stepmother really kill her stepdaughter?

I enter through a side basement door onto a perfectly clean, smooth concrete floor. It’s some kind of storage area, filled with totes labeled with Duncan’s name along with Serafina’s. I grab the top tote, place it on the floor and take off the lid.

It’s pictures of Serafina as a child. In each one she’s wearing a big smile, along with her father. The life she used to have. Used to live.

I dig about halfway through the tote and I find a dirty, stuffed animal. A rabbit with floppy ears. It’s nose a pink button. The eyes, crooked. The thing smells like an old basement and looks very old. On the back at the butt of the stuffed animal there’s a small tag. There’s handwriting on the tag. It’s from Serafina’s mother.

I keep the rabbit, put the lid back on the tote and put it back where I found it. I’m able to twist and contort the rabbit to fit into my back pocket.

I take the nearest staircase up to go from the basement to a hallway. According to my research of the house, the living room is to my right. Along with that there’s a great room, a foyer, and a bunch of other space that’s probably been decorated ten times over and never used once. To my right and around a small bend is the kitchen. That’s where I need to be.

“I can’t believe he said that to you!” Brigette’s voice calls out. “What an asshole. Doesn’t he know you’re married? Oh, yeah, I mean, sure, who doesn’t want to fuck their Pilates instructor, right?”

Bridgette cackles and she sounds like a witch.

“Move out of the kitchen, you rotten cunt,” I whisper to myself.

As though she can hear me, she exits the kitchen to the dining room. I sneak through the house, carefully. She walks to a large set of glass doors.

Come on… go…

The doors open and she steps outside. That’s my cue and chance. I walk right into the kitchen, to the counter, where a glass of red wine sits and waits for me. I only need a few droplets of my magic potion to knock Bridgette on her ass for the night. Give it twenty minutes and she’ll be so damn woozy, she’ll want nothing more than her bed. And the second her head hits the pillow she’ll sleep until tomorrow.

If I find out that she had anything to do with the attack on Serafina, then I will place a fucking knife to her cunt throat and press as hard as I can. I’ll run that fucking knife back and forth, slicing through skin and more. I’ll cut her fucking head off and gift it to Serafina.

I’m not supposed to be this fucking involved but I can’t help it.