Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he pulls it out of the box and hands it to me. “It’s already been charged.”
I swipe the screen and see the background is of us standing in the Cathedral at the altar in front of the Lords’ table. “Who took this?” I ask.
Again, no answer. It was probably Ryat. He was the only one there who Tyson actually liked. Going to my contacts, I growl, “You’re the only name in my phone.”
“I’m the only person you need to call,” he replies simply.
I throw the cell onto the bed and cross my arms over my chest. “What about my family?”
He gives a rough laugh. “Yeah, you won’t have any contact with them.”
“Tyson,” I growl.
He walks over to me, and I stiffen when he reaches out and wraps his hand around my throat. It’s not tight enough to restrict my air, but it pushes the collar into my neck. “Do not contact them. I will know and you will be punished, do you understand?”
“But-“
His hand tightens, and I stand up on my tiptoes, my hands gripping his wrist in a silent request to let go of me. He doesn’t. “They don’t give a fuck about you, Lake.”
His words are spoken softly, but he might as well have yelled them in my face because even I can’t argue that. “Like … you do.” I manage to get out through gritted teeth.
He pushes my back into a wall, slamming me into it, knocking what little breath I have left in my lungs out of it. “Go ahead, little darling. Communicate with them in any way, and I’ll show you just how much I care.” He releases me and steps back.
I rub my sore neck and begin to cough as tears fill my eyes. Without another word, he leaves the room. Picking up the cell, I sit on the edge of the bed. I have no doubt that he has an app downloaded that tells him every person I contact on here.
Refusing to contact him for anything, I place the phone in the top drawer of the nightstand and head back to the closet to finish putting away my things.
SEVENTEEN
TYSON
I enter my office, shutting the door behind me. I make it over to my desk, sitting down just as my cell phone rings. Unknown lights up the screen. “Tyson,” I answer.
“Congratulations on getting your bride,” a man says in greeting.
I lean back in my chair, getting comfortable. “You sound surprised.”
He gives a dark laugh. “I knew you’d get what you wanted. You’ve been putting in the work for it anyway. Those devoted get rewarded,” the Lord reminds me.
“And you?” I ask. “Are you keeping up your end?”
“Of course.” He snorts, sounding offended.
“And?” I dig deeper, expecting an answer.
“And nothing yet. But we’re getting closer,” he promises.
I roll my eyes. They’ve been telling me this for years, but I’m a patient man, and things like this take time. “Keep me updated,” I say and hang up, not even bothering with a goodbye.
Pulling up the cameras on my computer, I watch her in the apartment upstairs. She’s on her knees in the middle of our closet, going through her clothes that arrived today. My right hand twirls my wedding ring around, feeling the weight of what I’ve done.
This was the only way I knew to save her. But I’m no saint. I’m going to make her hate me more than she already does. Is one devil better than the other? No. Evil is evil. It doesn’t matter who dishes out the punishments. She’ll still see this as her hell.
It’s taken years to get to this point. I’m not stupid. I didn’t expect her to accept her future with me overnight. She’s not like her sister was.
I lie in my bed at the house of Lords next to Whitney. It’s well after two in the morning. She’s naked, hands tied behind her back while she lies on her stomach. I brought her right back here after the vow ceremony at the Cathedral.
I fucked her until she passed out. Literally. I was on a mission to make sure she was so fucking drained she had to stay the night. Not like she was planning on going home anyway.
Getting out of my bed, I walk over to where her wet dress lies on the floor next to her purse. I pick it up, and dump out the contents, finding her cell. Climbing back into bed, I lean my back up against the headboard and press the button on the side to light up the screen to find it locked.
I want to laugh at the fact she thinks that’ll stop me.
In a matter of seconds, I’ve got it unlocked and download the app I want that grants me access to her cell. If I’m going to complete my assignment, I need to know everything she knows.
Sitting back, I watch my wife go through her things and wonder just how much she knows. She and Whitney were close, but I highly doubt she knew everything.
Picking up my cell, I send her a text. When I don’t immediately see her responding, I get up from my chair and storm out of my office.
LAIKYN
An hour later, I’m sitting in the middle of the closet still, sorting out my summer clothes when I hear the bathroom door open. The sound of it hitting the interior wall has me jumping to my feet just as Tyson enters the walk-in closet.
“Where is your phone?” he demands.
“In the nightstand,” I answer honestly.
“Why?”
I bite my bottom lip, unable to answer that question. Telling him that I refuse to use it sounds stupid right now, considering how mad he seems over it.
Storming out of the closet, he returns seconds later, holding it out to me. “When I message you, I expect a response. Immediately. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” I answer softly, reaching out to him and taking it from his hand.
He turns and exits just as quickly as he entered.
Standing, I look around at the mess I’ve made. My clothes are everywhere, but I decide I’ll work on it later. As much as I want to say fuck you to my husband, I also don’t want to piss him off. If he wants to see me so bad, then why didn’t he just tell me what he wanted while he was in here.
Turning the cell on, it pings immediately with a text.
Your husband: My office. Now.
I roll my eyes. Seriously? He could have told me to go to his office in the first place when he was just in here. But I’m not surprised. I saw him do this with my sister once.
“Where is your phone?” Tyson demands as I stand in the hallway, eavesdropping.
“It got wet at dinner.” Whitney explains.
“How does that happen?” he wonders, his voice telling me he doesn’t believe a damn thing she just said.
“I accidentally knocked over my drink right on top of it. I’ve got a new one coming. It should be here tomorrow.”
“Why didn’t you use your sister’s to call me when you got in last night? I’ve been calling you all day.” he asks, letting out a growl.
My breathing picks up when I realize I could have his number in my phone.