Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
I slap her, the sound bouncing off the walls of my father’s study. Stepping into her, I press my chest into hers, my blood boiling at her choice of words. “You will stay the fuck away from me, my husband and my kids. Do you understand me?”
“Blakely,” She rubs her cheek, laughing softly. “It is inevitable.”
“No.” I refuse to believe that. “My children will not be a Lord, or a Lady. I refuse …”
“The only problem with that, darling. Is that it’s not your decision to make.” My chest tightens. “Why do you think me, and your father didn’t want you to know about our life?” She arches a brow. “Our real story?” Shaking her head, her eyes soften. “You cannot keep them from it, no matter how hard you try. You might as well accept that now.”
The first tear spills over my bottom lashes because she’s right. I know it. There’s no way Ryat can get out of the Lords and there’s no way I can keep it out of our future. “I’ll do whatever needs to be done.” I finally say.
A smile, making her look like the Cheshire cat appears on her face. “And that right there is what makes you me whether you like it or not.”
EPILOGUE TWO
RYAT
EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER
I STAND IN our kitchen, dressed in my suit, a cup of coffee in one hand, papers in the other. I have court this afternoon. Day two of a trial that I already know will take months. It’s a Lord who fucked up. But to the world, he’s another corporate billionaire who deserves to rot in hell. I already know the outcome, but we have to give the world the show they want. Once he’s sentenced and forgotten, he’ll be terminated. Like all the Lords before him that betrayed their oath.
Looking up I see Reign enter, dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else, looking like he hasn’t slept in days. “Want to tell me why I got a notification that the alarm was turned off at three in the morning?” I ask, setting my cup down on the counter.
He smirks, “I think you’d rather me not.” Opening the fridge, he grabs a jug of milk and tosses it back without grabbing a glass. He knows his mother hates when he does that.
“Whoever she is, she better be gone.” I inform him when he lowers it.
That smirk back on his face. The look in his green eyes tells me that she’s definitely still in this house. “You have ten minutes.” I warn.
“He only needs two.” Royal-his twin brother-enters the kitchen not looking any better. His hair a disheveled mess. It’s hard to miss the scratches on his bare back and bite marks on his neck. He’s only dressed in a pair of sweatpants.
“Your mother will be home any minute with your sister, and I’m not going to cover for you two.” I shake my head.
They both snort, trying to act unfazed. They tower over her five-foot four frame, standing at six-two, but I’ve seen her level them with a single look. “Hey, I’ve only got one girl in my room, dipshit here, has two.” Reign points over at Royal.
Me and Blake have always been open with the boys about sex. We understood that it was going to happen. They’re seniors in high school about to graduate, but that doesn’t mean she openly allows it under our roof. “Roy-“
“They already left.” He assures me.
“So, Dad …” Reign leans against the opposite corner, facing me and I already know what’s coming. “We both need to talk to you.”
Royal shakes his head, his unruly hair falling into his eyes. “There is no we. This is a you conversation.”
Reign rolls his eyes at his twin before they meet mine again. “Graduation is coming up. Just three more weeks. Then initiation at Barrington starts this summer …”
“We should have this conversation when your mother gets here.” I interrupt him.
“We know how she feels about the Lords.” He sighs, “But we want to join.”
“No.” Royal shoves his shoulder playfully. “You want to be a Lord. Why the fuck would I want to sustain from sex just to prove I’m a man?” Snorting he adds. “I like pussy too much for that shit.”
I run a hand over my shaved face. “Boys …”
“Maybe if you’d stop fucking for five seconds, you’d be able to see the bigger picture here.” Reign snaps at Royal. “Being a Lord …”
“Is overrated.” Royal looks at me. “No offense, Dad.”
I shrug. “None taken.” A part of me is proud that Reign wants to join, but a bigger part wants him to be himself. It took me a long time to realize just how much the Lords controlled my life. I dedicated everything to them long before initiation even started. But no matter what, I can never regret my decision to join because it led me to Blake.
“I …”
The sound of the front door opening and closing cuts off Reign and his lips thin at the fact his mother is home. She has made herself very clear how she feels about them joining the Lords-not going to happen. We’ve spoken to them about it over the years. Of course, there were some personal details that we didn’t tell them, but we wanted them to see the kind of evil that lives out there. That the devil does in fact come to you in the most alluring form.
“Good morning,” My wife enters the kitchen with our daughter behind her. Her long dark hair down and in big curls, dressed in a charcoal suit and black heels. She’s still just as stunning as she was when I ran into her at Barrington.
“Morning,” I grab her hand and pull her into me, cupping her face. “I missed you.” She was only going for two days but it felt like forever.
“Missed you.” She leans up in her heels and gently kisses my lips before pulling away.
“How was Stanford?” I ask, looking at our daughter. Ryann looks just like her mother, but I don’t worry much because Royal and Reign don’t even let boys around her. They protect her like I protect their mother. It’s been nice having backup. She’s a junior this year in high school. And she reminds me of Blake-she can’t wait to get the hell away from here.
When I first met Blake, she longed for a different life than the one her parents allowed her to have. And we’ve done everything in our power to make sure our daughter is going to get a chance at what she wants.
“Amazing!” She smiles.
“You guys can’t be serious about letting her go to Stanford?” Reign demands. “I thought it was a joke.”
“Not everyone wants to stay home with mommy and daddy.” Ryann places her hands on her hips. “Some of us have dreams.”
Reign scoffs. “It’s like thirty hours away …”
“Try forty,” Royal corrects him.
“They make these things called planes.” Ryann says sarcastically. “We do have one. You can come and visit me anytime.” She looks at Royal. “Lots of hot girls there. Think hot weather-beach and swimsuits.”
“Really?” He arches a dark brow with interest.
“Speaking of girls. Looks like you lost a fight with a tree.” Blake observes Royal, her eyes looking over his scratches with disapproval.
Reign starts laughing, Ryann pulls her lips back and Royal just shakes his head. “Something like that.”
“I hope you use protection.” Ryann states.
“What the fuck, Ry? You shouldn’t know things like that.” Reign tells her.
“Condoms?” She asks tilting her head to the side.
“Sex.” Royal answers.
“I’m seventeen, not ten.” She throws her long dark hair over her shoulder and exits the kitchen.
“Dad …?” Reign’s eyes go from mine to his mothers, when he nods his head.
“We’ll discuss it later.” I tell him as Blake exits the kitchen. I follow her down the hallway to our master suit.
“Does this conversation we’re having later have anything to do with the two girls driving down our driveway at seven in the morning, or the one I watched sneak out the sliding glass door?”
I smile, she sees everything. “No. He wants to join the Lords.”