Lord Of Beasts

Ethan and Mark stepped out of the van together.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

After their tense confrontation inside, everyone seemed to have the same thought.

’They’re going to fight.’

And technically, that was exactly what happened right there in Darren’s front yard.

Mark suddenly grabbed Ethan.

Ethan grabbed him right back.

The two men crashed into the grass and immediately began wrestling, shoving, and rolling across the ground like a pair of idiots rather than a fearsome beast and a terrifying monster.

It wasn’t a serious fight.

There were no supernatural powers or transformations.

Just two grown men settling their differences the same way they had when they were younger.

Mark managed to get him into a headlock.

”Don’t go turning into a giant and crush me.”

Ethan wrestled his way free.

”Only if you don’t turn into a werewolf and bite my head off.”

”I make no promises.”

Mark shoved him onto his back.

Ethan immediately twisted around and dragged him down with him.

For several minutes, the two brothers rolled around in the grass, laughing and trying to get the upper hand. Whatever tension had existed between them in the van slowly disappeared.

By the time they finally stopped, both were breathing heavily and grinning like they had just gone ten rounds in a playground.

Kaela and Elara stared at them.

Neither woman seemed quite sure what to make of what she had just witnessed.

’Men really are weird.’

The thought crossed both of their minds almost simultaneously.

Kaela looked between the two men tussling.

”Am I really the only gay one here?”

Elara gave her a completely genuine look.

”I hope so.”

Kaela burst out laughing.

The moment the convoy arrived at Darren’s house, however, the atmosphere around the property became considerably more serious. Darren stood near the entrance, staring at the seemingly endless line of black vehicles pulling up outside.

He had never seen so many blacked-out cars in his life.

Certainly not all at once.

The sight was ominous enough that he couldn’t help wondering whether his life had somehow taken another terrible turn without warning. Meanwhile, the rough-looking Association operative who had been stationed in Arkansas was having an equally difficult time processing what he was seeing.

He had remained behind to secure the property and had dealt with plenty of strange situations during his career.

But even he had never seen this many black suits arrive in one place.

Then again, considering whatever had happened at the compound, perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised. Shortly after Ethan and the others had left, the ground had begun shaking.

At first, he had thought it was nothing more than the aftermath of the fighting.

Then another tremor came.

And another.

Small earthquakes had rippled through the area one after another, leaving the operative with very little doubt that something big was taking place. Fortunately, the men who had been left behind at the facility weren’t in much of a position to cause trouble.

They had confiscated their weapons, and they had all suffered broken legs after being thrown around and zapped.

Honestly, it was something of a miracle that they had survived at all.

The black suits immediately began treating them.

They might have been criminals, but the Association wasn’t going to stand around and watch them die. Whether those men would ever walk normally again was another question entirely.

Without specialised treatment, their injuries were very likely to leave permanent damage. The Association certainly possessed the means to provide that treatment. But keeping them alive was one thing, and restoring them completely was another.

For now, survival was enough.

While all of that was happening, Ethan and Mark had been busy with their own little confrontation.

Thankfully, their brotherly scuffle had remained exactly that.

A scuffle, and nothing more.

And now the two were side-by-side as though nothing had happened.

”Wassup, Darren?”

Ethan grinned as he approached the large man.

”Hope you didn’t miss us too much.”

Darren simply stood there, staring at him.

His eyes briefly moved toward Mark before shifting to the dozens of black-suited operatives surrounding his property. Then he looked toward the men receiving treatment and the two A Ranks in his yard.

Finally, he looked back at Ethan.

”What happened?”

There were simply too many questions.

The literal ground-shaking events alone would have been enough to warrant an explanation.

Ethan shrugged.

”Not much.”

He flashed Darren a smile.

”All you gotta know is those racist fucks won’t be a problem for you anymore.”

Darren’s expression hardened.

”What did you do?”

”I gave them their million bucks.”

Ethan’s smile widened.

The way he said it made it perfectly clear that whatever he had given them, they probably hadn’t enjoyed receiving it. Darren didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he could imagine it.

And he appreciated it more than he could put into words.

The troubled young man he had once known had spent years angry at the world and even more angry at himself. Now he stood in front of him as an almost completely different person.

A Titled.

And judging by everything Darren had seen and heard about him, a completely insane one.

’A fitting development.’

Darren’s thoughts were interrupted when Ethan suddenly looked at him.

”What do you think about New York?”

Darren was caught off guard.

”New York?”

He glanced at Ethan as though the question had come from nowhere.

”What am I going to do there?”

”I don’t know.”

Ethan shrugged.

”Maybe be security or something. You’re big and ugly enough.”

Mark immediately looked toward Ethan.

”He can’t-”

Before he could finish, Ethan burst out laughing.

”Relax. No one else is going to be living under your bar.”

Darren frowned.

Ethan continued before he could object.

”I’m sure I can get you situated. I’m rich as fuck now.”

He gestured casually toward the convoy surrounding the house.

”And I’m an Enforcer now, so technically, all these black suits work for me.”

Darren stared at him.

That was certainly an offer.

And despite Ethan’s ridiculous delivery, it wasn’t an insignificant one.

Moving to New York could mean a new life.

A better life.

But Darren’s eyes eventually drifted toward the house.

Through one of the windows, his deaf old mother was peering outside at the commotion. She had clearly noticed the convoy, the strangers, and the people outside who had arrived in enough vehicles to make it look like an invasion.

Darren’s expression softened.

”There’s just so much to consider...”

Ethan noticed the hesitation and immediately waved a hand.

”No pressure. Take your time thinking about it.”

He grinned.

”I was just in a giving mood.”

He paused.

”Like a demon I know was.”

Darren stared at him.

The expression on his face made it clear that he had absolutely no idea what Ethan was talking about. Ethan had become surprisingly familiar with that look and had even started to enjoy it.

’Making people wonder whether I’ve finally lost my mind is pretty fun.’

And while Ethan continued talking with Darren, Mark remained nearby, silently third-wheeling the conversation. He still wasn’t entirely convinced about Darren, which was definitely understandable.

But Ethan had a habit of dragging unusual people into his increasingly complicated life and somehow making them get along...