The Pawn and The Puppet (The Pawn and The Puppet #1)

by Brandi Elise Szeker

If more people with compassion chose to see the ugly and not turn a blind eye, maybe this world would be a better place.

“I’ll thank you kindly to keep your hands off of my conformist,” he says, his rugged voice quieting the panic in the room like a theater. “You wouldn’t want me to lose my temper.”

Dessin reaches his head around to the side of my face and kisses my cheek softly, leaving a warmth like a static shock in his wake, a tingle of energy where his flesh met mine. “Shall we?” he whispers into my ear.

“You’re going to drink this. We’re going to fight through it together. And you’re going to leave this room without a scratch. They’ll think you’re an untouchable demon from hell.”

“Look at me,” he orders, “if he ever strikes you… You tell me immediately. I will cut off every piece of him that he believes makes him a man and shove it into his mouth until he asphyxiates.”

“Say your goodbyes,” he says, murder dancing in his chocolate eyes. “I’m going to kill them all.”

He stares down at me. “Because I knew if I did, you might never have forgiven me. Even though it took every ounce of restraint I had to not give him a living autopsy.”