Chapter 7
Seven
Choyce Mancinelli
Time passed like it was too busy for me, too busy to slow dance in the burning house that was my life.
Nothing happened to speed time up, and nothing hurt enough to slow it down, yet morning blurred into night faster than I expected.
I walked outside, sat on the top step of my home, and tilted my head back to look at the sky.
The moon seemed unusually bright tonight.
Its ominous glow settled over me, and I immediately thought about the years when Chosyn would pull me into our backyard just to watch the moon reflect its light over the city.
Back then, things were a lot simpler. We were yin and yang, perfectly misaligned but inseparable.
She was brave, confident, and unapologetically herself, while I grew up timid and always comparing myself to the greatest big sister alive.
Now I didn't know who I was or where I fit, in this life I'd created.
I started as the girl everyone overlooked and underestimated, the youngest daughter of a weak man who wore power like a costume.
Chance groomed me, feeding me just enough affection to confuse obedience with love while doing the opposite with Chosyn.
He split us down the middle, manipulated us at opposite ends of the spectrum, and called it parenting.
What he never accounted for was the day I had to pick a side.
He probably bet on me picking his, but only one of us could survive, and it was never going to be him.
Now I was standing in the life I'd built and couldn't tell where survival ended, and performance began.
I wore the role of the bitch well, but I didn't know how long I could play along without giving in to the one thing all women seemed to crave.
Love and protection were things I had never received without stipulations, and the deeper I got into this world, the less likely I was to have someone that felt like the heavens had handpicked him just for me.
"What are you doing out here?"
I was so deep in my head I didn't hear Talon approach until he was standing in front of me, hands tucked in his pockets and looking like he'd been swimming at the bottom of a liquor bottle.
"Thinking."
"About?" he pried, lifting his foot onto the bottom step.
My face fell into a frown before I could stop it. "Why Talon?"
"Because I care about you, Choyce." His words weren't slurred, but the drunken twang twisted them into bullets meant for the heart.
"I'm not doing this with you," I huffed, wishing I could slip back into the house, but I was waiting on Emersyn.
"Doing what? Having an honest conversation? You remember how to do that, don't you?"
“Oh I remember but it seems like it’s you who forgot how to be honest.”
"That’s laughable,” He dryly chuckled. “You were only honest until you decided you wanted my father's throne for yourself.
How could you do that to me, Choyce? You know what he's done to me.
You wiped my tears when—" His fist pressed against his lips, stopping the rest of his drunken confession from spilling out.
"Chosyn," I answered. "I was thinking about Chosyn."
There was a lot for Talon and me to talk about, but our past wasn't on the list. He lost that privilege after the umpteenth time Lucian took a leather strap to my back as punishment for Talon running off with his lovers.
"What about her?"
"She loved the sun," I mumbled, pulling my gaze from him and placing it where it belonged. "She said it symbolized new beginnings."
"A chance to correct whatever you'd gotten wrong the day before," Talon murmured, reciting my exact next thought as if he believed it too.
"How'd you know?"
"You told me. You don't remember?"
"No." I shook my head.
"We talked a lot when we first met. Then Lucian got his hands on you and brainwashed you like he does everyone."
I scoffed. Talon couldn't have been further from the truth. Lucian didn't brainwash me. Anything I've done that Talon disapproved of was a consequence of what he had done to me first.
"If I had been around more, would you have trusted me?"
My heart stuttered as our eyes caught. Regret softened his expression, and for a split second, I almost let myself fall for it.
"Why are you here, Talon? Because I know it's not to walk down memory lane."
"And just like that, the bitch is back," he huffed, running his white tongue across his chapped lips. "We need to talk about Lucian."
"There's nothing to talk about since you couldn't be bothered when Lucian was threatening our daughter's life," I hissed.
"Whoa! I came and picked her up."
"And took her to his fucking house!" I gritted. "Do you not hear how sick that sounds?"
"He wouldn't hurt Cherish. He loves her."
"Just like he loves you," I mocked, rolling my eyes. "Talon, I'm not doing this with you. Please leave."
"Oh, I get it." He laughed, nodding as if he'd just solved the world's biggest mystery. "You're in on it. That's why you don't care about Lucian having me followed. Its why Honor showed up demanding I take Cherish to Kage. You want me dead so you can playhouse with my sister's husband."
"The liquor really has you on one."
"It's the reason I'm seeing clearly now." He snickered.
I sucked my teeth and stood. Talon adjusted his unsteady stance and climbed the steps until we were eye to eye.
"Get out of my face, Talon."
"Or what?" he taunted, his breath thick with cheap alcohol and probably some man's nut. "What are you gonna do if I don't Choyce?"
He dropped his head, pressing his forehead to mine. His breath washed over my face, acrid enough to burn my eyes.
"You'll never be the one he chooses," Talon seethed, eyes glinting with malice. "His life is tied to hers. Lucian gave him chance after chance to get free, and Honor chose Navy every time. He even chose his brothers over his own freedom."
Talon suddenly pulled back, laughter ripping out of him.
"If you hadn't cooked up that scheme with Chosyn and Chance, Honor would be free right now. Lucian agreed to a buyout, and Honor already had half. They were working on the rest. Then Wolfe got kidnapped, and Chosyn was on her way to kill Chance. You set all of this in motion."
Silence settled between us as my eyes drifted back to the night sky.
"Look at me!" Talon's voice hardened as his hand gripped my chin. His fingers dug into my jaw, hard, making my molars grind.
Words spilled from Talon's mouth, each one more noxious than the last. Somewhere between him calling me a bitch and a slut, his voice dulled, fading into the background as my attention shifted over his shoulder to a familiar figure approaching.
Emersyn.
She sauntered toward us with a bat swinging lazily at her side.
No emotion crossed her face, but the glint in her eyes was murderous.
Talon didn't see it coming. The bat slammed into the back of his knee, and he screamed.
His hands slipped from my face as he hit the ground, cursing and clawing at the pavement.
"A man who puts his hand on a woman is a man who doesn't deserve hands. Touch her again, and I'll bring truth to that saying." Emersyn evenly warned, stepping over Talon.
"About time you got here," I muttered, rubbing the spot where his fingers had dug into me.
"Sorry. I got caught up. I'll explain inside," she replied as if Talon wasn't behind us, groaning and clutching his knee.
"Fuck you," Talon hissed.
His glare was steely, but it didn't bother me because I was done with him. Emersyn though, shifted in his direction, with the bat still at her side.
"You could never fuck me," she hissed, crouching low.
Her eyes were colder than anything I've ever seen as her hands clamped onto Talon's face the same way he gripped mine.
"But I know a few niggas who love to get licked on like a lollipop, and you got some nice pouty lips.
They'll love you." Emersyn laughed, then mushed him and stood up.
Talon staggered back, still holding his knee and gawking at us like the world had somehow flipped upside down and we were the only ones upright.
"Get off my property," I ordered, my tone flat and final.
Standing next to Emersyn, I felt empowered. It wasn't that bitch feeling Kage taught me to summon whenever I needed to prove myself. This was different. It was the strength to stand in power without needing validation or proof.
"Choyce," Talon groaned, catching my attention.
I stared at my husband, seeing him for what he truly was: an inconvenient obstacle in my life. That last fuck I gave about this man being Cherish's father was gone.
"I asked you to—"
"Hitting below the head was me being gracious, and you won't get that twice. Thank your lucky stars and get the fuck outta here because my next swing will turn you into a vegetable."
The bat swung lazily at her side, but the threat was loud enough to put some pep in Talon's step. He pulled himself up and limped away, shooting us a look full of hate.
I smirked, watching him closely until he pulled off. A few seconds after Talon left, a second car followed in his direction.
"Do you know who that is?" Emersyn asked.
"Honor has someone watching Talon. Talon thinks it's Lucian's people."
"Smart," Emersyn replied, nodding. "Let's go inside."
I turned and then pushed the front door open. Kicking off my shoes, I waved for Emersyn to do the same.
"I thought Honor wanted that handled tonight."
"He does. Do you have some wine or something? Your husband fucked up my entire mood."
"Uh, yeah."
My brows drew together in confusion as I headed toward the kitchen. I motioned for her to grab two glasses out of the cabinet while I grabbed the wine.
"White or red?" I called over my shoulder.
"It doesn't matter as long as it's from Laurent vineyard & Winery"
"How do you know about them?" I asked, grabbing a bottle of their Chenin Blanc.
"I know black luxury when I see it," Emersyn giggled as I poured some into our glasses. "Have you tried their ice wine?"
"No, what's it called?"