Lord Of Beasts

"So you’re telling me..."

Darren leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his bald head as he tried to process everything Ethan had just told him. The conversation had only lasted a few minutes, yet somehow every new detail sounded more unbelievable than the last.

"...that after getting released, you spent a month drunk off your ass, then awakened a Title, and now you’re a famous B Rank who’s been all over the news?"

Ethan simply shrugged.

"When you say it like that, it does sound a little ridiculous."

"A little?"

Darren let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head as though hoping it would somehow make the story sound more believable.

"I leave prison for a couple of weeks, and somehow you’ve become one of the biggest names in the country."

Ethan grinned.

"I’ve been keeping busy."

Without giving Darren a chance to dwell on it any longer, he pointed a finger back at the larger man.

"And you’re telling me that after getting out a couple of weeks ago, you came straight back here to look after your mom?"

Darren nodded.

"But a bunch of those racist fucks got released as well, right"

He nodded again.

"Most of them are based in East Texas, but they’ve spread over here too. And they’ve been leaning on me to work for them."

Ethan’s expression remained composed.

"And because you keep telling them to piss off, they’ve started extorting you for money in exchange for their so-called protection?"

Darren’s expression darkened.

"Yeah..."

Unlike Ethan, there wasn’t even a hint of pride in his voice, only exhaustion.

The two men sat opposite one another inside the modest living room, catching up after less than 3 months apart, yet the contrast between them couldn’t have been greater.

Ethan looked healthier than Darren had ever seen him.

He was stronger, sharper, and full of life, carrying an energy that simply hadn’t existed back inside Monster Manor. Meanwhile, Darren looked like life had been beating him down ever since he’d stepped through the prison gates.

Around them, the rest of Ethan’s group had naturally spread throughout the small house.

Kaela had somehow made herself completely at home within minutes of arriving. She was currently rummaging through Darren’s kitchen cupboards with absolutely no shame whatsoever, opening one cabinet after another in search of something worth eating.

Every now and then another cupboard door slammed shut before she immediately moved on to the next.

Elara, meanwhile, sat beside Darren’s mother. The two communicated quietly through sign language, and despite carrying the infamous title of the Blood Demon, she came across as unbelievably gentle, warm, and patient.

Every movement of her hands was careful and deliberate, each sign carrying a softness that made the elderly woman’s smile grow a little wider with every passing minute.

Mark, on the other hand, stood awkwardly in the corner of the room.

He honestly didn’t know where to look.

Darren didn’t seem like a bad person, and from what Ethan had said, he’d been one of the very few somewhat decent people inside Monster Manor. But that didn’t make the tattoos disappear.

A massive swastika stretched across one arm, Aryan Brotherhood markings covered both shoulders, and other racist symbols disappeared beneath the sleeves of his shirt.

On top of that, he was a giant, bald white man living in one of the most notoriously racist towns in the country.

Mark couldn’t help feeling conflicted.

The tension between them was impossible to miss.

Eventually, Darren noticed him staring and offered an awkward smile.

"Is that your brother? You mentioned him once back when we were locked up."

Ethan nodded.

"Yeah."

Mark offered a hesitant nod.

Before he even realised what was happening, Darren had already pushed himself to his feet and walked over.

Mark instinctively tensed, his fists subtly clenched.

Darren noticed immediately.

"I know..."

His eyes dropped toward the tattoos covering his own arm before he let out a long sigh.

"...it’s hard to believe looking at me. But I don’t have anything against anyone."

His voice became unusually serious.

"I was born around here. My old man was part of the Aryan Brotherhood, and I got dragged into all that bullshit before I was old enough to know any better."

He slowly shook his head.

"I always thought it was all bullshit, and I stayed away from them as long as I could. But prison doesn’t exactly give you many choices."

Silence settled over the room.

Mark studied him for several more seconds.

Then simply replied, "Sure."

He clearly still wasn’t convinced, but Ethan couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.

"I’d pay to watch the two of you fight."

Both of them were massive, and their appearances were also very opposing. Aside from the obvious, being their skin colour, Darren had a rough look, while Mark was very clean cut. The atmosphere lightened, and the tension eased slightly as Ethan continued making jokes.

That’s when the blue-eyed man suddenly became serious.

His head tilted ever so slightly.

"You expecting guests?"

"What?"

"Are you expecting company?"

Darren frowned.

"...No?"

He looked genuinely confused.

Unlike Ethan, he couldn’t hear anything yet. Nearly an entire minute passed before the distant rumble of engines finally reached the house, and only then did Darren’s expression change.

"Shit!"

He looked toward Ethan.

"How the hell did you hear them from that far away?"

Ethan merely smiled.

"My hearing’s gotten pretty good."

That explanation could wait, and Darren was already moving.

"I need to get Mom out of here."

He hurried toward the hallway.

"They said next time they came, it wouldn’t be a civil conversation."

Ethan laughed, genuinely amused.

"Darren."

The larger man stopped in his tracks.

"You do realise that two A Ranks are standing inside your house."

The large, tattooed man froze.

Slowly, he turned toward Elara, who was still happily signing with his mother. Then his gaze drifted toward the kitchen. Almost as though the timing had been planned, Kaela emerged carrying an enormous family-sized box of Detective Crunch tucked beneath one arm.

She was already elbow-deep in it, eating away at it shamelessly.

"This stuff Holt makes..."

She spoke through a mouthful of cereal.

"...is actually pretty good."

Then she noticed Darren standing there holding a shotgun with panic written all over his face.

She tilted her head.

"What’d I miss?"

Ethan smiled.

"Nothing much."

His gaze shifted toward the front windows where the approaching vehicles were now becoming visible between the distant trees.

"But I think we might end up having some fun out here after all."

Kaela’s grin widened instantly.

She shoved another enormous handful of cereal into her mouth before casually tossing the box onto the kitchen counter. A faint purple aura slowly began dancing around her body, while her violet eyes lit up with unmistakable anticipation.

Whatever was coming, she looked genuinely excited.

"Darren."

Ethan gestured toward the front door with his head.

"Come with us."

The large man instinctively followed.

Before leaving, Ethan turned toward Elara.

"Can you stay here and protect them if anything happens?"

She nodded immediately, trusting that Ethan and Kaela could handle it.

Whatever was outside wasn’t likely to last very long, and she was genuinely enjoying her conversation with Darren’s mother.

The elderly woman smiled warmly before signing.

*Your sign language is much better than that idiot over there.*

Elara couldn’t help covering her mouth as she laughed.

*Yes. He isn’t the best at it, but he tries.*

The elderly woman’s eyes drifted past her toward Ethan, a knowing smile spreading across her face.

*He’s a handsome young man. Is he your boyfriend?*

Elara blushed cutely, a shy smile slowly spreading across her face.

*I think so.*

She signed the words almost timidly as the elderly woman chuckled softly.

But while one conversation remained warm, peaceful, and innocent, another was about to descend into absolute chaos...