Page 59 of Devour

Kynlee glares at him. For a second, I think she’s going to stab him in the eye with her fork, but she just sets her jaw and turns back to her plate.

“I’m delighted to be all yours, Justin.” Her voice is all false sweetness. “Best I ever had.”

Justin doesn’t respond, but he huffs and focuses back on his dinner.

I look back over and see Ryan is focused on me now. He licks his lips, and his suggestive grin makes me lean closer to Axl. “Don’t worry, princess. I know that sweet cunt isn’t up for grabs.”

Axl’s head turns. His hand leaves my thigh and he drops his fork, jumping up from his chair.

Justin jumps up at the same time and slams Ryan’s face into the table.

Ryan’s nose crunches against the wood, and his plate flips off the edge and shatters on the stone floor. Every other conversation in the dining hall filled with over seventy people comes to a stop.

Justin holds Ryan there with one hand on the back of his head, leaning down close to his ear. “That’s my sister. So you watch your fucking mouth.”

Ryan’s blood pools on the table under his face. He’s groaning, but he isn’t fighting back. I think Justin might have given him a concussion.

Axl is on his feet, reaching across the table for Ryan. He shoves Justin away. “I don’t need help protecting my girl.”

He pulls Ryan across the table to him and brings the asshole’s bloody face to his own.

“Fucking look at me.” Axl’s voice is low, and the blood from Ryan’s nose is dripping onto Axl’s hand where he’s gripping his shirt. “I’m only going to say this once for you and everyone here. Do not speak to her. Do not fucking look at her. Do not even fucking think about her. Do you understand me?”

Ryan nods. It’s all he can manage with Axl’s fist twisted in the collar of his shirt and his nose bent sideways.

Axl draws back and punches him in his already bleeding face and then shoves Ryan toward an empty chair, knocking it over. Ryan grabs a cloth napkin, presses it to his face, and doesn’t look at a single person as he walks out of the dining hall.

Everyone watches Axl for a few seconds, and then slowly they resume their conversations as if it never happened.

Axl sits back down, uses his napkin to wipe the blood from his hand, and then grips my thigh again before he picks up his fork.

Priest shakes his head. “Can we get through one fucking meal?”

Kynlee catches my eye across the table and mouths what the fuck, and I press my lips together because if I open my mouth, I’m going to laugh at whatever just happened.

Justin is still glaring at Axl like he wants to say something, but Axl doesn’t give him the satisfaction of acknowledging his existence. He just keeps eating his steak with my thigh in a death grip under the table.

Axl suddenly puts his fork down and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He reads the message and then shows it to Priest. Priest nods and motions to get Kase and Crew’s attention. I’m relieved they’re sitting at the other end of the table so Tracy isn’t anywhere near us.

I watch the exchange, and Axl is already pushing his chair back. Priest, Crew, and Kase are on their feet as well.

Axl leans down, and his mouth is in my ear so only I can hear. “Stay with Kynlee and finish your dinner. Then have her and Justin walk you back to our room. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I grin to myself that he called it “our” room. I don’t even fucking care how silly that makes me.

He looks over at Justin. “Do you think you can handle getting my girl safely upstairs?”

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him show my brother anything but annoyance and hatred, though I don’t see them together that often. But my concern about Axl using me to get to Justin is gone. Maybe watching Justin defend me made Axl see that my brother isn’t as bad as he thinks.

“Fuck you, Axl.”

That won’t fucking help.

“Text me when you’re locked in upstairs.” He doesn’t bother responding to my brother and gives me a quick kiss. I can’t help but grin at how tender he can be when he wants. Then the four of them walk out of the dining hall. Justin watches them leave, clearly irritated that he isn’t in on whatever it is they have to do.

Kynlee and I chat back and forth across the table while Justin sits there looking bored. He pulls out his phone, scrolling while we finish eating.

“Are you two done?” He pockets his phone and pushes his chair back before I’ve swallowed my last bite. “I have somewhere to be too.”