Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
His younger brothers on the other hand were far less level headed and fought at the slightest offense. Colt lost count of how many bodies those two had on their hands and usually he was able to calm them down but as the years passed and they got older, it was becoming more difficult. Leland and Zeke would soon be more beast than man.
He put the blame on himself for not being a better role model for them. They’d lost their parents when Colt had just turned 18. Leland had been 12 and Zeke 10. Colt was barely an adult at that point but he found himself responsible for the well-being and care of two rambunctious boys on the cusp of puberty. Kids who weren’t completely human like himself.
Colt had done his best to raise them, but he knew in order to provide for them properly, he’d have to go out into the world and leave Serenity Falls behind. By the time he returned, his brothers allowed their inner beasts to rule them, often beyond control.
There were no amount of culling ceremonies that seemed to sooth their animalistic natures, and he feared if they didn’t find mates to satisfy their needs, they’d eventually lose the remainder of their humanity.
In the meantime, he needed to get these drunken blockheads home. Colt surveyed the damage around the bar. There was smashed furniture and shattered glasses everywhere. Blood dripped down the walls and the hint of death clung to the air. The cleanup crew would at least have something fresh for the butchers to hand out to the zombeasts.
His bank account was going to take a healthy hit for the repairs needed to get this place back into working order.
Colt waded through the bodies and trash to get to Leland first. There was a streak of blood trickling from his scalp, and coating his russet mane. Colt gripped Leland by the collar and yanked him closer. “Mind telling me what the fuck happened here?”
Leland who was roughly the same height as Colt at 6’4, grinned without the least bit of remorse. “Clearly you have eyes. As the saying goes, you don’t start something that you can’t finish and that asshole over there,” He jerked his thumb toward a man who was passed out cold on the ground. The only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of his chest. His nose was in an unnatural position and both eyes were blacked and swollen. “decided, he wanted to challenge me.”
Colt raised a brow. The Black brothers had a reputation around town for being troublemakers and playing outside of the rules. He’d lost count of how many times, his younger brothers had been thrown in the tank to calm down.
“Were you really challenged or did you get upset because you didn’t like something someone said?”
Leland broke eye contact and glanced off in the distance. “He said something about mom and dad,” he admitted gruffly.
Colt sighed. “They’re just words. You have to learn how to control yourself. You’re 28. Way too old to be giving into these childish whims of yours.”
Leland pushed him away with a hefty shove, sending Colt careening backward. He barely managed to stay on his feet.
Leland glared at him. “You may be able to pretend they didn’t exist, but some us still fucking care. Don’t bother following me. I’m going to walk back to the house.” And with that last statement, Leland turned on his heel and stormed out of the bar.
Colt shot a weary glance in the direction of his youngest brother who had apparently been watching the exchange in silence. Despite being the youngest, he was the largest by height and size. Standing at 6’7 with shoulders as broad as a four lane high way Zeke Black filled a room wherever he went.
A man of few words, it was said he was the most savage of the three brothers, most beast than human. He mostly spoke in grunts if he used words at all. Though he didn’t have Leland’s hair trigger temper, he was the one you would least want to cross in a battle of pure physical strength.
“You got anything to add?” Colt asked.
Zeke shook his head with a grunt. His shoulder length black locks swayed from side to side. There was a deep scratch on the side of his face with caked on blood but he appeared to be unharmed otherwise.
“Go wait for me in the truck.”
Colt expected some form of protest from his brother, but the big hulking man simply turned around and headed out the bar without a word. Well at least that was one less fight he had to worry about later on although it didn’t worry him any less. Zeke could be just as temperamental as Leland at times, but he was the most sensitive out of the three of them.