Page 105 of Sweetling
Brom waved a meaty hand around, gesturing at the empty tavern. “Nothin’ left for ya to take, s’ don’t darken my door. Get out.”
Stiffening her spine, Molly strode across the tavern to lay the packet of papers on the bar. Brom scowled at it and didn’t move to open or read it.
“What’s that?” he sneered. “Snatching the deed from me? You selling me off? Or are they more of your stupid lies?”
“You’ll find everything written here. It’s all official,” Molly said, working to keep her voice even. “Your first sanctioned visit with the girls is next week at Town Hall. It’ll be supervised by the mayor himself, so I’d take a bath and look presentable.”
Brom snorted derisively. “Don’t need the mayor to see my own girls.”
“You do now. That’s what happens when you don’t take care of your children.” The venom in her voice was biting, and even Brom heard it through his belligerent drunkenness.
“They’remygirls! You hear me!Mine!” he roared into her face.
Molly nearly choked on his rancid breath.
“Then do the right thing and be a better man,” she growled. “That’s the only way you’ll be in their lives.”
Having done what she came to do, Molly turned for the door.
She wasn’t expecting, big and drunk as he was, for Brom to be faster than her. She sensed him before she heard him, turning so he caught her shoulder rather than her hair.
Brom jerked her around, grabbing hold of her arm and shaking her.
“This here’s my tavern! I built it, I ran it—you’re not taking it away!”
“Rot in it for all I care!” Molly yelled back, losing her grip on her temper.
The more she pulled to free her arm, the harder his grip became. Dragging her forward into his chest, Brom put his face right in hers.
“You ungrateful bitch. I took you in—fed you, clothed you. I should’ve buried you with your parents.”
Molly’s hand cracked across his face, palm stinging with the smack of skin. “Yeah, you should’ve,” she hissed, and slapped him again.
A bestial growl vibrated from Brom’s chest. She was ready for his fist when it slammed into her jaw, but the impact and pain of his punch sent her reeling. He jerked her back with the hold on her arm, grabbing both her hands in one of his. Like a fish on a hook, he reeled her back just to hit her again.
Brom was beyond words, his face so red it was nearly purple, glowing with rage. Molly’s face smarted and ached with his strikes, but she just turned her face up to snarl and sneer. It hurt, but seeing him unhinged, seeing this animal, gave her such vicious pleasure, she didn’t bother fearing for her own safety. It was stupid, and she could just hear her fae’s hiss of horror, but she got her own unhinged kind of glee seeing Brom reveal just what kind of man he was—and now everyone would see.
They tussled across the tavern, Molly trying to pull herself free and make for the door. She pushed at him, getting him unbalanced, but his big, sweaty hands were always there, grasping and grabbing.
It was when true fear began to trickle past her bravado that the front door, which she’d left ajar, crashed open. The sound thundered through the empty tavern, startling Brom enough to make him look up.
The ominous clop of hooves echoed through the tavern.
You just couldn’t keep things simple,Bellarand grumped.You went and had to get me involved.
Brom visibly quivered when the unicorn lowered his head, pointing that long, sharp horn square at his chest.
Let me do it,Bellarand whispered through her mind, voice almost coaxing, far softer than she’d ever heard before.Let me finish him. His blood will be so warm on my horn.
Molly stamped her foot on Brom’s instep, and finally the brute let her go. She stumbled away, hurrying to stand beside the unicorn.
She spat out a mouthful of blood onto his dirty floor. “Abide by the terms, or else we’ll be back.”
Brom made a noise of disbelief but paled when Bellarand scraped his hoof across the floorboards.
“Goodbye, uncle.”
Grabbing a handful of Bellarand’s mane, she turned to leave.
