Possessive

Chapter 17

I gasped, realizing where he was going with this.

"Damien," Tristan finished, his eyes squeezed shut as if he was trying to ward off the pain. "My brother."

"It's him. He's the one that beat me up. Why?"

Tristan deeply sighed before placing a small kiss on my hair. "Damien never liked me since I was born. I still have no idea why. He was my father's - he was Phillip's son, he was a daddy's boy while I stayed with my mother, Dominique." Wistfully, he chuckled as if he was replaying a fond memory in his head. "She was the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Silky red hair and amazing violet eyes that sparkled when she smiled. My mother was my best friend and when she died, my whole world was lost.

"Phillip used to beat her just like Damien did to you. He'd beat her black and blue for the simplest things; his dinner had to be on the table by six and it must be piping hot, his pillow had to be fluffed to perfection, his shoes had to be so clean he could see his own reflection. She was his personal maid rather than his wife and it killed her. Sometimes, he would use to me to get her do things she didn't want to do. He would hit me and sometimes let Damien join in because he knew that she would do anything for me."

I was mesmerized and shocked by his story. What kind of man would hurt his own child?

Tristan's eyes were cold as he continued his story. "The day she died was the worst day of my life. It still haunts me to this day. It was a week after my sixth birthday. It was just the two of us; she wasn't allowed to throw a birthday party for me or get a cake or presents so she waited until they were gone to do something special for me. Every weekend, Phillip would take Damien for their weekly hunting trips. They'd be gone for hours on end so she thought we were safe. She knew I was fascinated with the Power Rangers so she got me a Power Rangers themed cake and the red action figure for my present. Everything was going so well...until they came home earlier than expected.

"Phillip looked around the room and understood what was going on. He rushed to her side and dragged her out of the chair, throwing her on the ground. I jumped out of my chair to rush to her. I didn't want her to get hurt anymore because of me but before I could get to her, Damien grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him. He was a lot stronger than me for a nine year old but I kept trying to fight him off. I watched as Phillip kicked my mother repeatedly in her stomach. My mother was already weak from the injuries she sustained the week before when she asked if she could get me a cake.

"I could only take hearing her scream and groan in pain so many times. It was unbearable. I yelled for him to stop, I yelled at Damien to let me go but the two fools wouldn't listen. It was like they had already signed her death warrant. Suddenly, he stopped kicking her. He dragged her up by her arm and pushed her away from him. My mother stumbled over her feet but she managed to stay up. Phillip had this malicious gleam in his eyes and I knew he was going to do something I would never forget. Before any of us could blink, he pulled out a gun, aimed and pulled the trigger. The noise echoed in the house. I watched my mother fall to the floor with a hole in her chest. I knew the minute she hit the floor she was dead but I didn't care. I had to get to her. I kicked Damien in the shin and he released me long enough for me to run to her side. I was trying to get her to wake up when I heard another gunshot. I barely turned my head to see Phillip fall to the floor, a hole blown through his skull. The only one I cared about was dead and the monster took his own life."

Tears were streaming down my face. He was just a child when he watched his mother being murdered in front of him. I don't think I would be able to handle it if my mama died.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and buried my face in his neck. "I'm sorry, Tristan. I sorry I didn't listen to you."

"I have to keep you safe, Heaven. You're the only woman besides my mom and Yasmine that I care about. Damien thinks that it's my fault Phillip killed himself. He thinks I took Phillip away from him and I'll be damned if he takes you from me," Tristan said as he lifted my face to look at him. "I can't lose you too."