24
Lucia
My heavy eyelids slowly open but squeeze shut again. I blink against the bright morning sunshine coming in through the window.
When did I get here? I wonder, finding myself in my room.
The sheet falls off me as I sit up, exposing the black clothes Lilja loaned me. My head pounds painfully as I try to recall how I got back from the kitchen last night.
I shouldn’t be drinking so much , I realize with a moan as my head throbs. My throat feels parched. Looking around, I find a bottle of water and strips of differently colored pills near my pillow.
My reaction is the same as a child who’s discovered her presents on Christmas day. I eagerly reach for the water bottle and drink thirstily.
The pills are the same ones I asked Lilja for. Along with them, there’s a strip of aspirins too. Popping one in my mouth, I wait for the headache to recede.
Did Damien do all this? I wonder, walking to the window. Unlike last night, the grounds are quiet and still now. Wisps of smoke rise from the woods but apart from that, everything looks the same.
Memories of last night flood my mind. I could’ve almost imagined the attacks, the thunderous roar of gunfire, the corpses lying scattered in the hallways, and the streams of blood staining the floors.
I think of Damien and his passion as he took me against the wall by the door. My pussy throbs at the memory. The thick scars marring his face hadn’t bothered me while I relished his powerful thrusts.
And then, there was Lilja too. She’s quickly become an ally here.
You’re going to be okay , I tell myself. Damien, Leon, and Mikhail will eventually see I never sided with Callum, and that I always hated him for hurting them.
Suppressing a yawn, I head into the bathroom to wash up.
As I walk in, my gaze falls on the mirror above the sink.
Silver bite marks gleam against the pale skin of my neck. Digging my fingers into the collar of my top, I glimpse more at the base of my throat and along my shoulders.
Bonding marks , my mind whispers.
They were left by Damien and his brothers. A smile comes onto my lips as my fingers caress the silvery crescent marks. As much as they deny it, they’re bonded to me in more ways than just our past.
The sound of movement from outside the bathroom breaks me out of my thoughts. Turning away from the mirror, I walk back into the room and find Leon there.
“Are you okay?” I ask, rushing over to him. “I didn’t see you last night.”
Surprise flickers through those beautiful amber eyes. “I wasn’t home last night.” His gaze roves all over me. “You’re wearing Lilja’s clothes?”
“Yeah.”
Leon is also clad in black. Dark rings circle his eyes. It looks like he’s spent a sleepless night despite not being home during the attack.
Moving toward me, he hooks a finger under my chin and tilts my face up. His amber eyes stare deeply into mine, searching. “I’ve been gone for a day and you’ve changed so much. You don’t seem afraid of me at all.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to finally meet you,” I say, tears pricking my eyes. “I didn’t recognize you in the beginning and that’s the reason I was scared of you and your brothers. You guys were my best friends. You misunderstood me all these years and stayed far from me but things are different from the way you imagined. I hate Callum too.”
“Do you think it’s going to be as simple as apologizing to us, Princess?”
I shake my head. “No, but you can trust me. I’ll never be on Callum’s side.”
His eyes narrow. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?” Before I can say a word, he releases me and steps back. “Let’s go,” he says, offering me his hand.
Suspicion creeps into me. “Are you taking me to eat breakfast?”
He chuckles. “Is that what you want?”
“No,” I mutter. “I’ll be sick if I eat anything.”
He raises his brows questioningly.
“I drank a little too much last night,” I confess.
Sliding closer, he wraps an arm around me and turns me toward the door. “I’m glad you’re not hungry,” he says, forcing me to walk with him. “There’s something I need you to see right now. Although, I can’t promise it’ll make you feel any better.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see,” he replies cryptically.
The corridors outside are clean now. Not a speck of blood remains on the polished floors. Only the residual smell of some kind of harsh bleach lingers in the air.
“What happened to all the bodies?” I ask as he leads me down the staircase at the end of the corridor.
“They were taken away,” he replies calmly. “Leaving them around for too long will stink up the place.” His long, slender nose screws up in an unconscious gesture.
“Where are the corpses?” I prod. “Are they being buried?”
“Ehh, the grounds and the woods are already full of rotting corpses,” he says. “We have to burn them now.”
His words remind me of the tendrils of smoke rising over the woods.
A shiver runs through me as I think of the piles of burning corpses in the woods. The world of the Volkov Pack seems surreal in every aspect.
“Step in through there,” Leon says, jerking me back to the present. He’s gesturing toward a dark, rectangular hole in the floor of a room.
I stare at him, wondering what he’s up to.
“It’s okay,” he coaxes. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I dip a toe into the rectangle in the floor which is big enough for a grown man to slide through. To my surprise, I step on solid concrete.
Soon, a flight of stairs is revealed to me.
The temperature drops the further I descend the staircase. Our movements throw dark shadows in the dimly lit space. Leon’s footsteps sound right behind me.
Did they decide to put me into a dungeon again? I wonder as fear and anxiety snake through me.
“Will you keep me here?” I ask, standing at the head of a narrow corridor.
“Don’t worry, Princess” he says. “You won’t be living down here. I just want to show you something.” Taking my hand in his, he leads me forward.
The sparsely lit space and the cold, moldy air are enough to make me wary. Sounds of soft groans and someone weeping reach my ears as I follow Leon down the narrow tunnel.
There are empty cells with barred gates on both sides of the passageway.
Leon comes to a stop beside a cell at the end of the corridor. My eyes adjust to the dimness, revealing three men hanging by chains. To add to the disturbing sight, they’re all naked.
Leon pushes the gate and drags me inside. A tripod with a camera is set up before them.
“These are the men your brother bribed to steal you back,” Leon says, glancing up at them.
The three men open their eyes, all staring at me.
I don’t want to look at them at all. Bloody cuts mar their skin and streams of blood seep down their torsos. The sight raises the sparse hair on my arms and instinctively I step back.
Leon’s fingers tighten on my arm painfully. “Don’t move,” he warns in a low, throaty growl. “You have to see what I do to them.” Releasing me, he turns around and locks the gate.
“What are you doing?” I ask as an icy chill spreads through me. “Why are you locking us in here with them?”
“I want you to see what I do to traitors,” he says, facing me. “Because once you do, Damien won’t seem like such a monster anymore.” His knife flashes between his fingers as he rotates the handle at a blinding speed.
With a sudden move, he leaps forward and attacks the older man. The stranger’s screams fill the cell as the blade slashes, slicing his skin into ribbons.
“Kill me,” shouts the man while the other two flanking him blubber like babies. “Just fucking kill me.”
“Not so fast, Perez,” Leon says with a chuckle. “I need to make a lesson out of you. What if there are more traitors like you lurking in our ranks? You did this because you wanted to die? Do you think death will bring you peace? I’ll show you what hell is before I kill you.”
My back hits the bars of the gate. Every cell in my body wants to get out of here. Each time Leon slides his blade along Perez’s body, the skin splits like paper and more blood seeps out.
Leon is slow and meticulous despite Perez’s screams. His amber eyes gleam like a beast’s as he carves into his prey’s skin.
The memory of the knife sliding across my naked body rises in my mind. I’m beginning to realize just how sharp the blade is. Cutting skin is as easy as running it through melted butter.
“This is what I’ll eventually do to you if you survive the blood loss for another day,” says Leon. Next second, he stabs the younger man on the left.
A heart-stopping scream rises inside the cell as the blade buries deep inside the man’s gut.
My hand cups over my mouth as I try to choke the scream that threatens to escape me as well.
Leon pulls the blade across the man’s stomach in an easy, almost lethargic stroke but the effect is devastating. A sickening, squelching sound erupts in the room as his prey screams.
Thick streams of blood pour onto his hands but Leon remains unaffected.
My heart drums at a slow beat as I clutch at my chest. Perez and the man to his right stare at the sight, their mouths hanging open in silent screams.
I squeeze my eyes shut to stop looking at the inhuman act playing out before me. If only my ears could stop the tirade of curses and terrified screams from embedding into my mind like stabs of an actual knife.
I want to tell Leon how I truly feel about Damien, that I didn’t think him to be a monster because of his scars. Those scars don’t bother me anymore. If only he’d allow me to talk...
Hard fingers dig into my shoulders, shaking me hard.
“Open your eyes, Lucia,” Leon commands. “You have to watch what happens to those who betray us.”
“No!” I shout, my vision going hazy with tears. “Stop this right now. Or let me get out of here.”
“Why?” Leon asks in a genuinely curious voice. “Don’t you want to see his guts spilling out?”
My eyes widen with horror.
His fingers swipe over my cheeks, painting them in thick, crimson streaks.
Disgusted, I push him but he stands steady. Grabbing me by the back of my neck, he smashes his lips against mine.
I beat at his shoulders and arms but he refuses to let me go. His tongue invades my mouth, sucking and licking. The kiss is suffocating as I struggle to get away from him.
The familiar feel of cold steel touches the side of my neck, freezing me immediately.
“I love how you know when to stop moving.” His hot, ragged breath fans my face as he continues kissing me. The blade of his knife traces along my shoulder and over the sleeve of my top.
The threat of being pierced by the tip sharpens my senses. The scent of cloves and cinnamon envelops me, bringing a hint of comfort despite Leon’s forced kiss. Heat seeps into my chilled skin, consoling me in the strangest way.
Painful groans fill my ears. My own conscience questions my sanity. Little by little, the weak, scared omega inside me is disappearing.
I’ve suffered at the hands of the Volkov brothers. They broke me but were slowly rearranging the pieces to build me into a mate who could fit into their worlds.
There’s only one question that remains to be answered: Can I take it?
A massive throb erupts deep in my core. Oh no , I think as Leon’s hand pushes through the hem of my top. My back arches as his searching fingers cup over a bare breast and squeeze hard.
My pussy clenches. The fragrance of warm caramels mingles with that of cloves, cinnamon, and blood, reminding me of the dark, underground chamber where I’m locked with three dying men.
Desperation and desire clash within me. A moan escapes me, blinding me to my surroundings.
Leon halts, looking deep into my eyes with a sinister grin on his face. “You’re embracing the monster in me,” he says, his voice thick with wonder. “I knew you were meant to be my mate for life.”
“We should stop,” I say while my heart races from both arousal and fear. “This is not right.”
“What’s not right?” he asks in a rough voice. “They wanted my brothers dead. They probably wanted to use and abuse my sister until they got bored. And you. You would’ve been in Callum’s arms by now. Are you disappointed, Lucia?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to go back to him. But this...I don’t want to be a part of a murder.”
“This isn’t murder,” says Leon. “It’s punishment.” His fingers dig into my hair and pull hard. The tug on my tresses borders on pain. “This world is different from the one we stole you from, Princess. Our rules are different here. You betray your master and you pay with your life. They all knew this since the moment they allied themselves to us.”
He thrusts his hips at me.
A gasp escapes me as I feel the prod of his erection against my stomach. He grins at my wide-eyed expression.
I step further away, my back hitting the bars of the cell. “Please, Leon,” I beg. “Not here...” I moan as he cups me over my trousers while his other hand squeezes a nipple.
Leon licks his bottom lip, clearly enjoying my reaction.
Heat rushes through my veins, making my core throb harder. I’m quickly reaching a new level of fucked-up. Two men are weeping and cursing while the third bleeds out, all of them stark naked, and all I can do is moan against Leon’s mouth.
My head falls against his chest as his hips jerk forward again, his hardened erection stabbing me in the belly.
“Don’t ever betray me, Lucia,” he whispers against my ear. “I’d hate to do the same to you.”
My eyes widen as the full implication of his warning cuts through the hazy fog of lust. I moan out as his grip on my pussy tightens.
“You’ve always been the omega for us,” he whispers, nipping at the shell of my ear. “I knew it the moment I laid my eyes on you.” His warm breath spreads over my sensitive skin, drawing a shiver out of me.
His finger traces up and down the seam of my trousers, stroking my core into a hot frenzy. He’s slow and meticulous like he has all the time in the world to do this to me.
“I can feel how wet you are through this,” he says, his amber eyes boring into mine, his breathing as harsh as mine.
He removes his hand from my breast but only to clutch his knife.
I watch with bated breath as the blade slides into my waistband. He maneuvers the knife in such a way that it easily cuts through the fabric without leaving a mark on my skin.
The trouser slides down my hips.
A gasp escapes me as I hurry to pull it back up but he stops me. “Let it go,” he demands, tightening his grip on my wrist. Spinning me around, he shoves me against the bars.
My fingers curl around the cold iron bars as my ass is bared to him. Cool, musty air brushes over my heated sex, drawing a shiver out of me.
The sound of a zipper being lowered reached my ears, melting my insides at once. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I anticipate the push of his thickness at my entrance.
He taps my pussy lips with the tip of his cock.
Gripping the bars tightly, I arch my back. I need to satiate my desperate hunger despite the macabre surroundings.
A gasp escapes me as Leon suddenly pushes inside me.
My breath catches in my throat as he pulls out completely and thrusts in again, shoving me up against the bars. My insides stretch to their limits and I wait for the discomfort to ease into that delicious friction I hunger for.
My moans mingle with the pained groans of the men behind me. A part of me is very aware of how I’m choosing to ignore everything around me. I can no longer tell if I’m completely broken or being rebuilt into someone new.
Leon’s hands come up to grip my wrists as he thrusts into me with rough grunts. “You’re so very tight, Princess,” he says, panting harshly. “Who’d tell you’ve had both me and my brothers inside you already?”
Hot, blinding pleasure spreads through me. His heat seeps into my skin, driving away the chills. Nothing matters anymore except for the feel of his pulsing cock plunging deep inside me.
I want to hate this man who’s tainting me in blood and sin.
At the same time, I want him to remember the time when we were younger.
Hatred, desire, and the pangs of an unrequited first love mingle inside me, flaming the rising heat inside me into a raging inferno. Leon’s thick, hard length fills me up, taking over every thought in my mind and shattering them to pieces.
His movements grow more desperate as he plunges into me harder and faster. Hot lashes of pleasure tear through me as my hips rock back against him, keeping in synch with his every thrust.
My core tightens, sending me into that familiar vortex of intense pleasure that eradicates every thought from my head. All I can do is hold onto the bars as he pounds into me, seeking his own climax.
My walls clench around him and I’m suddenly being swept away by the crashing waves of an intense orgasm. Strange noises escape me as I lose all control over myself.
“One more time, Lucia,” Leon groans into my ear and bites my shoulder.
I hold onto the bars as his hard strokes drive me to the edge of another orgasm. My moans soon mingle with his harsh grunts.
“Fuck, I’m so close,” he groans. Next moment, he’s gripping my hips in a bruising hold and roaring my name.
His hot seeds explode inside me, filling me to the brim. His massive body trembles against mine as he empties himself.
I turn around, taking in his jubilant expression. His amber eyes gleam as he stares at me and leans in to capture my lips. Wrapping his fingers around my throat, he deepens the kiss, his cock still buried in me.
“You’re incredible,” he whispers. “So beautiful, so tender, and yet, so lethal.”
The intensity of my pleasure fades, reminding me of the presence behind me. Pained groans and whimpers rise all around me, filling my ears. All the heat flowing through me a moment ago vanishes, leaving me feeling cold and drowsy.
When Leon pulls out, I’m quick to kneel down and pull up my trousers.
“You’ve ruined it,” I moan as it slips off my waist as soon as I let go. “Lilja won’t keep offering me her clothes if you destroy them like this.”
He chuckles. “Let me worry about her.”
Grabbing my waist, he pulls me closer and makes a quick knot from the frayed edges of the waistband. It wasn’t a great solution but at least I don’t have to keep holding onto it.
“Do you think the camera captured what happened between us just now?” I whisper, staring at the tripod in the corner.
“Nah, it’s facing toward those bastards,” Leon says, grinning.
“Leon, get me out of here,” I beg him.
“You haven’t seen what I plan to do with the others.”
I shake my head. “They were wrong to betray you and your pack but I can’t stand watching them bleed and sob anymore. Why not give them a quick death and settle the matter?”
“This is the punishment they deserve for betraying us,” Leon repeats. “It also serves as a lesson for everyone else.”
“Why not get someone else to do it for you? Why do you have to go through this mess all alone?”
“Why?” His eyes flash with sudden anger. “ You’re asking that, Lucia? Don’t you understand? It’s all because of you. It’s all because we trusted you. I screamed and begged Callum to stop hurting my brother but he never listened. He kept cutting Damien’s face to shreds. There was so much blood. I think he passed out from blood loss alone, but I...I stayed conscious to watch it all.”
My eyes widen as a distant, faraway look descends into his eyes. He’s reliving that awful, horrendous night once again.
“This is the only way I feel in control now,” he says. “Cutting up a man, hearing his screams, watching him bleed, and waiting for the light to leave his eyes. This is the drug that gets me high, Lucia. This is the monster I’ve become. All thanks to you.”
An ache goes through me. Leon is even more messed up than Damien.
“You took this monster inside you, Lucia,” Leon says, his luscious lips curving into a sneer. “I don’t even have to ask you if you liked it. You forgot all about these worthless assholes when I was fucking you.”
I stay silent. Every word he’s saying is true.
His fingers hold my jaw tightly as he leans in for a kiss. Tears seep from my eyes as he thrusts his tongue through my lips. He pours all his bitterness into the kiss, leaving me feeling miserable.
Suddenly, I stop caring about the men hanging on the other side of the cell. Their pain means nothing to me in the face of Leon’s relentless agony. He’s still being haunted by the past.
“Let’s go,” Leon says through clenched teeth as he suddenly grabs my wrist. Kicking the door open, he drags me out of the cell.
I stay silent as he leads me back up the staircase and onto the upper floors of the manor. Leon is fuming mad but there’s nothing I can do or say to ease his pain.
Reaching my room, he shoves me inside and locks me up again.