Chapter 36
Amelia
Two weeks later…
“Are you sure you don’t mind watching her?” I ask Beth who shoots me an eye roll that has me thinning my lips.
“Get out of here, me and my grandbaby have a bath time to get to.” She shoos me out of Kingsley’s nursery.
“I expressed some milk for her and Mr. Snaggles is in her crib if you need him!” I call back. When we returned back to New York, Cronos and I moved into my parent’s house with Beth. Mom and Dad are staying at Uncle Bishop and Aunt Kiara’s until I overcome my fear of being away from the safety of the compound. Mom and Dad said we could build a house here, but the horrified look on Nos’s face told me that wasn’t an option.
Last week Dad came over and dropped off my old bear that I couldn’t sleep without as a child. I was shocked he still had the old thing. He told me some nights he would cuddle that bear and pretend it was me, that shit ate me up inside. He and I are trying to repair the damage I did to our relationship and we are taking a huge step in doing that tonight. I smile at my dark angel when I step out onto the porch. Cronos looks like a fucking snack in his jeans, Chucks and black hoodie with the hood pulled over his forehead.
God, I want you!
My pussy flutters but I force that bitch to remain calm, Nos refuses to touch me because the stupid fucking doctor said to wait six weeks after giving birth. I reminded him multiple fucking times that I am in fact a doctor myself! It’s pure torture being near him daily and sleeping next to him every night without being able to feel him inside me.
“Stop looking at me like that, angel,” he scolds gently. I bat my lashes and step into him, resting my palms flat against his chest as I peer up at him.
“Like what?” I hear the husky lilt to my own voice and can’t find it within myself to give a shit, he knows how bad I want him and I won’t feel ashamed for wanting my man.
He groans and tilts his head back staring up at the sky. “Lucifer, give me fucking strength,” he growls.
“No. Don’t give him strength!” I shout.
“You guys are weird!” I snap my head to the side to see London staring at us like we are a circus act, while Artemis stands there shaking with silent laughter.
“Don’t you have a country to run or some shit?” I snap as Cronos wraps an arm around my shoulders and tucks me into his side.
“Someone is grouchy.” London snickers.
“You would be too if you weren’t getting dicked!” My eyes widen the instant the words fly out of my mouth, Cronos and Artemis both laugh at my expense, I bury my face in Nos’s side.
“That is fucking nasty, you’re old and he’s my best friend!” I reel back and stare at London with my mouth hanging open in stupor.
“Time to go, baby!” Artemis quickly drags London after him toward Uncle Bishop’s house, with me and Cronos following after them at a slower pace.
“I am not that fucking old,” I growl under my breath.
“Age is nothing but a number, baby. She’s just angry because my brother is spending so much time with Kingsley and she’s worried he’s gonna want a kid of his own.”
“I should spite her and poke holes in his condoms!” Cronos laughs.
“I like seeing you petty,” he coos.
“Give me your dick and you won’t have to deal with my bitchy moods.”
“Amelia!” I freeze on the spot and cringe as I slowly turn to see my Dad, Uncle Gage, Uncle Rook and Uncle Vincent standing at the edge of the porch of Uncle Bishop’s house. My dad looks like he wants to flay me alive but when he turns his angry glare to Cronos it darkens. “I will slice you into little fucking pieces?—”
“If you heard what she said properly, then you would know I am the one being molested, not the other way around.” I balk at Cronos.
“You fucking traitor!” I shout as I shove him away from me. The fucker just laughs when I stomp away from him. I don’t make it more than five steps before his arm bands around my waist and I’m hoisted off my feet with a huff. The asshole places a kiss on my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Don’t be mad,” he begs.
“I am so mad at you right now,” I growl.
“The doctor said I couldn’t penetrate you but he never said I couldn’t eat your pretty cunt.” He keeps his voice low enough so that only I can hear, making fire burn inside my veins.
“Don’t tease me,” I growl as he places me on my feet and turns me to face him.
“There is no way I will be able to resist you after you claim your vengeance, baby. Be a good girl and I promise I will have you quivering and screaming my name before the night is out.” His promise spurs me into action, I tear out of his hold and practically run to the bunker out back where the others are waiting, I don’t even glance at them as I make my way inside. The promise of coming on Cronos’s face has me wanting this to be over quickly.
Luka pulls the final door open for me and I’m instantly hit by the scent of urine. Working in a hospital has made me accustomed to the scent so it doesn’t bother me like it does the others. The sight of Colson strung up with his arms above his head and the tips of his toes touching the ground brings a sense of joy to me. He had planned to ruin my family and take my baby from me. I could have moved on from him hurting me and overcome that trauma, but he chose to come after me and hurt me worse.
I feel Nos at my back when Colson lazily lifts his head, the sight of me has his eyes widening in surprise.
“You’re alive.” His voice is hoarse and riddled with pain.
“You’re the second person who has said that to me in a month. Contrary to what you think, dick, I’m not that easy to kill.” My dad grumbles behind me but I ignore him as I step forward, leaving a couple of feet of space between me and my tormentor. Looking at him now, I feel like a fool for ever living in fear of this piece of shit. “Want to know a secret?” I don’t give him a chance to answer. “I wholeheartedly believed that if I didn’t escape you the night that I did that you would kill me.” The entirety of my family growls and begins spewing threats behind me.
“I should have done it when I had the chance,” he spits. I shrug and nod.
“Yeah, it would have saved you a lot of pain but we can’t live with should of, could of, would of now, can we?” I don’t wait for him to answer as I shrug off my jacket and toss it to Cronos. It surprises me to see London, Artemis, Royal, Sin, Kacey, Erika, Chaos, Cass, Dad, Mom, and all my aunts and uncles here. It means a lot having them here, they’re showing me they have my back no matter what and we protect our own. “As a doctor, I know which places to cut to inflict the most amount of pain and damage without killing you.”
Colson sneers at me. “Do your worst, bitch.” Cronos steps forward but I hold him back with a hand to his chest.
“Oh, you silly, I’m not going to hurt you.” His brow dips in confusion. “Luka, bring her in.” Everyone makes room for Luka as he drags Kim in. At the sight of his sister, Colson begins to fight and starts spewing useless threats that fall on deaf ears. Chaos and Royal help Luka string Kim up by her hands in front of Colson but far enough away. I slap her face to wake her up. She begins thrashing and darting her gaze around the room until she sees her brother—her face pales.
“Colson,” she breathes out.
“I’m here,” he replies, earning an eye roll from me.
“Once upon a time I would have rebelled against my family for doing this to another human but given what you two tried to take from me, I will enjoy this so much.”
“Don’t fucking touch her! Do it to me—” I spin around and shush Colson.
“I recall begging you to not take my daughter from me and did you listen?” He clamps his mouth closed.
“I don’t believe he did, I think he shot you and then ran like a little bitch with our daughter,” Cronos snarls.
“My daughter!” he screams. My anger takes control. I snatch a blade from the table beside Kim and plunge it into her thigh. She throws her head back and screams.
“You fucking bitch?—”
“She isn’t your daughter!” I scream. “She is nothing of yours, do you hear me? She will never know your face, never know your name or who the fuck you are. You are going to learn tonight why no one crosses my family.”
“Kill me, not her!” Colson pleads.
“I’m not going to kill you… tonight. You are going to witness my wrath—tonight you are the victim and I’m the big bad bully. All those times I begged you to stop hitting me and you didn’t listen, remember that while you watch me make your sister my bitch and if you’re a good boy, I might just let her say goodbye to you before I slit her throat.” Colson’s pleas fall on deaf ears as I block everything out. I get tunnel vision as I picture all the ways I am going to make Kim wish she never tried to take my baby from me. Nothing else matters to me as I pull my earphones from my pocket and place them in my ears, then press play on my playlist. I close my eyes and bob my head to the beat for a second as I shake my arms out, this is a ritual I do before every shift and that is how I am treating this. I get in my zone and blank my mind, I close off all my emotions and feel nothing but sweet numbness.
“Angel?” I shake my head and frown at Cronos, he holds one of my ear phones in his hands.
“What? I’m about to start,” I grit out, his brows form a deep groove on his face.
“Baby, you have been at this for hours.” I jolt and turn to Kim, my eyes widen at the sight. The skin on her cheek is gone, her ears have been removed along with her nose. Fingers and toes litter the ground beneath her, slice wounds line her abdomen but the sight that holds my attention is her intestines wrapped around her neck.
“I did that?” I breathe out in… horror.
“Come on, you’re done and you’ll never be coming back here again.” I drop the scalpel to the floor and allow him to grab my hand.
“Why? Why Amelia?” Colson screams. I flinch at the sound of his voice, I had forgotten all about him. I slowly turn to face him, and the haze from earlier starts to return and my need to inflict pain on him starts to drag me under until Cronos speaks.
“Stay with me, angel,” he whispers.
Colson’s eyes are bloodshot from shedding tears. “Because you tried to break me, you tried to use me to hurt those I love but the final push was you calling my daughter a mistake and a cunt.” Nos’s grip on my hand tightens as his own anger rides him. “Had you not tried to hurt my beautiful little girl, I would never have taken the person you clearly love most in the world from you. I hope you rot in fucking hell.”
“See you when you get there, bitch!” he spits back.
“I run hell, motherfucker, I’ll find you when I get there,” Cronos grits out. I let him lead me out of there, ignoring all the wide eyed stares my family throws my way. Years ago I had my ribs tattooed with a saying, n ελευθερ?α ε?ναι δικ? μου it’s Greek for Freedom is mine to take . I just took that shit back tonight and it feels fucking amazing to finally be truly free. “I believe I have a debt to pay, angel,” he says as we cross Uncle Bishop’s back lawn.
“What debt?”
“I owe you a ride on my face and I plan to pay up as soon as I get your sexy ass in the shower.”
Fuck, playing on the dark side just might be more fun.