Chapter 22 – Elijah
22
ELIJAH
E very fiber of my being wants to wreck something.
I feel the blood in me boiling to the point where it hurts, and it burns in my veins, imploring me to make everything explode. I can’t stand the thought of her being around those bastards, enduring their fucking remarks. It sparks a murderous rage within me.
All those cunts are ready to commit unspeakable acts just by gazing at her. I don’t know if she feels better, I don’t want to feel that need to always protect her, it’s like my mind is having the biggest fight with my heart.
I have to close my eyes sometimes and remember why I do everything I do. I’ve dedicated all my life making sure that I’m the only one who’ll have the chance to take a giant pleasure by making her entire lineage beg for my mercy, and now I only want her to plead and beg for me to own her.
I’m obsessed with Miss Zanae Dellé, and it’s been the case for far too long. I need her to get out of my mind.
But I think it’s too late for that.
When I remember where we’re going tonight, I just feel anxious for her. I don’t think she’s ready for this type of event, and I don’t think that she’s in a good mental state to do that today.
Fuck, they would leer too much, and it already makes me sick.
But circumstances force my hand. Here we are, waiting in the car, me at the wheel and Niko in the passenger seat, craving her eyes, that amber gold fucking magic that stares deep inside my soul.
When she pulls in, wearing a bulky coat, I can’t see her clearly until she opens the car door and slides in.
She looks stunning.
An embodiment of danger, and divinity.
Those long, wavy black hair—so much of it, I just want to put my hand in them and see how much I could take in my grip.
Her pale skin with small freckles beneath her eyes. Big, light brown eyes verging on yellow, framed by long, thick black lashes. Pouty mouth that shimmers, and most captivatingly, those dark circles around her eyes make her so beautifully unique.
I never thought I’d be captivated by dark circles, but here I am having indecent and unholy thoughts about how red they could turn to if I make tears of pleasure elude from her eyes.
She’s an enchantress, a witch. My witch.
Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror, her beautiful eyes reflecting concern and anxiety. I hated it, she wasn’t sure about this mission either. I knew it.
Give me the colors again Milaya. Give them to me.
“You’re perfect Zanae. Remember, the goal here is to listen in without raising suspicion. We’ll be around—I’ll be at the bar; I’ve sorted things out with one of their guys, so I won’t be there the whole time. But Elijah will be nearby.”
I glance at her through the mirror, seeing that slightly panicked look in her eyes. Why is she nervous about serving drinks?
“Why the coat?” I ask.
Niko turns towards me, placing his hand on my shoulder as I start the car. “There’s something about her role today I need to tell you. She won’t be just serving; she’ll be part of the entertainment...”
Pardon me?
I accelerate without realizing it, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
Now I want to kill Niko.
She was going to dance. And I had to sit there while she gyrated in front of all those men? “Good thing I brought my gun then. Oh, and Nikolai, for the sake of your life, I hope nothing’s going to happen tonight,” I mutter, looking through the windshield.
“Take it easy, Eli; it’ll be fine, you’ll see.”
I turn to give Niko a final look. “We’ll talk after this.”
I feel the darkness coming out of me, imagining the way these morons will look at her. I already want to take their fucking retinas out and cut their heads off.
We arrived, and I put guards at every entrance, no need for surprises tonight. Niko looks at Zanae and whispers softly, “Keep your eyes open. Look for any familiar faces or unusual behavior. We need as much information as possible. You got this, Little Z.”
She nodded, her gaze scanning the room with precision. Niko and I occasionally exchanged nods with other leaders, just so we can acknowledge the unspoken codes of respect in our world.
Even if I hate a lot of them, I must be the Pakhan.
The night progressed, and Zanae was so immersed that she didn’t even look like herself. Her eyes scanned everyone, as if capturing snapshots with her irises, taking notes and analyzing everything within seconds.
I was standing by her side, regularly locking eyes with her, reassuring her that I was close, ready to act if she needed me to.
But she looked lethal, deadly, she didn’t need my protection.
Fuck , she was hot.
Niko was attempting to engage Zanae in conversation, but she responded only minimally, like she was lost in thought, as if recharging for the real mission.
When she headed towards the grand stage passing by a sea of men, I just grabbed her by the arm, turning her towards me.
“I’ll be here.”
“Elijah, forget about last night, don’t look at me with pity,” she responded. Her hands were icy, and I felt her heart pulse accelerate on her injured wrist. She didn’t want me to look at her like she was weak, I get it.
But I don’t. I look at her because I fucking can’t look elsewhere.
She’s my only view, always was my only fucking view.
“No one will lay a fucking finger on you, and if something happens, I’ll kill them.”
She locked eyes with me, seeking to understand my intentions, and said in that soft raspy voice, “Yet you’re the one squeezing my hand so tight that even after you let go, I’ll still have a mark from your touch.”
My marks on her. The thought of it felt delicious.
She pulled away from me, and I followed. Her steps were sensual and confident. I wondered what she was hiding under that coat. She passed through the door for dancers and staff, casting one last look at us before closing the door.
“It’s going to be fine; you’ll see.”
“Shut up, Niko.”
We took two drinks before he went to his meeting with his second-in-command, who had come from Italy, and I sat across from the stage where dancers had a fucking pole on the right.
Around me were Italian, Polish, and even Colombians, the most depraved of them all. They came only for flesh, and my heart pounded at the thought of her coming out from those curtains.
The music started to play around us, and the lights turned redder and bluer. Suddenly, the curtains are drawn slowly.
My heart stops.
She emerged—a body that made me want to forget everything and just take her away from here to be the only one to see it.
Her smooth legs extended from the slits, revealing the beauty of her curves. She was enchanting.
But then, she looked at me, fixing her long hair while approaching the pole to start her show. Men threw comments that made me want to put a bullet in each of their heads.
“I think she’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
“I’d do some things to her. How much for a private dance?”
I wanted to end this.
Right now.
Right here.
She descended towards us, following the signals from her superior behind me, asking her to come down. I knew she was uncomfortable, and it hit a nerve, deep inside me.
Zanae walked among the men, some captivated by her beauty and body, while others whispered among themselves. She scrutinized them, only subtly listening to their conversation. Then, her eyes opened wider than usual, as if she had heard something crucial, or she was just surprised by their discussion, almost disgusted by it. Despite that, she continued as if nothing happened and went to get some drinks at the bar.
Such a smart girl.
My gaze followed her every move. She was too sexy in that outfit, and my body felt it a bit too much. My jeans felt tighter, a surge of blood rushed to my dick and my eyes lingered more on her exposed thighs, and that incredible ass.
What fueled this attraction the most wasn’t just her body.
It was everything.
The way her hair fell around her until the curve of her lower back, the contrast between her face and her much darker outfit. It was the whole package, and I no longer wanted these men to think what I was thinking. I despised her for making me feel this way. For making the monster in me escape the cage he’s trapped in and wanting to slaughter all these pricks just because their eyes landed on her.
It irritated me, and as I scratched my neck to clear my thoughts, I saw the eagerly awaited man of the evening arriving.
Rix.
An ugly Russian known for committing the worst atrocities, but what set him apart was his method. He didn’t go after men; he targeted women. And he knew things we didn’t, because I’m pretty sure he used the organization to ease tensions within his ranks. A woman died because of it. Nothing was certain, but it felt all too familiar.
He was probably one of the men to be eliminated. He didn’t want to be in the Zennites and has his own little army in New York. I could end them so easily, but I didn’t care enough.
He wasn’t dangerous for my empire. Just irritating.
“Let the party begin,” he said, hands in the air as everyone around the stage approached.
I turned briefly to look at Zanae and saw her confidently approaching but clearly uncomfortable, juggling the glasses in her hands.
“Who is this beautiful young woman? I want to fucking take her with me home,” Rix’s hand nears Zanae’s face as she placed the glass.
She looked up, and he teased again, “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Prekrasnaya ; I don’t know where to look now.”
Prekrasnaya , this douchebag just called her exquisite.
I couldn’t help but smirk at the way I could torture him for this.
She recoiled as he touched her neck and began sliding his hand down her arm.
“Leave her alone; she’s mine tonight,” I said, sipping my vodka.
Zanae straightened up, looking at me and mouthed, “What are you doing?”
I didn’t know what I was doing either. I just knew my hand was already on my gun since this scene began.
Rix didn’t respond, never turned his head to see who was talking and continued touching her. “Let’s go somewhere quieter, shall we? I’d like a little private show Prekrasnaya .”
I stood up while she didn’t know what to do, gazing up at him with lost eyes. I pointed my gun at Rix’s temple. “Do you have hearing problems, Rix? Ona moya .”
She’s fucking mine.
He recognized the voice up close and quickly turned in my direction, “I didn’t recognize you D’yavol , if you want her, she’s yours. There are plenty of beautiful women anyway. Although I did like her little insolent look in her eyes.”
She stood up, ready to follow me when he slapped her on the ass. “Good choice, she has a beautiful body, Volkov.”
She froze, shocked.
I saw anger rising in her eyes, watering as if she was holding back tears but not of sadness, tears of frustration because she couldn’t do anything. I’m going to kill him.
“ Milaya , go to the room at the back on the right; I’ll be there, and whatever you hear, do not turn around,” I whispered in her ear.
She moved forward, and my gun redirected towards him, and I pulled the trigger.
A bullet to the skull.
Nikolai shouldn’t have put me in such a position.
I just fucked this mission up. But I couldn’t care less. We’ll find information somehow. But nobody will miss this dog.
I always wanted to kill this motherfucker. I needed an excuse and here we are.
Zanae tensed up and continued walking towards the room for more privacy.
“I hope the message is clear,” I said, pushing the dead body of Rix on the ground.
No reaction.
Good .
Damn libertine club.
Honestly, men in our world should find other pastimes other than sex and orgies.
A guard is in front of the room, leaving part of the door slightly ajar to make sure everything was okay inside. Zanae was already removing her skirt and part of her corset when I entered.
My fucking Zanae, almost naked for me.
She’s only in lingerie now—a black top and black panties.
She is stunning and she’s pretending so well. She knows a man is checking if everything is okay, and she continues the act. And I have to play along in this dangerous game.
That’s the smart ass I love hating.
Alone in a room where she’s supposed to give me a lap dance and a striptease? I never thought this mission would turn toward this kind of activity, but I’m not complaining.
I sit on the large red armchair. And she just sits on my lap. Music is blasting in this room. The lights are reddish, and she’s on top of me.
Fuck me.
“I’ve never done this, so just pretend to enjoy it,” she whispers, hesitant.
If only she only knew how much even her gaze turns me on. Her eyes widen as she feels what this friction has caused to my body, having a fucking hard-on.
“I guess you don’t have to pretend to enjoy it. I thought you couldn’t stand the thought of being drawn to sell one like me?” She says smirking.
I love seeing that fire in her eyes.
Unconsciously, she inches closer, and I feel her grinding against me. I lean in, holding her by the nape of her neck.
“I suppose the fact that I can feel you rubbing against my dick proves you don’t have to pretend to enjoy it either?”
She winks at me and whispers, “It’s only for the show, Elijah.” And starts her dance.
I spread my arms on either side of the chair, grinning.
Let the show begin, I guess.
She grabs onto my neck and sways her hips from side to side, making circles on me. Her head falls backward, and her hair brushes against my thighs. She exposes her neck, long and pale, ready for me to bruise it with my tongue and teeth.
The only thing I want to do is mark it, just to remind her who she has always belonged to, even without knowing it.
She lifts her head and our eyes lock. Her beautiful black hair covers her shoulders, her eyes sparkle, and her mouth is slightly open.
“Why did you kill him?” She asks, curious.
“I hate disrespect, and I saw your eyes Zanae, you would’ve done it if you could.”
“Since when do you care about my feelings Elijah?”
“Since a long time ago, Miss Dellé, but even more since we started working together on this stupid project, and I find myself here, making you come without doing anything of my own.”
She looks at me intensely, understanding that ever since she started, she has been unconsciously rubbing herself against me. And it kills me to resist the urge to fuck her mindlessly in the dirtiest way possible right now.
I draw her closer and press her forehead against mine as she continues to rub against me more and more vigorously, “Do you know what I want to do to you when you look at me like that? I want to fuck all this insolence out of you. I want to ruin you and show you what I feel through this. I want to make you cry and hear you scream. To see your legs tremble and bruises and marks form on your flesh because of what I’ll do to you. I need you to crave me as much as I do, more than anything.” I plant her harder on me, because my body needs her as much as I do.
“Do it, Elijah,” she says before coming all over my pants. I can feel her thighs tightening around mine, her head dropping onto my shoulder as she releases a long breath.
Damn her.
She moves closer to my ear, holding my neck tightly and gradually caressing the back of my nape and the base of my hair with her fingertips. “Do it because I’m tired of having to do everything alone,” she says with a fucking smile, digging her nails into my skin. “And if you hate me so much, try not to have an erection when I’m on top of you. I interpret it differently.”
I grab her hair and pull her a bit away from me, making her face me, as I grip her ass with my hand.
Her skin is soft and warm. I want to make her blush, to show her what pain feels like, to show her how to feel powerless against something you’re addicted to.
“This little attitude of yours makes me question whether I should kiss you until you can’t breathe or fuck you so hard you’ll never be able to walk away from me.” I slide my fingers along her back and turn her around abruptly to continue her show. “The gentleman in front of the door is still watching us,” I whisper in her ear.
She nods and sweeps her hair in front of her with one hand to reveal her back. And she continues to swing and move her legs and body to the rhythm of the music.
I was doing everything to stay focused.
It was hard.
Ridiculously hard.
But the worst part was that what gave me the most trouble was looking at her eyes. My heart desired what my reason hated the most. And this internal battle was the trickiest thing I had to endure. I close my eyes to control myself, and she turns toward me, grabbing the back of my neck once again. “Look at me, Elijah.”
My eyes are welcomed by the most incredible view. I see strands of raven hair stuck to her pretty face, red lips, and rosy cheeks.
All flushed, beautiful, and delicious and I want to stay in that position until my lungs give up.
I look at her and realize I had never seen her like this.
This up close. This intimately.
“What did you hear earlier?” I ask, remembering the way her pretty eyes widened.
“Let’s not talk business while your hand is on my hip keeping me closer to you Elijah, it’s not really gentlemanly.”
“I want you closer,” I admit.
She leans toward me and gently plants a kiss on my cheek. Heaven . “Thank you for standing up for me, again. Thank you for killing him. And thank you for last night.”
I know she wasn’t personally responsible for the actions that changed my life completely.
But at that moment, I saw that teenager again, with red eyes, a vacant stare, bruises on her face, hands covered in blood, and lost, the night I thought she was gone.
I didn’t do my job at protecting her.
But my heart was so full of dark resentment that even if I feel a surge of warmth close to her, I just fall back into the darkness when I see myself, the young boy who wanted to end it all and found refuge in her existence.
I tried to show her that part of me, yet she still chose to ignore it. I killed a man in front of her again, and she still didn’t express fear toward me. She was even grateful .
My stomach tensed up, my heart started to accelerate, and my mind became numb to anything but her.
“I told you. No one will touch you without consequences.”
A knock on the door brought us back to reality. We were still on a mission; we were still on the hunt.
She got up immediately.
“Thanks for the performance, it almost makes me forget how much I hate having you close to me, Zanae.” Because you’re consuming me.
She turned to me, her eyes gleaming, her tone soft, “If that’s hatred, keep hating me, Volkov.”
A smile. She offered me a smile . A genuine one.
I exited the room first; Rix’s body was no longer there, but a puddle of blood remained on the floor. Zanae came
out after adjusting her long transparent skirt; I followed closely, hand on her lower back.
I grabbed her hip, intending to escort her away from the damn stage, but a tall redhead approached, grabbing my arm.
Am I fucking hallucinating, or did she dare touch me?
“Oh my god, Dyavol! I missed you so much.”
Zanae turned with furrowed brows.
Was my little obsession jealous?
I grabbed her hand and pulled it away from my arm.
No one lays a fucking hand on me. It’s unsavory, and I detest being sullied.
“Would you come back with me to that room... I have a few things I’d like to show you,” she added, tracing lazy circles on my chest this time and leaning toward me.
Zanae completely detached herself from my grip, and her gaze seethed with bitter envy.
She was furious, even territorial over me.
Our eyes locked, disgust evident on her face, as she advanced to the stage and whispered something in the ear of one of the men.
This fucking woman.
When I caught that man’s gaze, hypnotized and utterly charmed by her little enchantress smile, I wanted to paint this room red with his own fucking blood.
She kept moving forward, turning towards me one last time, her gaze burning, and headed towards the toilets.
The other girl was still clinging to me; but I pushed her off.
“Never do that again; the next time I see you this close to me, I’ll slit your jugular, clear?”
She nodded, scared, but didn’t just walk away; she more likely ran away.
I violently moved towards the stage, slamming the head of the man who had just smiled at Zanae so forcefully on the table, that his nose cracked.
That’s it. Red .
“Give her another smile, and it’s your damn skull that’ll meet this table,” I promised, pushing his face further on the table.
Then I went down the corridor, searching for my first source of stress and trouble.
This woman is going to kill me, and I know it; I am perfectly aware of it.
She danced in front of those little bastards, whispering who knows what to them. Fuck . I should have killed him. If she wasn’t in the restroom and I didn’t want to destroy her right now, I would have left and finished that bastard off.
I finally see the light of those cursed women’s toilets. I know damn well she’s in there; her fragrance leaves a trail of dark magic, drawing me in like an animal tracking its fucking prey.
I stride forward with heavy steps and a dark gaze; she whispered something to that man, while just 5 minutes ago, she was kissing my cheek in gratitude.
She’s going to wear me down.
I forcefully swing open each door until I find her facing the mirror, hands on the sink. Her eyes blaze with a thousand fires. She turns toward me, her expression full of disdain and jealousy. I quickly close the distance between us and press her against the wall, my hand covering her mouth.
She struggles to break free, but I resist; each attempt, I push her a little more into the wall.
Fury radiates from her eyes; her pupils dilate, the color aflame.
Beautiful .
“Stop fucking moving,” I say, trying to keep her still, but she keeps trying to push me away.
“What the fuck was that, Zanae? Do you think you can flirt with one of these fucking men before me and hide afterward? Is that what you believe? Do you think so little of me?”
She bites my hand, fiercely enough to make me release her mouth, and I weakly smile at her ferocity.
“Go to hell,” she spits, full of jealousy, full of madness.
My Zanae, so much anger, so fucking much.
“Where do you think I come from, Milaya ?”
She wiggles and moves to try to free herself from my grip, but she can’t do anything about it. Too bad I don’t want her to fucking break free from me. She even tries to hit me with her legs, obviously, I press myself against her harder so that she can’t move them anymore.
Why am I so turned on by her attitude?
“Do you think you can be possessive with me, but I can’t, Elijah? Let a girl touch your chest or whisper in your ear, and I’ll do worse with men and women if needed. I’m not a toy, so now release me before I scream and shove my fingers into your eyes.”
She’s jealous, so jealous.
I want to punish her for what she’s done, her little game with those bastards, and remind her how I’m the only one with whom she can use that sweet, whispering voice and that damn look she has.
“I’ll be crystal clear. The next time I catch you approaching a man and trying to seduce him; I’ll snap his neck and I won’t stop at breaking it. I’ll grind every ounce of life out of him until the ground beneath us is painted in his fucking blood. And then, I’ll tattoo a warning on your skin using the same blood, that you’re not to be taken. Do you understand that?”
She looks at me, eyes filled with defiance. “And let me be clear. You’ve lost the right to be possessive with me while letting others touch you. The next time I see you so close to a woman while playing these games with me, Elijah, I’ll tie you to a chair and let a man fuck me in front of you, and I’ll scream his name without stopping. Do something like this and I’ll do worse Volkov. Are we clear?”
Another man? Touching her?
My vision turns red, red, and fucking red.
No brown, no color.
Without giving her time to realize anything, I put my hand back on her mouth, firmly, and used my other hand to go down and find her drenched panties under her skirt.
Fucking soaked .
“Always so fucking wet for me,” I whisper to myself.
My lips brush against her ear, gently, and she smells so good it’s driving me insane. “Listen carefully, no screams. Be a good girl. We’re in public, after all. But make damn sure your head gets the message loud and clear.”
My fingers pushed her underwear beside her entrance, and without waiting, I thrust two fingers in her.
Her eyes abruptly open, then roll backward – That’s the effect I have on you, Zanae.
No one has the right to have that vision except me.
“None of these men will approach you, Zanae, and do you know why? If tomorrow I decide you’re mine, everyone will know it. No one will dare to speak to you and not a soul will have the guts to approach you. Because if they try, I’ll be their fucking grim reaper, waiting for them around the corner and I’ll chop off their heads with my scythe. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Her small hands grip my arms as my fingers continue their movements. Her nails painfully yet delightfully dig into my skin, marking me, just like I crave it. Painfully pleasurable.
My hand muffles the little moans she lets out. It’s primal, animalistic, I don’t control the way my fingers impale her hard and brutally. I just need her to understand that there’s no version in any alternative world, where she isn’t mine.
“No woman other than you will have my fingers inside her; none will know how to take me as well as your little cunt does. I haven’t even had you entirely, yet I already know you’ll take my cock perfectly.”
My movements become faster and stronger. I pull her towards the sink, my hand still over her lips, while the other doesn’t slow down and push in and out with so much hunger.
We’re in front of the mirror; she’s entirely mine, eyes filled with desire, full of hatred, just like mine.
They burn with passion; they burn with intensity.
“Do you see our reflection, Zanae? No woman will be as wet for me as you are, and no man will see you in that state except me. Otherwise, I’ll show you why they call me the Devil.”
My fingers curl inside her, hitting a spot that makes her eyes shut down from pleasure. She’s coming, hard, and intensely. And I adore that view.
I approach her ear one last time and whisper against the warm skin of her neck, “Don’t be jealous, Milaya. You’re the only woman who obsesses me, the only woman who makes me want to kill anyone who dares to look at her, and the only one I allow to touch me. But tempt me once more, and I’ll paint your world the way I see it, drenched in red, Zanae.”
She releases everything onto my fingers; her eyes close, her head falls back, and the image I see in the mirror is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life.
Zanae is completely at my mercy.
I withdraw my fingers, glistening with her essence, spreading them over my lips and licking until not a drop remains.
So, fucking sweet, and so fucking delicious.
“Understood?”
She regains her senses, turns, and looks at me, her eyes gleaming, cheeks ablaze with that rosy flush, “Is it clear for you too, Elijah?”
A half-smile forms on my lips. “You’re such a handful Zanae. I love it.”
She smiles too, then places her delicate hands on my chest. Her fingers, like a cat’s claws, graze invisible lines on me. I detest being touched, but with her, I’d let her carve her damn secrets into my skin with those soft hands of hers.
“Never do that again, Elijah. What goes for you goes for me.”
“Deal.”
I lift her up properly and lead her outside the restrooms, but when we’re out there, her breath stops. She notices a figure in the distance – a man whose features triggered something in her. Her heart quickened; I could feel it under my hand.
“I know him, Elijah. The man from that night. We need to get closer. I need to be sure,” she murmured, her voice shaky.
With a subtle nod, we adjusted our way, moving strategically to intercept the man.
Zanae
Sometimes your mind manages to do wonderful things, it disconnects from the material world. Feeling it separate from your body so suddenly is a sensation that occurs only in one case, when the trauma is too devastating to be fully absorbed.
I zone out for like a few seconds, remembering everything.
The face of the man in front of me is not an ordinary face; it’s the face of a monster. A depraved man, devoid of humanity. a man whose smile and eyes haunted me more than my own aggressor.
I remember his dark eyes, his mouth, the way he touched her and talked to her, I’ll never forget that face. I never thought I’d see him again.
The crowded ballroom seemed to fade away in a blurry mess around him. Everything fades away. I don’t even think of what just happened in the restrooms, all I think about is this man in front of me.
Elijah enters the ballroom to find Niko, and I’m all alone with him and my dark thoughts.
With a seductive voice I approach him, feeling the demons trying to get out and fuck him up.
“Sir, care to join me for a moment of fresh air?”
The man followed me willingly. He thought I was just a fucking whore, and he was too stupid to see how my eyes were turning black from the madness that was taking over me.
“How could I say no to a beautiful woman like you for some private moment?”
We’re now outside, shielded from everyone’s gaze. Even Elijah and Niko didn’t follow because I was too quick to take this bastard out of here.
He smiled at me, coldly, making his way to me, “Pretty girl, call me Alonzo.”
“Is the name Luna familiar to you, Alonzo?”
He hesitated for a moment before attempting a dismissive chuckle. “Can’t say I recall every woman’s face from every party,” he replied.
My expression tightened, and my hand subtly reached for the concealed knife beneath my skirt, “You took everything from her and me that night without even remembering my face or her name? That’s not cool Alonzo, I’m offended.”
The man’s fa?ade crumbled as realization dawned.
It’s fear I see in the same eyes that haunted my life. And it felt… good.
“My Luna was beautiful. She had the kind of face you could never forget. But I suppose kidnapping and assaulting so many girls might be too much for that stupid head of yours to remember the names.”
I circled him playing with my knife in my hand, smiling like a predator stalking its diner for the night.
He met my gaze with defiance and curiosity. “What do you know about all that?” he asked.
“You don’t remember me too? My poor heart. You tried to kill me. Maybe if I cry and bleed, you’ll remember me, ” I sighed, and continued, “You know what they say, ‘ Hurt a woman and you’ll never be the same after her vengeance ’,” A laugh escaped me, “No one said that but it’s funny to see you stressing thinking I’m just going to kill you like that, where’s the fun in that? I mean I could but no... too easy, you deserve to suffer. I’m just thinking of cutting you first, starting with your fingers maybe? No. Maybe I could cut your dick off, it will be symbolic, don’t you agree?”
I approached him, the blade planted against his thigh, near that bulge under his pants. I never thought I would enjoy thinking of the way I could make someone suffer as much as I do right now.
I traced a line with the blade, drawing blood out of his leg as he screamed in pain. “Do you like it, Alonzo?”
The blade found its way between his thighs, and I pushed it a little further. I no longer controlled my soul; I felt overshadowed by vengeance and hatred, by darkness and sadism. “I dreamed of being able to cut off your dick to punish you. At first, I wanted to do it with my nails, but I didn’t want to dirty them with your nasty blood.”
That shining edge was pressing into his flesh as he screamed a little louder, but it was all drowned out by the loud music inside. “Beg me to stop, beg me!” I pushed a little harder; the blood flowed more intensely.
He screamed and clenched his teeth before spitting out, “You’re fucking psychotic.”
I smiled at his remark, pulled out my blade, still glistening with his blood, while he just screamed, clenching his teeth in pain. I then shook my head again, “Says the man that kidnapped underage girls and rape them before killing them? Funny huh. Sadly, I’m not diagnosed as psychotic yet.... But he is,” I mirrored someone behind him with my knife, still grinning.
The Devil winked at me and waved his hand toward Alonzo. Niko stood beside him, looking at me with a curious gaze.
He didn’t know I had this darkness in me, the hunger to procure pain and inflict agony. But when it came to these bastards, I unleashed it.
Elijah wasn’t surprised, he was even proud of me.
I felt the urge to make Alonzo witness the wrath and rage of a wounded woman, haunted by nightmares of him and his friends, of their eyes, their voices, the way their hands moved on us like we were only here to satisfy them. The way they killed us slowly, agonizingly while they revealed themselves in champagne and parties, not even regretting what they did.
Something about this kind of powerful man just makes me sick to my stomach.
It’s that selfishness, that arrogance, that constant conceit they wear like some twisted badge of honor among themselves. However, the moment a woman finally stands up for herself after enduring some disgusting remarks and actions, they have the audacity to label her as crazy or too emotional.
How can they possibly believe that a woman, whose life they’ve turned into a living hell, wouldn’t eventually become Lilith?
Elijah’s eyes bore into the man, so dark, so full of anger. He encircled Alonzo, like the moon encircling the sun during an eclipse—dangerous, dark, but so bright at the same time.
“You took something precious from her and she’s precious to me,” he whispered softly enough for me to hear it.
Precious to him.
Alonzo stammered, fear etched across his face, realizing the situation he was in. “I didn’t— I didn’t know she was yours Volkov, I didn’t know it would end like that. It was just a job.”
“I’m not hi—” I tried to say, but Elijah’s hand snapped out, gripping his collar, pulling him close enough to feel the chill in his voice, “Just a job? You played with lives for money?”
Nikolai watched his friend, then me, but he didn’t say anything. He knew, just like I knew, that Elijah wasn’t playing with Alonzo. It felt personal, it wasn’t just a role, I never saw him like that.
Elijah inserted a finger into the wound I carved into Alonzo’s thigh, slowly pushing it deeper and deeper inside his flesh. The man screamed in suffering, and I loved the sound of it; I even wanted it to be louder. I savored the way his eyes watered, the way he almost fainted from pain.
“You’re going to help us dismantle your entire organization. Names, contacts, everything you have. Or, believe me, the pain you inflicted on her will seem like a gentle caress beside what I’m going to make you feel, Alonzo.”
I approached them and couldn’t deny the surge of safeness he provided. I swallowed my rage, knowing that this was the world we lived in—one where justice often came with this kind of price. Blood for blood.
“Okay, okay! I’ll talk. Promise—just promise me you won’t do to me like you did to the others.”
Elijah released his grip, a fearful spark of the flames of hell in his eyes, “I don’t know. Depends on what information you give us and depends on her too.”