Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LIAM
Istruggled to open my eyes, lids heavy with exhaustion. My body swayed, a heavy feeling settling in the marrow of my bones.
What… What happened?
“Little lamb, you’re finally awake. I’m sure the sensations you’re experiencing are… interesting. Well, probably that and the new location.”
Stefan’s blurred figure was crouched in front of me, adjusting the leather against my neck before tugging on the attached chain.
A groan slipped from me as he yanked, my vision struggling to re-focus with my newfound consciousness.
Head lolling, I fought to keep myself awake, my mind struggling to keep up or formulate a simple sentence.
“Mmm… W-What…”
“I was nice to you by giving you a bed to sleep on. But now? You’ll sleep like a dog on the fucking floor.
And your new collar? Attached to the wall.
” It rattled once more before he pressed his fingers beneath my chin.
“Oh, and don’t forget your wounds. I won’t be nursing those, especially your shattered knee. ”
Attempting to shift, a sharp whine rolled from me, pure agony pulsating from my left knee. “Ah… Ah, s-s-shit…”
“Yeah, it’s going to hurt like a bitch, especially if I twist it like this.”
Shifting my ankle, he straightened my leg, moving against the position it wanted to keep. A scream tore itself from my throat as the back of my head slammed into the wall. Reaching forward, I tried to shove him away, a whimpered breath severing my plea.
“Please… Fuck! Please, stop!”
“Oh? You want my fucking mercy after you half blinded me?” He tugged, joints popping from the movement. “No.”
Shoulder blades reaching for each other, my back arched, another inhumane cry serving as my response. “Stefan… Stefan… please. Please…”
His touch lifted, relief flooding me, but it only lasted for a second before pain erupted from the wound closest to my hip. Digging his fingers into my flesh, horrendous squelching followed each twist.
Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes as I tried to thrash against him. “S-Stefan! Please, fuck! I’m fucking… I am fucking… s-sorry…!”
He sank further, a snarl ripping from his throat.
“Were you sorry when you tricked me? When you robbed me of my fucking sight? How about when you kissed me as if you cared, then discarded me like nothing? I’ve given you fucking everything!
I’ve made you who you are, and you’re still fucking ungrateful! ”
“I-I’m sorry!” I sobbed, sinking into myself. “Please… let me make it up… to you. Just—” My words were clipped as he curled his fingers around the lip of the gaping wound, my rasped bellow filling the silence.
“Like what? What could you possibly offer me?” Rotating them, blood seeped from me, the rest of the stitches tearing from their hold.
Battling the building urge to pass out and the panic I was slipping into, I lifted my gaze to him. “Whatever… Whatever you want… You can… You can use my body as you wish… Just please… please no more…”
Yanking his fingers out, he stared at the trickling crimson, drops plopping onto the floor. “Like what, Liam? Hmm? You expect me to believe a dumb statement like that—”
“I-I’ll… I’ll…” I swallowed the nausea, desperate for even the slightest reprieve from the pain. “If you… want… I’ll suck your cock…”
“Oh, you will?” He scoffed, leaning forward, fingers positioning next to the other wound. “Like I’m going to believe you’ll do it without biting.”
“I will!” I screamed, grabbing his wrist. “I promise… I promise…”
His jaw feathered, stubble noticeably more gray, but that glint returned to his eye, the other remaining milky and further accented by the wound I’d inflicted. “Yeah? It’s hard to believe you when you whispered the same shit to me before.”
My chest hitched, my breath wavering as a cry filled with desperation tumbled from me. “What do… What do you want from me?!”
“I’m finding delight in breaking you, like you did me. But sure—”
Before I could stop my utterance, the words came as a near-whisper. “They’re coming for me… They’re coming for me, and they will fucking kill you!”
His hand met my collared throat faster than I could react as he shoved me back against the wall, raising me enough that my feet slid against the ground.
“Say. That. Again.”
Gritting my teeth, I snarled, “They will fucking kill you and destroy your pathetic fucking empire. They are coming, with Thorne fucking Graves. You’re fucked, Stefan.”
Squeezing my neck, he narrowed his eyes. “And how the fuck would they find you?”
“One fucking phone call…” I wheezed, smirking. “Simon… tracked me, and not only is Thorne coming to bury you… But he partnered with a M-Mafia organization to eradicate every branch of corruption you’ve created.”
Dropping me, he shoved me aside before standing and brushing a hand through his hair, a slew of curses billowed under his breath. “You’re dead, little lamb. And so is fucking Simon.”
“Then kill me, you fucking pussy!” I yelled, spitting at him.
A manic grin slid across his face. “No, not yet—”
“Because you’re a goddamn coward. You won’t get another chance, Stefan.
Men like you fear Thorne fucking Graves because you know the minute you look him in the eyes, you’ll meet fucking death.
” Cocking my head to the side, I smiled.
“That's why he’s so well-known in your rings, right? Because you all piss your pants at the thought of him finding you.”
“Shut up!” he spat. “I am not fucking terrified of Thorne Graves. And no, I won’t kill you yet. Not until I bring you Simon’s head, and I will relish in your fucking tears!”
“No, you won’t,” I breathed, my body trembling from the consistent pulse of pain stemming from my lower half. “Because Thorne won’t fucking allow you to lay a hand on his men, and that terrifies you. His influence on your sanity is far too easy to sniff out.”
“See how that fucking goes when I deliver him to you, cut into tiny pieces. You’ve solidified his death, Liam.”
Lifting my chin, I glared at him from beneath my hooded brows. “Good fucking luck, Stefan. You’ll need it.”
“I won’t need anything. You sit here tame while I handle it.”
“And I’ll enjoy seeing your head in Thorne’s hand when he shows up.”
He laughed, but there was an edge to it that suggested his uncertainty. “I’ll be the one to take him down, Liam, and you’ll regret ever saying that.”
“That slight tremor in your fucking bottom lip?” I crooned, clenching my jaw to keep myself from whimpering in agony. “It tells me all I need to know.”
Picking up a syringe from his desk, he walked back over to me, resting on his haunches. “I preferred when you were begging.”
My mouth curled into a sneer, and I reached forward, swatting it from his hand. It bounced across the tile before shattering, liquid spilling from the glass casing. “And I preferred it when you were screaming in pain like a weak bitch.”
Glancing from the broken needle to me, nothing but utter wrath stared at me as his heel slammed into my broken knee.
“Shut up!” Kick. “Shut up!” Kick. “Shut. Up!”
An uncontrolled sob left me, darkness swathing my vision as the pain exemplified tenfold. Stars danced through my vision, my cries sounding farther away than I knew they were. Ears ringing, I struggled to focus on my breathing, every other sense minimizing as pure and utter affliction took over.
“And I preferred when you were a fucking kid! You did everything I told you, but this… freedom you had ruined you!”
Anguish shifted into nausea, and I heaved, emptying my stomach of its minimal contents. Trembling, I slumped back against the wall, sweat beading on my forehead. Palms clammy, my chest hitched with a shallow breath.
Shock. I was going into shock.
“Damn. That vial would’ve helped with your fucking pain.”
Allowing my lids to flutter, I sank further, my arms falling to hang heavily at my sides. “They’ll… kill you…”
“And I’ll kill them all. When they die, know it was your fault, Liam.”
His words were the last thing I heard before I slipped into the iciness that’d washed over my body, knowing damn well what would happen if Stefan didn’t seek medical attention.
I am going to die.