The Bone Reaper

Chapter Thirty-Five

Charlotte

T hree men stroll in. One of them being Venom. He takes a seat on one of the leather chairs and props his feet up on another. Sticking a toothpick in his mouth, he glances at me before opening a small book and reading. Like this is an appropriate time to be casually reading.

One of the other men, thin with a gaunt face and greasy black hair, strides over to the other white chair, only to find it occupied by Venom’s feet. He stops, staring at Venom with an air of expectation until the Southern Poisoner lazily shifts his attention upward.

Venom meets Greasy’s glare with a calm, unwavering gaze. The man’s eyes flick to Venom’s boots and back again, silently demanding that he move. But Venom doesn’t budge. He doesn’t even blink, holding the stare as though entirely unbothered.

Then, with a subtle tilt of his head, Venom issues a silent challenge.

Greasy hesitates, his lips twitching into a frustrated grunt before he breaks eye contact and walks to the wall, leaning against it instead.

Venom 1, Greasy 0.

The last man takes a seat at the edge of the bed near my feet. I recoil them as much as I can. He glances at me and that’s when I notice part of his ear on his right side is missing. He offers me a grotesque brown smile and I suddenly wish I could retreat even further away from Earless.

“How long do we have to stay here?” Greasy asks.

“‘Til it’s done,” Earless snaps.

“We don't even know when this guy is showing up. I don't know why we got stuck babysitting the bitch,” Greasy complains.

“Sounds like you're the little bitch around here,” I taunt.

“The fuck you just say?” Greasy stomps toward me. “You better watch your mouth before I stick something in there to shut you up.”

If he even comes close with his fucking dick, I’m biting the nasty worm off.

“As if your dick was big enough to fill my mouth.” I laugh.

Venom chuckles, but his eyes are still locked in his book.

“You think you're funny, huh? We’ll see who ends up choking on my dick.” He grins in my face.

“We certainly will.” I smirk.

“Barry, back off. It’s not time for our fun yet. Freddy said after The Bone Reaper is dead,” Earless says to his friend.

“Yea, Barry. Take a fucking seat. On the floor apparently,” I tease.

“Man, this bitch is something else. I’m gonna enjoy breaking you,” Barry says before turning away from me and going back to his spot against the wall.

I won't give these assholes the satisfaction of my fear. They won't be breaking me.

Never again will I break.

Hours pass. I’m tired but I'm not falling asleep with them in here. I also have to pee but I doubt they're gonna let me use the bathroom.

“I have to pee.”

“Don’t care. Piss yourself,” Earless says. He’s now on the floor leaning against the bed, scrolling on his phone.

Venom has yet to speak and still has his nose in a book.

I need to do something. I can't just lie here and wait for them to end me.

I come up with a few ideas, then decide to act on them.

“I said, I fucking have to pee, you asshole!” I slam the bottom of my foot into Earless’s head. Greasy jumps up just as Earless does.

“You fucking bitch! I could fucking kill you!” He grabs me by the front of shirt, yelling into my face.

“Untie me and we can have a fair fight.”

He laughs, breath hot and smelling of smoke and liquor.

“Who said we need to fight fair?” He slaps me across the face. And for the first time, Venom twitches and adjusts in his seat.

“Yea, you’re right. You're too much of a pussy,” I taunt.

“You really don’t know when to shut the fuck up, do you? You think this is some kind of game? Your life is in our hands, bitch. We own you. And soon enough, we’ll own that pussy too.”

I spit right in his face. He wipes a hand over his ugly mug, then slaps me again.

I’m getting real sick of these assholes slapping me. I can't wait to slap the shit out of them when I get my hands loose.

“Man, what are we fucking waiting for? Let’s just take the bitch now, Grady. That will shut her up. No one’s gonna know if we get a little taste now,” Barry suggests.

Grady looks back to him, considering his suggestion. He eyes me with a sickening smile stretched across his scarred face.

“You know what. Fuck it. Go ahead, Barry. Have at her.”

Barry strolls past Grady and approaches the bed. I pull my leg back and kick him in the stomach once he’s close enough. Chaos erupts from here.

Barry scrambles, clawing at my legs while calling me every name in the book. I continue to squirm and kick my legs out at him, catching him a couple more times to his body and one to his face.

“Jesus fuck, Grady. Help me out with this wild bitch.”

Grady comes over to assist his friend in handling me. I continue to buck and throw all the strength I have into my lower half. Grady slams a fist into my stomach and I twist to the side, trying to breathe through the pain.

“Is that all you got? Untie me and fight like a real man,” I say through breathless words.

Barry grabs a hold of both my legs at the knees, and Grady proceeds to yank my black workout shorts down, right along with my underwear.

Don't panic.

“Come on, you pussies. How lazy can you be? Let me go and let’s see how far you can get then,” I challenge.

“Nah. I think we’ll take the lazy way out here,” Grady says as Barry begins to unbutton his pants.

I spare a glance at Venom, still lost in his book. Must be one good read. Is he really going to pretend like this isn't happening? Is he gonna join in and take his turn too?

“Fuck you, you disgusting assholes.”

Barry’s pants are now off. He strokes his dick as he stares at me from the end of the bed. Climbing onto the mattress, he grabs a hold of my left leg as Grady holds firmly onto my right and they spread me.

“Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you!” I try to move, I try to fight. Barry and his skinny dick come closer to me, and I start to feel bile rising in my throat.

“Gentlemen, I suggest you dismount the lady,” Venom says, still staring into his book.

“You’ll have your turn,” Barry snarls.

Venom snaps his book closed and stands. “Maybe you didn't hear me clearly. Get the fuck off of her. Now.” His southern charm gone, deadly venom taking over his voice instead.

Grady stands and faces him. “Yea? Or what, pal?”

Venom smiles and runs a hand through his platinum blond hair. He looks casually menacing.

In an instant, he throws something at Grady. It slices through the air in a blur and lands in his neck.

“What the fuck.” Grady reaches for the thin metal object in his neck and pulls it out, studying it, then tosses it to the floor. He sets his eyes back on Venom, then launches at him.

Venom looks bored as he awaits the impact. Except, the impact never comes. Grady drops to the floor, face first at his feet. Venom tilts his head at Grady’s limp body and fiddles with the new toothpick he just put in his mouth. He then takes his booted foot and pushes at Grady, flipping him onto his side. Grady's eyes are wide and bloody foam bubbles at his mouth.

Damn.

“What the fuck did you do to him? Grady?!” Barry jumps to the floor and finds his pants, pulling out a knife. Still half-naked, he charges at Venom, swiping out with his knife. Venom moves so fast it's almost inhuman. He twists and leans, blocking and evading every attempted strike. Venom takes a swift step back then pulls out two small blades from his back and instantly begins his counterattack, moving with the gracefulness of a dancer. He slices once, twice, thrice across Barry’s chest. Barry barely has any time to react before a fourth and fifth slice across his stomach and a sixth slicing up from his pelvis to his collarbone.

Barry stumbles back, knife dropping from his grip. Venom straightens and wipes off his blades and tucks them away, then smooths the loose strands of hair that fell across his forehead back in perfect place.

Through Barry’s tattered fabric, blood bubbles from his wounds. He starts grabbing at his torso and screaming.

“Ahh, fuck. Oh god, it fucking burns. What the fuck! What the fuck did you do to me.” He drops to one knee and falls to his side.

“Oh my, I almost forgot,” Venom says thoughtfully. Then he picks up Barry’s knife and saunters over to him. He squats in front of him, grabs a hold of his dick, stretching it out and then hacks at it ‘til it’s severed off. Barry howls, but he seems unable to move at this point. Venom wiggles the bloody limp dick in his hand, eyeing it up and down. He looks over at me, wiggling it again as if waving at me with it.

What the fuck is wrong with him.

Venom then shoves the severed dick into Barry's mouth. He stuffs it deep until Barry literally chokes on his own dick, like he earlier threatened to do to me.

Oh my god.

“There. That’s better now.” He walks over to Grady and wipes his hand on his shirt before facing me again.

I have no words at the moment. I just continue watching him. He slowly walks closer to me, and stares with an unreadable expression. My breath hitches.

“Are you going to keep staring at me like I’m some circus animal?”

“Why? Are you going to perform a trick?”

“If you untie me, I’ll make my fist disappear up your ass.”

Venom grins. “I’m not into fisting darlin’. What about you?” He saunters closer. “Would you like me to make my fist disappear inside you? Or perhaps you crave a different body part?”

“You’re vile.”

“And you’re blushing, little minx.”

“Ugh!”

His wicked smile grows with amusement and my fingers twitch at the instinct to slap him.

Bending down, he picks something off the floor, then holds it up in the air by a finger.

My shorts and underwear.

He smiles at them, then looks at me still grinning.

“White panties? How pure.”

“Quit messing with me and untie me already!”

“What makes you think I'm going to do that?”

“Well, whose side are you on then? I’m starting to get whiplash.”

“I’m only ever on my own side, darlin’.”

“Right.” I roll my eyes.

He takes my clothes and moves to the lower half of my body that's still bare. He plucks my panties away from my shorts, then brings them to his face and inhales deeply.

“Honestly, what is wrong with you?”

“Can I not appreciate a woman's scent?”

“Not my scent! Literally anyone else would be better.”

“Fortunately for me, you're the only lady in this house.”

“Lucky me.”

He straightens my white lace panties, then grabs my ankle with a delicate touch and slips it through one of the leg holes of my underwear.

I watch him intently. He is so unusual.

He grabs my other ankle and does the same. Then he begins slowly sliding my panties up my legs, his fingers softly grazing against my skin as he does so. He reaches my center and he stares at my bare flesh.

What is he thinking right now? Is he tempted to take while I’m still in this vulnerable position? I feel a subtle breath blow against my core, sending shivers through me.

Then he speaks again.

“Up.”

I lift my bottom off the bed and he slips the rest of my underwear over, finally shielding me. He takes my shorts and does the same. When he’s done, he stands and stares at me while tossing away his old toothpick and pulling out a fresh one, sticking it between his lips. He reaches back into his pocket and takes out a small knife, flipping it once in his hand then moves to sit by my head.

“You're very beautiful.”

“Um. Thank you. I think.”

“Reaper is lucky to have a woman like you.”

Not knowing how to respond to that, I say nothing.

He reaches up and slices his blade through the zip tie on my right wrist, then leans across me to do the same to the other. His chest is directly in front of my face and I catch his intriguing scent. He smells earthy with a hint of florals and spice and something sweet.

Once freed, I sit up and rub at my wrists while Venom moves to stand in the center of the room.

“Wait a minute. If you were going to untie me then why the fuck didn’t you do it first, before dressing me?!”

He grins. “ Why indeed?”

“You’re so twisted. I hate you.”

“No. I don't think you do. I think you’re trying to but failing miserably.”

I just growl under my breath and finally stand.

“Why are you even helping me? I thought you hated women.”

“Who said I hated women? ”

“Reaper told me that you only accept hits of women.”

“Ah. I have made some exceptions, but yes, I prefer female targets.”

“Because you hate them?”

“Not exactly. But that’s a story for another time darlin’. Though I will say, I do have a particular taste for pretty, venomous creatures, such as yourself.”

I roll my eyes again. “You still haven’t answered my question. Why are you helping me?”

Sighing, he runs a hand through his platinum locks. “You don’t hide behind a mask. You boldly stand tall in the face of danger. Might I say you even laugh in its face.”

“I sure wasn't always like this.” I huff.

“Now that’s the other thing. I know. I can see it in you. You've been broken and the broken can always recognize another who has been through the darkness. You're a survivor and you’ve turned into such a fiery little minx. I like it. I like you .”

For a moment I’m stunned into silence. Is this more of his games? Is he toying with me? It doesn’t seem like his usual teasing and I don’t know how to respond to any of what he just said, but it oddly makes me want to smile. Although I refrain from doing so.

“This is only our second meeting. I’m not quite sure how you could possibly come to that conclusion.” Then realization hits me. “Unless you’ve been stalking me!”

“Stalking, studying, admiring, whatever you want to call it. Not long, but enough.”

“Oh my god. How did we not know?”

“Reaper isn’t the only one with skills. I’m quite good. At many things.” He winks.

“Ugh.” I shake my head. “So, you like me?”

“Yes. And by all means, let that go to your pretty little head because I sure don’t like many people. ”

“I believe that.” I laugh. “But I am unavailable, Venom.”

“I thought y’all were over?” He taunts. “You don’t think Reaper is the sharing type, huh?”

“You know damn well the answer to that.”

“Shame. I’d share. Even if it was with that brawny skeleton.”

“You're sick.”

“And your lips hold my cure. How about another taste?” He steps closer to me and leans down.

I quickly swat his firm chest and push him away. That only earns me a deep velvety laugh from him.

“Mmm, I do like your hands on me.”

“You’re impossible! You know, you're still the one who got me here in the first place and my best friend might be dead because of you!”

“I do apologize for your friend. She was not to be harmed.”

“But I was?”

“No, darlin’.”

“No?”

“I had no intention of letting anything happen to you, little minx. My part in this was completed and my funds have already been transferred. I could have left hours ago.”

“But you stayed because… you like me.”

“You're catching on. I couldn’t give a damn what happens to your Reaper when he arrives, but I’ll see to it that you make it out of here, alive and as feisty as ever.” He begins to roll up both his sleeves and unbuttons the top of his shirt showcasing some of his bare golden chest and the head of what appears to be…

“Is that a snake?”

“Are you trying to get my shirt off, darlin’?”

“You’re a bit egotistical, don’t ya think?”

“Me? I’d say I’m pretty modest.” He smiles.

“Says the guy with three names.”

“To be fair, I only gave myself one. I can't control what my reputation created or what my cunt of a mother named me.”

“Right.” I hope we aren’t about to go into a talk about mommy issues.

“Inland Taipan.”

“Huh?”

“My snake. It’s the Inland Taipan, the most venomous snake in the world.”

I laugh. “How very modest of you.”

He winks at me and I once again roll my eyes.

“So now what? I stay stuck in this room with you?”

He smiles that devilish grin again but before he can respond, loud sounds of men yelling, things breaking and screams of pain fill the home.

“Guess who’s arrived?” Venom asks with a playful smile.