3 Olivia
June 22nd, 2022
I wanted to read that letter. More than anything else in the world, but he had mentioned specifics for a reason. A good reason.
So, I changed into a black and pink floral dress and black booties, and took my laptop out to the porch, headphones in, readying myself for a day of writing.
I needed something to distract myself from all of it. Just a moment to take a breather before I confronted all of this head on.
Not an hour had passed before Lucy stood, catching my attention.
She was snarling, her ears pinned to her skull, and I looked up to find Wade walking towards the steps, hands up, a smile on his face.
“Lus,”
I said, pushing my headphones around my neck. “Guard.”
She went silent but remained threatening as Wade walked up the steps. “Morning,”
he greeted. “Saw you sitting out here, wanted to say hi.”
Maybe it was the conversation this morning, or the anxiety running through me about the meeting Everett was in right now, but I was on edge. I didn’t want Wade getting on this side of Lucy, not until I knew that he wasn’t a real threat because if there was one thing I learned from writing my books, it was that dirty cops were everywhere, and they would be your friends until they decided they could use you for something.
“Hey,”
I greeted. “What’s up?”
He shrugged. “I know it’s not normal for you city-folk, but out here, getting to know your neighbors is normal.”
I rolled my eyes, causing him to laugh which made me uneasy for some unknown reason.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop the easy shots. May I?”
I glanced to the seat beside me where he was gesturing and shook my head, nodding towards the banister instead. “Lus, step back.”
She huffed, backing up to my legs as he walked slowly over to the banister and took a seat. “You would think she’s an ex-cop,”
he smiled, gesturing to her. “How old is she again?”
“3,”
I answered, glancing to my dog. I studied her for a second before taking a breath and turning back to Wade. I had to play nice. I needed to play nice if I wanted to be accepted here. “Definitely not a k9 but I trained her well. You don’t work today?”
I asked, shutting my laptop. “I assumed police were never off-duty.”
He chuckled. “Got my radio,”
he tapped his hip where I saw the black radio clipped. “Technically we all have days off, but I like to be available just in case. You working on another book?”
“Um, sort of.”
I thrummed my fingers, glancing towards the street. When I wasn’t forced to have conversations with people as Abigail Ross or Olivia Lemont, things became pretty awkward pretty fast, especially when the person I was having a conversation with was some strange neighbor who moved in just before me. “How are you liking the neighborhood?”
I finally asked, finding his eyes again.
He shrugged, glanced around. “Pretty nice. Everyone is really kind.”
I frowned, following his gaze. “Really? I haven’t seen anyone else yet.”
His smile grew as if he had waited his whole life for me to actually engage in conversation. “That’s because you have to make an effort to make friends.”
I frowned at the condescension in his voice. I knew how to make friends, but being exposed my entire life and then metaphorically caged kind of fucked everything up for me. It was just difficult, that was all. Making friends was difficult.
“One of them, Mr. Berry, she came by yesterday to say hi, but you weren’t around.”
Guilt filled me. “Oh, sorry. I was…”
Learning how to shoot a gun before being hunted down and then fucked in the woods. “Busy.”
“That’s alright, I’m sure she’ll try again soon. She’s the most friendly of them,”
he cocked his head. “I never noticed that before,”
he gestured towards the collar. “Or the…”
he gestured to his cheek. “And that bandage is new.” His brows furrowed. “Boyfriend?”
“Oh, um…”
My hand drifted up, wrapping around the chess piece. Boyfriend? No, that seemed so demeaning compared to what he was. So much less. And honestly, I wasn’t sure if we could be classified as ‘together’. I hadn’t read the letter yet. “No, I bought it myself. Trying something new,”
I decided, lowering my hand. “The scars are from an accident some time back, he’s out of the picture, and this,”
I pointed to the bandage. “A tree.” I rolled my eyes. “Us city folk apparently don’t do well in the woods.” I tried at a joke, but it ended up sounding jagged and out of place.
He studied me carefully before a smile gently touched his lips. “The collar is cute, I like it. Fits you.”
I was taken off-guard by the compliment. “It does?”
He nodded. “Hmm-mm. Makes you look a little younger. Not a boyfriend then? Because I’ve seen a few people coming in and out of your house. Figured you were dating one of them.”
My gut churned a warning. “Family,”
I told him, Evelyn’s words falling through me in waves. “Parents, sibling. We’re close.”
The lie came out easily. Far easier than I thought it would.
“Single then,”
he noted, looking me over. “How about a drink sometime, eh? You and me. There’s nothing better than having a cop at your disposal. I’m buying.”
I felt the smile grow. Tense, but hopefully good enough to pass as real. “I just got out of a long relationship,”
I told him, gesturing to the scars on my face again. “I’m not looking for anything serious.”
His eyes flicked to my cheeks and back. “We could have fun, and if he ever came back, having me around wouldn’t be a bad idea,”
he offered.
A nice idea, but Steven was never coming back, and if he was alive, and he had the bright idea of coming near me again, I’d honestly rather have the wrong side of justice in my back pocket than the right side. As horrible as that was, I’d rather him dead than in jail for a few months before he was inevitably released. But just before I was going to answer, the radio went off, talking of a burglary downtown.
“Ah,”
he said, turning it down and standing. “That’s me. Think about it? We could have some real fun, I promise you that.”
I nodded, allowing a pressed smile as Lucy tracked him down the stairs.
As soon as his back was to me, I frowned, turning back to the dog. A couple of weeks ago, I was grateful that there was an officer living down the street from me, now I hated it. I hated that he was hitting on me, that he didn’t seem like the type to take no for an answer.
It was fine though. I would handle it. It wasn’t like I didn’t have cameras everywhere around my house. If Everett thought something was up, he would deal with it.
Until then, I wanted to write.
I was in my bedroom, staring out the window, watching that sun set. The orange fading to dark blue, the stars coming out.
I stood, pacing the room, sanding my hands together only to grab the chess piece as I stopped in front of the window.
I had spent the day just trying to kill time until this moment. I had cleaned, done my laundry, I even called and talked to Stella, who seemed completely understanding of what happened to me when I came to visit. I even invited her over, telling her that I would love to see she and Baily again.
She was grateful for the invite and told me she would get back to me.
I may have a real friend. A normal, everyday, regular woman as a friend. I was excited about the prospect, but even that conversation only killed about 20 minutes.
But now? Now it was 9:43PM. The sun was fully gone, and the moon was out.
I turned to my bed, my heart skipping a beat. Okay. This was it. This was when I figured out the truth. The real truth about what that mark on my leg meant. The truth about what I had promised after following his lead.
I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. I took off my shoes, my socks, and pulled back the blankets, Lucy watching me curiously. I crawled into bed and slowly pulled the blankets over my head, turning on my phone flashlight on the lowest setting.
I rolled onto my stomach and slid my hand under my pillows, sliding it around until I froze, my fingers touching a piece of paper.
My heart skipped and I pulled it out, lighting the envelope up to see my name written in Everett’s scrawl. Beautiful and swooping, like some sort of artist.
My breath caught and I quickly set my phone up, ripping into it, pulling the paper out, heart racing.
Hello, little writer,
Here we are again, a page in our story that I’m sure you’ll store away like you did the last one.
I frowned. I only kept the last one because I was going to throw it in his face that he was a damn dick. It wasn’t out of anything other than malice that I kept that letter.
I suppose until it shifted into something more. Until the day, not long after he and Evie left, that I had held it above that trashcan only to tuck it away. I didn’t know why I did it then, but I was glad I had.
Just make sure you keep this one in a more secure place than a book on your shelf. It was far too easy to find.
You, Olivia, need to read and understand this letter carefully. Your contract is already signed, so the choice you make after reading this will define the rest of your life. I would hate to end it so early because you decided to step back, but I feel I know you well enough to know that your stubbornness and attitude will keep you in the game for as long as I want you.
And I want you. Severely. Probably more than I will ever admit in clear words out loud
First, I should tell you that this goes against everything I was raised to be. You were not supposed to be an option in my life, and I’ve been fighting that truth since I first saw you running through the park with your wolf hound.
It came to a catalyst when I read your secret stories. Stories so sick and twisted, part of me wondered if your inspiration wasn’t Azrael. Your defiance, your anger, your spoken and written words, every part of you calls to me in ways I wish it wouldn’t. In ways I can no longer deny, so I took what was mine. I took you. I marked you. I claimed you.
Being claimed by one of us means being chained to that person for the rest of your days. It’s far deeper than marriage, far deeper than anything you could put words to. It’s something my brothers and I came up with a long time ago because we are the kind that the conventional world just doesn’t work for. We had to come up with something that matched who we are, and we came up with this.
As my Claim, you will be subject to secrets nobody else will know, but we don’t have to tell you everything, and we never will. Being claimed means that you are now a part of The Family, although they will not know this yet. Not until I get a few things straightened out. I will say this once for now; my not owning you in front of them means nothing. Do you understand me? You are mine, whether the world knows it or not, so do not allow your fractured mind to convince you of anything other than that.
Being a Claim means that you are devoted to me. It means I can take you whenever I want you, however I want you. It means that I am devoted to you, mind, body, and soul. You will get on your knees for me, but I will also get on my knees for you. It means that you hold a kind of power nobody else will ever hold.
You are protected by a society you will never truly understand. People who pass you on the street may be a part of it, watching you, keeping you safe wherever you go. Even when you think you are alone, you never truly will be.
Being a Claim means that if you betray us, me, my brothers, sisters, and I have the right to stop your heart if need be. We have rules and we don’t put up with rats.
Olivia Rose, you are mine. Forever. Wherever you go, however far you run, you will always be mine. My little pup.
I told you I would always find you; it would do you good to take that seriously.
The rules for us are as follows, rules you need to understand if you wish to succeed in this life.
You are my Claim now. Everything you are, everything you strive to be, everything you say, touch, smell, breathe, will be me.
You will do what I want when I want, If I tell you to get on your knees and beg me to fuck your face, you will do it without complaint. and, in the same respect.
While we may not be equal in the eyes of those above us, you are my equal, Olivia, and I will do everything in my power to prove that to you. I will build you up until you realize that you are just as untouchable as I am.
If anyone touches you, breathes on you, looks at you, they’ve signed their death certificate. You are mine.
Be clear and concise about what you say. We don’t have time for games, for decoding puzzles. We don’t have time for liars. (Although I do love it when you lie to me, but there is a time and a place)
Trust nobody but The Family. Everyone has an agenda.
If you follow these rules and listen to me, you will live a long and happy life. If you choose to break one of these rules, I will have no choice but to put a bullet in your head. You are mine, Olivia, my responsibility. My Queen, and I will treat you as such, so long as you remain true and loyal.
Now be a good pup for me and make sure you hide this letter in a more appropriate spot. Think outside the box, Azrael loves digging.
See you soon,
X Hadeon
I reread the note again, finding myself smiling. Depper than a marriage. That’s what we were. Something better.
The weight of it wasn’t overwhelming or terrifying. No, in fact, the weight felt more like a padlock, locking the tether around my waist forever. It was reassurance. I belonged to something, to someone. Always.
“Hadeon,”
I whispered, running my fingers over the name. It must have been his middle name. It felt good on my tongue. Like a secret just for m—
The blankets ripped back, and I shoved that letter so far back under my pillow, I wondered if I would ever find it again.
A hand wrapped around my ankle, a scream catching in my throat as I was jerked down and flipped onto my back, my phone getting lost among the chaos.
Through the fear, my heart was racing in excitement. He was back. Back to claim what was his—
But it wasn’t blue eyes that I saw reflected back at me, villainous and glowing in a sick, hungry delight.
No, these eyes were green. Cold and evil and hidden behind a ski mask, a black baton wrapped in leather gripped in his right hand.
My eyes widened, my blood chilling as the male pointed the baton at me and then pointed to the ground.
Where the fuck was my dog?
But just as soon as the thought fell through me, a flash of white flew through the air.
Lucy sank her teeth into the man’s arms, and he snarled, immediately turning to attack her.
I scrambled off the bed and headed for the door, the sound of screaming causing my ears to ring.
I turned the handle, but the door was locked. He had enough forethought to lock the door, but not check for a fucking dog? Lucy must have been hiding on the other side of the bed, waiting for the best moment to attack. I had taught her that. I didn’t think it had ever stuck or that it would make sense in her mind, but it worked. She had waited for the perfect opportunity before lunging.
It took me five whole seconds to flip that lock and get out of the room, but as soon as I was in the hallway, I heard a sharp yelp! My skin filled with goosebumps at the sound of Lucy crying out in pain, but I kept running.
If he hurt my dog—if he hurt my fucking dog, I would destroy him. I would rip him to shreds. I would fucking burn this whole goddamn world to the ground if he hurt my dog.
My gun was still on the counter, because like an idiot, I had been so focused on that letter, on distracting myself from that letter, that I hadn’t even touched it after Everett gave it to me.
I was so stupid.
I sprinted down the hall, hearing the guy running after me. I prayed the gun was still there. How had he gotten in? I was sure all the doors and windows were locked. I was sure of it. But if he came from any entry point in the front of the house, he would have seen that gun.
Panic slammed through me just as I slid around the corner, my eyes widening and heart skipping when I saw the box still on the counter.
He had come in through the back—
A sharp pain exploded across my back as he slammed that baton into me.
I cried out, falling into the table, my back throbbing in pain, but my eyes remained locked on that box. I had to get to it. I didn’t have another choice.
I grunted, using the chairs to pull me forward. I was so close. Just a little more…
I wrapped my fingers around the edge of the box when his hand wrapped into my hair, jerking me back.
The box fell to the floor, the gun, mag, and bullets scattering.
Lucy’s snarls filled the room again, her barking.
The guy screamed, falling to the floor, pulling me with him, a cry leaving my lips. God, that hurt.
His grip loosened from my hair, his body being jerked away from me, and I looked back to see Lucy tearing into his leg, her eyes feral, her muzzle covered in blood.
I turned back to the gun, scrambling to my hands and knees, and rushed for it, only for his hand to wrap around my ankle again, jerking me down.
I snarled, reaching out for it just as he slammed his baton into my ankle. I yelped, looking back at him, trying to pull my ankle from his grip, but he jerked me forward, forcing me onto my back, slamming his baton into my stomach, the air leaving my lungs.
I coughed, rolling onto my side just as that baton slammed into my ribs, a sharp pain sparking across my nerves. I whimpered in pain and desperation. Come on. Come on! I kicked at him, clawing at the ground, forcing myself to keep going, I had to keep going. I had to get to the gun. I needed it.
I could see it just beyond my reach. “Lus, kill,”
I ordered through my teeth.
The man screamed in response, his grip on my ankle easing ever so slightly, just enough for me to push myself a little more, reaching out for it, the silver like a beacon of light in the darkness.
My hope returned when I finally wrapped my hand around the grip. I grabbed the mag next and finally a single bullet as another yelp filled the air.
I turned back towards them, scrambling to get the bullet in the mag when I saw the guy beating my dog. Beating her.
I screamed and slammed my foot into his face with everything I had, and I shoved the mag into the gun, pulling the hammer back.
“Hey!”
I shouted, my voice surprisingly steady.
He looked up, his eyes widening.
“Not my dog, you fucking bitch.”
“Don’t kill him,”
I heard someone say.
My gun shifted and I pulled the trigger, watching the bullet shoot straight through his left wrist and into the back of my couch.
I was panting, my heart pounding as the guy screamed.
Another gun appeared against his temple, and he tried to stifle his screams spit flying from his lips at the effort.
I heard voices beyond the ringing in my ears, but my eyes were locked on my dog.
I dropped the gun and turned myself around, crawling over to Lucy, blood splattered across the ground. “Lucy,”
I said, her eyes still feral, her teeth still digging into his leg. She was panting too hard. She had to let go or she would suffocate.
“Lus,”
I said again, pulling myself up to a sit beside her, my hands surprisingly steady as I reached out, only for her teeth to sink deeper into his leg. There was so much blood. So much. I couldn’t tell if it was hers or his. It matted her fur and there was just…it was too much. Too much blood.
“Lus,”
I whispered, placing a hand on her head.
She snarled, her eyes lifting to mine.
“Olivia—”
“I got it,”
I snapped, uncaring who said it. “Lucy, it’s okay. I’m safe.”
But she had pent up anger too. Pent up rage.
I had trained her to protect me and for the last three years, I hadn’t let her do that. I kept her back. Made her watch me while I took the beatings, got yelled at, got tossed around and abused. I made her watch after telling her to keep me safe.
It wasn’t just me that suffered these last three years, I realized in absolute horror. It was her too. She had suffered. I had made her suffer. I caused this.
“Get the damn do—”
I heard metal against teeth, his words muffled. “Say another word. I fucking dare you.”
“Baby,”
I whispered, feeling the tears drip down my face. “I am so sorry, please, you have to let go. We’re safe now. We’re safe.”
She continued to pant through her nose, the blood pouring from his wound, but after another few seconds, her pupils started to widen and, after another second, she finally released him, a crying whimper leaving the man’s mouth.
She licked her lips, her tongue dripping in blood as she panted and forced herself to stand.
The man slid out from between us and Lucy, slowly and with a limp, walked over to me, sniffing my hair, my neck, my hands. Finally, she licked my face and sat right beside me, turning to the man, her ears folded back, favoring her left side.
With one arm still wrapped around my stomach, I gently ran my hand down her right paw, her whimper of warning telling me exactly where she had hit him.
My eyes hardened and I finally looked over, finding Everett and Evelyn standing yards away, Evelyn hoisting the man up, guns in both of their hands. “Break his wrist,”
I told Everett, meeting his eyes. “Shatter it.”
The man’s eyes hardened, rage flaming in them.
Everett, without hesitation, shoved his gun away and walked over to the drawers in the kitchen as Evelyn led the man over to the table and forced his hand out.
He fought against it, but there was really nothing he could do. Lucy had bitten into his arm and leg, he had lost a lot of blood, and I had kicked him in the head. He was weakened. He didn’t have much fight left.
Everett pulled out a hammer from under my sink and tested the weight as he made his way back to the table.
He came to a stop beside the man and found my eyes, his icy blue eyes glowing like a snake in the night. Fierce and unforgiving.
I nodded without hesitation. “No second chances,”
I told him. “No mercy.”
And I could have sworn one corner of his lips flicked up before he lifted the hammer up and slammed it down on the man’s wrist, shattering his bone.