Fifty-Three
Their Obsession
Liv
S oft music played, and the restaurant smelled like candles. My parents sat across from me while my mom rambled on, and she fussed with her short, crimped brown hair. Her brown eyes stared at me with a brilliance full of excitement for my wedding. But I couldn’t care less about the dreadful event.
Gloria Valencia had everything from her posh clothing to her perfectly manicured nails. She had all the extravagant materials life could give her and lavish trips across the world. Frank Valencia, my father, gave her all he could give or whatever he had left. A huge addiction consumed him, and my mother paid no attention to it. She only lived for the expensive lifestyle while he kept quiet about their dwindling bank accounts. We both knew she’d lose her mind if she ever found out the truth and the pressure was on me to ensure it never came to that.
But I was hesitant.
Marriage to Sebastian would be a death sentence while I awaited a lethal injection on death row, behind bars, a prisoner in my own home. He’d ensure I didn’t get a last meal and send me off to die with bruises and black eyes. One day, he’d kill me over something small and end my miserable life.
I didn’t want that—to be lifeless, broken, and alone. I wanted to give a damn and feel alive, not dead inside. Captured by the darkness, I had grown used to until two men had forced their way into my life.
My phantoms had woven their blackness around me and owned every part of me. Piece by piece, they sliced me open until I only bled for them, and I fell deeper into their abyss. A place where we created our screwed-up story, and they awakened a beautiful beast I never thought they could.
My love for them.
A devotion extremely powerful I couldn’t break it. No matter how hard I tried to turn off the light they had switched on inside of me. The beacon only grew more radiant each day, and their obsession with me had stayed. They gave me something to hold on to and a way to break free from this life sentence: be with them and not stay chained to Sebastian .
“Did you hear me, sweetheart?” my mom asked with narrowed eyes. “About the flowers?”
Oh, those stupid flowers. Another issue Sebastian could blame me for. Another reason not to go through with this wedding.
“Yes. They will be late. I know.”
“Well, dear, this is a big problem we can’t afford,” my dad huffed with his dark eyes searching my face.
“Okay. I’ll hire a new company.” I shrugged.
Honestly?
I didn’t give a shit. They would die in less than a week. Fake flowers were the best. The same kind my shadows loved to give to me.
“But there’s no time. The wedding—”
“I know. The wedding is this week.”
My dad asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Yes, sweetheart, what’s going on? You seem awfully distracted.”
Yeah. I fucking was!
I had my parents breathing down my neck when all I wanted to do was get up and run as far as I could. Pack up the little belongings I had and leave the man I hated behind me, never to see him again, but I couldn’t.
Not with my mom’s worried eyes on me and my dad’s stern face. We both knew I had to do this or else our situation would worsen. I’d live with the truth of our mistake, my dad would suffer, and my mom would hate his guts for the rest of their lives.
“I don’t know, I—” my doubt was cut short when I caught sight of two men I should’ve known were close by.
Sin and Saint. But they were coming straight toward me.
Crap.
“I’m not so sure we need flowers,” I carried on.
Bewildered, my dad said, “Don’t be ridiculous, dear. You need flowers. It’s your wedding day, for Christ’s sake!”
I turned my attention back to my father and sighed. “Dad, I don’t care for real flowers. They don’t even live very long.”
“But fake flowers do,” Sin cut in and stole the show. “They live on forever, even after we die.”
“And who the hell are you?” my dad asked, baffled by the intrusion.
Saint opened his mouth to speak, but I silenced him with a glare. He clamped his lips together and pressed them tight. He could fuck with me, but not with my parents.
I answered for them, “Mom, Dad, this is Mr. Sin Cruz and his business partner, Mr. Saint Sullivan. Sebastian was their investor.”
“Was?” my father questioned.
Shit. My big mouth.
“Um, yes—”
“We simply don’t require Mr. Chamberlain’s expertise anymore,” Sin interrupted with a sexy and convincing smile.
My father glared at them like they were insects who needed to be squashed on the spot, and he was right. Sin and Saint were massive pests, but a shoe stomping them wouldn’t bring them to an end. Killer bug spray might do the trick.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.” My mom beamed with kindness but cut the conversation short. “But if you’ll—”
I cut in, “Excuse me for a minute while I have a word with these gentlemen in private.”
“But sweetheart, I—”
Before she could utter another word, I left the table and my perplexed parents. My father shook his head and my mom sat there, stunned, with her mouth agape. I silently mouthed at them, “I’ll be right back.”
Both men followed behind me with their laser beam eyes directly on my backside. Without question, Sin had his dark lustful gaze locked on my ass while Saint’s roamed up and down my body. I sizzled from the top of my head down to the tips of my toes as we rounded a corner until we were out of sight.
“What on earth are you two doing here?” I huffed .
“We happened to be in the neighborhood,” Sin teased and brushed my bare shoulder.
I shuddered at his touch but pulled away. “Yeah, right.”
“Fine. We followed you,” Sin admitted as he rolled his eyes and flashed a devilish smirk. “But we enjoyed every second.”
“And we got to meet our future mother-in-law and father-in-law,” Saint said as he caressed my cheek and his blue eyes gleamed with excitement. “I think they liked us.”
“What?”
“Shocking, we know. Especially considering the timing with the wedding you will not show up to…” Sin rambled on while I stood there dumbfounded by his confidence. “All the lying and falling in love with us behind Sebastian’s back.”
I pushed Saint’s hand away and lied, “I’m not in love with either of you.”
“Yes, you are…” Sin growled as he stepped closer and intensely peered down at me. “You love us and so will your parents once you become our wife.”
Saint was inches away from me, his hot breath on my cheek. Sin sweetly grazed my other cheek until his hand trailed down and cupped my collarbone. Without warning, he tightly squeezed, compressing my airway as it burned for freedom and caused my eyes to bulge. They owned me, claimed me months ago, and loved me unconditionally. I just needed to admit I loved them, too.
“Please—” I squeaked, unable to utter another word.
“Tell us,” Saint encouraged me and licked my cheek.
“Admit your heart burns for us. Don’t deny it, Liv,” Sin threatened through clenched teeth. “Or you’ll live with the regret forever.”
“I love—” unable to go on with no breath left.
“ Sin ,” Saint hissed.
Sin eased his hold around my throat when I couldn’t get the words out. He gave his best friend an order to let me go so I could finish what they had started. An addiction turned into painful passion and had spiralled out of control.
I choked, gasping for breath as a said, “To hate you both.”
Saint argued, “No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. This obsession with me needs to end.”
Sin was fed up, and I feared he’d strangle me right on the spot, but he didn’t. Instead, he grabbed my hand and took the big diamond engagement ring off. He tossed the golden band over his shoulder until it bounced off the wall behind him and it fell to the floor.
“Liar,” Sin growled through clenched teeth and made me stare at my naked ring finger. “This will be where we place our wedding ring, not motherfucking Sebastian.”
My heart ached as I uttered the hurtful words, “I’m marrying him and not either of you.”
“Sebastian doesn’t own this pretty little finger. We do and we’ll fucking prove it.” Sin glared, refusing to quit.
Instantly, Sin opened his mouth and swallowed my ring finger whole. His lips wrapped around the knuckle of the tiny digit while his teeth bit into my skin right where the engagement band had sat. I yelped from the pain, but Saint concealed the sound with his mouth. The devil had branded my ring finger, but I had let him inside and he claimed me as his. A mark of ownership to ensure we never part.
“Saint…” Sin breathed heavily when he released my finger and glanced at his best friend. “Your turn.”
Saint freed my lips, and I pleaded, “No, no, please, I—”
“So pretty when you beg,” Saint interrupted before he took my finger in his mouth and bit down on the tender flesh.
A cry of pain tore up my throat as his teeth embedded on the other side of Sin’s bite mark, but lips devoured my sore ache. A sizzle of heat rose through me, and the coil twisted tightly in my belly. Pleasure mixed with pain as Sin kissed me and Saint sealed the deal. My phantoms marked me forever.
“There will be no more denying, no more arguments.” Sin breathed against my mouth and his lips brushed mine. “We are yours for the rest of your life.”
My heart pounded in my ears, pain radiated from the open sores. Saint released my finger with a pop and blood tinted his lips. I watched him lick the red color away, and a possessive smile took over his face.
“Ours.”
“Fuckers! You bit me!” I glared as I pushed them away and licked at my wounds.
They only laughed. The familiar evil sound coated my soul and embedded my heart. I tasted blood as I scrambled for Sebastian’s ring and reached for it on the floor. Only for Sin to press his shoe down onto my hand until it hurt.
“Stop it, Sin!” I shouted, tears blurring my eyes.
My voice echoed down the hallway and was sure to catch onlookers’ attention. It was only a matter of minutes before someone came to stare, but I didn’t care. I was hurt. They had harmed me, and I had disappointed them, too.
“Look at me,” Sin snarled.
I looked up at him and cried, “Leave me alone!”
Sin kneeled down and Saint glanced over his shoulder. The heartbreaking image would never leave my mind. My phantoms peered at me with desperation in their eyes, but they were certain I’d be theirs for an entire lifetime. This moment would etch into my memory long after I became Mr. Chamberlain’s wife.
“We won’t ever let you go, Liv,” Saint assured me.
“No man will put a ring on what is eternally ours. We’ve scarred you for life. Not even death will part us because we’ll haunt our wife into the afterlife.”
Sin lifted his shoe, and I pulled my hand away. Slowly, I stood while I vibrated all over, but I couldn’t turn away. I had to make them stop. I must break them.
“I’m marrying Sebastian,” I said and stood tall. “Not either of you. Sebastian. He’s my future.”
“No, you aren’t,” Saint snarled with a twitch in his upper lip.
“You aren’t, Liv,” Sin growled with possession. “The only princess cut diamond ring on your finger will be ours. Not his. Ours .”
I had got to them—cut them open and bruised them deep. Their wounds would never heal without me, and I hurt everywhere when I left them behind. My heart tore apart as I turned my back on them and walked away.
I headed back to the table where my parents sat while the men I loved went back to being my shadows. Where they watched and waited for me to make my next move. Their eyes were on me when I let Sebastian’s engagement ring fall into my purse, but I kept my hand in my dress pocket. My freshly scarred marks of ownership would remain our secret from the rest of the world.