Chapter Twenty-Six #2
“I didn’t crucify him or drag him into a field—that, I’d remember. I might’ve scooped out his organs and replaced them with straw, then told Dagon’s men what to do with the body.”
Greyson blinks slowly. “Why? Killing is one thing; what you did was…”
“Art?” Elijah supplies.
“Fucking epic?” Bryan offers.
“Weirdly impressive?” Max adds on.
“Gruesome and disturbing,” Greyson snaps, so vigorously that Scarlett flinches and casts a wary glance over her shoulder at him.
Ah, there it is. Max mentioned that these two had a rough beginning; I guess he wasn’t exaggerating. Scarlett still has some leftover jumpiness.
Greyson sighs, flattening a hand on Scarlett’s stomach and leaning down to press a kiss to her shoulder. He whispers something in her ear, and she relaxes again.
“Why’d you do it?” Greyson repeats.
I cut the rest of my steak into small, precise pieces, gazing at the ridiculously dull butterknife Max left me to war with.
“Why do you kill people?” I ask Greyson.
He frowns. “Money and orders.”
I point my fork at him. “There you have it. I wasn’t getting money, but there were unpleasant consequences when I disobeyed orders.”
Scarlett’s eyes shutter, and she gazes at me with so much sympathy it almost makes me sick. I don’t want her sympathy; in fact, I don’t want anyone’s sympathy. Frankly, I’d like to just be left the fuck alone.
“What sort of consequences?” Toby finally speaks up.
“The fuck do you care?” I query pleasantly.
“Answer the question.”
“Sorry.” I bare my teeth. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Ember,” Max says quietly, a fine thread of warning in his tone.
I roll my eyes. “Ones painful enough they’d make you break down and cry out for your mommy.”
Toby rakes a cruel gaze over me. “You don’t look mangled to me.”
“Dagon liked showing me off; he was careful to never mar visible skin. If you were half as good as you think you are, you’d know there are phenomenally painful ways to hurt someone without leaving a trace.”
“Tobias,” Max says quietly. “That’s enough.”
Toby’s eyes drop back to his laptop.
“So, Dagon ordered you to kill people and display them in… creative ways,” Greyson says slowly, “and you did so?”
I lick my fork. “Yup. Do you want to continue this Q I only remember the injuries sustained from a fight with one of them, I don’t particularly want to remember anything else.
Anyone I may have killed from this organization, I did so because those were my orders, and refusing my orders wasn’t an option.
If anyone has a bone to pick with me over that, we can go a couple rounds in a fist fight.
But, fair warning; I fight dirty, and I don’t lose. ”
“Well…” Max slides a hand up my thigh. “You did lose to me.”
“If that’s what you want to tell yourself,” I say, even though he’s right. I did lose to him, which infuriates me and makes me respect him all at the same time. I’m no easy opponent, and neither is he.
“We can talk details at another time,” Greyson says, pushing away his plate.
“Why?” I raise my eyebrows. “I won’t apologize, and I doubt I’ll remember any useful details. What does it matter?”
Greyson looks at Max. “Keep a close eye on this one.” With that, he stands and swiftly strides away, presumably going after Scarlett.
After what feels like an eternity, dinner ends, and Max takes me back to his apartment.
“Am I going to be punished now?” I ask snarkily, trying to glimpse the code he punches in to unlock the front door.
He casts an amused glance over his shoulder. “No. You weren’t nice, but you weren’t antagonistic, either. Therefore, you’ve done nothing to merit a punishment.”
“How relieving.”
“Yes, it is,” he agrees with a nod. “Now, go ahead and take a shower. I need to finish up something. When you’re done, kneel before the bed, naked. I’ll find you.”
Asshole. I don’t know what his obsession is with making me kneel, but I don’t appreciate it. Nevertheless, he has a day to save Alina; if he fails, I’ll find my way out of here.
If he succeeds, I might have to put up with this for the rest of my life…
In either case, I don’t expect to live long.
The only thing keeping me from self-destructing the last five years was Dagon’s threat over my sister.
If that threat is neutralized, then I have no further cause to stay alive.
I expect I’ll get myself killed sooner rather than later.
I haven’t actually seen any real value to life since my head injury.
I do exactly as Max requested, giving myself a quick yet thorough wash before forcing myself to drop the towel and kneel before the bed. The hardwood floor is unforgiving against my knees, but I’ve endured far worse discomfort.
Max walks in not long after I’ve gotten into position. He releases a quiet hum of pleasure, and I hear his footsteps approaching me. He stops right behind me and strokes a hand over my hair, quietly emanating satisfaction.
“Good girl,” he murmurs. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Flame. It almost hurts to look at you.” He releases a soft sigh. “Up on the bed. Arms above your head, legs spread.”
I stand, feeling heat climb over my cheeks as I assume the position Max requested, body tense, jaw clenched. I don’t appreciate being reduced to a doll he can do whatever he wants to, but again… I’ve been through much worse. What Max has done to me is nothing compared to what Dagon’s done to me.
Max climbs onto the bed, kneeling beside me. “Are you still upset with me for denying you your orgasm?” he asks, sounding genuinely curious.
Yes, I’m annoyed with him, but I don’t exactly have much recourse at the moment. I shrug as much as my position will allow.
“I like denying you,” he murmurs. “But only because I know that builds into another, much stronger orgasm when done properly.” He cups my pussy, his grip firm, and I gasp. His thumb finds my clit with expert precision, and he doesn’t waste any time pressing down on it.
“Mm… someone’s already wet,” Max says. “Good. Soon, you’ll be turned on for me when I walk into the room.
You’ll understand the pleasure that only I’m capable of giving you, and you’ll fucking love it.
” He scoops up the wetness dripping out of me and smears it over my clit.
“I’m not going to deny you now, baby. I want to see how fast you can come for me.
” Two fingers lodge inside me, while his thumb works my clit.
My hands instinctively come down from their position; Max grabs them and pins them above my head, tutting at me.
“Ah-ah. You just lie here and take it, Flame. I didn’t say you could move. ”
A quiet moan climbs out of me, and my back arches. Max takes that as all the invitation he needs to lean down and bite my nipple, hard enough that I squeal, and my pussy clenches his fingers like I want to snap them in half.
“There it is,” Max murmurs against my flesh, giving my nipple another, cruel bite. “Almost there, Ember. Go ahead and come for me, baby. I want to feel you.”
I barely hear his words; my orgasm’s already slowly sweeping over me, starting as an unbearable ache in my core and expanding until nothing else exists.
My toes curl, my muscles tighten, my head falls back, and I instinctually yank at my wrists, desperate to free myself, but Max doesn’t budge.
He keeps working my clit, curling his fingers inside me, until the orgasm becomes too much.
Until panic creeps over the edges of my consciousness, and oblivion threatens to consume me.
A loud cry escapes me as I kick my feet, trying to get away from the pleasure, but my captor is merciless, wrenching two orgasms out of me with his fingers alone, until I really feel like I’m going to pass out.
Finally, he stops. Slowly slides his fingers out of me and gradually releases his hold on my wrists.
I watch through lidded eyes as he sucks his fingers into his mouth, licking my essence off of them, giving a small shudder of pleasure. “Fuck, your taste is addictive,” he rasps.
I can only release a small whimper in response, and a satisfied smile steals across Max’s shiny lips. He licks them, and a small shudder shakes his shoulders. God, does he actually like my taste? Is he as into me as he’s acting?
“Told you you’d get your orgasm before bed.” He kisses my forehead and pulls the blanket over me. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll see you in the morning.”