Chapter 39
We let the bastard writhe at our feet. Cameron was hyperventilating now, shaking from head to toe and sweating profusely.
That he was still conscious was impressive—and unfortunate for him.
I snapped my fingers near his ear, trying to get his attention.
With blood pouring down his face, the pathetic mess moved on the floor, his mangled hands trying to cover his face.
“Evie, don’t give up. We’re not quite done just yet. For all the times you called my girl vile and hateful names, you’ll sacrifice your tongue. I know the girls made sure it was marked, but it’s actually got to go. I didn’t expect they would do that, so be thankful that it’s probably numb by now.”
His responding moan was a pathetic plea. “Don’t,” he begged, “don’t—”
“What a pathetic choice of last words.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, sobbing like a baby.
I’m sorry.
Those were the words that made my blood boil. With the first genuine show of remorse we’d heard tonight, I repaid him by kicking the bastard soundly in the ribs.
“Get the fucking pliers, Pasha, and get ready,” I snapped, the order whip-sharp.
The boy nodded dutifully and stood at the ready as Ivan and Bash pinned the man down. Sorry. The word leeched into my head like poison and burned in my veins.
“Think of this like I’m doing you a favor,” I told him. “The finale will go better for you if you can’t fucking talk. I’m sorry,” I mimicked, before turning to Ivan. “Did you bring it?”
“I did. But it can only be presented if he passes.”
Pasha’s head snapped up, intuition telling him we were speaking about him. “Well, he’s about ready to prove himself worthy.” I turned and looked into his two different colored eyes and barely saw a trace of the boy he was a year and a half ago. “Mouth or cock?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Huh?” he asked, blinking wildly and then looking at the others.
“Mouth or cock? It’s what I ask Victoria every night before she goes to sleep.”
“Um, I prefer pussy and I’m not feeling sleepy,” he stated.
Laughter erupted from the guys, and Alek’s face radiated approval already.
“Oh, you mean body part for him. Technically, since I’m still a virgin in this realm, let’s start slow. I’ll work my way up to cocks.” He winced a little and moved to cover the front of his pants.
Making Cameron open his mouth was no struggle.
A little leverage on his fingers, and his lips opened right up with a vibrant yell.
He twisted around stubbornly, but I was too quick.
With the pliers, I snagged his tongue without missing.
Cameron’s attempts to pull it back were useless as we held him steady.
His bloodied face was distorted and twisted, and wordless cries came from the back of his throat.
“Start at the back,” Ivan instructed Pasha, handing him a blade. He nodded studiously.
The sharp little ridges of the blade dug through wet, writhing muscle, and little by little, his tongue began to give way.
Pasha sawed at it without flinching as blood gushed out from his lips and gargled in his throat as he screamed and choked.
Pasha notched his head at me, chest puffed.
Finally, the severed piece of tongue came free with the pliers. I held it up like a trophy.
Alek took it and violently shoved the bloody tongue back into Cameron’s open, screaming mouth, between his red-stained teeth.
“You fucking disgust me. I vote aye on the Dancer.”
Cameron’s sobs came out pitiful and weak. He spat his severed tongue out onto the floor in a puddle of blood. I rose to my feet. We were all bloodied now, our clothes and hands red, and flecks of blood dotted our faces.
“You did well.” Ivan pulled Pasha in for a bear hug. “Aye,” he added, officially giving his vote.
“I’ll add mine now as well. You had it from the moment we walked in here.” Nik’s voice boomed with pride. “You stepped in with Bellaruso like you were one of us. And so you are. She trusts you. That’s good enough for me. Aye.”
Pasha beamed, and it hit me hard. He really was one of us now. “Let’s finish this then,” I said, staring at Pasha.
My fingers curled into Cameron’s hair and pulled his head back. His eyeless face stared up, mouth open, a stream of blood flowing freely down his chin and onto the floor.
“You still have your ears, and you keep those, because I need you to listen. I told you I would destroy every part of you that you used to hurt her. By my count, you have one part left.”
Bash whistled lowly. There wasn’t any fight left in Cameron when we stripped him and cut off his blood-stained clothes.
“What do you think, Evie?” I asked. The husk before me trembled on the floor. I studied the bloodied blade Pasha had used in my hand. “Do I take my time, or do I make it quick?”
He didn’t try to speak or cover himself now. Without a tongue, his moans had taken on a throaty, wet quality.
“This is the kind of revenge that only comes once,” Alek advised. “I’m pretty sure he took his time with you and that red sharpie pen all those years ago. You don’t get a do-over, Counselor. Make it count.”
I nodded. Slow it was.
“The other blade, then, please.”
It materialized, and I took the offering from Nik, kneeling in front of Cameron while the others held him down. I took deep, even breaths. He might have been barely responsive, but every man holding a portion of him down in that semi-circle knew that was soon to change.
With the pliers again, I held his shriveled cock taut and straight. The metal clamped onto his foreskin. I envisioned him raping my angel over and over. The tip of the blade cut deep into the private, most vile flesh of Cameron’s body, gliding into his groin with resistance.
He howled and screamed, blood rupturing from his mouth in a fine mist. He bucked blindly but only succeeded in cutting himself up even worse. Pasha looked pale as droplets of blood flew around, but his eyes stayed intense and his expression determined. He had seen it through.
The kid would get my vote.
I refocused on getting rid of the parts of the bastard that he never deserved. I let the blade curve lightly over the base of his cock, paper-cut thin slices up and down, up and down. He kicked and shrieked. Deeper past the skin, I hit some more resistance.
The blade was more than a little dull, and it took its time. The flesh was weak, but the muscle beneath was resistant and strong, making me saw through it. Cameron’s spine arched, body coming off the floor as he screamed and bellowed for mercy.
A dark red stain gathered under him, spreading a thick pool of blood around my shoes.
There was more life left in him than I expected, as he kicked and wailed.
With unhurried precision, I cut through him until the flesh finally severed away from his body, and he bled freely from the remaining stump.
I threw it down on what was left between his spread legs.
Sebastian tilted his head appraisingly. “Is it just me, or is there not that much of a difference?”
Alek doubled over in laughter as I chuckled.
“It won’t be long now,” Ivan said. The blood was flowing fast. Cameron was bleeding out, suffering, and in pain beyond description. He curled up into a ball on the floor.
“True,” I said, watching the man’s miserable suffering. “But it’ll be long enough. Bash, what’s your vote going to be?” I asked as Nik passed out wet wipes.
“The kid didn’t throw up. Clearly, he has the stomach for it. I’m impressed. It’s an aye for me.”
Pasha’s chest heaved as he turned his gaze to me, the only member who hadn’t voted. I took a deep breath. “I guess you better start planning your final tattoo, Dancer.”
A grin spread across his face, and he exclaimed, “Fuck yeah!”