Chapter 9
CHAPTER
NINE
AIDEN
She’s a goddamn beautiful, bloody mess.
Blood covers her, and some even drips off me. The feel of it is electric, the way the liquid carves a path down my skin. The man beneath her stopped screaming a few stabs ago. Ash is not going to be very happy, but he can fuck right off. Ari seems to have found some catharsis in this.
When she asked what I’ve been doing, I didn’t really have an answer for her because, truthfully, this is nothing new for me. But after Ash mentioned the last few bodies had been bloodier than usual, I realized I had been taking out some of my anger on my patients. Oops?
I didn’t think she would take to it as well as this, though. I thought she might stab someone once and get the ick. Possibly not even consider what I suggested because of her morals and whatnot. Not that Ari ever said anything before when Brodie, Anthony, or I took someone out.
Some people struggle with taking a life. But no, she just went for it and I’m sure a psychologist would have a lot to analyze here but I never once trusted those bastards.
But watching Ari destroy this man… Hell. I don’t think I have ever been more turned on by a woman in my life. Knife in hand, stabbing someone out of anger. For the first time in four months, there is no grief marring her face. There is…I wouldn’t say happiness, but almost, relief pouring off her.
She might very well be my kryptonite right at this moment.
“Ari, Venom—”
But she doesn’t stop. My voice seems to fuel her, and her stabs become even more erratic, just stabbing with no real purpose. The man is clearly dead now, but continually maiming a corpse seems to still be working for her.
I place my hand on her arm to get her attention. She finally stops and looks over at me.
I try to hide my smile when I say, “Venom, I can get you another one.” She could take out four or five people in their boxes tonight and I would just sit back and watch. Might touch myself a little but I doubt she would mind.
Instead of regret or shock, there is a feral gleam in her eyes like she is enjoying herself. Blood splatter covers her face and I have the sudden urge to see her bathe in it. She is calling to me in the most primal way. Blood, murder, knives. My innate beast wants her beyond reason.
So I lean over and brush my lips over hers.
And. She. Moans.
The blood rushes so quickly to my cock that I feel almost lightheaded.
Dropping the knife, she grasps my head, running her bloody fingers through the strands of my hair, and pulls me forward, claiming more of my mouth.
She tastes like my destruction. I shouldn’t be okay with this. There is no reason for this kiss. No one is watching. We aren’t putting on a show for anyone. It is just us and the bloodied corpse beneath her.
Damn it all to hell.
I groan into her mouth, wanting more. Wanting anything she’ll give me. I know I told her when I proposed that it should have been our first kiss. But I lied. This right here, right now should have been our first kiss. Anger, lust, and relief fueled by bloodshed.
Truthfully, I never thought we would get here because I am not Brodie.
With his death, he took part of her with him.
A vital part I thought might be destroyed.
But maybe it just lay dormant until someone let it out to play.
Or maybe this has nothing to do with her feelings toward Brodie.
Maybe she has the capacity to care about someone other than my brother.
Releasing her lips, I use my tongue and lick the blood off her cheeks. Blood, sweat, and even the salty taste of her tears assault my senses.
I use one hand to cup her face. “Ari…” I savor her name on my tongue.
My hand grazes her inner thigh, coming up to caress the outer layer of her panties. Soft and damp to the touch.
And I detonate.
Because my girl has not only embraced the finer aspects of torture but has gotten off on the murder of a useless man.
And maybe she was meant to be mine all along.
Ripping her panties from her body, I throw them to the ground and run my hand over her wet slit, wanting to be covered in her, while I tongue her neck and make my way to her breasts.
She whines underneath me, squirming as she begs for more. This beautiful destruction, who was always forbidden, is now mine. My fiancée. An absolute reaper’s dream.
When my finger slides inside of her, I caress her and can’t help but let myself loose—let her glimpse the real me—when I whisper, “Did you ever get this wet for my brother?”
She tears herself from me.
“Brodie...” As if realizing Brodie isn’t the one currently stroking her wet cunt. She pushes me—hard. “Get away from me.”
Dammit.
Ari jumps off the table and runs through the morgue to the door. Running from me. Running from the rush of feelings brought on by our kiss.
“Ari—” I yell after her, but she slams the door behind her, not looking back.
I will let her run for now only because I love the chase. But when I catch her, she is going to give me exactly what I want.
Lifting my fingers to my lips, I taste her sweetness mixed with blood. Nothing has ever been this close to an aphrodisiac.
“Fuck.” I suck her essence from my finger as I use my other hand to pull my pants down just enough to get my hard cock out.
Stroking, I think of her still straddling the body of the corpse while riding my hand.
She would look so good dripping in blood and getting off on my fingers.
Moaning like a little whore for me as she tried to tell herself she didn’t like what was happening.
She was going to pretend it was Brodie. Well, that was fine with me.
She could even picture him with us. Maybe he would be behind her, using the wetness that dripped from her body as lube for her ass.
He could murmur dirty thoughts in her ear as he looked at me.
“Arianna, would you like us to fill both of your holes on top of this corpse?”
Christ, I didn’t think I could get any harder, just thinking of his raspy voice talking dirty to her. I stroke myself a little faster, the orgasm building inside of me.
Brodie would bring her to release with his cock in her ass, mine in her pussy.
I’d feel him as he fucked her, separated only by the thin walls of her cunt.
The thought of her cum dripping on top of this dead body while she’s filled by both of us is what finishes me off, my cum splattering on top of the actual dead guy in front of me.
I grunt a little. “Damn, probably more than you deserve, Ian.” Taking my cum, I spread it around on him. Not like Ash can use the man for his research anymore, but I’ll explain what happened later. He might be more forgiving since it was Ari. Maybe.
Well, I can’t just leave this mess here, or Ash really would hang me by the balls. Probably shoot me up with some of his stuff too. But I will clean this up and then go after my little venom. Because she can’t hide from me forever.
ARI
What the hell was I thinking?
I wasn’t. That much is obvious. Running back to my room, I head straight for the shower. I killed someone. I stabbed them until they stopped screaming. I wasn’t just watching from the sidelines; I was a full-on participant.
And it got me fucking wet.
Unsure how I feel about that, I know I’ll have to think on it later. But I do know I enjoyed it. Enjoyed it enough to kiss Aiden.
I kissed Aiden. I fucking kissed him, right there, covered in blood, with zero witnesses.
And I didn’t hate it.
No, I was wet for it. For him. When he put his finger inside me, it felt like I was going to combust right there on top of the dead guy. Indescribable lust almost suffocated me.
Then he ruined it. He said the one thing that would get me to stop and ground back down into reality. He mentioned Brodie. The man I love more than anything. I am his, even with him gone.
I don’t bother to put clothes on after I dry off from my shower. Lying in bed, I think of Brodie. My sinful perfection. My future in life and in death.
My fingers trail down my naked body, slowly, until I hit the apex of my thighs. I groan. Still wet and needy from earlier, I picture Brodie. Just him.
His blue, almost-green eyes, and his wicked smile. I touch myself the way he would touch me. Soft at first, building me up, until I beg beneath him for more. More fingers, more pressure. Just more of him.
If I concentrate enough, I can almost smell his musk. Thinking of his eyes on me. Watching me, reading me. Knowing exactly how to push me over the edge.
“Brodie,” I whisper into the empty room, “please, please.”
I’m begging, bringing myself to tears, as I beg for his touch, knowing that I will not feel it again in this lifetime.
Increasing the pressure, I dip my fingers deeper inside of me and use my thumb to massage my clit.
Brodie loved to play with my clit, not letting up even after I came.
He would try to see how long I could last until I screamed his name.
Then, even when I finally relented, and my throat was raw from begging, he would still show me no mercy.
Stuffing me full until I was screaming. Sensitive and worn out, I would cry on his cock as he pounded into me.
Thinking of him, I use my other hand to reach into my drawer and pull out the egg-shaped vibrator, my favorite with the suction feature. Placing it right over my clit, my body starts to vibrate from the pleasure.
That is when his face appears. Aiden. The man I just kissed. He could hold my vibrator just the way I like it and secure my hands so that all I had to do was lie there and feel. It would still be Brodie’s fingers inside of me. Both of them bringing me to climax.
“Do you want to come on my brother’s fingers, venom?”
Holy hell. My fingers are soaked as I continue to stroke the inside of my pussy. Ramping up the speed on the vibrator, I press it a little harder against my clit.
Aiden would squeeze my wrists tighter and drop his head to my breast, biting my nipple hard.
Brodie would know I’m getting close. “That’s it, my queen, cum for your king.”
Looking up, Aiden would turn to face Brodie. “Kiss me while she soaks your fingers.”
Brodie’s eyes gleam as he leans over—
And I can’t hold it back anymore. I release on the bed, screaming both their names.
I feel the guilt creeping in the second my orgasm finishes. Betrayal rips through me even worse than after the kiss.
After cleaning up, I chuck my vibrator back in the drawer and lie in my bed, letting the sadness seep into every pore.
I will never have them both. But maybe if I could get a handle on this guilt, I could have a small taste of it.
The truth is, while Brodie isn’t coming back, I can still devote myself to him.
Protect my heart and reserve it only for him.
But Aiden is alive, and I have to marry him anyway.
I could give him my body and protect my heart.
I just need to be very careful because I would not recover from grief a second time, even with my feelings locked away.
Death took away the love of my life, but he wasn’t allowed to steal the man who could teach me how to deal with my grief. Healthy or not.
Slicing into that man tonight helped me to forget.
It gave me a new focus. Somewhere to point my grief and anger.
And strangely, I don’t regret that part.
I got a small moment where I felt like my old self.
Maybe not the same as I once was but a newer version of myself.
One that might possibly have a taste for murder and revenge.
The guy was irredeemable scum. In fact, I kind of want to own my kill, revel in it.
Maybe Aiden would let me help him from time to time.
I could even learn to control my anger so that I didn’t go all the way.
I cringe thinking of how angry Ashton is going to be when he discovers Ian is dead.
I’ll talk to him tomorrow and apologize.
I know he uses these people as research subjects.
Aiden didn’t seem to care that I joined in. He might possibly let me do it again with him. Maybe I’ll ask him. I’ll have to sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning. But I don’t see myself passing up the opportunity to rid myself of this grief I have been living in.
I wonder if the actual Grim Reaper ever had a sidekick…
With that settled, I close my eyes. Tomorrow is a new day; maybe I’ll even try a new instrument of torture. This could work. I could deal with my grief and release my anger. While also giving Aiden my body.
But never my heart. Because my heart would always belong to his brother.