The Dark Kingdom Anthology

by Krissy V et al.

  But he was not finished. I don’t know how long it lasted or how many positions he took me in, but it seemed to last forever. My cock hardened again, and this time his hand slowly brought me to orgasm as he pulled out, ripping his condom off, and shot all over my smooth chest.

  He collapsed beside me and took me in his arms and chuckled in my ear.

  “It’s all true. You are everything that everyone said you were… Fuck, Danny. I’m happy I decided to rob your house tonight.”

  I was too.

  Chapter Seven

  We cleaned ourselves in my glass-walled shower. His hands washed me and caressed every inch of my body and face, his lips kept finding mine with the most loving of kisses. My head was a jumbled mess. This man was robbing me but all I wanted was to be his.

  However, I had questions I needed answers to. He was making me so confused; I found it hard to focus on anything more than him and his hard muscular body. I wanted to feel what his whiskers might feel like between my ass cheeks. I wanted to know what he tasted like. But most importantly, I wanted to know about the lies I had been told.

  We dried off, and I put my long hair in a ponytail before I slid on a pair of pants. He stood there naked, grinning at me.

  “Uh… Where are my clothes?” he asked, looking around.

  “I… uh… I cut them off you with a butcher knife.” I shrugged and threw him a pair of my linen pants and a t-shirt that he pulled over his ripped torso. It was tight… Looking at him in that was going to make the rest of this night difficult. It hugged him in all the right places. His muscular chest looked like it might rip the shirt in two if he flexed. God, I hope he flexed.

  “A butcher knife,” he groaned and shook his head as he chuckled that maddening laugh that made chills run across my body. It was husky and deep… Damn this man was sexy. But he was a thief, and I needed to remember that, even if I did need the information he carried. “Damn, Danny. That’s… kind of hot. I’ve never had my clothes cut off me before. I didn’t know you had that in you.”

  “You don’t know me,” I said smugly. “You only know what you have been told. I am more than that.” I glared at him, trying to let him see that I was as dangerous as him.

  He threw his arms up in the air and shrugged as he grinned lopsidedly. That was hot, too.

  “Okay, Danny boy, shall we see what’s inside the safe? Are you ready to know the truth?” He walked over and took my hand, staring me compassionately in the eyes. “I know that it’s going to shock you. But the truth is the truth, Danny, no matter how many lies were told to cover it up. Your uncle likes to talk too much. If it hadn’t been me, someone else would have come eventually. It’s the way the world works in the circles your uncle, who’s not your uncle, frequents.”

  I nodded, and he pulled me gently out of my room and down the hallway to the open living room. The night sky sparkled and the lights from the other buildings were dimmed. It was late and the city was sleeping. Only those with dark souls walked the night.

  He let go of me and walked over to the window he had crawled through and retrieved a backpack that he must have left there. I didn’t even notice it in my frenzied state. My eyes darted around, looking for anything else I may have missed. The room was as I left it. I walked over and shut the window. It was chilly outside, at least at this height.

  “So, your uncle didn’t tell me the combination, of course. But I am very good at what I do, Danny. If I can’t open it with this, I have another way, but I really don’t want to use it if I don’t have to.” He held up a square box and quickly pulled wires from it and attached it somehow to the keypad on the safe. He pressed a button, and it whirred to life. Numbers flashed on the small screen and he held it as he leaned against the wall and glanced over at me. He shot me a smile and raised his arm, flexing his thick bicep and winking at me. “Honestly, we didn’t need to get dressed.” He wagged his eyebrows at me.

  I blushed. Now that we were here, I wasn’t sure what to say. How should I broach the subject of what he knew? I sat down on the chair that faced the wall and pulled my feet underneath me. I wanted to laugh at him. He kept making funny faces as he glanced back and forth from me to his little machine. Every now and then, it beeped and he would turn his attention back to it. The rest of the time he stared at me.

  “You have questions, Danny?” he said thoughtfully. “I know this has to be a shock to you.”

  I sighed. I didn’t even know where to begin. I could feel my fear creeping up my spine, causing me to shiver. Was I ready for what I might discover? No… How could I be?

  “I met your uncle at a bar for crooks and thieves in the financial district. He was taking bookings for you and getting a little too drunk for his own good. I was curious. He looked rich and stupid, and he was sloppy, so I saw an opportunity. I always listen to my gut, Danny, and my gut was telling me that he was an easy mark.” The machine beeped and he glanced over at it and smiled.

  “So, I bought him another drink and talked to him. The drunker he got, the more information he spilled, eventually he was telling me things, I couldn’t believe. Of course, I was curious about you. I had heard about the beautiful concubine who lived in a penthouse. But eventually, he told me what I had been waiting for. He was rich and was using you to get richer. He was so proud of it. Honestly, I wanted to punch him. What he was doing to you was sick. Your innocence he said made you easy to manipulate, and trust me, Danny, he does not have your best interests at heart.” His machine beeped again and he turned around and pushed a couple buttons and the machine whirred to life again.

  “I questioned him, pretending to be a Wall Street investor, and he told me about how all of his wealth was liquid. He didn’t use a bank or invest it because the money had been left right under your nose all this time. Here in the safe where your father left it. His stupid brother, he called him, who was too altruistic and foolish with his need for a child, had passed away and left him in charge of you. I asked questions about him and because of that, I heard your story. Do you want to hear it?” The machine made a lower beeping sound and he turned to look at it. He chuckled again and turned back to me. “Bingo! We are almost there, Danny.”

  “What did he say about me?” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper. I felt cold and alone in a different way than I usually did. I felt as if something was about to shift and I was terrified of what I would discover. “I don’t want to know… But I have to, don’t I?”

  He rested the small metal box on the inset of the safe and carefully came towards me as if he didn’t want to frighten me. He knelt in front of me and took my face in his large hands.

  “You poor beautiful fool. I hope that what I tell you frees you and doesn’t make you feel any more imprisoned than you already are.” His eyes were sad, and I knew that it was sadness for me, and not for himself.

  “What’s your name?” I whispered, surprised that I hadn’t asked before. It was typical for me to have sex with the men my uncle brought over and never know their name. Words weren’t exchanged often unless they were the lonely older men who wanted a little more than just my body.

  He grinned slowly. “Finn. It’s nice to meet you, Danny.”

  “I guess,” I shrugged. “It’s odd. Isn’t it? You came here to rob me, and instead, you are giving me something.”

  “It’s a weird world,” he laughed huskily. “I’m glad you knocked me out, I guess. Besides, you gave me something too, and I will never forget it.” He leaned in and kissed my lips. The machine whirred again and he glanced at it. “Almost there, Danny. I think that what we will find inside that safe will show you how honest I’ve been with you.”

  “I hope not,” I bit my lip to stop my emotions from overwhelming me. The idea that my life had been a complete lie was too much to take.

  “I’m sorry,” he said simply, standing over me. “Shall I go on?”

  I nodded.

  “Your father bought you from a poor family here in the city. Your mother and father were struggling a
nd had too many mouths to feed and you were the baby. Your father changed their life by buying you. But he was scared of what he had done. He had no papers that said you were his and the thought of losing you became his greatest fear. He was so scared that he locked you up here and created a story that would stop you from ever leaving this place and finding out the truth. In his desire to please you, he told you lies about your dead mother, whom he loved. He invented a past that did not belong to him or to you and in doing so, trapped himself and you within the web of his lies.”

  “Your uncle was the only other person to know the truth. You caused a giant rift between them for years. He never really went into the details of that, so I don’t know exactly what that was, but they didn’t talk until he got sick. He had no one else to turn to, you see. Your father had no friends. He only had you. He locked himself away for fear of losing you, just as he kept you locked up here in the penthouse. Your sickness to the outside was just an excuse. It wasn’t real. Your uncle told me that and said how smart he was for turning your father’s lie into an opportunity. Your father wanted you to know the truth. He just didn’t know how to tell you before he passed away. He was scared you would hate him. Your uncle really hated your father, Danny. That was obvious.”

  The machine chirped a higher sound, and I heard the click of the lock. Finn stood up and walked over to the safe my father had hidden in the wall. I stood up to.

  “Are you okay, Danny? I know that was a lot to take in. I just want you to think about what I said. I have no reason to lie to you about this. Why should I care if you stay locked up here in this place or not? But, I felt you should know… Especially after what we just shared. You deserve to know the truth.” He sighed and crossed his arms.

  “No, I am not okay. My entire life might be a fucking lie. I’ve been held prisoner by people that I thought loved me and was turned into a prostitute so my uncle could get richer. Or, perhaps you are lying to me. Why? I don’t know.” I leaned my forehead against the wall and let the cold wood soothe me as best it could. “But I think I believe you and that belief is torturing me. I have sat at the window my entire existence and yearned for a life I never thought I could have. Now, I’m not sure I’m brave enough to live it.”

  “Would you like to open the door, Danny. It does belong to you. I mean, I was planning on robbing you, but now, I think all I will ask for is the amount you think this information is worth.” He stepped out of the way, and I moved in front of the safe. I looked down at the picture that had hidden it from view. It had always made me sad. It was a painting of a man sitting on a rock by a vast ocean and he looked so lonely. I guess I’ve always recognized myself in the picture.

  I pulled gently on the heavy door, and it opened. I gasped when I saw the stacks of money hidden inside. There were also manilla files filled with papers and photos against the right edge. I pulled them down. Perhaps these papers held an answer for me.

  I turned around to look at him and felt a sharp prick against my arm. I looked down and noticed a needle sticking in me.

  “Sorry, kid. I really am,” I could feel the room start to spin, and I collapsed in his arms. I fought to stay awake. “But I can’t walk out of here empty-handed. This won’t last long and when you awake, remember that I could have taken it all. I won’t.” his lips met mine and everything went dark.

  Chapter Eight

  When I awoke, I understood what hate was. Finn, my uncle, even my father, had used me my entire life. I was a little woozy from Finn’s drugs. It was still dark outside, and he had put me back on my bed. The manilla folders sat beside me. He could have left me there on the cold hardwood floors, but he didn’t. He wasn’t a total monster.

  I grabbed the files and slowly stood from my bed. I was groggy, but I would not succumb again to the effects of the drug. I fought through it and forced my legs to carry me to the living room. The safe’s door was still open, and I peered into it. Finn had left almost half of the money for me. I suppose I should be thankful. He could have easily taken it all, but he didn’t.

  He was still a robber.

  I would have given him whatever he wanted; he should have trusted me the way I had decided to trust him. ‘Street smarts,’ he had said. I suppose I had learned a valuable lesson. Never trust a thief, no matter how handsome they were.

  I was done being a victim. I pulled myself upright and stood tall. I would not be diminished again by others who sought to use me for their gain. I would learn to look out for myself. The world awaited, didn’t it? I looked down at the files I clasped in my hand. Hopefully, there were answers in them that would open my eyes to the truth of my situation.

  First, I had to do something with the money. Benjamin, who was no uncle of mine, would never get his dirty hands on it. I had no bags of my own since I never left the house, but the man I called father had them in his room. I went into his closet and tried to ignore the memories of him. I found what I was looking for on one of his shelves and pulled it down.

  It still smelled like him. My broken heart didn’t know what it wished for. Could I forgive Father for lying to me all these years? I would have to. I still loved him and knew that he had loved me too. But I couldn’t forgive the terror I carried around with me, thinking I could die if I got a germ. I had been sick. I opened windows and allowed the air to come in. I touched the bags of food left by the delivery service.

  I sat down on his hardwood floor and let myself grieve for the silly boy that believed the lies too easily. I should have known. Fuck! Finn was telling me the truth, and I never even thought about the things I did on an almost daily basis that would have killed me if my sickness were real. I had kept believing the fears and lies of my childhood and never questioned them. I was a fool.

  No, Finn was right. I was stupid.

  I wiped my eyes and put aside the child I once was. I would never be him again. I stood up and walked back into the living room and stuffed my bag with the cash. I then carried it into my bedroom, where I packed as many of my clothes as would fit into the case. I locked it and hid it in the back of my closet.

  I opened the files, and my father’s sins were laid bare. Here were my birth certificate and the names of my parents. Cassandra and Peter Steel… That didn’t matter to me. They didn’t matter to me, not now, not after everything I knew. I sighed heavily. My real name, printed on this document, glared at me. Morgan Kenneth Steel. That was no longer who I was. I was Danny, but I would never be able to prove it. I slid on my new identity and found it a curious and uncomfortable fit. Perhaps I would learn to live with it. Maybe this is who I could become if I tried.

  There were records from the doctors who father had paid to come and see me. There was nothing here that spoke of my condition. It had been a lie, I already understood that. The deed to this place and a will that left everything to me was also in the file. Morgan Kenneth Steel owned this place.

  I was free. I could soar like the birds that I had always watched from my own cage while they dived and darted about unbound.

  But first, I had to confront Benjamin. I wanted him to pay for his sins.

  Chapter Nine

  I dressed in black and waited in the living room. I had found the safe’s paperwork in one of Father’s folders, and I changed the password and locked the empty safe once again. Its secrets now belonged to me and when I left this home, I would take them with me. They were all I would have left of this life I would never again live. The painting hung in its usual place on the wall. Benjamin would not know I knew of the safe’s existence until it was too late.

  He was later than usual, and I grew bored. Watching from windows held no fascination for me anymore. I would not let my gaze linger on the sky until I was finally out beneath it. I walked into my bedroom and after a short time, I fell asleep.

  The front door closing woke me up.

  I waited for him. He could come to me. I would not give my power away again.

  “Danny? Son, are you awake?” he called from the living room.


  “Yes,” I answered, my voice cold and emotionless.

  He walked into my bedroom and leaned against the door frame, a wide grin plastered across his face.

  “There you are. I hope you have rested, Danny. You have a huge week ahead of you. I know we agreed that there would only be one suitor per night, but I found someone willing to pay triple if you let him and his friend join you. What do you say?” he stared at me expecting me to agree. I always had. You do what you must when you think it’s the only way. Now I knew better.

  I put my hands behind my head and leaned back against the headboard. “No. I don’t think so, Benjamin.”

  “What do you mean, no, Danny? We need all the money we can get right now. It’s time for your yearly check-up, and doctors are very expensive when they come to you, Danny. I think that we’ll have to do it if we are going to be able to pay all the bills this month.” He walked to the foot of my bed.

  “I know, Benjamin.” I extended my feet and frowned at him. “I am done being your captive here. I am leaving, and you will be all alone again.”

  “Leaving?” He laughed his high wheezy laugh. I used to find it comforting. Now it made me sick. “And where will you go, Danny. You will die if you leave this place. Maybe not right away but with your condition…”

  “You mean the condition that I’ve been lied to about my entire life? I know, Benjamin. It’s over. I’m leaving, but I wanted to tell you in person.” I watched his eyes dart around the room like a trapped animal. His face fell. He turned around in a circle at the foot of the bed, trying to rationalize what he was hearing. He spun back around and laughed at me.

  “Does that make you feel better, you little gutter whore? My brother may have saved you from a life of living in a hovel, but that’s all you have ever been. You know nothing, brat. You couldn’t survive out there because you're too stupid to make it on your own. You’ll come crawling back when you have no money or a place to live. You have no idea how good you have it.” He spat at me, venom dripping from his voice.