by Bella J.
“Guess.” God, I loved playing these games.
“Jesus. There were so many, how the fuck should I guess?”
My anger spiked, and I had to fight the urge to gut this fucker from navel to nose. “Think, James. A ten-year-old girl. Dark eyes, dark hair.” I licked my lips, my mouth dry. “A nobody.”
His green eyes cut toward me when the realization struck him hard and heavy. “Ne…Nessuno?” he whispered as if he couldn’t believe it.
Hearing that name irked me, it angered me, and it caused the blood in my veins to simmer, threatening to erupt. I pulled off my jacket and started to roll up the sleeves of my white dress shirt. “Her real name is Alessia Mancuso. I believe you made one fucked-up business transaction with her father, who wanted her to disappear.”
Terror and pain formed grooves on his forehead. And then his eyes grew wide as he started to freak out. “Oh no, no, no, no. No. You’re him, aren’t you? You’re the guy who stole her from him. You took her from him.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You have her. He’s coming for you. He’s coming for both of you.” It was clear that hysteria had taken the place of his pain, his fear. “Vadik won’t rest until he has her back.”
I stilled and felt the blood in my veins rush to my chest. “Because of the chip. He wants her back because of the chip he hid underneath her skin.”
James swallowed hard, his eyes wild and haunted. “She belongs to him. He wants her back.”
I let out a roar of anger before I punched him in his side, then his gut, and then his side again. Hearing him say that Doe belonged to another was fucking with my head. All of this was fucking with my head.
“She belongs to me now! And no one will dare take her away from me.”
James spat out blood and took shallow breaths. “You won’t win. It’s impossible to beat Vadik.”
“I will win. I have the chip. I have what I need to destroy him.”
“What you have is a ticking time bomb. Do you really think if you go after Vadik, he’ll go down without a fight?” James coughed, his face turning all shades of red.
I grabbed my knife and flicked the flesh of my thumb over the blade. “I have the list.”
“No. She has the list. And what do you think Vadik’s clients will do if they find out this list exists? That their names are on that goddamn list?”
More blood rushed to my chest, my spine turning in to ice. “What are you saying?”
Lucio stepped up next to me. “I think what he’s saying is…if word gets out that Doe has this list, every motherfucker whose name is on it will want her dead.”
My gaze cut to Lucio, and the horror on his face mirrored my own. Lucio glanced from me to James and back to me. “Antonio, if word gets out that such a list exists, Doe will be—”
“A walking target.” I cast my eyes down at the ground. “She’ll be the number one hit for every goddamn assassin on a payroll.”
Fuck.
Chapter 6
Doe
I couldn’t sleep.
Ever since Antonio moved me into his bedroom, I could never fall asleep unless he was with me. Next to me. Holding me. It was a source of comfort I quickly grabbed hold of. A woman like me wasn’t used to feeling cherished, adored…safe.
Before Antonio, I spent my nights in fear, hoping I wouldn’t hear the sound of a key unlocking the door to my own little room in hell. My body would quiver all night long, no matter the temperature. Hot or cold, my bones were filled with terror, every limb tight and achy from the trepidation that coursed through me every minute of every hour of every day.
But whenever I felt Antonio’s arms around me, listened to his steady breathing, his heat thawing every chill in my body, I felt protected and secure. Falling asleep had never felt so peaceful as it did while I shared a bed with him.
I was sold by the devil pretending to be an angel. Then I was saved by an angel pretending to be the devil.
“You’re not naked.”
When I heard his voice, I sucked in a breath.
“I told you to wait for me…naked.” There was a low tone of warning his voice, a sound that made my body tremble, and I knew it meant only one thing.
The door slammed shut behind me, and I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Master.” Then I slipped the dress off my shoulders, the soft fabric pooling around my bare feet.
“There’s my girl.” He was so close, I could feel his warm breath against my neck and the subtlest touch of his knuckles against my back as he unbuttoned his shirt. The shirt he wore joined my dress on the floor. When I looked down, I caught sight of crimson staining the white fabric, and I stilled, suddenly forgetting how to breathe.
“Are you afraid?” He stepped up, his naked chest against my back. “Are you scared?”
“No, Master.”
“Liar.”
Slow, shallow breaths were all my lungs allowed me to take as I kept staring at the blood on his shirt.
Strong, calloused hands moved down my arms, my skin burning under his touch. “I killed a man tonight.” His lips brushed across my shoulders, and I shuddered with currents of desire that suddenly flared inside me. “I hurt him, Doe. I tore at his flesh. I made him cry.”
His voice was soft, but I heard the darkness hidden within his cruel words, yet I felt myself leaning my head to the side, allowing him more access as he kissed his way up my neck. Warm lips sucked at my earlobe, sharp teeth nipping my flesh causing me to flinch and gasp at the same time.
“I made him bleed, Doe.” His hand curved around my hip, fingertips burning my flesh. “Do you want to know why? Do you want to know why there’s a man’s blood on my shirt?” A greedy hand dipped between my legs, palming me, squeezing hard as if to say, ‘Mine.’ And it was his. Everything about me belonged to him. Not because he demanded it, but because I offered it to him…willingly.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.” My voice was nothing but a desperate whisper. His touch, his familiar scent of black pepper and wild spice, it all carried me to a place where I could let all my inhibitions go. A place where I could embrace the new me. A place where I became…Doe. “Why do you have a man’s blood on your clothes, Master?”
His other hand came up toward my throat, strong fingers caressing my skin. “Because of you. It’s all because of you, Doe.”
“Why?”
“Because being with you has fucked with my head.” With one hand, he gripped my throat while the other remained between my legs, fingers prodding and slipping through my slit. “Just the thought of anyone taking you away from me is enough to make me lose my shit, Doe. I can’t even—”
“Who was it?” I touched the hand he had around my throat, my fingers pressing down, allowing him to tighten his grip. “Who did you kill for me?” It had been three so far. Three men he had killed for me. Men who used me in the past. Men who played a part in breaking me. I didn’t know how he did it, how he knew. But somehow, he managed to hunt down three demons and slayed them for me. I realized it a few weeks ago when he came back to me in the middle of the night. The rage, the bloodlust, the pure cruelty burned in the dark brown of his irises. I’d been around monsters long enough to recognize the signs.
The first time, he came home and he fucked me. He used me. And I loved it. I loved every second of it because while he was buried to the hilt inside me, he whispered, “I killed for you.” I didn’t ask. I didn’t prod for answers. All I did was close my eyes when the most intense, bone-shattering orgasm tore through my body. Why? Because knowing he spilled blood for me—a girl who had been told her whole life she was worth nothing—painted me a clear picture.
I was worth something.
After the second kill, he did the same. He came back and told me about it while he took possession of my body. I loved it. I loved hearing how he avenged my ruin. Did that mean I was fucked in the head? Probably. But the thought of him killing every man who ever touched me was an aphrodisiac like no other. It set my body aflame, my insides coiled t
ight with anticipation as I imagined those men bleeding.
Red. It was such a beautiful color. The color of revenge. The color of life…and death.
“Who was it, Master?”
I shivered as he stroked his nose up the skin of my neck, inhaling as he reached the bottom of my ear. “James…James Watson.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
My legs trembled, his fingers stroking, prodding, claiming the most delicate part of me. He sucked my earlobe between his lips, letting it go with a pop. “He’s the man your angel sold you to.”
Ice spread down my spine within a split second, and I stilled. “Was he…”
“Yes. He’s the man who took you from the angel who supposedly saved you, only to give you to the devil.”
My heart wanted to claw its way up my throat; my stomach twisted tightly with barbed wire. All the while, Antonio kept on working my pussy as if we were merely engaging in dirty talk.
Instead of thinking about the man who handed me over to Vadik, I tried to focus on the fact that Antonio had killed him, and it made me want to know more.
“How?” I whispered, my head still leaning back against his chest.
The hand he had around my throat slipped down to cup my breast. He squeezed hard. “First, I sliced my blade through his skin.”
I closed my eyes, my mind picturing what he was telling me, word for word.
“Over, and over, and over I twisted the steel of my knife deeper into his flesh.”
His finger pressed hard against my clit, and my knees felt like they wanted to give way beneath me.
“His blood dripped on the floor while he hung upside down from the ceiling, his cries slamming against the rooftop.” I heard every trace of hatred Antonio had for this man, and I loved it. I loved that Antonio hated someone so much purely because he had hurt me.
Antonio’s warm breath skidded over my skin as he continued to tell the tale of epic revenge and cruel justice.
“I made him confess everything, Doe. He remembered you. He fucking remembered you.”
“Nessuno,” I whispered.
“Yes. He said your name while his blood stained the fucking ground.”
Higher and higher my body climbed, his touch pushing me toward the edge. Never would I have imagined I harbored this kind of darkness deep within me. But picturing all my demons falling one by one, dying, withering away painfully, gave me strength. It felt like my soul was feeding on the deaths of others, strengthening me. And paired with the wicked touch of the man who owned me wholly, it was euphoric.
He tugged at my nipple, earning a moan from my lips.
“I told you, Doe. You’re mine. You’re my woman. I won’t stop until I’ve killed each and every one of those fuckers who desecrated your body.” He pressed his hard cock against my ass. “I won’t stop until I’ve buried the bones of those who broke you.”
With a quick tug and a twist of my arm, he forced me to turn so I could face him. A breath escaped me when I saw the power, the hunger, the absolute need for control painted all over his beautiful face.
“On your knees.”
It wasn’t a request.
Slowly, I lowered myself to my knees, my body electrified and squirming with anticipation. With hooded eyes, I watched as he unbuckled his pants, pulling his cock free. I didn’t move. Even though I wanted nothing more than to taste him, I’d done this dance before. I knew not to be greedy. To be patient.
“One day, you’ll be the queen you’re meant to be. I’ll make sure of it.” He started to work his cock, slowly moving his fist to a steady rhythm. “But until then, I’m going to appreciate every second you spend on your knees in front of your king.”
A moan left my lips when he grabbed me behind my neck, jerking me forward while he guided his cock to my mouth. The second I tasted him, I couldn’t stop the moans that followed. I never thought I’d one day love serving a man in such an intimate, submissive way. For such a long time, feeling the way I felt now was never an option for me.
His hand remained at the back of my skull, urging me back and forward while I licked and sucked, savoring every inch of him.
I placed my hands on his hips, my fingers softly caressing the clefts of the prominent V below his navel. The scent of wild spice, sex, and cum surrounded us, and it only added fuel to the fire already burning in my core.
“My sweet, innocent Doe,” he murmured, and I looked up to meet his eyes. “Suck me, lick me, make me feel good. And don’t you ever fucking forget who you belong to.”
Faster, harder, his grip behind my neck forced me to move. He pushed all the way back to my throat before releasing, allowing me to take a breath. Tears started to well in my eyes, but I couldn’t stop. I wanted more. My tongue swirled around his length before moving against the tip of his dick.
“Jesus. Fuck.” His head lolled back, low growls of pleasure letting me know he loved my lips around him as much as I loved the taste of him on my tongue.
All it took was a few more deep-throat strokes and licks before he finally lost his last ounce of self-control. He grabbed my shoulders and hoisted me up in his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist. Our lips collided. Our teeth crashed. And our tongues devoured.
Hot. Heady. Hard. And desperate. We were all hands, and lips, and moans, and sweat. I was no longer the shy slave girl who wasn’t allowed to indulge. In fact, Antonio turned me into the opposite. He turned me into a woman who knew what she wanted, what made her feel good. This was me being that woman, giving to my king what he needed while I took from him what I needed.
Antonio moved, and I gasped when my back hit the wall, the warmth of my skin crashing against the cold concrete. As he reached between us, my body readied itself, priming me to take him. To take all of him.
“I will spill more blood for you, Doe. I’ll turn our enemies’ blood into a goddamn river for you.” And then with one hard, determined thrust, he pushed his cock inside me, my body assaulted by the force. Thrust after thrust Antonio claimed me, filled me, took ownership of my body. My mind, my soul, my everything was completely consumed by him and how good it felt to be possessed by him.
He moved in and out of me, his hands cupping my ass while he kept me steady against the wall.
“Say it again,” I whispered by his ear, out of breath.
A loud cry slipped from my lungs when he sank his teeth into my shoulder, the pain pushing me right to the edge. “I’ll kill them all for you, Doe.” His breathing was labored, out of rhythm as he kept pounding into me. “But not him. Not Vadik.” Soft lips brushed against my ear. “He will die by your hand.”
And then I came. Loud, hard, and out of control, I came, my body trembling and my mind spinning with incoherent thoughts of lust, desire, blood, and revenge.
The orgasm that tore through me seemed like it would never stop. I was sure it would break me in half. I weaved my fingers through the hair at the back of his head, my pussy gripping him tightly.
As I started to come down from the high, he reached the pinnacle of his release. Low, guttural moans echoed in my ear, our bodies molded together as one.
Seconds became minutes as we remained still, silent. There was only one thing replaying in mind over and over and over again.
“He will die by your hand.”
Chapter 7
Antonio
Feeling her warm skin against mine, the sound of her rapid breathing, being buried inside her—this was my heaven. She was my angel, the only being in the entire fucking world I didn’t want to be without.
After killing the Watson fucker, I rushed home with the beast in me clawing against every bone in my body. He wanted her. He wanted our angel.
Killing for her. Spilling blood for her. It was the highest high I had ever experienced. And I wanted her to feel this exact same high. I wanted her to be strong enough to take the justice owed to her in her own hands, which was the main reason I embarked on this journey. Slowly, I coaxed her out of the fragile shell she hid beh
ind. Little by little, I lured her out, tempting her with every taste of revenge I fed her.
No one knew what she needed like I did. And she needed this. She needed to extract every ounce of atonement out of everyone who had ever done her wrong. It was the only way for her to let go. And now…she was finally ready.
I eased her down, flinching as I pulled my cock out of her warm body. She stared up at me from under dark lashes, her eyes heavy and hooded. “You killed for me.”
I weaved my fingers through her hair, wrapping them around the back of her neck. “My dear Doe,” I searched her face, her eyes, her lips, her flushed cheeks, “there is no amount of blood I won’t spill for you. I’ll gladly pave my own fucking way to hell with the ashes of those who dare to do you harm.”
A soft gasp rolled over her red, swollen lips. “Why? Why would you do that for me?”
Without fucking blinking, I kissed her. My greedy tongue forced its way into her mouth, craving her taste. I pressed harder, our teeth crashing and breaths gasping.
I pulled back, licking my lips, wanting to savor every ounce of her taste, and kept my gaze on her while her eyes remained closed.
Gently, I touched her chin. “Rule number one, Doe.”
She looked up at me.
“That’s my girl.”
The apples of her cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of pink, and I brushed my thumb across her jaw. “I will steal for you. I will kill for you. I will burn in hell for you…why?” I kissed her softly one more time then leaned my head against hers. “Because I love you.”
She stilled, her beautiful brown eyes focused on mine, disbelief painted across her face. “You…you love me?”
“I do. I love you so much, it consumes me to a point where I don’t know how to fucking breathe right.”
Her teeth grazed across her bottom lip. “No one has ever loved me before.”
“And no one will love you after.” I palmed her cheeks, forcing her to keep her gaze on mine. “Because there’s no way in hell I’d let anyone get that close to you.”
