by Dani René
My chest aches, but the pain between my legs is like nothing compared to anything I’ve ever felt. Rolling over, I curl into a ball and hug my thighs to my chest. It’s the only way I have some relief, but even then, there’s no escape from the nightmares I know will follow. My eyes flutter, and I sadly allow sleep to steal me.
The creak of the door, the echo of metal upon the concrete wakes me. My body is still curled into a ball. When I move, every muscle tightens.
“Wake up.”
The voice isn’t that of my captor, and my heart sinks. It’s not even his brother. When I finally manage to turn around, I find green eyes peering at me. It’s my captor’s friend. I’m not sure what his name is, but they both came to me on my first day here.
“You’re going with me today.” He smiles. It’s a friendly gesture, but a cold pit of dread sits in my stomach at his words.
“Where . . . where am I going?”
“Today you’re going to see what Drake can do,” he informs me. That must be my captor. It would make sense if he and Dante are brothers, twins. Dante warned me last night he was the bad one, the violent one. I can only pray Drake is not as volatile.
“And Drake is Dante’s brother?” He nods. “So, where is Drake taking me today?”
He stares at me for a moment, as if he’s trying to figure out if he should tell me what’s going to happen or not. I can’t deny the fear trickling through my veins. Those green eyes hold far too many secrets as they linger on me.
“Drake is the second in command. Dante, third.” He sighs, pulling a long white dress from the bag he’d been holding when he entered.
“And you?”
“I’m the foot soldier, sweet thing,” he smirks. I notice then how handsome he is. When he’s serious, those tattoos snaking up his neck from the white collar of his shirt make him look scary. But it’s his dimpled smile that makes him seem less intimidating.
“You’re only their lackey? Seems a bit strange. You and Drake looked like friends,” I observe, causing him to stop at the foot end of the bed. He doesn’t respond, merely throws the dress on the mattress.
“Get up, you’ll need a shower before you go out there. I’ll bring you something to wear as well.” His gaze takes me in, sizing me up in the dirty clothes I’m wearing. “Tonight, you need to look perfect.”
I silently take the material and slide it over my half-naked frame. The slight warmth it offers is welcome, but I know it won’t last long. Comfort in this place is short-lived.
“I’ll bring you food, and then I’ll take you to him.”
The man turns to leave, but I call to him, “What’s your name, foot soldier?”
He drags his gaze over to me slowly, pinning me with a curious stare, and I’m certain he won’t offer me his name. But then he smiles. “My name is River.”
“I like that.” I grin in return, and for the first time since I’ve been in here, I find light within the darkness.
“Don’t mistake my smile for friendship, sweet thing,” he says, twisting the handle on the door. “I’m not one of the nice men. Actually, this place doesn’t have anyone nice you can befriend. It’s best you don’t become attached,” he sighs. “Especially to Drake.”
He leaves me wondering what he meant. How can I become attached to a man I don’t know? A man who’s most likely going to hurt me? Make me cry? Is that how he likes it? How he gets off?
I sit in silence and wait for my food to arrive, but even though River has given me a few answers, it’s only unlocked so many more questions than I had before.
7
Drake
The room I’m in is lit with candlelight. I’m always reminded of the first time I was brought here. The nightmares that followed have never left me. Even though it’s been years, I still see the images in my mind. They’re ingrained behind my lids, and I know I’ll forever be scarred.
But today, I have a job to do. The beast that resides within me is hungry. It’s been a while since my father has allowed me to sate it. I’m looking forward to this pretty toy to feast on.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. The gentle scent of lavender and eucalyptus hangs in the air. It’s meant to be calming, but nothing about what I’m about to do will calm the beautiful Caia.
The tumbler sitting on the glass table is half filled with amber liquid that glimmers in the flames. I needed time to prepare, and now that she’s on her way with River, I feel as if it’s my first time.
I turn on the stereo. “Silence” by Beethoven greets me through the speakers, and I close my eyes to the melody of the piano. So ironic that soon there’ll be no silence in this room.
The beast inside me roars to life when the door clicks open and I inhale her. The scent of this girl lingers as she enters and exits a space. There are many vices in my life that I allow to rule over me, but this need for her, it’s something I can’t contain for too much longer.
I turn to her. She’s dressed in the white dress I asked River to give her. Purity. So fucking innocent. Too bad I want to tear her apart with my teeth. I hunger to drench that material in crimson.
I lift the tumbler to my lips, tipping my head toward my best friend who looks at me with sadness, knowing what I have to do. He leaves. We’re alone then, Caia and me. She glances my way, unsure, nervous, yet there’s a flicker of indignation in her pretty eyes.
She offers a smile, which shoves me off kilter for a second before I right my stance and set the glass on the counter behind me.
“Sit.” I gesture at the chair positioned perfectly where I need it. Silently, she obeys me, and I can’t help smiling. Such a good girl.
Her hands are splayed on her thighs, her legs pinched together, and her long, dark hair hangs down her back in a sleek braid. River always ensures the toys are perfectly made up for me.
There isn’t an ounce of make-up on her face, and I’m happy for that. I hate those fucking dolls that look fake when they’re crying as I use them. Father was adamant that she’s to remain a virgin. He told me to see if I can shatter her defiance, and I know that anything I do to her in here will not do that. She’s far too strong. But I’ll gladly give it a good try.
Her gaze finds mine. There’s a plea in those wide eyes. No, darling, tonight, you’ll not shock me like you did last night.
“Why am I here?” she finally questions. I find that most times, if you leave them in silence for long enough, they’ll break.
“You’re here to learn, little bird,” I tell her. Unbuttoning my suit coat, I shrug it off. Feeling her gaze roam over me, I turn and set the jacket on the chair. When I face her, she’s staring at me, her lips slightly parted.
“And is my learning meant to make this ordeal easier?”
I consider her question for a moment. Would it? Perhaps. Stalking toward the bar, I grab the Scotch along with a small glass, which I fill to the brim. I set the drink before her on the table and straighten.
“Drink that,” I command, watching her eyes narrow with suspicion. Fuck. This girl is utterly intoxicating, more so than the alcohol I’ve consumed.
“I’m eighteen.”
“I don’t give a fuck. I said drink it,” I bite out, my teeth clenched so tight it feels as if I’m about to crack them.
The song changes, and we’re met with the melodic sounds of Lucas King, classic, dark, and haunting. Caia lifts the glass, sniffing the contents before scrunching up her nose in disgust.
“I don’t have all day.”
She glares at me but swallows the shot in one grimacing gulp. When she sets the glass down, she sits back once more, waiting on me to make my move.
“Rise. Take off your dress.” My gaze roams her as she discards the material that was covering her body from my view. A shiver trails over her, and I know she’s feeling the heat of my stare violating her.
“Drake,” she utters my name, causing my body to heat at the word alone. Just hearing her say it in her sweet voice has my slacks tightening. “Please, this isn’t
you. I know it isn’t.”
They all plead for their lives. Each one of them wants to go free, wants to be saved by the knight in shining armor.
Sadly, I’m not him.
I’m the beast that will devour them piece by piece.
I stalk around the chair where she’s sitting. Her gaze following me, but by the time I’m behind her, I feel the absence of her stare.
Leaning in, I place my lips at her ear and whisper, “There’s nothing, and I mean nothing, that will prepare you for what you’ll experience in here.”
She pulls in a sharp gasp, and I wonder if it’s from my words or my warm breath on her sensitive flesh.
“There is no escape. There is no getting out,” I tell her. It’s the truth. There is no way I can lie to her, because for some unknown fucking reason, this girl has gotten under my skin.
“Do you truly believe that?” she asks without looking over her shoulder at me but twisting her hands in her lap.
“I do, little raven.”
She’s silent for a moment before she responds, “You hurt me last night.” Her confession burns through me. Every inch of my skin is aflame with rage, but I tamper it down. I’m angry at myself for losing control, but I feel no guilt when the memory of how her mouth felt on my dick assaults me.
I know I’m not allowed to do anything to the girls unless father instructs us, but Caia has a hold on me. A dangerous fucking grip.
“What exactly did I do that you didn’t want?” My question is raspy at best, and I hope she doesn’t hear the need in my voice. The desire that she innocently elicits from me.
“You shoved your cock into my throat. You were violent.”
Hearing her utter those filthy words only serves to make me harder. The image of seeing her choke on my dick makes me throb in my boxers.
“Did it make you wet, little bird?” I question. “Because if it did, I’d certainly enjoy doing that to you again.”
“I puked, and no, I did not enjoy it.” Her biting remark makes me chuckle. “Are you going to hurt me now?”
“You’re not here for me to hurt,” I tell her. “The pretty ones are to be savored.” I pull out the sleek blade and bring it around so she can see it. “This here is what we’re going to play with.”
“Please, Drake,” she begs again, her voice timid, lower than it was moments ago when she was sassing me.
“I like this part, Caia,” I tell her. “When you’re scared, your pupils dilate, and those pretty lips part as your breaths come hard and fast.”
I smile as she shivers, the cold metal trailing over her bared tits. The sharpness evident in the way it scrapes against her flesh. When I reach her belly button, the tip presses inside. But I’m careful. I know how to use this to either harm or to toy with someone.
“If you move, it will cut you,” I warn her. “Be a good girl and stay very still for me.” My movements are slow, meticulous, as I reach her panties and slice them from her hips. On either side they fall away. “Open your legs.”
She does, and her cunt is bared to me. Beautiful and smooth.
“Oh, darling,” I murmur. “How I’d love to eat you right now. Would you like that?” I don’t wait for her to respond. “I’d dip my tongue into your tight hole and lick your juices.”
She gasps when I nick her with the blade. Watching the sweet crimson drip from the mound of her breast. In a slow trail, it finds her nipple, stopping on the peak, and I lean forward, my tongue lapping at the metallic liquid.
Our gazes lock, the fear in hers sates my beast. It feeds him like never before. It’s addicting, not because I enjoy this, but because it’s her. She’s everything. Her beauty is my tranquility.
The piano plays in the background as I continue trailing my mouth over her flesh. She shivers when I dip my tongue into her belly button. But she watches every moment of my travels. When I finally get to her cunt, I shove her legs open, pressing the knife against the smooth lips, and I wonder just how pretty it would look if my cock was sliding into her in that moment.
I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t make her feel good. But her flavor on my tongue is the only thing I can think about. I near her pussy, inhaling her scent, and I know I’m never going to be able to hurt her.
Fuck.
“Tell me your name,” I question her. Not moving my face, keeping it near her entrance.
“Caia Amoretto,” she confesses in a fearful whisper.
The realization dawns on me when I look up at her from my position between her thighs. She’s the one stolen for my father’s ultimate job. The music reaches a crescendo, and I breathe her in once more.
I never saw myself as a savior.
I never saw myself as a knight.
But with her beauty, with her name, with everything she is, I’m going to steal her from my father.
I rise, lean in, find her lips, and meld them with mine. She whimpers when my tongue darts into her warmth, licking and tasting the sweet flavor mixed with the spice of the alcohol she consumed, and I’m addicted.
“Caia,” I whisper along her lips. “You’ve been stolen for a reason.”
“Please help me.”
Her gaze pierces mine as mine searches hers. I’m eager to have my body against hers, to feel her pulse and tighten, to have her soul entwine with mine, but it’s far too dangerous to show I care.
I grip her throat, lifting her from the chair as she flails in my arms. Shock on her features make me smile. As much as I want her, I’m also a sadistic bastard. I shove her against the wall, pressing my body tightly against hers.
“I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to take your virginity and own it. And when I do, you’ll be mine.”
“Then do it.” Her challenge burns through me. “I don’t want them to have it. Please?”
“Hearing you beg me to do it makes me even harder for you. It makes me want to rip into you and make you cry,” I utter, and while the words leave my lips, I’m shoving my slacks down, my cock in my fist, and I’m driving into her tight cunt, causing her to cry out from the pain of her hymen tearing as I rip into her.
My hips don’t slow. I don’t offer her a kiss or kind words. I take it. I fucking own her body, and she lets me. Her nails rake down my neck as she holds on, but she doesn’t beg me to stop.
All she does is hold me hostage with her gaze.
And as good as she feels, I know I’ve truly fucked up now.
8
Caia
Once he’s found release, he sets me down slowly. He’s almost gentle in the way he touches me. Nothing like moments before when he took my virginity.
“That should never have happened,” he tells me without meeting my gaze. Those blue orbs are dark as he stares into the distance. Lost in his own world.
“Then it didn’t.” My words cause him to snap those eyes to mine. “It’s done. You’ve taken it; they can’t own it.”
“And I can’t own you.” His counter response does something to my heart. The ache in my chest isn’t something I’d like to admit to because I shouldn’t feel anything for him. But I do.
“You can leave.”
“I can’t,” he says, pulling at the shirt he was wearing. I watch his fingers button the material, closing off his toned torso to my hungry view.
“Then you’ll stay in this hell with the devil beckoning you to do vile things?” My question stills him from pouring two drinks, his hand gripping the crystal decanter, and I’m certain if he doesn’t ease up, it will shatter.
“There are things at play here that you know nothing about, little raven.” He smirks, filling each shot glass with amber liquid. “Drink this.” He hands one to me with a smile that makes my heart stutter.
I take the offered glass and gulp the liquid down in one burning swallow. Tonight shouldn’t have happened, but in a way, I’m glad it did. He’s taken the one thing they wanted from me, and now, he owns it. And deep down, I know he owns me too.
“I have many secrets, Caia,” Drake
says sadly as he settles in the wingback chair. “But there are many others who know about them. If I leave, I break promises to people I love.”
“Love?”
He chuckles at my raised brow and sips on the alcohol. I set my glass down, then turn to him once more, wanting his blue-eyed gaze on me. It’s as if when he takes it away, I am cold, empty.
“I never thought a monster could love,” I tell him, goading him to say something, or to do something. I don’t know why, but I need it. In this moment, I crave his touch.
“No, you’re right.” He rises, stalking toward me, causing me to falter and step backward. He’s beautiful in his darkness. It shrouds him as if it’s attempting to consume him. When he reaches me, my back hits the wall. The same wall he’d just pinned me against. “You see, little bird” — he leans in, our bodies inches from each other — “my life is not filled with sunshine. Hell, it doesn’t even have a glimmer of light.” Hs words feather over my skin, making me shiver. “But I’ve accepted it. Just as you’ve accepted your fate.”
“How do you know I have?” Lifting my eyes to his, I find questions dancing in the waves of blue.
“Because you asked me to take what you held onto for so long.” It’s as if I should’ve known this would be his answer. “No matter what happens here,” he breathes, allowing the heat of his breath to tickle the sensitive skin on my neck. “You’ll always be mine.”
9
Drake
She’s been here for two weeks. She’s survived every fucking method of torture, and she’s still fighting. I know he’s angry, raging that this little girl isn’t shattering for him. And soon, she will. He’ll pull out all the stops.
My gaze trails over her. There’s blood everywhere. She’s sleeping, passed out from the pain. I sit at her bedside, my fingertips tracing the scars on her back, on her ass, and down to her feet. The skin the same color as porcelain is bright red with welts. Crimson still drips from the open wounds, and I wonder just how well she did in there.
