by E. C. Land
Oh, fuck no. I’d rather die than carry some sick bastard’s child. I turn my head, ready to give him a piece of my mind, yet I’m held speechless. The man standing in front of me resembles Hades. Could this be an uncle? Cousin maybe? He doesn’t seem old enough to be an uncle, but you can never be sure.
“You like what you see, my beautiful sprite?” Booker says with a smirk on his face.
Narrowing my eyes, I refuse to answer.
“You hold true to what they say about redheads.” Chuckling, he moves in closer, brushing his chest against mine. I shiver at the touch. “I can’t wait to have my dick inside you,” he says, running a hand along the edge of my panties.
Nope, not happening. Drawing my head back, I spit directly in his face.
Take that, asshole.
Keeping my eyes on him, I watch as he steps back, lifting a hand to wipe the spit off his face. Then he smiles. He actually fucking smiles at me.
What the hell is wrong with these people?
“Charles, you can leave the room for now,” Booker says.
“Okay, call me if you need me. I’m gonna go have some fun with the bitch who helped us nab your Chosen,” Charles says, moving further away.
“You do that,” Booker calls out without taking his eyes off me.
The moment the door closes, Booker has his hands wrapped around my throat.
“I will not tolerate you being insubordinate, my little sprite. You think what Charles was doing with that whip hurt, just wait until I make you bleed. Now, let’s finish your punishment, then you and I will marry. Don’t worry, you won’t have to speak. Then we must leave. It’s a couple hours until home where I will sink my dick inside your pussy repeatedly until my seed takes,” he says, his voice filled with venom.
Releasing my throat, he steps back. “Spit in my face again, and I’ll be sure to send someone to put a bullet in my cousin’s brain,” he says. “Don’t think I don’t know everything you’ve been doing. Just like the little show you and he put on behind that bar yesterday. I must admit, I was ready to off him then, but the Dark Lord has other plans for him.”
Fear envelopes me, and I can’t help the way my body begins to shake violently. Who is this man?
A moment later, I feel the chains holding my arms loosen and it feels like pins are stabbing my shoulders. Has it been that long since they brought me in here?
Looking around the room, I find Booker holding a piece of sheer black garment in one hand and what looks like a leash in the other. He doesn’t think I’m gonna let him put those things on me, does he?
“Time to get ready, sprite,” he says, his evil smile back in place. “Remember, you don’t do as you’re told, I’ll make that call.” Booker removes the cuffs from around my wrists only to place a collar around my neck.
When will this nightmare end?
“Now, remove your bra and underwear,” Booker orders, stepping back to watch me.
Needing to protect Hades, I do as Booker says. With shaking hands, I unclasp my bra and slide my panties down my legs. As I go to cover myself with my hands, Booker stops me.
“Absolutely beautiful, my little sprite. Now, you’re gonna slip into this so we can get a move on.” He places the garment in my hands. Nodding, I quickly slip it on. I can at least pretend my body is covered by a sundress.
Yeah, not really, but I can try, right?
“Come, my Chosen.” Grabbing me by my wrist, he drags me from the room into another one where men were talking. The moment we entered, all the sounds in the room stopped. Well, besides the moaning of another woman. Glancing to my right, my eyes widen at a naked Susie Cue as she rides Charles’s dick. When she opens her eyes, she gives me a smirk like she’d won the prize. Another moan escapes her throat, yet she doesn’t take her eyes off me. Not even when Charles yanks her hair, drawing her back against him.
“It’s time leaders and followers alike let us bless this union between one of the vessels for the Dark Lord with the one of the five Chosen,” another man calls out.
“For she who is Chosen will deliver. For the vessel will allow our lord, the leader of darkness, to flow through them and plant his seed. Let this Chosen and vessel move forward as one in blood and son,” everyone in the room chants.
The man closest to us opens a box that holds the mark of their cult with the upside-down star and ram’s head. Reaching in, he pulls out a long scary-looking knife with black gems on it.
When I go to take a step back, arms surround me, holding me in a tight grip to keep me from moving. “Blood and son will unite you as one,” he says, bringing the knife against the skin of my stomach.
A hand covers my mouth, keeping me from screaming out in pain.
This movement was repeated several times until each of who I assume are the leaders' slices into my stomach, some deeper than others. The worst was when Booker took his turn. “For I am the vessel as you are my Chosen, blood and son will unite you to me,” he calls out. Lifting the blade, he runs it all the way down my stomach. Not even the hand covering my mouth could block the terror-filled scream I let out.
Through tear-filled eyes, I watch as Booker licks the blade free of my blood before handing it back to another man.
“You are now tied to me, and Susie over there did you a solid and signed your name to the marriage certificate, so you’re not only my Chosen but my wife. Now, come, it’s time for me to get you home where you belong,” Booker declares. Grabbing the end of the leash, he pulls on it and I all but fall to the floor.
Yet that doesn’t stop him from dragging me across the floor and out into the cold air. The further he drags me, the less hope I have in Hades or anyone else ever finding me again.
My only chance at escape is to end it altogether. I won’t be able to live with the pain this monster will cause.
29
Hades
It’s been two days since Emerson was taken. Two days of feeling nothing but pain consumes me. Everyone learned to stay the fuck away from me on the first day. Gadget was able to get the video feed from the coffee shop and come to find out, the woman who walked in behind them was Susie Cue. The stupid bitch that she is didn’t think to hide her face better.
I’d watched the video several times. From the moment my woman walked by the camera, smiling to the part where she exited the bathroom with Susie Cue behind her. I’m pretty sure with the way the bitch stood behind Emerson, she had something pressed to her back.
As much as we all wanted to be pissed at Mac for fucking up, he actually didn’t. Not intentionally. As many times as I’ve watched the footage, I’ve come to realize the whore knew exactly what she was doing. She made sure Mac had looked down at his shoes for a single second before making her exit, blocking Emerson from being seen from a regular angle.
Smart bitch, stupid mistake. A mistake she’d die for. You don’t take my family from me without repercussions.
“You okay, brother,” Horse asks as he sits down on the stool next to me.
“What do you think?” Grumbling, I lift my beer to my lips.
“I get it, Hades. We want to get her back as much as you do.” I know my brothers mean what they say. The ones with ol’ ladies, they’ve been through shit, though nothing compared to what Emerson is most likely going through. With them, we’d been able to find them. Not this time. These bastards are clever in hiding their tracks.
Gadget has been nonstop in his cave, working away at trying to find a lead. With them having taken Emerson, I’m sure, without a doubt, they haven’t gone all the way back to Fincastle. No, they’d have to be somewhere close enough they could watch for a chance to grab Ally and Lynsdey as well.
Ally hasn’t even spoken a word since coming back from the hospital. Not even to the other women. And I haven’t even made an attempt to speak.
My focus has been on trying to find Emerson.
“I think I may have found something,” Gadget calls out as he enters the main room.
Standing to my feet, I turn
to face him. “Where?” I demand
“I finally found Susie Cue. Tracked her down to a house back on Joyner’s Bridge Road,” he says.
I know the road he’s talking about. It’s one of the worst backroads in the area. Since moving here, we made sure to learn every road around. And this one has some of the sharpest curves. How ironic for them to be on that road. It’s known for the high rate of accidents causing deaths.
“What’s the house number?” I ask.
Soon as he tells me, I head for the door. I don’t have to look behind me to know my brothers are following. We’ve been waiting for this lead. It’s time these assholes meet the lord of the underworld. And I have no problem sending them to him.
I wasn’t surprised to find so many vehicles around. Climbing off my bike, I storm toward the front door. Not bothering to try the handle. Instead, I lift my foot, kicking the door in.
Stepping into the living room, my stomach turns at what I find. Men and a few women passed out on every available surface. White powder on tables next to straws. In the midst of them all lays Charles with none other than Susie Cue on top of him.
“Wake up, assholes,” I roar. Besides a slight startle and opening of their eyes, no one moves from their spots. “Where’s Emerson?”
Charles and several other men begin laughing maniacally.
“The Chosen is where she belongs,” Charles mumbles almost incoherently. I don’t know what else they might have in their system, but they’re all fucked up. However, I know from his words that Emerson isn’t here.
I’m too late.
Leaning down, I push the whore off Charles and lift him up by his throat.
“Gadget, you got them explosives?” Twisting my head, I meet my brother’s eyes.
“In my saddlebags,” he says, nodding his head toward the door.
“Good. Let’s take this one and Susie Cue here with us. The screams of the others burning will suffice for them. These two, though, I have something else I’d prefer.”
“Hades, you handle the fucker in your hands, and I’ll take the little whore,” Boss says as she moves from the back of the room.
“Don’t mind at all as long as she gets what she deserves,” I mutter.
“You can count on that. She’ll learn just how fucked she really is. Ricochet, you take her and put her wherever Hades wants. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands dirty due to a vindictive cunt.” Boss smirks as she lifts Susie Cue up off the floor by her hair and throws the bitch in Ricochet’s direction, though he moves back right as the whore begins to puke all over the floor.
“Damn, where’s a hazmat suit when you need one? This is just fuckin’ gross,” Burner grumbles.
“Fuck, this bitch better not have gotten it on my boots,” Ricochet mutters as he leans down and grabs Susie Cue by the arm and all but lifts her off the ground as he drags her out of the house.
With a hand wrapped around Charles’s throat, I use the other one to grab his wrist and frog march the asshole out of the house to the waiting van. Throwing him in the back, I turn toward the house just as Gadget comes forward.
“Everything’s set. All you gotta do is push the trigger. Just before you do, let’s get back. I don’t need to be going home missing any limbs,” he says, handing me the controller.
Moving to the end of the driveway, I turn back toward the house again.
“Burn in Hell where you belong,” I mutter as I press down on the trigger, watching the house engulf into flames.
Now to get back and find out who the hell has my woman.
30
Emerson
I’ve never known pain to be as excruciating as what I've endured the last few days. I thought the whip Charles took to my back was agonizing, but it has nothing on what Booker has done.
Booker has kept me chained naked except for my panties in the middle of his playroom, as he calls it. I prefer to call it what it is— a torture chamber. On each wall, he has everything from whips of all kinds to knives of different lengths. If you can think of it, he has it. The psycho even has a wall of terrariums full of different snakes, all venomous.
Booker’s done everything he could think of except for the one thing I truly fear—raping me.
Only reason for that being he’s waiting for one of his minions to come back with the lab results from the blood test he had taken yesterday. Booker didn’t want me to just pee on a stick. No, he wanted confirmation from a doctor.
Booker wants to make sure I’m not already carrying a child before he plants the Devil’s seed inside me. His words, not mine. I honestly pray to God I am so that he won’t, but then again, I don’t want to be because I know exactly what will happen. He’d make sure to kill the child before he even had a chance to develop.
So, while waiting for the results, Booker’s decided to take out his frustrations another way. By testing different ways he can hurt me. I’d almost prefer the whips and knives over having him release the snakes. I’m scared of snakes, ever since I was a little girl and one attacked me in the woods behind my parents’ house.
Now I’m faced with fighting off a copperhead and timber rattler. Both scary as shit. Booker opened their cages and walked out, saying, “Don’t worry. I have antivenom if they bite.”
I’m tempted to scream out for him, beg him to do anything else besides this. Anything but this. But I refuse to give in to him.
I know it’s hopeless now to think Hades and the club with find me, yet I won’t give up on getting away from this asshole. I’ll die first.
Though I haven’t figured out how I’ll make that happen. I’ve been stuck in this room, unable to do anything. I haven’t even been let out to use a proper bathroom. No, of course, Booker wouldn’t let me have any form of luxury. All I’ve had is a toilet seat to the side of the room to use. I’m only allowed to use it when Booker has released me to do so. It’s degrading at its finest.
A shiver goes up my spine as one of the two snakes slithers over my foot. Sucking in a breath, I do my best to keep from freaking out. They can sense fear. That’s what I’ve always been told. As long as I don’t panic, neither of them will attack me, right?
The opening of the door causes my heart to race even faster than it already is. There’s only one person who enters this room— Booker. He must be ready to ‘play’ some more.
God, what did I ever do to deserve this?
“Ahh, my beautiful sprite. You are quite the image standing there. My dick grows just looking at you.” Booker runs his hands along my body. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep the need to vomit down.
As he moves in closer, I realize my time is up. He’s going to get what he wants. “Soon as we have those lab results, I’ll have you either way. I should sink inside you now, but as it stands, I must know for sure if you are pregnant by my cousin,” Booker conveys.
Swallowing back my fear, I glance up at him. “What will you do if I’m already pregnant?” I ask.
“I’ll have no choice but to destroy the abomination. You’re meant to only carry the child of our Dark Lord, and no others will be accepted upon your body. Now, I’m going to gather the snakes up and put them away. While I do so, I’ll let you decide which toy we shall play with next,” he states as if he didn’t just say that my potential child is an abomination.
Closing my eyes, I say a prayer, to who I have no clue. Evidently, no one is listening, but I do it anyway. As much as I’d love to carry a child by Hades, I pray I’m not pregnant.
An instant later, I cry out as pain shoots through my body from my leg. Glancing down, I find the copperhead has sunk its teeth into my ankle. Oh shit.
“Now look what has happened. Seems my copperhead has taken a liking to you as well, my little sprite.” Laughter fills the room as Booker moves in to grab the snake with the hook in his hand to put the damn thing in its terrarium.
Once he has both in their own areas, he closes the cage and moves back to me. “Have you chosen which one you want yet?”
/> Shaking my head, I whimper from the pain that is radiating from my leg.
“Well, then, I guess I will pick for you. Who knows, maybe if you do good and scream for me, I’ll give you the antivenom for that bite,” Booker remarks, trailing a hand along my skin to my neck where he squeezes my throat. “And just so we’re clear, you will be screaming.”
Releasing my throat, he steps over to his whips. I’m sure I can already guess which one he's going for. Seems to be one of his favorites, considering he’s already used it to riddle my back with the scratches.
“My beautiful sprite, are you ready to scream for me now?” Booker calls out as he moves to stand behind me.
I brace myself for the impact as I hear the thing whip through the air. When it makes contact, I can’t hold back the scream as it tears into my back. Booker didn’t go for the ones he’s used previously. No, he’s gone for the one that will indeed kill me if the venom from the copperhead doesn’t take me first.
31
Hades
The moment we got back to the clubhouse, all of us piled into the shed. It’s time to get these two talking. The longer it takes to find my woman, the more I feel myself slipping. If I can’t find her soon, I’ll end up flipping the switch and never coming back. I’m lost without Emerson.
As Burner and Rage hang Charles in the middle of the shed from the grappling hook, I grin at his screams.
“Not so much fun when you’re the one on the receiving end of things, is it?” I chuckle, making my way toward the table of tools we use when needing to extract information from someone.
Boss steps up next to me. “I’m going first. I want this motherfucker to watch what we do to his little helper,” she says, reaching for the bat I’d designed with barbed wire wrapped around it.
