Devil’s Sinner: Fallen Dynasty Book 3

by Starling, Isabella

My pride and my fears battled in my mind as I regarded my father's broken figure on the floor. My need for Violet had driven me to do this - to hurt my own Dad, the man who raised me, my fucking blood. Now, he was offering me a helping hand - an alliance.

  "Temporary," I spoke up. "Only temporary. Until I get Violet back."

  "Of course." My father put out the cigarette and tossed it on the floor. "How much do you need?"

  Since the beginning, everything had been about money. And as I uttered the magic number, I felt shame burning my cheeks. "I promised somebody - who I thought was you - a hundred million for her safe return."

  My father furrowed his brows, saying, "You don't have that kind of money, Devlin."

  "No, I don't," I said. "I'm liquidating my share in the company to get it."

  "No need to do that." He waved his hand nonchalantly, as if the astronomically high amount meant nothing to him. "I'll cover it. You don't have to liquidate anything."

  I struggled with my reply. The two little words I should have said - thank you - were right on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. But my father didn't push me. Instead, he picked himself up from the ground, giving me an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

  And just like that, the tension that had been between us for decades crumbled away. At that moment, we were just a father and son, and nothing else mattered.

  "Thank you." The words left my lips effortlessly this time, filling the room with unexpected warmth.

  "Of course. What else are fathers for?" My father lay a hand on my shoulder and gave me a confident smile. "Now come on. Let's get this bastard."

  Twelve

  Violet

  My room at Sloane Manor was comfortable, and I would have even said it was nice, if I wasn’t there to sell my soul to a new Master. Connor Peterson. My sister’s husband. Submissive boy to Winter Sloane. A man who wanted to hurt me and ravage my body--if he could even last that long. But he wasn’t the only one who was going to own me. He was going to get what he wanted, but behind him, Winter was really pulling the strings. She was going to be the one who really owned me, because Connor did everything she said, no matter how vile or disgusting it seemed.

  I pulled the blanket tight around my body and tried to focus on what was important. I had to escape--I had to find a way to get free. I didn’t know how long it would take me, but that mission would always be on the forefront of my thoughts. If Winter was responsible for what happened to my father, then I would find proof before I left--that would make my torment bearable. Hope. It had kept going for so long. I just needed a little more.

  If this blows up in my face, I have to believe Devlin will honor that agreement. I know he cares about me now. I didn’t the day I left, but if he was willing to sell off his empire to get me back, then I was foolish not to trust him--the devil was the only one who was looking out for my best interests.

  It was still hard to bring balance to my love for the boy I was fascinated with as a child and the devil that Devlin became, but they were one in the same. He wanted my submission, but the things he did to me had a purpose--they made me stronger. Maybe that was what it was always about. I had to stop being a spoiled little rich girl and be a woman strong enough to stand on my own two feet. Devlin transformed me through pain, passion and humiliation, but without that--I would have cracked and signed Connor’s contract the instant I felt the ropes burn my wrists.

  Devlin taught me to endure, and I’m going to need every bit of that for what lies ahead.

  “Ms. Cabot.” The woman who escorted me to my room earlier opened my door and walked in. “I have a dress for you to wear tonight. You can try it on right after your bath.”

  “Okay…” I nodded aimlessly as she left the room.

  The dress--the bath--getting ready. It brought back memories of the day I sold my soul to the devil. The difference was that I actually did want Devlin to own me, deep down, where I was afraid to admit it--even to myself. There was no thrill in what was going to happen to me at the hands of Winter and Connor. Neither one of them were attractive or desirable. One was a succubus. The other was a pathetic excuse to his gender.

  I had no problem with Connor’s kinks, but they collided with his vows, and were going to take the piece of my innocence Devlin left behind. The thought of being touched by Connor sickened me, and it was hard to keep my sanity in check when I thought about Winter doing things to me that could be even worse than Connor’s twisted desires. I wondered what my sister really thought of her husband. Was she a willing partner, or trapped like me?

  “Ms. Cabot?” Another woman opened my door--she appeared to be a maid--younger and friendlier looking than the woman who escorted me to my room.

  “Yes?” I turned my head in her direction.

  “Mistress Sloane thought you would like to have a snack before your meeting.” The maid pushed the door open and rolled a cart into my room.

  “Thank you…” I replied on instinct, but immediately wondered why I was thanking anyone due to my current predicament.

  As soon as the maid left, I walked over and lifted the cover from the food. There was an assortment of cheeses, breads, and a sliced apple. I was immediately reminded of how long it had been since I ate. Days? Weeks? It was hard to know how much time I spent in the darkness. I pulled the cart over to the bed, sat down, and started to devour the food--no regard for the manners I was taught--no regard for the grape juice that ran from the edge of my lips. I washed it down with water--sweet sustenance--everything on the tray tasted like manna from heaven with a glass of euphoria.

  I felt so much better after I ate, but my stomach quickly began to ache. I overdid it, but I didn’t care--I needed it too much. With one need met, another arose. I was absolutely filthy. I walked into the bathroom and started running a bath. I would have enjoyed the water under different circumstances, but there was no comfort--just a need to wash the dirt away.

  My ass and thighs hurt when the water touched them, but I swallowed the pain and simply scrubbed away the filth. My skin. My fingernails. My hair. Everything from the musty old room turned black in the water before it went down the drain. I was sure some blood joined it, but the water was too dark for me to tell.

  After my bath, I stretched out on the bed and closed my eyes for a moment. It felt so soft--I wasn’t even sure I would feel a bed again after being alone in that musty room for so long. I pulled the blanket around my body, and It felt like my eyes were only closed for a second, but then my door opened and I was startled awake.

  “I’ve come to take a look at your injuries.” It was an older man with white hair and thick glasses. “I’m a doctor.”

  “Okay.” I nodded and sat up, but kept the blanket around my body.

  “I’ve been told your wrist is the main thing I need to check.” He had a soft voice--calm and relaxing--the kind that made you want to trust him.

  “Probably so…” I pushed my arm out from underneath the blanket.

  “That’s going to get infected.” He sighed and leaned forward. “Can I touch your arm?”

  “Um--yes.” I nodded.

  It was strange to have someone ask permission--it had been so long since anyone had. The doctor didn’t seem like he belonged in Sloane Manor. He didn’t look like he was evil, or the kind of person who would associate with Winter Sloane, but I reminded myself that looks could easily be deceiving. I thought Connor was a good guy the day my sister married him--he pretended to be a man when he was on his knees as a boy for his so-called Mistress.

  “It may scar, but I think I can treat it without taking you to the hospital. Let me get my things…” The doctor stood up and left the room.

  I had to stifle a laugh. Winter wouldn’t have let him take me to the hospital, even if he thought I needed to go. I almost considered trusting the doctor--just telling him I was a prisoner and begging him to remember his Hippocratic Oath. I was just too scared.

  He returned with a satchel that looked like the traveling med
icine bags I used to see in old movies I watched with my sister when we were younger. He unrolled a piece of canvas that had slots for all of his tools. My eyes were immediately drawn to one of them--a scalpel. That was the closest thing to a weapon I had seen since my arrival at Sloane Manor that wasn’t attached to a guy way too big for me to take down on my own--but with a scalpel--I might be able to get out of Winter’s twisted funhouse a lot faster than I originally thought.

  What if I don’t take advantage of this--don’t try. I may not get another chance for days--weeks--months.

  The doctor cleaned the wounds on my injured wrist and bandaged it. I let him inspect the other one. It didn’t need anything other than a little cleaning and a smaller bandage. He was finishing up. My mind was spinning. I had to find a way to get that scalpel.

  “Doctor…” I exhaled sharply. “Is there anything you can do about this?”

  I lowered the blanket and rolled towards him so he could see the marks on my ass and upper thighs. The result of Connor’s cruelty--the switch that I was whipped with until the wood splintered.

  “Oh my.” He blinked a couple of times--I doubted he was shocked by my naked body, but the marks gave him pause.

  “I was a bad girl, doctor--but it still hurts.” I remembered the pouty, spoiled rich girl I used to be, and dove headfirst into her headspace.

  “I--yes, I should be able to do something.” He cleared his throat and reached for his medicine bag.

  The distraction was what I needed. The moment he leaned over to get a closer look, my arm stretched out until I was able to palm the scalpel. I liberated the thin surgical tool from the pocket it was stored in on his canvas bag and folded part of the bedspread over it. He didn’t notice.

  “I will have to ask again if I can touch you, miss…” He held up the tube of ointment he used to sooth my other wounds.

  “Yes, doctor. That will be fine.” I nodded.

  The doctor rubbed ointment on my ass, upper thighs, and I could tell it made him uncomfortable. He was obviously not the kind of man that was used to treating women who were so clearly abused. Maybe I could have trusted him, but I couldn’t be sure. The only thing I could be sure of was the scalpel I took and what kind of damage it could do in my hand. I was becoming a person I didn’t recognize, but willing to go as far into the darkness as I had to if necessary.

  “Okay, I think that is all I can do.” The doctor pulled off his gloves and deposited them in a biohazard bag. “I’m going to tell Ms. Sloane that I should treat you again in a week--I’m sure she will agree with my assessment.”

  “Thank you.” I pulled the blanket around my body and scooted over towards the scalpel.

  I’ll probably have a whole lot of new injuries for him to treat by then if Winter was serious about the things she intends to do to me--I had no reason to believe she wasn’t.

  “You won’t say anything about this, will you doctor?” I tilted my head slightly.

  “No ma’am.” He shook his head and winked at me. “Ms. Sloane pays me enough to keep her secrets. I’ve been doing that longer than you’ve been alive.”

  It was an act. Fine. I got what I need…

  In an instant, all of the trust that I thought I had for the doctor evaporated. He was an accomplice, not a kind old man as he originally appeared. Maybe it was a test--maybe Winter wanted to see if I would spill everything to the first person who treated me kindly and beg for help. I was glad I resisted the urge and trusted my gut. There was no kindness in Sloane Manor--just wolves who would devour a sheep with a smile on their face.

  I put on the dress that I was supposed to wear and sat on the bed, simply waiting for the door to open again. When it finally did, I saw the maid who seemed nice--but I reminded myself that the doctor seemed nice too. If she worked at Sloane Manor, she had turned a blind eye to cruelty, so I had to treat her like an enemy.

  “Are you finished, Ms. Cabot?” The maid motioned to the tray.

  “Yes.” I nodded. “You can take it away.”

  My heart started beating hard in my chest and my stomach twisted into a knot. I wasn’t a violent person, but I had to be if I wanted to get out of Sloane Manor. I wanted to stay--wanted to find out if Winter was responsible for what happened to my father--but that information would be useless if I didn’t have a way to use it. The opportunity presented itself in the form of the scalpel, I would be a fool not to take it. I doubted I would be able to hide it in my room for long with so many people coming in-and-out.

  It may be now or never.

  “I’m sorry…” I sighed and wrapped my fingers around the handle.

  “For what, Ms.--” Before she had a chance to finish my name, I grabbed her hair and pressed the scalpel to her neck. Fear flooded her eyes immediately. “Wait--please!”

  “I’m not going to kill you.” I gritted my teeth and made sure she felt the tip of the blade. “If you do exactly what I say.”

  “Please don’t hurt me!” The fear turned to absolute terror--I knew that look, but I didn’t know how to beg anymore.

  “Take off your clothes.” I narrowed my eyes. “Now!”

  “Yes ma’am…” Tears flooded her eyes and she started trying to undress with the scalpel pressed to her neck.

  I didn’t know how much time I had, but every second was critical. As soon as the maid stripped off her uniform, I carefully cut strips off the dress I was wearing without letting go of her hair. She willingly gave me her arms so I could tie them and didn’t protest when I gagged her.

  “Get in bed.” I motioned to it and she complied.

  I covered her with the blanket. Would it work? I had no idea. I just wanted to give the illusion I was in my room if anyone opened the door. I put on the maid’s clothes and while I was a size smaller than her, they still fit well enough for me to walk through the mansion without looking out of place. I rolled my cart outside and kept my head down. I assumed Winter had cameras--not in my room like Devlin did if nobody came running the instant I attacked the maid.

  This looks like it may be more complicated than I realized.

  There were a number of workers in Sloane Manor and two guys by the front door. I definitely wasn’t going out that way, but there had to be a way for the staff to come and go--a back entrance--a door in the kitchen--something. I just didn’t know how to get there. I cursed myself for not asking the maid for directions as I pushed the cart down the hallway.

  She had to get this cart to this floor somehow. An elevator? Probably not in plain view--not for someone as conceited as Winter.

  I started checking rooms and eventually found what I was looking for--a room with a closed door that was most empty except for some cleaning supplies and a small service elevator. I pulled the cart into the elevator and hit the button for the bottom floor. I prayed I wouldn’t step off in front of people who would sound the alarm, but it seemed like the only option I had.

  I barely drew a breath when I got to the bottom floor, and when the doors opened, I saw an empty hallway. A long sigh of relief escaped my lips as I ditched the cart and moved towards the only source of commotion I heard. There was a back door, just as I thought, but there were several workers that were sure to notice me. The best option I had was to lay low and wait for it to thin out some--hopefully before the maid that I tied up was discovered.

  Fuck, there are way too many people here…

  I saw a maid walking towards me, so I ducked into a side room. A second later, someone else walked by. I needed to find another part of the house to hide in until I could make a break for it. I quickly moved down the hallway and suddenly--my attention was drawn to someone--Winter’s voice, followed by Connor’s voice. They were talking about me. I pressed myself flat against the wall and scooted closer to the source of the conversation--a room that looked like an office. I found a vantage point where I could see them without them noticing me.

  “Mistress, I can’t thank you enough for this gift.” Connor’s smile was so big--almost comical. “Violet
is finally going to be mine--all mine.”

  “Ours.” Winter corrected him. “You’ll get to have your fun, but your property is my property--never forget that.”

  “Of course, Mistress.” Connor nodded. “It’s hard not to be excited.”

  “Sweet boy.” Winter walked up and put her hand on his cheek. “I promised you that you would have her if you did what I said--I always make sure my sweet little boys get what they want.”

  “You’re so good to me, Mommy.” He bent forward and leaned his head against her hand, then he began to coo like a child. “I waited so long… I resisted for so long…”

  “You never take until it belongs to you.” She kissed his forehead. “The pieces had to fall into place before we could make this move. Now they have…”

  “Anything for you, Mistress.” He let out a sound that was almost babyish. “You’re the best Mommy ever.”

  These people need serious help, but I’m not a therapist. I just need to find a way out of here…

  “Just remember.” Winter’s tone stiffened and she gripped Connor’s ear with her fingernails until he let out a whimper. “This is the end of the Cabots. That whore will never have a child by you--or else I’ll cut it out while you watch.”

  “Ow, Mistress--yes Mistress.” Connor squirmed but made no effort to free himself from Winter. “I made sure Georgia could never have children. I’ll do the same with Violet…”

  “Good boy.” Winter released her grip on his ear.

  What does that mean? What did he do to my sister?

  “The call should be coming in any moment.” Winter sighed. “Get the software ready.”

  “Yes, Mistress.” Connor nodded.

  The phone rang and when Winter answered, her voice was distorted by the computer she was talking into. It came out garbled and robotic. My pulse began to race when I realized Devlin was on the other end of the line. I thought about bursting into the room and yelling for him--screaming even--but I had no idea if that would work. If the two of them felt threatened, they might actually kill me. I might be able to take out Winter on my own, but not Connor. He was still big and imposing, even if he was Winter’s little boy at the snap of her fingers--or a twist of his ear.