Holding the small bouquet of violets, I approached the columbarium. The wall held a string of dully glowing plaques, naming the cremated deceased and the dates of their lives.
I approached slowly, feeling a weight suddenly pressing on my shoulders with every step. I knew they were dead. God, I had been there the night they had been murdered. But I hadn’t thought I’d have a chance to see this side of their death. The aftermath. The burial. The graves.
I finally reached the wall and found the small plate on middle left of the wall.
Here lies Eric and Carolina Madewell
and their beloved children, Sophia and Liam Madewell
Love Beyond All Measure Will Keep Us Together
Scalding tears fell unheedingly down my cheeks as I read the inscription. So we had been buried all together. As a family.
Love beyond all measure will keep us together.
That was mom. That was definitely all mom’s doing. Perhaps in their will, mom had specified which quote she would like to be put on their plaque. Of course, I doubted she thought she’d be sharing that plaque with her children as well.
There was a little hook by the size of the plaque. I gently placed the violets in the hook with shaky hands.
Would it never cease to overwhelm me? I had literally come back from the dead after seeing my family murdered. And yet, standing in front of their graves, I could barely keep myself together. It seemed another level of real to see my vibrant mother and my strong father wrapped up in this tiny little niche.
But my sadness was soon overshadowed by my anger. They hadn’t just died. They had been taken from me. They had been tortured and brutally murdered. God knows how Liam had died. I had thought about asking this demon version of Liam several times about Liam’s death. But I had been too scared. I didn’t think my heart could take the knowledge.
I’m so sorry, Liam, for whatever pain or horror you went through. That sweet, funny stepbrother of mine. He had deserved so much more.
Love beyond all measure will keep us together.
Except it wouldn’t. Not anymore.
It would all end soon. Lawson would be at his Hamptons estate this weekend. And there, I would end his life with my own bare hands. But in doing so, I would also be ending mine as well.
But this time, there would be no chance at that airless limbo space. There would be no chance for heaven or even hell. I had traded in my soul, my eternity, to find justice for my family.
But that’s not what I would want, sweetheart, I heard my mother say in my mind. My sweet, loving mother. I had always wondered how she had ended up with a reformed gangster as a husband. But whenever I would ask that of my dad, he would laugh and say, “And just who do you think was there doing the reforming?”
I know, mom, I replied silently. But it’s what I want.
Nothing can be changed. We will still be gone. Don’t let anger consume you, honey. Be at peace. Be at peace and be with us.
I shook my head. My tears slowly dried on my cheeks. No, that’s something I can’t do. There is no peace without justice. He will pay. I will make him pay.
It’s not worth it, I could hear my mom plead. You are worth more than our justice. You are worth more than this rage.
I sighed. I put my hand against the cold plaque, wishing with all my heart I could give my mother one last hug, one last kiss. I hadn’t even been able to hold her as she had died.
And no one had been left to hold me as I had died.
Maybe not, mom. Maybe I’m not worth more. My anger, my howling rage, it was something that burned so deep within me. I could not conceive of letting it go. To ask of me that was to ask me to let go of half my body. It couldn’t be done. One was sustained by the other.
I know the choice I made, the sacrifice. I realize what this means for me in the end. It meant I would never be with them again. Love beyond all measure would not keep all of us together any longer.
I kissed my fingers then pressed my hand against the cold plaque.
I’ll love you always and forever. No matter where or how far I am, I will always love you, mom, dad.
Liam.
***
A cool breeze off the lake washed over me. I closed my eyes, letting it soothe me.
I stood, barefoot on the dock behind the house. I remembered playing here often in the summers as a kid. I would jump into the lake and swim as far as I could, thinking if I swam far enough, I could somehow reach Europe and meet a princess.
But then I’d get tired halfway and just paddle back home to my non-royal life.
I snorted at the memory.
I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling cold even though the air was still quite warm.
Liam had been quiet the entire ride back home from the cemetery. He seemed to have instinctually known I just needed silence. But once home, I couldn’t go inside right away. I needed air. I needed space.
This was it. Seeing that plaque was as close to a goodbye as I’d ever have with my family. Because tomorrow we would be heading to the Hamptons and tomorrow Ron Lawson and I would meet our end.
It was oddly hollow, knowing how everything would end. I wasn’t frightened, I wasn’t in denial, I wasn’t angry. I just felt…satisfied. This was what I had been after. And now I was getting it.
Meting out justice will feel sweet and that sweetness will carry me over into oblivion. Or at least, I hoped it would.
I shivered again. I didn’t belong in heaven anyway. How could someone as angry and obsessed with vengeance as me get into a place of eternal peace and tranquility?
No heaven was for my loved ones. I would remain down here to bring justice to their memory. And once that was done…well….
I heard the wooden planks creak behind me. I turned around and saw Liam with a blanket around his arm. He wrapped it over my shoulders. “You looked like you were cold out here,” he said simply.
I turned around towards him. He had that same introspective look he had had in the office the other day. “What are you thinking about?” I asked.
Liam looked at me. His eyes blazed with a darkness that made my cheeks flush and my toes curl. His mere being was so potent.
“I was thinking about you,” he said quietly.
I looked at him in surprise. That was the last thing I had been expecting. “Me?” I asked, startled. “Why?” Was he worried my rage had gone soft again?
Liam stared at me with a look akin to wonder. He ran a hand across my cheek, brushing stray locks behind my ear. “Because for the first time, in a very, very long time, I feel surprised by a human,” he said solemnly. “I feel awed.”
I wanted to close my eyes at his touch, savor it. But I fought my instincts and instead stared up at him. “Why?” I asked again.
A small humorless smile played at his lips. “You don’t know how rare you are, do you?” he said. Tall and broad, I felt enveloped by his presence. “True, I was attracted to your soul at first. Your unusual rage and anger for one so young and small.” He grinned when he saw me make a face towards his remark for my age and size.
“But now I see so much more,” he said in a low voice that rang with sincerity. “See as much as I have and you would realize how incredibly, unbelievably rare you are. Brave, fierce, and smart. You astound me.”
It was odd. Growing up, I’d always gotten more than a fair share of male attention. Men were always giving me double takes or buying me drinks or showering me with compliments. Growing up an heiress, I’d had magazines ask me for photo shoots and interviews about my body and beauty, asking how I managed both.
But this was different. Liam didn’t care about what dress size I was or how shiny and long my hair was. He saw deeply and directly into me. He saw the core of what I was made up of and he saw it clearly. It left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. Yet, it was not a bad feeling.
So many, including even my dad, had always underestimated me. Being a girl, a younger sister, a daughter, everyone had just assumed some kind of deficienc
y in me.
But not Liam.
He ran a hand down my arm. “So unbelievably fragile,” he murmured as if to himself, “And yet, sharper and harder than anything I’ve ever seen.” He looked at me. “You’re beautiful.”
He didn’t mean my face or my body. He meant me. He meant the thing most deep within me was beautiful.
A warm glow blossomed deep within me. “Liam,” I whispered. But got a chance to say no more as his lips captured mine, crushing me.
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his hard body. I felt so open under him. So exposed. And yet, I had never felt so alive and real. I melted against his lips, letting his tongue explore my mouth.
With his easy breathtaking strength, he lifted me off my feet then laid me on my back. The blanket fell beneath me, cushioning me from the hard dock boards.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, reveling in how strong and solid he felt. His body laid over mine, pinning me under him. His hand reached down and yanked my sweater up. He pinched my nipple through my bra as he kissed me. I squealed against his lips as the painful pleasure of his touch coursed through me.
There was an urgency in both of us. We could feel time slipping through our fingers. This unique experience of both of us walking the earth as temporary people was about to end and we were anxious to leave it in each other’s arms.
He reached down and quickly pulled up my skirt. With a strong grip on my panties, he ripped them off, tossing them carelessly aside. I felt a cool breeze kiss against my exposed thighs and pussy. But I didn’t care. I was too deep in the throes of my body’s needs. “Liam,” I whispered harshly, my desire making my voice break, “I want to feel you inside me. Please.”
His eyes glowed brighter at my words, his jaw tightening in lust. He unbuckled his pants quickly and in one hard, smooth thrust, he sheathed his entire sizeable cock within me.
I arched and uttered a silent scream as I finally felt whole. I shuddered as my pussy clenched around him, urging him in deeper. Liam groaned above me. He braced himself on his forearms, cradling my head. We savored the initial moment of joining.
And then with that same potent urgency, he began to thrust into me, hard and deep. I wrapped my legs around his hips, welcoming each brutal plunge. I felt stretched and filled. My pleasure was fringed with echoes of pain but the pain only heightened each filling plunge.
As we kissed, I wanted more. I wanted my last moments to feel realer than real. I wanted to feel more alive than I ever had before. I let my tongue slide against his before biting down hard on his lower lip.
Liam reared back in surprise. He stared at me with wide eyes before shock was replaced with a molten desire that made him look more demon than human. I felt my heart nearly bruise my ribs in its thumping rhythm. But I was ready. I wanted more.
With a growl, he grabbed my wrists and pinned them hard above my head with one hand. With his other hand, he wrapped around my throat, forcing my head to be still as he took my mouth, controlling every plunge of his tongue. I grunted against his lips as he thrust in deeper and deeper into me.
“I will have all of you,” he whispered against my lips.
“Then take me,” I whispered back. “And take me hard.”
His hand grabbed at the center of my bra and with one hard yank, he ripped the material off. The bands snapped against my shoulders as they gave way to his strength.
My full breasts now were free in the air. Keeping my wrists pinned above my head, it naturally made my back arch upwards, as if offering my breasts in sacrifice to the lustful demon.
He squeezed my right breast hard. So hard I actually cried out as pain flooded my body. But it only made my pussy wetter as I clenched tighter around his hard cock.
I knew there’d be bruises there in a few hours but I didn’t care. The endorphins that flooded me made me crave more. He lowered his head and gently grabbed my nipple with his teeth. I sucked in a breath, nervous at the sharpness I felt around the sensitive little nub.
As he plunged in deep, he bit down hard enough to make me cry out again. Pain and pleasure intertwined within me. All I felt were the raw sensations. I could hardly feel where my legs and arms started and ended. All I felt was desire, ecstasy, and luscious pain.
“Look at me,” I heard Liam demand from above me. I looked up, feeling so overwhelmed by his body, his cock, his entire being. “Look at me, you brave fool! Look at me as I take you!”
And I did. I let myself drown in his fathomless green eyes as his cock filled me again and again. My body rose to meet each thrust, my pleasure peaking higher and higher.
I felt completely pinned under his gaze. I wanted to look away, to close my eyes as I gave in completely to his body but I couldn’t. Instead, I bared myself to him as he plunged into my most intimate space.
“Oh god!” I cried out, knowing the end was near. The end was very near.
Liam gripped my wrists tighter. “Keep your eyes on me!” he warned. And as he gave me one more powerful plunge, I came apart in his arms. Whatever string of tense pleasure had been inside me, snapped with a twang. Ecstasy exploded across my body, making my toes and fingers numb with pleasure.
Liam roared above me as he found his own release, his own end. I felt his cock twitch within me and I clenched against him, not wanting the moment to end.
But it didn’t end. With our eyes locked onto each other, the moment seemed to continue forever, even as our bodies surrendered to its final release.
Chapter Sixteen
Even though it was dark, I could see quite clearly because of the moonlight shining down across the beach. The waves crashed behind us in slow even rhythms.
I looked behind me and saw Liam close at hand. We had come up to the Hamptons earlier to look over Ron Lawson’s home and to find our point of entry. It was much smaller than I had pictured it to be.
The beautiful clapboard house was set right against the ocean and was covered in lovely willow trees that swayed in the ocean breeze. After careful assessment, Liam had figured that coming in through the beach would be the easiest access point. And I had to agree. It would also give us more privacy from neighbors since we wouldn’t be traipsing about on Lawson’s more visible side of his property.
My body hummed as I stepped quietly up the steps of his back porch that led directly out onto the sand. I was ready. More than ready. I felt so much adrenaline that my skin actually seemed to be buzzing across my body.
Reaching the door, I motioned for Liam. He gave me a small pouch with several picks. I wasn’t an expert in door picking but I figured I could manage. I had done it a time or two when I was younger in college. I remembered quite fondly when in college, my friends and I had broken into empty lecture halls to drink and smoke.
I prayed those skills hadn’t left me yet.
Sliding in the pick, I carefully maneuvered it, hooking it under the bolt. I played with it a little, sliding it back and forth until I heard the soft click. Slowly, I opened the door.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Before stepping out onto the beach, Liam had spotted the old school surveillance system Lawson had wrapped his house in. I was surprised that a billionaire would stick such outdated methods of security but seeing how small and quaint the house was, I realized Lawson must be a member of the old school.
With a pocketknife, Liam had cut the wires of the old security system, disabling it. But even still, I had been nervous to open the door, afraid we might have missed maybe a back up security system.
But the door opened with no problems.
We were in the clear.
Quietly, we entered the house. Liam shut the door silently behind us.
Looking around, we were in some kind of secondary family room. It was small and still decorated with old paintings by Tricia Lawson. I spotted a staircase at the far end of the room.
Nodding over at Liam, we carefully made our way over, stepping lightly.
An energy was running through both of us. I knew L
iam wasn’t afraid. Hardly. He was as stoic and steady as ever. But he felt that same pulsing energy I did. The energy of the end.
Together, we climbed the stairs, mindful of any creaks or noise.
Stepping up onto the main floor, we found ourselves in the main living room. All the lights were off but even in the dimness, we could still make out the comfortable yet expensive looking furniture. To my right was the large open kitchen with a stocked island in the middle.
I looked around but saw nobody. I knew Lawson was here. I’d confirmed his schedule and had also seen him entering the home during our initial surveillance of his house.
I crept around towards the kitchen and saw a hallway that led towards a small bath and an office.
Devilish - A Demon Stepbrother Romance Page 10
