"Just a little morphine," I said and looked to the guys. "Put him back in the chair and cuff him."
The guys worked quickly to get Hank off the floor and back into the chair, handcuffing his hands behind him. Hank lazily jerked against the handcuffs, his head lolling from side to side as he looked at me. I walked around the table and moved to stand in front of him, leaning against the table.
“Did you think it was a coincidence that I found you?” I asked. He grumbled something incoherently, drooling on himself as his head lolled around. “I found you because your name was on my mother’s contract as her bounty hunter. Do you remember killing Wilson’s wife?”
“Fuck you…and her,” he spat, spitting at my feet. I punched him in his jaw, unrestrained anger crashing into me. Bruce wheeled over the table with the assortment of weapons, ranging from knives, an ice pick, pliers, a scalpel, and a hammer. I walked around Hank and over to the table as Hank hurled slurred insults and promises to kill me if I let him out of the cuffs. I grabbed the ice pick and stalked over to him until I stood behind him.
He yelled out in pain when I stabbed him in the ribs with the ice pick, hopefully puncturing his lung I intended. I glanced over to Aurora, who was now standing and staring at Hank with a dark glisten in her eyes. Her face was still blank of emotion, but her eyes said what she wouldn’t. My dark princess was slowly budding and it was only a matter of time before she finally free herself.
I stabbed him higher up in the ribs on the same side and watched as he gasped for air, struggling to breathe.
“Your last name is ironic,” I said as he wheezed. “Did you show any of your victims mercy before you killed them, specifically my mother?”
He could respond, as it took too much effort to talk when he couldn’t already breathe. I walked over to the other side, his eyes following me before he started to cough up blood. Just when I raised my hand to puncture his other lung, something stopped me in my tracks.
“Sir?”
I looked up at the sound of her voice, her beautiful, sweet voice that I hadn’t heard in what felt like forever. She actually held my gaze, that dark glint I’d noticed earlier still there as she watched me.
“What is it?” I asked.
She shuffled nervously and dropped her gaze briefly. “May I…um…”
“May you what?” I asked, growing a bit impatient.
She cleared her throat and straightened her posture, but her darting eyes gave away the fact that she was still nervous. “May I have a turn?”
“A turn?” I looked back at the guys, who only shrugged before looking back to her. “A turn with what?”
“Hurting him,” she said, her voice small. A grin pulled at my lips as I stepped back from Hank and held my hands up.
“Whatever you want, gorgeous,” I mused. “Come here.”
She walked over to me, her heels clicking against the cement floor as she crossed the floor. I put an arm around her waist and guided her to the table, putting the bloody ice pick back on the table.
“Pick your weapon,” I whispered in her ear, placing a kiss on her neck. She didn’t hesitate to reach out for the table, her hand hovering over different instruments until she finally picked up the hammer.
“Is this okay?” she murmured. I shrugged.
“It’s whatever you want,” I said. She nodded, her grip tightening on the handle. I turned her around put her behind Hank. He still gasped and wheezed as he struggled to breath, but with the weapon Aurora chose, she would put him out of his misery.
Granted that she actually went through with it.
She held the hammer in both hands, slightly trembling and she lifted at it. “Are you sure you want to do this?“ I asked.
“Yes,“ she whispered. I took a step away from her and clasped my hands in front of me.
“Well, let’s see what you got,” I said.
She took a deep breath, raised the hammer in the air, and brought it down with enough force to crack Hank’s skull. I thought the sound of the skull cracking would scare her, but it only encouraged her further. She struck him over and over, blood splattering on her dress, her face, and her hair.
“Holy shit,“ Bruce said behind me, all of us watching Aurora as she delivered blow after blow, panting as she wore herself out.
Saint chuckled. “Let it all out, girl. If that guy wasn’t dying before, he’s definitely dead now,” he mused.
“I mean as if his brain hanging out of his skull wasn’t a big enough indicator, I can check his pulse when she’s finished,’ Nyxin teased.
When she’d practically beaten a hole into his head, I grabbed her wrist before she could strike him again. She looked at me with wild eyes, panting and covered in blood. There was something oddly erotic about seeing her in such a state. There was a look of malice and anger in her eyes
“I think you’re done now,” I stated. She blinked, her eyes focusing on me before she looked at what she’d done. I’d expected her to scream, to look at the damage in horror. Instead, she giggled, a sweet, innocent sound that bubbled into laughter. Bruce snorted, Saint and Nyxin joining in and chuckling.
“That felt good,” she finally said with a sigh, dropping the hammer to the floor. I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at my lips. Perfect. I guess I didn’t have to wait for my dark princess to arrive after all. She was already here and ready to paint the town red.
Hank no longer made any noises, so there was nothing left for me to do. I looked back to the guys. “I guess that’s it then,” I said, wrapping an arm around Aurora. She looked at me with a smirk, but didn’t say anything. “Feel better now?”
“Yes. I’m finally free now,” she said with a sigh, cracking her neck. I didn’t fully understand what she meant, but I didn’t care. Her voice was back and the darkness swirling within her pulled to me like I magnet. It was the complete opposite of the timid, frightened version I’d seen of her for the last few days. Seeing her release her rage and her pain was the sexiest thing I’d seen in a while, and I couldn’t get her to the car fast enough.
“We’ll clean up here. You should get back to the house. The longer you keep her out, the more dangerous it is,” Bruce stated. I definitely didn’t wait for him to tell me twice, already thinking about all the things I wanted to do to Aurora once I got her in the backseat of the car.
I nodded. “Call me as soon as you’re done here and on your way back to the compound. Be careful,” I said.
“Will do,” Saint said and looked to Aurora. “See you later, dark princess.”
She only giggled in response, looking back at Hank’s destroyed skull. I led her out of the room and down the hall, my dick hardening at the thought of taking her in the backseat of the car. It’d been a while since I’d been this sexually excited. There was something about blood that could shift my mood, but watching Aurora take part in something that’d been so personal and violent unlocked a whole new world of possibilities inside me.
She giggled all the way into the car, bursting into a fit of laughter when she practically fell into the car. Joseph looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but I only grinned.
“Hurry and start the car so I can roll up the partition. Drive around until I tell you to take us home,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir,” he said, waiting until I got in the car before he closed the door and hurried to the driver’s side. I rolled the partition up the moment the battery of the car came to life, pulling Aurora onto my lap. She squeaked in surprise before she giggled again.
“I want more,” she said as I untied the sash that held her dress together.
“Want more of what, gorgeous?” I asked, appreciating the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. I cupped her breast in my hand and leaned forward to take her nipple in my mouth.
“Everything,” she said on a sigh, throwing her head back. Chills worked their way throughout my body as satisfaction filled me. There it was, the reaction I was looking for last night. She rolled her hips, grinding her pussy against my erec
tion that was throbbing to be inside of her.
“Everything like what?”
“Everything dark,” she whispered, taking my face into her hands and kissed me. “I want to feel alive like I just did in there. I want blood.”
“You sure about that? Having blood on your hands creates new demons,” I murmured, reaching between her legs and moving her panties to the side. “That can be a lot to deal with.”
“I already live with demons,” she stated, her moan filling the backseat as I circled her clit with my fingers. I wasn’t sure if she was speaking figuratively or referring to what she dealt with when I broke her, but I made a mental note to talk to her about it later. She had the desire to be consumed by a darkness she didn’t fully understand without knowing the heavy responsibility that came with it. She may have been on cloud nine now from taking someone else’s life, but that could change hours from now.
“You were such a good girl tonight,” I murmured, smiling when she purred. “Look at how wet you are for me.”
“I want you to fuck me right now, amore mio,” she whispered before kissing me again, her hands reaching down and fumbling with my belt. I froze and grabbed her hands, frowning at her.
“What did you just call me?” I asked, gazing into her eyes. Stephanie used to call me “my love” in Italian when it was just to the two us, so there was no possible way anyone else could have told her that.
As I flipped a switch inside of her, the emotion wiped from her face and she stopped in her task, reverting back to the timid, terrified woman that’d left the compound and not the fearless dark goddess that just left the basement of the club.
“I…I’m sorry,” she said, dropping her gaze.
And just like that, the mood was killed.
I pushed her off my lap, sending her tumbling onto the seat next to me. All of the evidence was there. I couldn’t deny that she may have been having actual dreams of Stephanie. From the things she said about her, to memories she’d repeated back to me that only Stephanie and I knew, I couldn’t deny that she’d been in some kind of supernatural contact with my late lover. She sniffled beside me and I almost wanted to punch myself. I’d finally made progress with her where she was at least talking, but now she’d retreated back into her shell in fear that I’d do something to her for talking about Stephanie.
She fixed her dress and wrapped her arms around herself, staring out the window. I rolled the partition down and met Joseph’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Take us home,” I said, my voice flat. He gave me a tight nod and made a U-turn in traffic, continuing down the road to take us home. As we left the city limits of Los Angeles, my thoughts filled with everything related to Stephanie.
“When we’re able to get from under your father’s thumb, I want to live in the heart of L.A.,” she said as we drove home. “A beautiful penthouse with an amazing view of the city. Oh, and it should have large floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom. Can you imagine the view at sunrises and sunsets?”
My hand idly ran up and down her exposed thigh as I checked messages and emails for business. “Uh huh,” I said, typing a quick response to a text I’d just gotten.
She put her hand over my phone screen with a sigh. “Bennett, are you even listening to me?”
“I’m listening, babe,” I said, looking up from my phone and giving her a small smile. “You want to live in the heart of the city. Penthouse with views and something about fucking at sunrise and sunset.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“There was nothing about sex in what I just said,” she said as she frowned at me.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and took her hand into mine. “I’m sorry, love. You have my undivided attention.”
“Until you have to run off when your father calls you,” she mumbled, pulling her hand from mine and folding her arms across her chest.
“He’s out of town on his own business, so it’s just me and you right now.” I turned a little in my seat to face her, placing a soft kiss on her bare shoulder. “You know I hate it when you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad.”
“It’s definitely feeling like it since I’m not getting any loving,” I said as I planted more kissed along her shoulder before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. She looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and gave me a small smile.
“Oh, you mean the same way I haven’t felt any love all night because you’ve been too busy on your phone?” she countered. “How is it a date night when you’re still wrapped up in work?”
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” I murmured, reaching up to caress her cheek.
She shifted and moved to straddle my lap. “I can already think of some ways you can make it up to me,” she purred, leaning forward to kiss me.
I reached down and squeezed her ass, growling when she rolled her hips against my cock.
“Oh yeah? I guess I’ll have to spend all night making it up to you then.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’ve always had a fantasy of having sex in the back of the car,” she said and leaned forward to kiss me.
“I can definitely arrange that,” I murmured.
She looked at me for a long moment before she gave me a soft smile. “I love you, amor mio,” she said.
“Ti amo di più,” I whispered and bringing her forward to kiss her. She sighed against my lips, her hand caressing my cheek. Every time I kissed her, her light chipped away at the dark parts of me. With everything I’d experienced in my life, I didn’t know if I was even capable of love, let alone a love as strong as I felt for Stephanie. She gave me hope that I never thought was possible, hope that there was something beyond the death and destruction that was my life.
When we finally pulled away from each other, she looked at me and smirked. “There used to be a time that you didn’t love me, you know,” she said. “You just thought I was a human fuck toy.”
“Did I?” I said, feigning confusion.
She giggled. “You even said so once. You were such a young asshole when I first met you.”
“People are capable of changing,” I said and chuckled.
“Yeah.” She rested her forehead against mine. “You used to be so hell-bent on not wanting to love anyone because you didn’t think it was possible in this life. But everyone deserves someone, even someone as dark as you. No one should have to navigate this world alone.”
“Then I guess I’m lucky to have you to navigate the world with,” I said, caressing her cheek. “Now about that fantasy of yours…”
She giggled. “Do we have enough time?”
I glanced at my watch. We were about forty-five minutes from home, but I didn’t want to rush with her.
“Hey Joe, take the scenic route back home,” I said to Joseph, though I looked at Stephanie. “I need a little more alone time with this gorgeous lady back here.”
“You got it, sir,” he said.
I rolled up the partition, my full attention now on her and I smiled up at her. “Now we have plenty of time.”
“We’ve arrived, sir,” Joseph said from the front seat. I sighed deeply, Stephanie’s voice still echoing off the corners of my mind. He got out of the car and opened my door before moving over to Aurora’s door and opening it. I stepped out onto the driveway and walked over to Aurora. She kept her eyes down as she wrapped her arms around herself, the blood on her skin now dried. I motioned for her to walk ahead of me and she did so without a single word, entering the house and heading straight for the stairs. Carrie jumped up from the couch as soon as she saw her.
“Aurora! Wait!” she called out, but I held my hand up to stop her.
“Not now, Carrie,” I said. The tone of my voice gave her pause. She turned and looked at me, her previous annoyance with me turning into concern.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
I watched Aurora go up the stairs, looking to Carrie when she’d disappeared. “Let me get her si
tuated and I’ll come back down to talk to you,” I said.
“Okay,” she said with a nod.
I jogged up the stairs and headed into the bedroom, locking the door behind me when I entered. The shower was already running in the bathroom, Aurora’s clothes pooled on the tiled floor. I sat on the side of the bed with a sigh, running a hand through my hair.
“You used to be so hell-bent on not wanting to love anyone because you didn’t think it was possible in this life. But everyone deserves someone, even someone as dark as you. No one should have to navigate this world alone.”
Stephanie’s words echoed in my mind, reigniting the hurt that I couldn’t get over her no matter how much time passed. I was supposed to navigate the world with her, but now she was gone. She used to tell me everything happened for a reason, no matter how bad it was, but I couldn’t figure out why her sister would be in my possession unless it was another way for my father to fuck with me.
It was just one more thing that I needed to get to the bottom of, and I wouldn’t stop until I had answers.
AURORA
What the hell were you thinking? I shrieked at my alter ego.
“What the hell were you thinking by being a coward again? I knew what I was doing.”
You probably pissed him off now.
“What does it matter to you? It’s not like you’d feel the punishment if you were to get one.”
That’s not the point—
“The point is, you’re getting in the way. Maybe I need to put you away for a while so that I can execute my plan with you and your fear fuck everything up.
You can’t do that. Whether you like it or not, I’m in here, too. You’re going to have to figure out a way to deal with me.
“Or I can start ignoring you.”
Don’t you—
I stood under the shower head, allowing the hot water to drench the wig I wore. The events of tonight replayed through my mind, making one thing certain.
I was hungry for blood.
The dark part of me had been caged for so long, finally freed when I took the life of the man who allegedly killed Bennett’s mother. I didn’t miss the lust in his eyes when he looked at me when it was all said and done. There was also a sense of pride, his lips ticking up in a smirk as if he were impressed with what I’d done. His dark goddess, the one that would destroy him until he was nothing.
Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection Page 36
