Iniquity (Dahlia Saga Book 5)

by Natalie Bennett

  Helena grabbed one of the random stuffed animals we kept on the counter for her, a pink monkey holding a giant heart.

  Her thread and needle were already on our tray of tools.

  “You start his cap,” she said softly, grabbing a knife to remove the stuffing from her monkey.

  Ethan grabbed a surgical saw and I held Grayson’s head still. Ignoring his screaming protest, Ethan placed the rapidly spinning blade to the man’s upper temple. The soft whirring noise became a high-pitched keening sound as it sliced into flesh and eventual bone.

  I had to knot my fingers in the man’s hair to make sure he kept still. My chair didn’t have the thousands of straps some of the others did. His body shook from the effort he was exerting trying to break free.

  I turned my face when the first drop of blood sprayed onto my face, feeling it hit my cheek. Ethan leaned as far back as he could, his fingers nearly slipping as they became saturated.

  We needed masks and goggles. I should have gone to borrow some from my father’s stash.

  “Lift his head,” Ethan said, speaking loud enough to be heard of the saw and Grayson’s wails. I did as he asked, watching in fascination as crimson ran from down Grayson’s face.

  Using careful precision, Ethan continued in his circular pattern, pausing only to let me get out of his way when the time was necessary. He clicked the saw off when he was done, and I peeled off the entire top portion of Grayson’s head, including his scalp. He passed out before I finished removing it, eyes rolling all the way back.

  “There’s your brain.” I looked at Helena and gestured to the hideous mass pulsing as blood continued to run every which way.

  She sat down the stuffing she’d removed from her monkey and came to examine it. “That needs to come out.”

  I wasn’t sure about reaching in and grabbing the thing with both hands, but once I surveyed the tool tray, I didn’t think there was much of a choice.

  I looked to Ethan and shrugged. “You take one side I take the other?”

  He frowned at Grayson’s open dome in obvious disgust. Everyone had a limit, now I knew his.

  “The smell is the worst part of all this,” I commented.

  “And why haven’t you volunteered?” he asked Helena.

  She picked up the loose piece of flesh I’d sat down and carried it back to where she’d left her fluff.

  “I do this.”

  “Right,” he quipped. “Let’s just get the fuckin thing removed.”

  We each reached for one side of the brain.

  Because we hadn’t taken the time to preserve or chemically harden it, lifting the large mass of tissue out of Grayson’s skull wasn’t a simple task.

  Brains were fragile. They had a consistency of Jello, were soft and squishy. Trying to grab hold of it was like playing in a dish of overly sauced spaghetti. It smelled fucking terrible, too.

  Grayson’s body started jerking in the chair, a reaction to what we were doing. I dug my fingers as far down into the top of his head as I could, pushing to get a good grip. Ethan did the same, cursing beneath his breath.

  After a decent amount of time passed, we’d managed to get a decent bit out, but in the end, there were a few small tissue cells left behind.

  “Your turn,” I said to Helena, dropping my part of the mass into a silver bin.

  And that was it. The thing that sent every message to the body and was home to each thought, from jealousy to joy was now going to be dumped in a vat and turned to ash.

  Helena gathered her white fluff and took Ethan and my place as we wandered to the industrial sink. I used my elbow to turn it on, shoving my hands beneath the spray to get all the gunk off. Ethan waited beside me, doing the same when I reached for the special solution, we kept in all the red rooms to clean ourselves with.

  “What do you think she’s hiding?” He kept his voice low so Helena wouldn’t hear him. His question irritated me all over again for a variety of reasons and reminded me he was keeping something from me as well.

  “Your guess would be as good as mine.” I stepped away from him and the sink and returned to Helena’s side.

  I watched her work in silence.

  She was wholly focused on what she was doing. Pushing tufts of stuffing into the space that Grayson’s brain once occupied. When she had as much in his skull as it would hold, her process of sewing him back together began. She reattached the top part of his head using the thread and needle we kept in stock specifically for this purpose.

  I always enjoyed watching her in this element. She was beautiful all the time, but nothing beat seeing her bloody and captivated by the carnage she’d created. She took what she did seriously, making sure every weave of her needle and pull of thread was as precise as possible. If she were an artist, her work would be flawless.

  Unlike us, she didn’t do this because it ran in her family or to fill a nefarious void inside that demanded we stain our hands and mar our souls to breathe a little easier.

  All Helena wanted to do was make things ‘whole’ again.

  That was her goal. She was a special kind of vigilante. It was a shame how most people would never be able to understand that.

  Recent events stole more than a little of my enjoyment from what should have been a night of relaxation. I watched her until she tied off her thread and sat everything down. When she turned towards me, I was already crowding into her space.

  I took hold of her face, crashing my mouth down to hers without uttering a word. She kissed me back just as rough parting her lips to give me access.

  Her dainty, bloodied fingers wrapped around my wrist. I shook them off and dropped my hands to the mess of an apron she had on, ripping it off to get to the thin straps holding up her baby blue dress, dragging them down her arms. It was a light piece of fabric, pulling to her feet without anything to hold it up.

  She wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. I stepped back just far enough to where I could get a good look at her. I’d seen her naked body a million times, but it still was never enough.

  Her porcelain skin contrasted perfectly with our tan. Her hips were perfectly flared to match her small waist. Glancing over her shoulder I saw Ethan watching the two of us with a look in his eye I knew all too well.

  I made my mind up.

  I didn’t want to foreplay, or have my dick sucked.

  I’d spilled blood, could smell the decay already in the air and all I wanted to do was fuck. I grabbed the back of Helena’s neck and forcibly began to make her walk, lowering my mouth to her ear. “Get on the bed and spread your legs, I want to see every part of your pussy.”

  A shiver passed through her as I let her go.

  I watched her ass as she walked. Her hair reached just above the rounded globes and accented them even more. She pulled herself up onto the silken duvet and did as I asked. Bracing her back against the large headboard, she parted her thighs, resting her hands by her side.

  Ethan was already staring her way when I walked over to him and removed his apron in the same fashion as I’d done Helena’s.

  “You see how pretty her pussy is?”

  His copper eyes shifted to mine. “It would be impossible not to.”

  “I want you to go bury your face in it.”

  He inhaled a small breath and returned his attention to our girl, who was waiting patiently on the bed. If he knew I was irritated he didn’t say anything, which was probably for the best. He sidled past me and walked slowly towards Helena. I remained where I was for all of five minutes, not impressed with the effort I was seeing.

  He took his time settling between her legs, his movements to gentle and delicate for what I wanted tonight.

  Walking over to them, I removed my shirt and carelessly tossed it aside. Helena’s eyes locked with mine as I climbed on the bed behind Ethan.

  “You can do much better than that.” I tisked at him, running a hand up his back, all the way to the nape of his neck. “I want you devour her, eat her pussy like your life depend
s on it.”

  I forced his face further, making sure his tongue went as deep inside her as possible.

  If she couldn’t clench the damn thing what was the point? She gasped, grabbing a handful of his hair as he began to do what I’d wanted from the beginning. I let go of his neck and grabbed his pants, pulling them down before I lowered mine just enough to pull out my dick.

  I didn’t prep him or prepare him for what was about to happen. I grabbed one side of his ass and pulled, using one hand to line myself up with his tight hole. “No matter what I do to you, keep eating her pussy. I’m not stopping until she’s coming all over your face.”

  I flexed my hips, forcing myself past his barrier. He sucked in a breath, a muffled cry coming from deep within his chest as I began to fuck his tight ass. I thrust into him relentlessly, fucking him harder the louder Helena moaned.

  I stared down at her, taking hold of his hips, noting her every reaction. She loved to watch us together as much as she loved to be the center of our attention.

  Ethan groaned relentlessly his body tensing as I adjusted myself and bottomed out. I knew it hurt.

  I could see the red on my dick, feel his ass spasming from the brutal force in which I pounded into it.

  He never told me to stop. His face remained buried in Helena’s sweet pussy as I took what I wanted. My balls began to tighten, and his ass grew slick, more tinges of red appearing on my dick. He still never asked me to stop. He wouldn’t. I braced myself with my hands on his shoulders, manipulating the movement of his head as I continued to thrust.

  I knew she was getting close; It was evident in the rapid rise and fall of her chest and how loud she was moaning.

  When she came, her head falling back as Ethan damn near suffocated between her legs, I followed behind her, emptying myself inside him with a growl of pleasure.

  With nothing left to pump out, I withdrew from his ass, smearing my bloody dick across his skin.

  He was breathing heavy, sweat drenched his shirt and curled tendrils of his brown hair. I wasn’t done with him yet. I wrapped an arm around his middle and pulled him back. Helena continued to watch us closely; her face flushed.

  “What are you doing?” he rasped, wincing when I eased him down onto his back.

  “Making sure you come.”

  I gestured for Helena to come closer. She moved away from the headboard and scooted towards us on her knees.

  I took hold of her hand when she was close enough for me to reach and pulled her into me, kissing her for a few seconds before moving away.

  I positioned myself behind her and applied pressure to the middle of her spine, forcing her to bend down.

  “Suck his dick for me, sweetheart. Make him come with your mouth.”

  She didn’t have to be told twice, she took hold of his cock and didn’t need any further instruction. Helena loved sucking dick. I was almost positive she enjoyed it more than Ethan did.

  I couldn’t fuck her after being inside him, so I resumed where he had left off. I toyed with her for a few minutes, then proceeded to eat her pussy from the back.

  Chapter Seven

  Helena

  I never told them about the body I’d hidden in the woods. I wanted to. Declan knew something wasn’t right. Ethan too.

  How did I tell them what I had done? I didn’t feel anything negative about my actions. I’d attempted to fix Ian to keep them safe. I would do it again if I had too.

  I rubbed the back of my neck and stared into the unlit fireplace. I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling that was making my skin seem too tight. Fixing was supposed to help. All I wanted right then was to fix someone else. I’d woken up thinking of nothing else.

  The needle between my fingers was akin to how I believed the birds felt when they flew. It was a compulsion I’d never been able to wish away.

  At first, being with them had made it better, now there was this endless gnawing inside me to make everything whole. The thought of fixing and fucking was beginning to consume me my every waking moment. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to stop. If I wanted to.

  “Is everything alright?” Bab’s voice carried from the other side of the drawing room, ending my inner monologue.

  “Yeah, you’ve been so quiet. More so than usual,” Katie added.

  “I…don’t know,” I replied honestly.

  Katie adjusted the way she was sitting. She had a baby cradled in one arm and Bab’s had the other. Mason was off somewhere with Declan and Ethan, leaving us by ourselves.

  “You don’t know?” Katie repeated back.

  “Did something happen?” she stared at me with eyes very similar in color to my own, full of concern.

  I shrugged. Since I’d woken that morning it felt as if things were different between the three of us. Declan, Ethan, and me. Maybe it was my fault. I didn’t want to be the one who ruined everything, though. Mother had accused me of doing that my whole life, bringing ruin to anyone who got near me.

  “Does Mason ever get upset with you?” I found myself asking.

  She smoothed a hand over her baby’s dark hair and laughed. “We have our moments, but I think every couple does. Mason is intense and demanding and it never stops for a single second. I love him though. I love him so damn much. He is the best thing that ever happened to me.” She smiled, then looked over at me again.

  “Who knew being kidnapped could be this incredible, right?”

  I wouldn’t know. Declan and Ethan hadn’t taken me. I willingly came.

  Babs made a noise in her throat before laughing. “Romantic gestures sure have changed since my day.”

  “He doesn’t get mad at you then?” I returned to my questioning.

  “Mad isn’t the word I would use. Frustrated and annoyed, sure. It can be mutual. Is that what happened?”

  I shrugged again.

  “You young couples are so stubborn. Open communication will solve a good chunk of problems,” Bab’s remarked. She approached me with a small smile. She only had one eye, but I always made sure to look in both.

  “Take him. I have some things to oversee before the Agnelli’s arrive tomorrow.”

  She all but forced the baby into my arms before I could protest. I’d been taught how to hold them since they were born, but I wasn’t all that sure about it. They always smelled good, though.

  I stared down at him, he peered up at me. While his sister was usually always making some strange noise or another, this one never did much of anything but eat.

  “You should have one,” Katie said.

  “Are you joking?”

  “What? No. You’d be a great mom. And they need playmates.”

  I glanced back down at the round bundle on my lap. He was in an outfit the opposite of his sister’s with blue elephants instead of pink. I never considered myself being the parent of anything. Not one of these.

  I felt Katie watching me as if she were waiting for me to say something. Her baby continued to peer up at me, his cheeks dominating his face.

  His eyes were a pale green with flecks of blue. His hair was jet black. He was a tiny version of his grandfather.

  “It looks like Julian.”

  She sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a second. “Its name is Julias. And he looks just like Mason.”

  “Who looks like Julian.”

  “Okay, true. He resembles both.”

  “Yeah, but without a neck.”

  “Helena!” she admonished with a laugh. “Babies are chunky. His necks beneath his rolls.”

  I wanted to see, but I didn’t think she’d like that. As if speaking his name was powerful enough to conjure him, Mason appeared suddenly in the doorway with Ethan just behind him. His eyes went from me to Katie.

  “I beat the clock by five minutes,” he announced.

  Katie smiled brightly at him in response. The way he looked back at her. It was the same as the first day I’d met them.

  “It’s their nap time,” she explained as Mason gently took his son from
me.

  “Oh.”

  “We’ll talk later, k?” She stood up and slipped back on her flats, cradling the other baby close to her chest.

  “Look at you two, couple O naturals,” Ethan joked.

  “Well, it took Kat some time, but I’m great at everything I do,” Mason replied.

  “I’m going to remember that later.” She walked towards the foyer, slowing beside Ethan. “Helena wants a baby, so you or Declan better figure out how that’s going to happen.”

  “I didn’t say that,” I refuted quickly.

  Mason laughed and said something I couldn’t hear before following Katie in the direction of the stairs.

  Ethan regarded me with a slight tilt to his mouth once they were both gone. I hadn’t seen him since that morning when he’d taken his time going from our bed to the shower.

  “She’s not going to let that go. You’re the only one who can give the twins a cousin.”

  “Luca.”

  He started to laugh, stopping abruptly when he saw I was serious. “Helena that’s—never mind. Are you hungry? I’m going to the house to make lunch.”

  “I’ll come soon,” I replied. I wasn’t ready to go back yet. It was nice out. I’d find Hannibal and walk the grounds. Maybe that would help me feel less…whatever this feeling was.

  “You okay?” he asked softly.

  Once more, I shrugged.

  “You and Declan. And me…”

  I trailed off, unsure how to put everything into words even though it was all screaming inside my head to come out.

  “Hey.” He walked over to where I was sitting and took hold of my hand. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by this, but he sounded certain, so I nodded anyway.

  I found Hannibal inside the old stable, sniffing around one of the stalls.

  I’d never seen the building in its prime. I thought it would be nice, though. I was going to ask Julian if he ever used it.

  Hannibal launched himself in my direction the second he spotted me.

  “Hey,” I crouched down and greeted him, running my hands over his fur.