At His Mercy (Beasts In The Dark, #1)

by S. S. Richards

  “Please . . . Kill me.”

  Elena

  “Wakey wakey, little slut.”

  I open my eyes and find Roberto staring at me, his eyes roaming around my body, eating me alive. I jump up to my seat immediately. Yesterday I turned eighteen years old and it has been exactly three years that I haven’t seen the outside world. My uncle called me into his office and gave me my birthday gift⁠—books, just like I have asked. I didn’t feel comfortable when he handed them over to me and I saw Roberto’s eyes studying me intently. His gaze was full of hunger and it sent shivers down my spine. I knew he was evil and that if I was left alone with him, he would for sure hurt me. But today, he’s standing right in front of me and my heart is in my throat.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask in a quivering voice.

  “I’m here to have fun.” He licks his lips as he grabs my arm and yanks me up to my feet.

  “Have fun?” I shake my head as my eyes become watery.

  “Yes, have fun. I want to start off by fucking that virgin little cunt of yours.”

  “No, Roberto, please. Noooo,” I scream as a big, warm hand squeezes mine and I instantly jerk awake and find myself in a comfortable bed in the dark. It was a nightmare, or more like a memory of my miserable past. But I’m safe. I turn to my right and see the one man who keeps me safe in his home from everyone else but him.

  “Are you okay?” he asks softly as he positions himself on top of the bed next to me. I remove my hand from his grip and turn my face away. I remember his whips and the humiliation he made me suffer from. I hate this man just as much as I hate my uncle and Roberto.

  “Leave me alone.” I sit up and wince. The sharp pain in my lower back is even worse than before. Now that I’m fully awake I can feel everything. Tears threaten to come out, but I control them just like I always do.

  “Who’s Roberto?” he asks, his voice stern.

  I turn my head to look at him and frown.

  “Roberto?”

  “Yes, he hurt you, didn’t he? You were screaming his name painfully in your sleep.” He sounds pissed. I swallow hard and glare at him. What is he trying to do now?

  “Why do you care? Are you trying to tell me you feel bad for me? Don’t fool yourself, Maksim. You are the biggest monster I have ever met,” I bite out and watch as his eyes get darker and his gaze becomes more intense.

  “Answer the goddamn question,” he demands angrily and I suddenly remember what had happened to me earlier when I didn’t answer him. A shadow of melancholy fills me from within as the memories of my past hit me like a train. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in and let it out slowly and smoothly.

  “Roberto is one of my uncle’s men,” I mumble. Tears run down my warm cheeks, but I wipe them instantly and blink my eyes a couple of times to prevent further ones from coming out.

  “What did he do to you?”

  “All sorts of things.”

  “Did he ever . . .”

  Silence fills the room as I wait for him to finish his sentence. His eyes sparkle in a way that makes me flinch. He clenches his jaw and fumes. I know what he wants to ask, so I decide to make it easier for him.

  “He took my virginity.” I answer in almost a whisper.

  His hands become fists. He stares at me with pity in his eyes. Something I never thought Maksim Pavlov would have.

  “Why are you doing this to me, Maksim?”

  “Your uncle killed my father,” he says simply and the fire I got so used to comes back to his eyes. My lips part in shock.

  “My father used to have business deals with your uncle. More specifically they trained and sold slaves around the globe. When my father decided to quit, your uncle killed him in cold blood.” His voice is dangerous and hoarse.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. But what does that have to do with me?”

  “His blood runs in your veins.” He grits his teeth.

  I pull myself off the bed and stand inches away from him. My body heats at the common desire that percolates between us every time I get closer to him.

  “I have nothing to do with my uncle and I know he’s a horrible monster. He hurt me so much and I’m his family member. I get your anger toward him and believe me when I say, I want nothing more in this world than to kill him.”

  Anger flows in me as I spit the words that I mean very deeply. For the longest time, I have dreamed of the day I would kill my uncle. He thought he had complete control over me. He wanted me to be weak. He wanted to break me and I played the game so well. But inside, he created a monster, a darkness within me that is yet to blossom. Maksim takes a step forward until there’s absolutely no space between us. He fists my hair in a savage jerk and searches my eyes.

  “You think I believe anything you say about you wanting to hurt your uncle? Isn’t this one of your games so you can escape?”

  His cheek tugs up in one of his signature half smirks and heat pools in me as my body begins to throb with need for his touch.

  “You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. I explained to you before that keeping me here won’t upset my uncle. He doesn’t give a shit about me.”

  He leans in until his lips almost touch mine. His breath, warm and minty against my mouth, makes my knees turn to water.

  “You must be a fool to think I’m keeping you here to get back at your uncle. You are here because I want you here. I’m not going to sell you or give you away. You’re mine to do whatever I want with for as long as I want.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat as my annoyance flares within a matter of seconds. I pull my head away from his tight grip, but he won’t let go of it. I glare at him and clench my teeth.

  “So what am I? Your whore? Your slave? You’re an asshole,” I sneer and pray at the same time that he doesn’t see how badly my body wants to submit to him. A moment of silence goes by as our eyes lock to each other and the heat radiating from my body mixes with the fire that’s blazing from his. Then his mouth claims mine in a cruel possessiveness that only makes me claw my hands in the hair at his nape and pull him harder toward me. He groans against my mouth as he reaches for my waist and picks me up then throws me on top of the bed. He then gets on top of me quickly and holds both of my wrists on top of my head.

  “Get off me,” I hiss, but he knows I don’t mean it. The truth is, I’ve been needing to feel him inside of me for a while now. I’ve never craved a man’s touch as much as I crave his.

  His hands release my wrists and begin to unbutton his dress shirt. I allow my eyes to devour him hungrily as I stare at his torso. He has a tattoo just above his heart, but it’s in Russian. He leans in and buries his head in my neck and bites hard. I gasp in pain and pleasure⁠—a weird mixture of emotion I have yet to understand. His cologne I love so much fills my nostrils as heat crackles between us. He lifts his head and gets me out of my shirt in a beat. I don’t fight him. If anything, I help him as he rips my panties off. I’m not wearing pants, so undressing me isn’t too much of a hassle for him.

  My legs tremble as I hear the zipping sound of his pants. His heavy cock juts out from the front of his pants and I can’t help but stare. It’s not the first time I see it, but it’s definitely the first time I want it inside of me as soon as possible.

  Despite the craving and desire I have for him, I remember he whipped me and hurt me so many times. Sorrow shreds my insides at the memory.

  “I hate you. This doesn’t change anything,” I bite out and his eyes crinkle in a cold smile that doesn’t even reach his mouth.

  “Your body doesn’t agree with you, though,” he mocks.

  “Fuck you,” I breathe out as he slides a finger inside of me.

  Fuck. Why does it feel so fucking good?

  “That’s exactly what I’m about to do.” His deep voice makes every single hair in my body stand up.

  Two fingers now and I can barely stop myself from writhing underneath him.

  “You love it when I touch you, don’t you?” His
voice deepens as he keeps finger-fucking me mercilessly. My muscles clench at the rush of pleasure.

  “N-No.” That’s all I manage to say before his other hand grips my throat.

  “Don’t lie. I don’t like liars,” he hisses through gritted teeth and squeezes a little.

  “Y-Yes, I do.” I struggle to let the words out as my body suffers from both the rush of pleasure that’s consuming it and the tight grip on my throat that’s making me barely able to breathe.

  “Good girl,” he murmurs and finally lets go of my throat. I inhale deep and let it out smoothly as my body jerks with ecstasy the moment his cock teases my entrance.

  “Easy, rybka,” he coos and I immediately stop thinking, opening up my senses. Without a warning, he thrusts inside my drenched sex and a long moan escapes my lips. What the fuck am I even doing? My eyes roll back at his fullness.

  Oh shit! I never felt anything like this before. I let out a hiss of outrage despite my pussy that’s clenching even harder around his length.

  “Stop it, asshole,” I ground out and his hand grips my throat again.

  “Careful with the language.” He growls and thrusts deeply and violently that if my cervix could talk, it would scream in pain.

  “I”—gasp—“despise”—gasp—“you.”

  Another violent, unforgiving thrust as he crushes his face into the hollow of my neck and spills his hot seed deep inside of me that the world stops existing in this moment and it’s only him and me and our orgasms all jumbled up together. He stays inside of me, unmoving as our heavy breathing becomes the only sound filling the deadly quiet room. I don’t know how long we stay in this position, but he suddenly pulls out and his seed slides down my inner thigh. I close my eyes as I hear him get dressed and walk toward the door. I don’t realize how badly I’m biting my lip until all I can taste is blood. The metallic taste chills my soul as I realize what has just happened between us. He now officially owns everything that I am and everything I’ll ever be. Just when I had promised myself not to give my soul away to him, I ended up handing it over to him on a silver platter.

  As soon as I hear the door open my soul decides to ask him the question that’s been lurking in the deep corners of my mind.

  “Is this going to be my life from now on?”

  Tears roll down my cheeks. Not because he fucked me. But because I enjoyed it so much and my heart is calling out for him as he’s about to leave the room. It’s calling out for its kidnapper and tormentor.

  He doesn’t answer me. He remains standing at the door for a moment with his back to me and then disappears into the dark hallway after closing the door softly behind him.

  Exhilarated and horrified by my emotions and everything that has just happened. I know one thing for sure: I will never be the same after tonight.

  Maksim

  I chug the liquid audibly as I stare at the clock sitting on top of my desk. It reads 4:00 a.m. I haven’t had a night like this one in a while. The world is about to wake up and my night hasn’t even ended yet. I take another sip. The liquid burns the back of my throat as I savor the taste of the whiskey. My thoughts are all about her. She thinks fighting me will keep me away. Little does she know, it only makes me crave her submission even more. The beast feeds on her stubbornness. I love the way her body reacts to the things I do to her. It makes my cock rock-hard as it painfully throbs in my pants. I never enjoyed fucking someone as much as I enjoyed fucking her. I remember trailing my fingers down her pale skin and immediately bringing a rosy flush to her cheeks, then entering her savagely until I forced gasps of pleasure to come out of her lips. Fuck. It’s so easy to lose myself in her and in the taste of her lips . . .

  I will never let her go. She is mine forever.

  I pick up my phone and dial Mikhail’s number. It’s five in the morning and I know he is usually up by now. The phone rings three times before he picks up.

  “Morning, sir.”

  “Where are you?” I ask as I rest my elbow on the armchair.

  “In the gym.”

  “There’s a man named Roberto who works for Leonardo. Find him and bring him to me alive. Also, we have a meeting later today with Daniel Walton. So get your men ready and the jet as well. We’re all going to pay him a visit.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Meeting at 9:00 a.m. Aleksandr will be joining us as well.”

  I hang up the phone and place it on top of my desk. I let a long sigh escape my mouth. Today will be a long day.

  The jet shows up in the back of the mansion thirty minutes before the meeting. We all get inside and I begin to prepare myself mentally for whatever I’m about to ask Daniel Walton, one of the biggest, most powerful business men in the country. But I’m confident the meeting will go well. After all, I have done so many favors for him in the past and this is the first time I’ll be asking for one.

  As soon as we get to Walton’s mansion, we are welcomed by his security guards, who search us up one by one. They take our guns away, which I knew it was going to happen. Either way, I’m not here to cause trouble. Mikhail and my men stay outside for supervision, and Aleksandr and I follow the short, middle-aged woman who leads us to Walton’s office.

  “Maksim,” Daniel says enthusiastically.

  “And Aleksandr. What a wonderful surprise to have the Pavlovs pay me a visit.”

  He shakes my hand first before proceeding to shake Aleksandr’s. Daniel Walton is one of those dangerous men who play their cards nicely. And if anybody thought of harming him, they would be dead long before they even started planning it. He and I have that in common.

  “Daniel,” I say firmly as I take a seat on the sofa across from his desk. My heart pounds hard in my chest, but it’s suppressed and perfectly controlled by the calmness and steadiness of my breathing.

  “How’s everything going on with you?” Aleksandr asks Daniel, who leans back in his chair. His blues study us fixedly and the smirk never leaves his lips.

  “Everything’s good! I haven’t seen you guys in a while. So what is it that brought you here today?” He speaks with such calmness, but the air is tense around him.

  “Getting straight to the point. I like that,” I say, nodding slightly. “Lord Stephen Davis.” A pulse starts kicking somewhere in the back of my neck. Anger rises within me at the thought of the sick fuck who wants what’s mine.

  Daniel frowns and narrows his eyes at me.

  “He’s declaring war against me.”

  I swallow thickly and await his reaction. It remains aloof and expressionless. Good sign or bad sign? I really can’t tell.

  A moment of awkward silence fills the room. I don’t know what Walton knows, but I can tell he knows something.

  “Consider it done,” he says simply and rises from his seat. Aleksandr and I look at each other for a moment then back at the tall man standing at the mini bar across the room, pouring himself a drink.

  “Drink, gentlemen?” he asks and I stand up instantly. Aleksandr follows me.

  “No, thanks, Daniel. We have to get going.”

  I motion to Aleksandr with a slight tilt of my head and begin to walk toward the door when Daniel’s voice interrupts me.

  “If I may ask,” he says and I turn around slowly to face him. I lift my chin and place my hands in my pockets.

  “Is she that worth it?”

  Fury roars through my mind. Of course he knows what’s going on. And I’m pretty sure he knew I was gonna come to him way before I even thought of asking for his help.

  My nostrils flare, but I force myself to remain calm. Why does my body become tense every time someone brings her up? I swallow hard and answer his question.

  “When I did you favors in the past, I never asked questions, Daniel. So I’m not going to answer yours,” I say firmly.

  He flashes me a wide grin and nods slowly while studying me. He raises his glass in the air and says, “Fair enough, Maksim. You have a great day. Don’t be a stranger.”

  I nod and
walk out of his office and his house. The jet awaits for us and both Aleksandr and I slide into the seats and take off.

  “That went better than I expected it to go,” says Aleksandr.

  “At least we got rid of the lord. All we have left is Leonardo Romano,” I answer him as I stare through the window.

  “Are you sure Daniel will take care of the lord?”

  I turn my face toward him and look into his eyes, a sly smirk on my face.

  “Confident.”

  I didn’t ask Daniel to take care of the lord without doing my research on their relationship in the first place. It turns out that Daniel Walton wasn’t a big fan of Lord Stephen Davis because of some past business history, which turned out to be the perfect opportunity for me to get rid of one of the many monsters I’m planning on destroying.

  I’ve never craved to take someone down until I met her and saw the way her eyes screamed for revenge. Killing is not my hobby, and I usually don’t try to get myself in situations where drawing blood is involved. But Leonardo Romano is a target I have had my eyes on ever since I took over my dad’s empire when he passed away. I had to find who was behind his death and eventually, I found out it was Leonardo. The only thing that’s challenging about him is that the motherfucker never shows his face in public. And he always brings a group of bodyguards with him anywhere he goes. I’m probably not the only person who’s after his blood, hence the amount of security he brings with him wherever he goes. But I will get to him. It’s only a matter of time before I end his life for killing my father and allowing men to hurt and rape his niece.

  By the time we get to the house, Aleksandr heads over to the kitchen to grab something to eat and Mikhail gets closer to me and whispers in my ear.

  “We have eyes on Roberto. You should have him by tomorrow, if not tonight.”

  An evil smile tugs at my lips and the beast inside suddenly becomes excited. I cannot wait to torture the motherfucker with my own hands. I didn’t tell Aleksandr about who Roberto is and what I’m planning on doing with him because he doesn’t need to know everything, especially when it has nothing to do with my father. This has to do with Elena. My fists clench at the thought of the asshole touching her, shoving his dick where he’s not supposed to.