I shake my head, and my thoughts turn to Uncle Tank – it feels weird remembering him like that. Then, suddenly, a vision of my mother and my father comes into my head. I'm four, maybe five, and we’re playing in a park together. My father’s pushing me on a swing,
"Higher," I scream, and he pushes me so far I think I'm going to make a loop over the bar. I squeal with delight.
"Gunner, careful." My mom chuckles and finishes laying out the picnic for us all. My father brings the swing to a halt, lifts me off, and puts me on top of his shoulders. He's strong, tall, and covered in elaborate tattoos, the biggest one being a willow tree curving around his side with my name and birth date below.
A tear pools in my eye, and I see the corners of Daddy's lips curl up into a smirk. No, he isn't my daddy. He's Snake, a reptile who abused and tortured me. He stole me from my parents and is going to die painfully, tonight. I wipe the tear away with my finger and bring it to my mouth before licking it. It's a gesture he did to me often.
“Mine, now.” I let him know, and the room goes so quiet you can hear his breath rasping, probably as a result of his damaged ribs. I take the opportunity to look around and realize Caim wasn't kidding when he said it was a dungeon. It looks just like the ones I’d imagine finding in an English castle. A wooden rack sits in the corner, knives and chains adorn the walls. Several other devices, which look painful but I'm not sure what they do, are lined up on a carved oak table at the side of the room. I run my tongue against my teeth in anticipation. Looking toward Caim, I see he’s doing the same. I don't know his story or why he has darkness in him, but I make a vow to learn it one day. Right now, this is about me ridding myself of the demon who has terrorized me for so long. I go to the table and run my hand over several of the devices. I pick up what looks like a giant pair of scissors.
"A tongue trimmer," Caim informs me. I put it back.
“Not yet. I want him to be able to talk when I ask some questions.”
He smirks and steps up to the table.
“May I suggest this?” He picks up a device which is a small ball on a handle. The ball has holes in it.
“What does it do?” I ask with genuine interest.
“We put oil in the ball and heat it. I think you can imagine what happens next. Be careful of the eyes though. It can kill if you drop the boiling liquid directly onto them, and it gets into the brain. Best to stick to the abdomen.”
“I like the sound of it.”
“Iron, Heat. Can you strap him to the rack? Might as well add a little fun of my own while we’re at it.”
Heat raises an eyebrow at Caim. “You know that neither of you can kill him?”
“I don’t plan on it,” Caim says. “That’s Gunner’s job. I’m just giving Layla a demonstration.”
“Ok.” Heat hauls Snake to his feet. Snake is the only name I’ll use for him from now on. I gag at the thought of him being Daddy. Caim looks my way to check I’m ok.
“Yes,” I reassure him. He smiles and starts to fill the ball with oil. There’s a gas stove in the corner of the room. He ignites one of the rings and places the ball over the flickering flame.
"You can’t do this to me, Layla," Snake calls out. I spin around to look at him as Heat and Iron finish tying him to the contraption.
“Why?” I ask him as a mask slips into place, obscuring the small piece of humanity that has started to creep back into my soul since I learned more about who I really am. “You never showed me any mercy.”
I take the torture weapon from Caim and being careful not to drop any of the oil on my bare feet, I make my way over to the man who destroyed ten years of my life. I'm dressed in only a t-shirt. It’s different from the one Caim initially put on me, but I know it's also his. I can smell him on it. Iron pulls Snake's t-shirt up, and I hold the ball device above his pale flesh. He tries to move his already bruised torso in an attempt to escape the inevitable. I press a button on the device and the oil starts to drip onto his stomach. His flesh sizzles as I move it around. Snake is trying his hardest not to scream out because I know by the look of his damaged skin, it must hurt. I push the button at the top of handle down further, and the oil comes out faster. He still has his jeans on, but it doesn't stop me from taking the device over his groin. I know the pain won’t be as severe as if he were naked, but I know it will still scald his precious manhood. The vile thing that has defiled me repeatedly. I let out a long squeal of delight, which sounds eerie in the dark room. Caim comes up behind me and reaches over to take the device away. He brings his lips close to my ear, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at his proximity. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about someone. I shouldn’t desire him, but I do. It must be the darkness in me sensing his darkness and wanting to come out to play.
"Go choose something else," he whispers and throws the oil apparatus into the sink.
Now, in some kind of daydream, I glide back to the table and pick up a pear-shaped device. Iron and Heat both laugh out loud, and I frown at them.
"As long as it's going in his mouth, darling. I've got no desire to be putting it in the other place it's intended for." I look down at the device again. It's metal, and I see it expands. I realize where the other place is that it’s supposed to go and clench my butt cheeks together. I quickly put it back on the table. As much as I want Snake to suffer, I'm not going there either. Yuck.
I rub my hands together, trying to remove imaginary germs from them.
“It’s ok, we sterilize everything after it’s used. Caim is particular about it.” Heat hands me a pair of shears. They look like a crocodile’s mouth with lots of sharp teeth.
“You’re predictable, Heat.” Caim comes behind me and laughs. He extracts the device from my hands, and walking over to the gas stove again, he puts it into the flames. I watch him with my head cocked. I’m increasingly feeling more in a dream state the longer I remain in this room. Caim turns the flame off and hands me the cold end of the device. Iron grabs Snake’s arm and holds it up.
"Run it down his arm." I take the shears and do as I’m instructed. The noise Snake makes is almost inhuman. It shoots through me just like a bolt of lightning, shattering a tightly wound tree. It's beautiful, and it's justice. His skin bubbles and peels under the crocodile's teeth. I'm literally scraping the flesh from his muscles. The tattoos on his arms are ruined by my act of retribution. My breath quickens, my heart beats rapidly, and then, I feel it – the throb of my clit humming between my legs. Fuck, I need…something. Caim wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me to him. I feel his erection, instantly. He’s just as turned on as me.
I look up at Heat and Iron.
"Out." I have no right to order them around. I don't know where this sudden bold nature has come from. All I know is they’re no longer needed here. The next part of Snake's torture and my healing can only be down to me and, of course, Caim. We’re the real monsters who dwell in the shadows of humanity.
“Caim?” Heat questions.
“She needs this.”
“You down with-it man?” –Iron seeks confirmation– “Gunner, he could…”
"She needs this," Caim repeats and brings me closer to him.
Iron and Heat look at each other, worry passing between them.
“Just don’t kill him,” Heat threatens.
“I won’t,” Caim insists.
Both men bow their heads and leave. Snake’s lying there in so much pain, and his eyes have rolled back in his head. He’s borderline unconscious.
Caim lets go of me and picks up a bucket off the floor. He places it in the sink and fills it with water before throwing it over the semi-comatose man next to me. He gasps awake and instantly starts to scream in agony.
“You’re lucky we chose your arm. The device was originally designed for pulling dicks off." The badass biker next to me smirks and comes back behind me. I feel him lower his hand over my stomach and down to my thighs. I know under this t-shirt I'm nude, but nakedness doesn't bother me – it’s clothe
s I’m finding irritating. He pulls my t-shirt off, and I don't even flinch. He knows exactly what I need now, and I allow him to take over. I merely stand and stare at Snake whose eyes confirm he knows I'm finding my salvation while he suffers. He didn't break me. He may have made me different, but I'm not going to be a victim.
Caim moves his hand over the scars on my body.
"For every injury you inflicted, you’ll have the same done to you."–He pulls a knife from his pocket and slashes four quick cuts into Snake's stomach. The blood flows to the surface and glistens with its beauty. Another three cuts are inflicted–"That’s for the scars I can see."
I place my hand on Snake's stomach and dig a finger into one of the cuts. It's not deep, but I know he's hurting.
“Just get on with it. The foreplay is getting boring,” Snake grunts from between gritted teeth.
Caim punches him in the face, and the demon's nose is broken – scarlet smearing across his face.
“Respect,” Caim orders and dips his fingers in between my legs. He can feel how wet I’ve become with what’s happening in this room. He circles my clit, his pressure increasing each time. I wish I could say I've never orgasmed before and this will be my first time, but my body has betrayed me in the past and not just the once. When a man is determined to degrade you in the worst possible way, as Snake has done to me, you can't always prevent your reaction, no matter how hard you try. Although I’ve never come via penetrative sex. I lean my head back against the centre of Caim’s chest. He’s a lot taller than me. In fact, I’ve realized today I’m short – not eating well during adolescence probably didn’t help. I shut my eyes and allow my body to lose itself in the pleasure that Caim is bringing me. It doesn’t take long for the orgasm to hit me, the first satisfying one of my life. It cascades through my body, leaving me shuddering and teetering on weakened knees.
“She screamed louder for me.” Snake’s derogatory comment floods through my blissful haze, and I snarl at him. Caim doesn’t let it influence him, though. He picks me up and lays me against the rack and then unzips his jeans to reveal a beautifully hard cock. It’s so stunning I want to cry. Snake’s has nothing in comparison—his is one of those, which requires a magnifying glass to find, and when you do locate it, it's crooked when erect. I part my legs to allow the beautiful member access and lean back on the rack. Snake can’t move as he’s tied down, so when I feel my head hit his stomach, I smile because I know there is nothing he can do about it.
“Layla.” Caim tilts his head and rubs his cock through my folds. Remember the part where I said I wasn't a victim. Well, that is what this is about. Snake should have turned me off sex forever, but instead, he's made me an exhibitionist. His actions have led me to a man who also has jet-black blood running through his veins, and together we’ll make an uproar to rival the fiery screams of hell. "You sure about this?" Caim asks.
I nod, and without ceremony or tender care, he thrusts in to the hilt.
I welcome him with a cry of ecstasy. My body igniting with lascivious desires.
We move together as one. His hips bucking like a wild animal rutting its mate. It's raw and powerful and oh so necessary. This isn't lovemaking – this is recovering. It's a demonstration of the depraved souls we possess. I can feel Snake squirming against his bindings underneath me, and bringing my hands up above my head, I dig my nails into his body. The blood from the cuts over his stomach covers my hands, and he screams out every time Caim buries himself inside me.
“Whore! I knew you were just like her,” Snake calls out.
Caim’s movements falter, then stop, and he grunts out a warning to Snake to shut his mouth.
“No, let him call me all the names he wants. This is his doing. He’s made me what I am today,” I breathlessly respond, and I jerk my hips to get Caim to start moving again. He does but slower this time. “Fuck me, Caim!" I shout, not caring who hears what’s happening down here. I'm sure the place is soundproofed anyway. They wouldn't want anyone hearing the blood-curdling screams when they’re killing people. What happens in this place is between the three of us alone, and only two will leave the room alive.
Caim speeds up, pushing me harder and harder against the rack, and the old wood creaks with the weight of Snake, me and Caim’s ministrations. Another orgasm teeters just out of reach.
Snake laughs.
“Bitch doesn’t come through sex. She’s frigid.”
“You raped her. She’ll come with me.” Caim slams into me, and I moan out loudly.
“Nah. It runs in the family. She’s just like her mother.”
My body freezes. Caim stops again.
“Thought that would stop you.” –Snake sneers– “You wanna know why I did this?”
Caim withdraws from me, and I rise from the rack to stand next to him.
“To punish the bitch,” Snake continues. “She promised me the world, and then the second your father paid any attention to her, she dumped me quicker than hot lead. I vowed revenge and, boy, did I get it. I’ve messed you up for life. I’ve made you just the same as her. He lets his head fall back and starts to laugh out so loudly it echoes around the room. Caim, with his hard cock still hanging out, pulls his fist back ready to punch Snake into silence. I place my hand on his dick, and he drops his clenched hand down to his side.
"Finish what you started," I say to him, leaving him in no doubt, what I mean. I lean over the rack, so I can look straight into Snake's eyes and present my ass to Caim. He gets the good stuff, not Snake.
“Layla?” Caim’s voice is uncertain.
“I need you.” I make sure he knows what I want and wiggle my ass to prove it. He growls and comes to line himself up again before pushing inside my pussy again. His perfect cock strokes my insides, and the orgasm, which was out of reach before, ignites in a flash. I'm shocked, but it's the look on Snake's face that’s priceless as he finally recognizes he’s failed. Caim thrusts into me twice more before burying himself one final time. He groans out loudly, and I feel him coming. His orgasm coats my insides, freeing me from the terror and shame I've lived with for so long. He pulls out and steps back, tucking himself away. He’s panting, and so am I. There's nothing but our labored breaths in the room now. We've silenced Snake.
“You were saying?” I taunt as I pick up my t-shirt and put it back on. I don’t want this evil man to see my body any longer. He has no rights over it anymore. He’s lost his control.
I feel Caim’s essence running out of me and down my inner thighs.
“We need to get you cleaned up.” Caim goes to the sink and puts a towel under the water. He brings it back to me, but I hold my hand up to stop him before he can wipe me. I place my hand between my legs and take some of his semen onto my fingers, the same ones that are covered in Snake's blood. They’re red with his crimson life-force. I smear the two together, and my eyes glaze over as I fall back into a dream-like state again.
“Please.” I know what I have to do. This isn’t over yet. I thought it would be, but I still feel him in my head. The final piece of the puzzle I need to complete.
Caim shakes his head. “I can’t. It’s not my decision.”
"No, it isn't. It's no one’s but mine." The realization slams into my chest, and I gasp out a breath. All these firsts, they’re monumental. I open my mouth to plead again, but nothing comes out. I'm like a goldfish as I open and close my mouth, trying to find the right words to say.
Caim shuts his eyes and exhales a long breath. He goes over to the wall and pulls a large sword from it. He saunters back to me with a swagger, which triggers a tune playing through my head like the hardcore rock music I used to hear Snake play. If flames suddenly appear around Caim, I won’t be surprised. He hands me the sword. It's not as heavy as it looks – I expected something weightier.
He must realize what I’m thinking.
“It’s a lady’s sword. A more modern invention since women were homemakers and not fighters when most of my swords were made. But if you tried some o
f the others, you wouldn’t even be able to lift them off the floor.” He goes to stand over the other side of the room to allow me to have my moment. I run my hand over the blade, leaving behind the mixture of blood and cum on it.
“You won’t do this, Layla,” Snake insists.
I take one final look at him and then back to the sword. Without further ceremony or thought, I bring it up and drive it through his stomach. I pull it out as he starts to beg for his life. A red mist descends on my dream-like state, and pulling the sword higher this time, I slice it through his neck. He gargles and then… nothing. Silence. It's over.
Chapter Five
CAIM
I thought Prez was going to kill me when Heat told him Snake is dead. I definitely know I’m not long for this world when he realizes the body is covered in cum as well as blood, and Layla has it running down her thighs. I’ve never seen someone look so disappointed in me, in my entire life. I’ve let everyone down, but it doesn’t feel that way. I'd given Layla the revenge she'd needed. It may have been sick and twisted fucking her in front of Snake, but she needed to prove to him she was a strong woman, and that he hadn’t broken her. I’m confined to my room until they are able to agree with Gunner what is to happen to me for messing around with his daughter. I knew they'd arrived because I'd heard Gunner's gruff voice screaming obscenities at Tank, concerning the fact Snake was already dead. I know the nature of the club means his death is all Gunner's, but in my eyes, it needed to be Layla who struck the final blow. She may be a woman, and all that macho shit, but she was his prisoner for ten years. She needed to thrust that shiny piece of metal through the fucker’s throat and feel his last breath on her face. The fact she did it after I'd given her, her first ever orgasm via penetrative sex is so much sweeter.
My bedroom door bursts open, and I’m on my feet in an instant with an angry looking president of the Chicago Riders looking at me. His fists are clenched, and I know I'm about to face punishment.
Love is Strange: A Taboo Anthology Page 34
