by Donn, KL
Every so often, we’re given water, and all that I’ve been able to retain comes up and spews all over the front of Ares’ towering frame. I whimper when I catch a small glimpse of the deadly rage in his eyes.
He lets go of my head so swiftly that my chin cracks against my chest and agony streams through my frame, making me weaker. My ears are ringing so loudly, I can’t hear anything around me, and when I’m scooped into strong arms, I’m too exhausted to fight back.
“I’ll be back for you,” are the last deadly words I hear.
Ares
It wasn’t her vomit that angered me. The rage rolling through my veins is stronger than I’ve ever felt. I could kill every man here and not bat a lash at them. They wouldn’t even be an afterthought.
What has me fuming is this man’s laughter.
At her agony.
Her suffering.
Her complete lack of will.
She is a beauty to be cherished, and they’ve snuffed the light out of her. She’ll never be the same girl that I first met, with defiance in her eyes and a snap to her voice.
Arianna is forever a fractured gem lost to her sweet isle of the world.
Even witchcraft couldn’t save her.
Her moaning in my arms has only increased with each step, and even though I want to glance down at her, reassure her with tender words and a kindness none of these men care to know, I can’t because there are eyes everywhere.
We must be discreet now. Show no mercy.
As I round the corner where Apollo is waiting for me, his carefully placed mask nearly slips as his eyes land on our girl.
Passing by him as I enter our room, he growls, “They’re all fucking dead. I’ll burn them alive,” before closing the door and setting our plan into action.
Ares
The Previous Day.
I’ve never been the type of man to frame another person for a crime they didn’t commit; however, exceptions can always be made. Right now, is one of those times.
After watching Arianna being whipped until she hung from the chains in the roof like a fucking rag doll, I knew I had to do something. I had to get Judas to trust me. Waiting this long has been worse than any form of torture I’ve ever experienced. So, as I drag the unconscious body of a man who disfigured a young girl four hours ago and drop him on the floor in front of Judas’ desk, I feel no guilt. No shame.
“What’s this?” he sneers at the trail of blood streaking across his Persian rug. I shrug because I just don’t give a fuck.
“Look at this.” I toss the man’s phone across the desk, knowing it shows phone calls to a competitor. Calls I placed over the last two days in secret.
Silence permeates the room as his search reveals what I intend. I watch as the rage slowly trickles across his face with the more information he finds.
“You thought you could sell me out? Give my secrets, my girls, to another?” Slowly standing, Judas straightens his suit before striding around the desk and kicking the man in the gut. He begins to moan and rolls to his side, where Judas takes advantage and places a booted foot on the man’s balls, slowly pressing down until his eyes open wide.
“Wh– what happened?” He’s groggy because I didn’t just knock his ass out, I drugged him too. Ketamine is a bitch of a drug but works wonders to get shit done. I should know. And it still fucking pisses me off.
Pulling up his pant legs, Judas squats down so his face is in front of the man on the floors and snarls, “The Grim Reaper has arrived.” Without another word said, he pulls a gun from his waistband and shoots the guy through his heart.
Shock freezes his face, blood trickles out of his body as Judas stands and orders his guards, “Head out. I’d like a moment alone with Ares.”
I knew this was coming, so I wait to hear what he has to say with my hands behind my back, ready to grab a weapon should this turn south.
“How’d you know, Ares?” His back is to me when he speaks, but I see him wiping his hand with a handkerchief from his back pocket.
“Experience,” I tell him. Betrayal is easy to spot once it’s been done to you. Faking it now is simple.
“Explain.” Slowly turning, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his gun at his side, ready to act again, Judas awaits my answer.
Shrugging, I respond, “My team left me to hang at one point. Recognizing the secrecy in this man’s eyes wasn’t hard. Whenever he was on his phone and someone walked by, he’d stop talking mid-sentence or leave.”
“That all?”
“He cringed any time a whip cracked or a girl cried. Didn’t think you’d hire someone so…moral.” Hiding my own reaction to those same sounds and visions wasn’t as easy I’d foreseen, but I managed.
“You showed an interest in the blonde girl when we first arrived.” I stay quiet and don’t confirm or deny his assumption. “You want to play with her?”
I wait a beat before answering. “She up to it?” I’d like to do so much more than play with her.
“Who cares?” He laughs.
A half-smile is the only amusement I can entertain, or I’ll rip his head off. “Can I bring a friend?” Apollo is already on his way, and I could benefit from his laid-back manner and ability to provide banter when necessary.
“I want to meet him first. Pick him up, bring him here.” Sitting behind his desk again, I’m dismissed.
Walking out of the room, I head down the dark hall towards my assigned room. Before making the call to Apollo, I grab my wand to sweep the room for any bugs that could have been planted while I was with Judas.
It hasn’t happened yet, but as I scan the shelves along the east wall, I know it’s only a matter of time with how paranoid the man is. Especially after what just happened in his office. Learning that one of his men has betrayed him is only going to make him paranoid that many others can and eventually will. Which is true. But his own mistrust of the people in his organization is what’s going to prompt their deception.
For real, this time.
With the room cleared, I lock my door and make a call to Apollo.
“I’m in Dublin, been waiting too fucking long, Ares. What’s the plan?” His anger is loud and clear.
“You’re invited to a party for three. He wants to meet you first.”
“Where?”
“I’ll be there in an hour; send me your location.”
After hanging up, my phone dings with the address of the hotel he’s staying at. Grabbing the keys of the car I was given, I head out. I know there’s a tracker on the car, so no extra stops along the way. I haven’t found a listening device yet, but that’s not to say there isn’t one planted.
Striding through the castle, the quiet, the calm, is in complete contrast to what takes place here at night. A few select people are invited—and pay handsomely—for the anonymity to torture these women. These girls. So many fucking young girls go through hell for these sick fucks’ depraved pleasures.
I’ve done some shady shit in my life, but never have I entertained the idea of hurting the innocent. Reeling in my automatic instinct to kill each of these assholes for their participation hasn’t been simple to control.
Easing through the gates of the property, I catch a glimpse in the mirror and notice Judas and his two most trusted guards—Falco and Jake—watching as I leave. Their stances are confrontational and suspicious.
I haven’t yet formed a plan to get Arianna or her people out of here, but I know we must and soon.
Asher
Patience is not my strong suit. Despite the fact I used to wait for days, in one spot, before we were able to make a kill shot, it’s not something I’ve been successful in mastering.
Fingering the silk bag in my pocket, I can’t stop thinking about what Callista had to say before I left. She was adamant that Ares and I are the key to Arianna unlocking the powers the dark mage left with her in the womb of her mother.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Judas Willows is responsible for the missing citizens
of Graeline, but I’ve been wondering if there’s something more sinister at play. Something deeper, darker.
The dark mage would explain some of the questions I have. If she is in cahoots with Judas, it makes sense how he’s been able to gain access to the island and move freely without detection. From all that I understand, the mages can roam however they like with the cover of their powers. Even though Arianna and Callista insist their magic is different than that of a witch, from what I’ve seen and been told, it’s all still very similar.
Waiting on Ares gives me a bit of time to do more research about how Graeline came to be the only country in the world with access to this power. A power that seemingly doesn’t exist elsewhere. There’s nothing on the historical sites. No databases I can search. All my answers are going to have to come from the archives stored in the castle.
“Yo, let’s go!” Ares yells as he pulls up.
“You know what I fucking hate?”
“Your cushy fucking job?”
“Ha-ha. Not having fucking answers about this magic shit,” I snap as I toss my bags in the trunk of the car and climb in the front seat. “We bugged?” I ask. I wouldn’t be surprised.
“Nah. But you never know.”
“Tell me what you saw.” Leaning my head back, I close my eyes as Ares explains how he first witnessed Arianna.
Blood.
Agony.
More blood.
They’re stripping these people of their humanity, and come hell or high water, we’re getting them out. “Got a plan?” I ask.
I open my eyes and turn my head when Ares doesn’t answer. His deadly glare meets mine. “Kill ‘em all.”
“Seems fair.”
To accomplish the things we do, we have to be willing to break the rules on occasion. Because this isn’t a sanctioned U.S. assignment, we’re on our own if we get caught. Wouldn’t be our first time and certainly won’t be our last. Fortunately, despite being as small and unheard of as they are, I know the royals of Graeline will have our back because it means their daughter and their people have come home.
“Any idea how many they’ve sold or killed?” I ask.
“Too fucking many.” Fair enough.
“We need a plan, Ares. Do you know how many prisoners there are?”
“A hundred? Maybe more. The castle has a dungeon with tunnels for miles. It’s a fucking prison center down there. He’s not selling them. They’re beaten until they die, or they’re left to rot in their cubicles. There’s no fucking in-between with this son of a bitch.”
“He gave her to you?” I question.
“Yes.”
“To do what?”
“Million fucking dollar question, Apollo.”
Slowing the car as we approach the gates of this hellhole, I empty my mind and prepare myself for the impossible. The gruesome. I steel my mind for the prospect that we may never leave this place again, with only the two of us to fight an entire organization.
Arianna
The Present Day.
“You’ll never know love. Companionship. Happiness. Your life is mine now, princess.” I try to open my eyes. To catch a glimpse of who’s saying those things, but nothing in my body will cooperate. All I perceive is an endless melee of agony.
Excruciating screams are all I hear. My people are dying, and I can’t stop it. Ainsley flashes across my mind, bruised, broken, bloody. Her body is ready for paradise, but her heart and mind are unflappable. She keeps fighting. Her resilience is what we need.
My strength wanes with each new lash across my back. With every ounce of blood dripping from my body, my hope goes with it. Trickle by trickle. Drop by drop.
I fail.
“Arianna,” a new voice says. Softer, masculine, filled with caring.
My cracked lips part and I try to speak, but my throat is too dry. “Drink this,” another says as cool liquid slowly slides down my esophagus and chills my body from the inside out. I welcome the feeling, though, because it means I’m alive and not dreaming.
A damp cloth is gently run across my brow and eyelids, wiping away the tears, dirt, and grime. “Come on, baby, open those eyes.”
“Apollo.” The smooth cadence of his tone can be recognized anywhere. With a will I didn’t think I possessed, my eyes open ever so slightly, and the low lights illuminate Apollo and Ares sitting over the top of me. “Ares,” I whisper.
Relief consumes me, and I struggle to sit up only to realize I’m chained to a table. Imprisoned by the two men I thought were here to rescue us.
“What’s happening?” I choke on my sob.
Apollo leans forward, and at first, I think it’s to kiss me, but he whispers in my ear instead. “Don’t speak. Don’t say our names again. Just follow our lead.” He pulls back to meet my eyes, and even swimming with my tears, I see the sincerity and regret in his own. Against my better judgment, I nod my agreement.
I feel a hand on my naked flesh and look down to see Ares softly grazing along my thigh as he leans forward to place a kiss on my lips. It’s not the same mad passion as the first time…
It’s an apology.
“Forgive us,” he whispers as he pulls away.
Before I can begin to make sense of what’s happening, the feeling of a whip cracking across my hips forces my back to arch up off the bed I’m tied to. Biting my lip so I don’t cry out, I try to breathe through the renewed pain.
My head turns to watch Apollo do it a second time. Pain blossoms throughout my core and tears fall as his gaze hardens, but he doesn’t break eye contact as he does it again. Ares’ hands massage my thighs as he kneels between my legs, my nakedness not forgotten as they continue to assault my body.
The difference between now, with them, and previously, with men who enjoyed exploiting my pain, is that when Apollo’s wrist snaps, he’s sure to hit more of the bed than me. The hands of Ares work to bring me some semblance of comfort with each sharp thrash of leather.
Closing my eyes when I see Apollo raise his arm yet again, I try to concentrate on the feeling of heat from the hands on my legs. The farther they work up my body, closer to the apex of my thighs, the easier it becomes to forget the pain.
I don’t know what’s happening, but my body buzzes and comes alive. I can feel Ares’ presence at the tops of my thighs, his thumbs massaging just a breath away from my center, and I can imagine this scenario at a time where it’s just us. The three of us in a private room where we find pleasure in the touch, the feel of one another. I think back on our kisses, my first touching of lips with a man and imagine this is then. The time they sought to bring me pleasure instead of instructing pain. On the next wallop of leather, my hips jump, and Ares is touching me in a place I never dreamed a man would.
His soft caress nearly makes me moan until the switch cracks down, this time below my breasts, and I tingle in a whole new way.
“Turn her over,” I hear Apollo instruct, and I gasp with the ease in which Ares moves me.
Pushing my knees under my body, he pulls my hips back, so my ass is up and my face, down. His hands massage the pale globes of my butt cheeks and lower back as I feel the breeze of the bullwhip come crashing down. It lands with biting precision in the middle of my back, and from the agony washing through me, I can feel my flesh split and blood trickle along my sides.
“Please, no more,” I beg.
“Sorry, princess,” Ares says, and I can hear the temptation in his voice. “You’re ours to play with now.”
A forceful hand reaches into my hair, grabbing a chunk, and yanks my head back. “If you weren’t so turned on, I’d feel bad,” Apollo whispers in my ear before laying tender kisses along my neck.
“Why?” I whisper, unsure of my own question.
“Why does it feel so good when yesterday, it felt like hell?” He voices my concern, and I nod. “Because this time, it’s us hurting you. We all have dark desires, princess, yours just belong to us.”
“It’s sick,” I hiss.
“Then
let us be your cure.” Biting over my pulse, he sucks the flesh into his mouth until I cry out.
“My turn,” Ares murmurs, and the loss of his warmth is upsetting until I feel Apollo take his position. “Hold her.”
I’m not sure what to expect, so I bury my head in the sheet beneath me and close my eyes. Apollo’s hold on my hips is bruising but doesn’t hurt. When I feel hot breath before the warmth of a mouth clasps around my nipple, I pull back, but a hand on my back pushes me closer. Nipping my lip, I try to hold back the agonized moan. It doesn’t hurt even though he’s rough, but I also know that they want me to resist. What I really want to do is hold Ares closer to me, allow him to do as he pleases to my body.
Releasing me, I can breathe again until I feel cold metal clasp around the peaked nipple before he does the same to my other.
“What is this?” I cry out. Pain and pleasure mingle, and it’s difficult to decipher which is more dominant.
“I’ll share a secret with you, princess,” Ares says as I turn my head to meet his gaze. The bold desire holding my stare makes me squirm as my tears continue to fall. I can’t help the small whimpers breaking free with every breath.
“I want to make you bleed.” Shocked at his words, I hold my breath. Unsure of what he means, I can only pray he won’t hurt me.
This waiting is worse than the torture I’ve been put through because I understand what’s coming and from who, but I don’t know how bad it’s going to get. Seeing Ares pull a blade and lighter from his pocket, I hold my breath, my body tenses as he flicks the flame to life and runs it along the edge of the knife.
“Please don’t,” I beg again.
Placing the knife in front of Apollo’s face, I watch as he blows on it, cooling the sparkling silver down as his grip tightens on my hips.
