I’m back in the dungeon while Lilith talks to Ariel. My skin itches to cause pain. Lucky for me, I have four not-so-willing victims.
“Oh fuck,” one of the men curses as I head to a wall of whips. Ariel’s scarred back from her own whipping is playing in my mind.
“Telling me something,” I say without turning, “Have any of you ever laid a hand on Ariel?” Silence is my only answer. I don’t know why I’m surprised. The low’s these men have gone to. It shouldn’t be shocking that they could beat on the woman who pays them for their illegal activities. There’s no loyalty.
Running the length of the whip across my palm, I ask without acknowledging them, “You know who I am? My reputation?”
One captive snorts with mockery.
The other four murmur their assent.
With a loud crack, the chest of the one who dared to mock me split open with six slices, deep crimson liquid trailing in rivulets down his bruised torso. The tassels from my whip drip with bits of flesh and blood. The others stare, stunned, as he moans, pulling at the chains that hold him to the wall.
“Care to mock me again?” I ask, hoping he does so I can inflict more pain. I want them all to feel a thousand times more than what Ariel ever has. I want them to understand there are consequences to actions no matter who you are.
I want them to understand Lucifer himself has nothing on me.
A door opens behind me, and the object of my retribution enters the room. Her eyes grow wide and then timid as Lilith guides her into the dungeon.
Blood has splattered my shirt and hands as she walks towards me, her hazel gaze bouncing back and forth. Every man chained to the wall is sitting straighter as they recognize her. The one I just whipped eyes Ariel coldly.
“You’re torturing them.” With her, it’s not a question.
“We need information.”
“But you’re taking pleasure.” Her eyes search mine, looking for an answer I’m not sure she’ll like.
“It’s what I do.” I made a promise never to lie to her.
“This is for me, though?” Pain lines her face. Whether from her current injuries or remembered ones, I don’t know.
“You deserve justice.” My words are rough. “Until I find Timothy, they will pacify me.”
Her stare remains cold. “And what of me? What do I get?”
She can’t be alluding to what I think she is…can she? “You telling me you want a turn, Ariel?” She glares at the men against the wall, knowing full-well just how evil they are. “You do this, and there’s no going back.” I warn her because, even though she’s seen and done her fair share of crap, this is different. This would be by choice.
“What’s your instrument of choice, Luther?” I hide my grin from her as I walk to the wall and grab the blowtorch I favor. Her eyes widen when I turn, and a few in-drawn breaths get taken as the men see it.
They witnessed me use this on Anton before we had ended his suffering. His information wasn’t nearly as helpful as we’d hoped, so there was no reason to keep him around longer than necessary.
“You burn them?” She’s horrified at the thought, and I can’t help my grin. My girl is so fucking innocent even with the evil that’s surrounded her.
Lighting the torch, I walk up to the man who keeps mocking me and my threats. His eyes widen with fear and understanding. There is no way to brace for the excruciating agony of skin melting off your body. The smell of burnt flesh in your nostrils is one of the worst things I’ve ever known.
The flame flickers and hisses as I ask Ariel, “You know him?” She nods. “What’s he done to you?”
She isn’t prepared for that question. “Nothing.” Her voice is quiet as the flame mesmerizes her. “There was a girl once. She was so young. I tried to calm her. I wanted to run away with her.” Tears track down her cheeks as she tells her story, angering me further with every word. “He smacked her so hard she passed out. She was sold to one of our cruelest buyers because when he tried to rape her, she fought back. She was brutally murdered a week later.”
Left speechless, she walks over and takes the torch from my hand. I’m flabbergasted when she touches the flame to the man’s chest. Her eyes are hauntingly dead as we listen to his screams.
When he vomits on her feet, she lets go of the lever and cold-cocks him with the canister. His chest is covered in boils and blisters. The skin melting and hanging off his frame. Blood soaks his pants and the floor beneath his feet.
The gore of his bodily fluids mixing and the smell of burning flesh doesn’t deter Ariel as she drops the device to the ground by her feet and goes for the whip I’d put down.
“You killed her,” she hisses. The whip cracks his chest, splitting the skin. “You sent her to hell.” The words sound torn from her soul, the leather straps slice his face open. “She was a baby!” The lashes continue until Ariel is so exhausted she can no longer lift her arm over her head. The man has long since passed out from pain and blood loss. He’ll be dead by the end of the night.
Wrapping my arms around her from behind, she collapses against me. Her body vibrates from her exertion. Tears maintain a constant flow down her cheeks as the other men stare silently in horror at the pain tiny Ariel has caused. They likely had no idea about the amount of consuming hatred she carried around inside for all she has been forced to participate in and witness.
Taking the whip from her, I lift her light, blood-spattered body and carry her from the room, uncaring if the man lives or dies at this point. My princess is in turmoil, and she needs to know there can be good in the world. If only a small portion of it is with me.
Ariel
I’ve never loathed someone so much. I have never felt such all-consuming hatred that it penetrated my soul. That man, I don’t even know his name, but I remembered him. He caused so much more agony for young girls than was necessary. The way he always relished in the act had me seeing red when I walked into the room.
There’s no doubt in my mind that those men will all die. Luther will likely have a heavy hand in it because of me, and I couldn’t care less. Growing up around so much violence usually caused me to shy away from it.
But this time, I snapped. All I could see was the young girl bruised, her eyes fearful and void at the same time. She should have been in the park with friends, never discovering the horrors humanity has to offer. But they stole her, they stole her innocence. Any light she would have had in her gaze had been snuffed out the minute my father’s men decided she was a piece of meat instead of all that’s right in this world.
Burning his flesh, whipping him, it appears as a distant thought. I feel like I had been pulled away from my body while it happened. Even when I got a sick sense of satisfaction from the man’s suffering. I wanted him to bleed, to hurt the way so many others have because of his actions.
“Am I as bad as they are?” I look to Luther for an answer as his intense body heat soothes my shaking while he carries me back to his room.
His answer is instant and sure. “Not even close.” The bite in his tone makes my body shiver for a whole other reason. Sparks of electricity bounce between us like a pinball as he opens the door. At the foot of the bed, he places me on my feet, saying, “What you just did, his screams and terror, is only a fraction of what all those innocent kids likely felt. What you did, Ariel, was exact justice for them that they will never see or hear about. But you’ve avenged them.” His hands grip my hair tightly. There is a bloodlust in his glare as his eyes roam my body. Licking his lips, he vows, “I will bring them all down before you torture another soul, though.”
“Why?” I whisper. Confused.
“Because you are light, and I am dark. You’re good; I’m a monster.” His mouth crashes down on mine before I can say anything. Before I can tell him that he’s not a monster. He’s everything a girl like me needs.
When he sucks my tongue into his mouth, I stand on my tip-toes to reach more of him. Feel his solid chest against my softer one. I want this man in a way I never thought I could. His touch is thrilling. It brings me to life. When he pulls back, I moan with regret until he yanks my shirt up and over my head, revealing my scarred and bruised upper body.
As he drops to his knees, I want to cry. His fingers touch every available piece of flesh, captivating me as it burns a slow charge straight to my core.
“Luther,” I whisper, more like a prayer, as he captures a nipple between his teeth. Light tugs and long sucks make my legs shake and my pussy contract, wanting to be filled with his cock.
His large hands wrap almost all the way around my waist as he pulls my loose pants down my legs. His mouth following, nipping the skin every so often.
“You taste like cinnamon.” His words are rough against my skin as the puffs of air brand my flesh. “I want to kill every single one of them for thinking they can tarnish your silky skin.” I’m shocked when he sucks a piece of my flesh through my panties. I cry out; he chuckles. “I’ll slaughter them if they’ve touched you here.” His hand cups my entire pussy. The heat seeps into me, and I squirm against him.
“Only you, Luther.” I pant, unable to catch my breath.
“Your mine now, Ariel. Never again will you leave my side.” He follows his command with a bite on the same spot he’d sucked into his mouth moments ago, and it’s like a dam bursts inside of me.
My whole body lights up, tensing, relaxing, contracting miraculously. Pleasure unlike anything I’ve ever known flows through my veins as Luther kisses his way up my body. I shake uncontrollably in his arms, not a single care in the world as my ears ring, and my brain absorbs the electrifying currents still brandishing my body.
“What was that?” I murmur. Unsure of what just happened but definitely wanting more.
“That, my princess, is something you will only ever get from me.” He sounds pissed off, but his eyes tell the real tale. He’s laying claim.
I watch, transfixed, as he stands before me, stripping his bloody clothes from his body. His chest is a wall of muscle and tattoos. Scars litter a few spots, and I wonder about them. Quickly distracted when he drops his pants, my eyes shoot to his steely orbs. Patience, understanding, and raw need are reflected back at me, and I know I want this man to own every inch of what little purity I have left.
“I want to be yours, Luther.” My voice is shy as I look back down to his magnificent chest.
His stare and the subtle ticks in his jaw do all the talking as he walks me backwards to the bed. My thighs hit the edge of the mattress, and I nearly collapse when his hands reach out, one entwining in my hair at the nape of my neck while the other grips my ass cheek. Balling my panties in a tight fist, he tugs, and the sound of ripping fabric magnifies in the room.
A gasp escapes me as he brings the fabric to his nose and inhales. A deep, satisfied moan leaves his chest as his eyelids close.
No more words are said as he takes us both down to the bed, his hard cock pulsing against my stomach as he drags me up the bed by my hair. Oddly, not once do I maliciously feel pain. The small tugs only intensify my arousal for him.
“Luther?” I question when I feel him laying my leg on his shoulder. I’m stretched out in a manner that leaves me wide open for his perusal. With one hand still in my hair and the other holding fast to my panties, he rocks his dick against my swollen lower lips. Groaning as he does.
“It’s going to hurt like a bitch this first time, sweetheart.” I don’t get time to reply as he powers his way through my wet channel.
“Ohhh!” I scream as pain tears me apart.
His chest is flat to mine, our gazes holding. My leg is still pressed against his shoulder, and I want to push him away. I want to forget this ever happened, but he brings my panties to his nose again. Only this time, I really get to watch his reaction. His hand is still covered in blood from his torture, and his eyes are so angry and hungry that I don’t know what to do. I want him to enjoy my body, but if this pain persists, I’m not sure I can continue.
Then he does it. He shows me my desire shining on my panties at the same time his big body rocks inside me, and I feel a sweet longing for more.
“You feel it?” he grunts. I nod. “Never had a fucking virgin before.” I’m shocked at his bluntness, although, I shouldn’t be. “You're so fucking tight and perfect. This pussy is fucking golden. Pure. Mine.” His words become more animalistic with each spoken.
Our bodies align as he pumps his hips slowly, at first, transitioning into a bruising pace that leaves me moaning for more. It has me thirsty for the same explosive pleasure he’d given me just moments before.
“Ariel,” he hisses against my mouth, sounding pained. “I’m going to fill you with so much of my cum, no other man will even think of coming near you.” He buries his face in my neck as his hand grips my hip with bruising effect. When his teeth bite my throat, I scream out, filled with an aching need I didn’t know I had. “Mine,” he growls as his head lifts. The skin where he bit stings as he smirks, clearly pleased with marking me.
Feeling bold, I lean forward and do the same. Only I wrap my teeth around the flesh surrounding his nipple and bite down. He stops moving, and I fear I’ve done something wrong until he whispers, “harder,” in my ear. Holding my head in place.
The rougher I bite, the more forceful his thrusts become until they’re erratic and stroking a soft spot that erupts, and we’re both screaming our pleasure. Through my haze, I feel his cock let loose and fill me like he promised.
My head drops to the bed, and I see the mark I’ve left on his chest. It’s punishing red where my teeth imprinted into his flesh likely in the same manner he left on my neck.
Smiling up at him, his gaze grows dark and satisfied as he pulls out from my body. Spots of blood cling to his neck, still. I should be turned off by that, but it shows the depths of hell he’s willing to go for me. He avenged my loss of innocence in the most primal way possible.