Page 20 of Betrothed in Fury
“I’ve been searching through all my toys,” I tell him, “wondering what would be the best way to manage a monster like you.”
He tries to speak, but the horse bit I’ve placed in his mouth catches whatever he’s trying to say, and judging by his expression, it wasn’t anything pleasant.
“Don’t worry, I’ll remove that once we get started. I enjoy the screaming too much not to.”
His pupils flare, assuring me this will be as exciting as I’d hoped.
I retrieve my hunting blade from the holster on my belt and run it down his bare chest, through the grooves, inspecting every inch, trying to decide where the best place to puncture is.
“You see…as much pleasure as I get out of what I do to people physically, it’s the psychological aspect that really arouses me. But I must be careful not to move too quickly. That used to be my problem. I was too eager and impatient. I didn’t understand the art of torture the way my father did.”
I finish tracing a tattoo of a snake along his side before taking his hand. He struggles, trying to ball his fist, but I manage to get hold of a finger and slice under the nail before depressing gently. He bites down on the horse bit, screaming.
The rush is like a hit of coke…oh, it’s heavenly. I watch his expression as I dig into his flesh to give him a taste of what’s to come. The farther I penetrate beneath the nail, the more comes back to me. First, from earlier in the night, seeing how distressed Logan was to see his fallen brother. Then further back, to holding my dying father in my arms, not realizing that my mom and most of my siblings were dead.
I lean close, whispering in his ear, “You’re probably wondering why I haven’t removed the bit yet, and that’s because I said when we get started. We haven’t started yet.”
I pull back, watching his pupils flare as I continue cutting into him. The more Sik Vik screams, the more relief I feel. It’s like I’m funneling the pain through him, freeing me from it once and for all. It’s the sort of act that reminds me why no one fucks with the Lordes.
Blood rushes from his finger onto the table as I hear the lock at the door. When it opens, my butler, Kline, steps in. “Boss,” he says.
“What?” I say through my teeth. I don’t enjoy being interrupted, especially in the middle of vengeance.
“Your fiancé has arrived.”
“What?” I ask.
I figured word would get back to Logan that we had him, but I expected he would be appreciative we’d handled the enemy. But maybe this will emphasize to my future husband why it’s essential we unite as our fathers intended.
“Looks like we have a visitor,” I tell Sik Vik, whose eyes are wide with horror. “This will give you time to consider why you should have learned to control your temper before you stepped foot into the cage tonight. The only regret you should have is that someone didn’t teach you that lesson before you encountered the Wildes and the Lordes.”
I clean up before leaving my new friend and following Kline through the hall until we reach my study, where Logan waits for me. His button-down shirt is rolled at the sleeves, a few buttons undone at the top, revealing enticing hairs that tempt me to take him now and claim him as mine.
“How is Wrath?”
Logan flinches, like he wasn’t expecting me to care about his family. “He’ll be fine. Thank you for asking. And thank you for apprehending the asshole who did that to him.”
“Trust me, it’s my pleasure.”
He searches around the room uneasily. Maybe considering his last time here under very different circumstances.
“I was in the middle of entertaining him when you arrived.” I figured that might cheer him up, but his nostrils flare.
“Is he alive?”
“Not for long, but probably longer than he wants to be.”
“I don’t want you to do this, Killian.”
I’m taken aback.
“I always thought our bloodlust was one of the things that united our fathers, but maybe I was wrong, or maybe it didn’t get passed down to his son.”
Logan doesn’t respond.
“You’re not suggesting I let that monster go after what we saw him do, are you?”
His brow creases. “What? No. But it’s not your job to punish him for what he did to Wrath. It’smine.” The greed drips off his lips, and there’s hunger in his eyes, something I haven’t seen from him before.
