Page 28 of Knight’s Retribution

He could have her body; her mind was her own. He couldn’t force her to love him, and he couldn’t make her hate Rocco.

So she stopped fighting and looked into his eyes. “Yes, I was planning to escape. I wanted to get the fuck away from you. You have done nothing but hurt me since you brought me here. How could I ever love someone who takes so much pleasure from my pain?”

He stared into her eyes, confusion, and more anger, so much more anger written there. Then he opened his mouth and roared.

Kyler didn’t flinch. She didn’t speak. She lay there unmoving, unmoved.

“Say something,” he screamed.

She stared ahead, stared right through him.

“How about I give you some pleasure now? Would you like that?” he spat and reached down between them, undoing his pants. “I can fuck anyone I like, any time I want, but I wanted you… I wanted you to want me, to love me, desire me, not out of fear, not out of duty. I see now that was a mistake.”

He took himself in hand and Kyler waited, waited for him to take this from her as well, but then he didn’t move.

Panting hard, his eyes searched hers—then with another roar, he shoved away from her.

He climbed off the bed, stuffed his erection back in his pants, and paced away. When he turned back, his eyes were wide, almost panicked. “What have you done to me?”

Still, she said nothing.

He rushed back. “What the fuck have you done to me?” he screamed.

* * *

Taren looked into her eyes and smirked. “You have weakened him.”

Kyler didn’t reply. She couldn’t even if she’d wanted to. Diemos had left, and now Taren and another demon were in the room with her. They’d been here for a while.

Taren had stayed back, giving the demon directions, telling him the best way to beat her, because apparently Diemos couldn’t bring himself to do it, anymore. She didn’t know why Taren hadn’t done it himself.

“When we first brought you here, he told me not to fuck you. Do you think he’d know if I did? Do you think he’d care anymore?”

The door opened, and Taren stepped back.

Diemos’s gaze slid to her, and his face contorted before slicing to Taren. “What have you done?”

Taren took in Diemos’s face and took a step back. “I just walked in and found her like this,” he said and looked to the other demon in the room. “This scum took it upon himself, I would never…”

“How dare you touch what’s mine!” Diemos roared, stalked to the demon who had beaten her, and without faltering, tore his head from his body. It turned to ash, and he spun back to Taren. “Get the fuck out, or you’ll meet the same fate.”

Diemos moved to the bed and Kyler flinched as he got close. “I never ordered this.”

She wasn’t dead.

Why wouldn’t they just kill her?

Every part of her hurt. Several of her bones were broken, and she’d lost a lot of blood, but like Diemos, Taren knew how to maim without ending a being’s life. He was an expert, of course. How many times had he told her as much? He’d tortured her before, cut and beat her, but nothing like this. She could tell Diemos about Taren’s part in this, but why would he believe her? And it would just give Taren another reason to hurt her.

She coughed, and blood dripped down her chin.

Diemos wiped the blood away with his thumb and brushed her hair back. “If only you hadn’t betrayed me,” he hissed. “Am I so hideous? So disgusting that you’d rather risk angering me than be with me? Every demon here wants to be where you are. They’d freely and willingly give me everything I ask. Why won’t you?”

She coughed again, spraying more blood, and he stood, his clawed fingers fisting his hair.

He paced away and back. “I would give you everything, precious one, everything. I would make you queen of Hell, of Earth. All you have to do is love me, want me, give yourself to me.” He leaned in again and cupped her jaw. His gaze searched hers, they were full of rage and confusion, maybe even desperation. “Love me!” he roared suddenly, like he could command it, like he could force her to comply.

She winced, and he pushed away again. With another roar, he picked up the lamp by the bed and threw it against the wall.