Sing Me a Song (Sacrificial Lambs Book 1)

by C. A. Rene

  My throat scorches with the efforts of my screams and I try with all my strength to twist away from him.

  “You should’ve done as you were told.” Raiden growls loudly as he thrusts again, “you should’ve just let everything be. You shouldn’t have turned your knife on a follower of the dark one.”

  I want to continue to scream at him, call him a murderer, and bite his nose off, but I have no energy to fight and my voice is almost gone. Every ounce of vitality I have left in my body is focused on my staying conscious and I keep telling myself I will eventually kill this asshole.

  The whip hits my back again and I drop my head to sob, my shitty life has brought me to this point. I lived in a hovel growing up, every dream I had was crushed by a sick father who never actually gave a shit about me, and now I’m here being whipped and raped the night before I’m supposed to die.

  “Four more, my demon.” He says in my ear.

  Seven whips.

  Three sevens on my ass.

  I try to disassociate from the pain and what is happening to my body but every time that whip snaps, I crash right back into the agony. He’s splitting me apart from the inside while his brother breaks me apart on the outside.

  Two more hits.

  I can feel the blood flowing freely down my back now and I want to moan in relief when Raiden pulls out of me. His cock is red with my blood and I choke on a sob.

  The whip digs into my back again and I fight the black that’s closing in, I won’t pass out.

  “She’s tough.” Torrent breathes like he’s in awe. Fucking cunt.

  “She is.” Raiden answers. “One more, Demon.” He says to me.

  “You better pray you kill me first, Raiden.” I lift my head, my snot flowing over my chin, and my tears salty in my mouth. “Because I will kill you the first chance I get.”

  Kenny laughs loudly at my words and continues filming our torture.

  Raiden’s eyes widen a fraction as I hear that crack and my back ignites with the torture. I can’t fight the blackness this time and let myself succumb to the bliss of the pain-free numbness.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Tempest

  “I’m so sorry.” I hear a deep voice breaking through my unconscious bliss.

  I groan as pain floods me from all over, my shoulders, my back, and between my legs.

  “I didn’t want this,” a male sobs, “I would’ve never hurt you.”

  I crack open an eye and see Hail cradling a despondent Sky in his arms.

  “No.” My voice is hoarse from screaming and my throat is dry with thirst. “Don’t touch her.”

  Hail looks up at me through his red swollen eyes and I wince at the pure agony there.

  “I won’t hurt her.” He shakes his head. “I’m going to get you two out of here.”

  He sets her down and I exhale with relief when I hear her moan. He’s going to get us out of here? What the fuck does he mean by that? He comes to stand in front of me and I bare my teeth at him, hissing when his hands land on my hips.

  “You killed her aunt.” I bare my teeth.

  “I did, there was no choice.” He doesn’t bother to deny it. “That’s how I first saw Sky.”

  “You are all sick.”

  “He marked you,” his fingers hover over the pentagram on my stomach, “you were sent to save him.”

  I try to twist away from the heat of his body but the searing pain in my shoulders makes me pause and whimper.

  “I know.” He whispers, “I’m just going to lift you down, okay?”

  Finally, I nod and his hands land back on my hips. The second my bound hands come away from the hook, they fall against his shoulder, and I cry out from the blood rushing back through them.

  “I grabbed you guys some clothes and your passports, but that was all I could get. You have five minutes to pull yourselves together and follow me out of here.” He opens a water bottle and pours some into each of our mouths. ”Kenny is expecting to witness a double sacrifice in thirty minutes.”

  “Double sacrifice?” I croak out even though I know exactly what he means.

  “We never were going to kill you girls, they were our targets, but you messed it up and I’m sorry they had to do this to you both, there just was no other way. There are bigger players in all of this.” Hail continues and I still don’t have a fucking clue what he’s talking about. “Kenny needs to believe you escaped.”

  “Where’s Kenny’s phone?” I snarl. “He has a video of what happened to us and I want it.”

  “That video was taken to appease the elders. I need you to understand, we are taking down an organization one dark parish at a time. It was necessary that Kenny sent that video.”

  “There’s no way he’ll believe we escaped, not in our conditions.” I tell him.

  “He’ll have no choice.” He shrugs.

  Sky hasn’t said much and she has yet to look at me, does she blame me? Hail begins to help her get dressed and she cries out when her t-shirt rolls down over her back. Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that.

  I try to stand but end up stumbling against the wall and my back scrapes against the cinder blocks. I grind my teeth through the pain and stagger back to where Hail is helping Sky to stand.

  “You have to leave now.” He’s looking at me but his arms are around Sky. “Can you walk?”

  “Yes.” I hold back a cry when I pull a shirt over my head. “Where’s Raiden?”

  I can run out of here if it means we don’t die, but I need to see him first, and I need to watch as life leaves his eyes. I pull off the bloodied skirt and it lands just under the hook I was hanging from. I pull on my pants, almost heaving from the pain between my legs, and steady myself on the wall.

  “I would pray that you never see him again, not until the next life.” He looks pointedly at the carving under my shirt, “there’s food on the plane.” Hail grabs my hand. “You need to leave now.”

  He pulls us along and I notice a bag hanging from his shoulder, right beside a bandage. I smile to myself knowing I inflicted some damage at least and I can hold on to that for the rest of my life.

  The stairs are the worst part and the pain radiating from between my thighs screams as I take one step at a time. Sky is hanging from Hail’s other arm and I pray she will be able to move on her own because I don’t think I can support her, too.

  Hail leads us out a back door and I see a blacked-out sedan idling there.

  “Can you take her to the car?” He asks and begins to hand Sky over.

  I grunt as I take her weight and she moans into my neck. Fuck, she’s small but the bitch is dense. A man jumps out of the driver’s side and opens the back door.

  “Get them to the airstrip quickly.” Hail barks at him, his tone completely changing.

  He kisses Sky’s forehead and I envision myself breaking his fucking nose, he’s lucky my arms are filled with my friend. I practically drag her to the car and when we both fall in, I can feel the blood dripping down my back again. The driver runs to Hail and then comes back with the bag that was on his shoulder. Inside are our passports and some more clothing.

  “Do not return home, he’ll find you.” He calls out just as the driver closes the door.

  I dig past the clothes and feel the stacks of bills. There’s enough here to start a new life. I look at Sky and find her already passed out again, her breathing shallow and fast.

  We get to the plane and the driver carries Sky up the narrow stairs, disappearing inside. I take the trek slower, the pain almost proving to be too much, and when I finally get inside, the driver is coming out of a room.

  “Where is she?” I demand.

  “She’s on a bed in there,” he points behind him. “She needs rest to heal. So do you.”

  “I want to go home.” I whimper, wherever that is.

  “There’s some pain killers and water there. We’ll leave shortly.” He points to a small bar and then exits the plane.

  I want to leave too, I want to
get as far from this place as possible, but I know I need this plane to do it. I drop the bag of money and clothes then head over to the bar. There are some pills and bottles of water. I don’t know what the pills are but at this point I don’t care, I need something.

  I swallow down two and ease myself down into a seat, resting my head against the back. Just as I start to drift off, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and the rumble of the engine starting. I open my eyes and stare into a set of deep brown ones, filled with pity.

  “Where are we taking you?” it’s the driver from earlier, his voice is careful and tentative.

  “I don’t know,” I sit up and look behind me to the door where Sky is, “we can’t go home.”

  “No, I imagine not.” He murmurs, “you should pick a place well populated.”

  “You’ve done this before?”

  “Only one other time.” He nods. “Las Vegas sounds good, no?”

  “Okay.” My voice cracks, “Las Vegas.”

  I get up out of my seat and he watches me as I move towards the door I saw him take Sky. I step into the room and find her lying stomach down on the bed, the back of her shirt saturated in blood. I do the same, laying on my stomach beside her, and try to close my eyes. Her head turns and she looks at me, her gaze lit with fire, and her pain burning bright. She lifts her hand and runs it down my head, smoothing my hair as she goes.

  “It’ll be okay.” Her voice is hoarse.

  “How does Vegas sound?” I ask her.

  “Sounds like we’d have no trouble finding jobs.”

  I chuckle softly and wince when my t-shirt drags with the motion. It would be easy to find jobs in Vegas as strippers and with the money we were given, it’ll be even easier to start over. I don’t know why, if it’s something sick and twisted inside of me that has me thinking this but, do I want to start over? I know Raiden is sick, his beliefs and his lifestyle are twisted and unorthodox. That doesn’t discount how my body felt in his presence, how my very blood pumped for him, and it doesn’t explain why my heart feels broken.

  Maybe I’m sick too.

  Because no matter how I feel and no matter how broken-hearted I am, it won’t stop me from killing him if I ever see him again.

  Epilogue

  Tempest

  The vibe in here tonight feels thick with sexual tension. Men seem to be a bit hungrier than usual and my skin tingles with perspiration as I move my body. Ordinary Life by The Weeknd is blaring through the speakers as I begin to wrap up my set.

  The men like me here because I’m known as the witchy one. The pentagram scar on my torso is stark white against my tanned skin and my back holds a story of pain and torture. I’m not ashamed of either and have no problem stripping down to show them off. I survived something horrendous and it’s my right to display it.

  “That’s our boss lady, Tempest Skeigh!” The MC booms as I slink backstage.

  I haven’t changed my name nor my appearance and I made sure to pick a popular hotspot here in Vegas. I’m not a victim nor will I ever be again, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and I crave revenge.

  “How was it?” Sky asks as I enter our dressing room.

  “Boring.” I huff as I pull out my vial of coke.

  “You need to quit that shit.” She tuts.

  Sky no longer strips and she’s become the manager of The Sanctuary. That’s right, I even named my club similar to The Temple back home. I want him to find me but it’s been nearly a year without any sign of them. Nothing in the news and nothing here, it’s almost disappointing. Sky healed well and pushed forward, she handled her trauma with professional help and I am so proud of her. She helped me with my process of healing too and I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t have her.

  But that’s where the similarities end. Sky has forgiven them and she just wants to live the rest of her life in peace. I respect that. Just like she respects that I will gut that fucker on sight if he ever shows his face again, no matter how much my soul yearns for him.

  I drop the vial back in the drawer and grab the small metal item beside it, my finger brushing over the etchings like always. I was shocked when I dumped the bag Hail gave us and the knife fell out. The last I knew, it was buried deep in his shoulder, and I can’t see Hail wanting to give it back to me. I’ve always wondered who packed our bag.

  “You good?” Sky asks and I slam the drawer shut, the knife rattling on the inside sounding loud in our small room.

  “Of course,” I smile at her through the mirror on my vanity.

  “You should go home and rest, you’ve had a long day.” She says as she walks to the door, heading to her office.

  Our ‘home’ is right here, on the second floor, and the doorway that leads to the stairs is in this very room. That’s right, I live and work here, and I barely leave. I don’t want to take the chance that I’ll miss him if he ever shows up.

  I know, it’s sick like I said but I am obsessed.

  Raiden

  I watch her ass swing from side to side as she leaves the stage, her back a myriad of scars crisscrossing together. Their beauty makes me proud. I’ve been watching her for a few weeks, she was easy to find as I’m sure she knows, and as soon as the plane landed, I was here in her club. She hasn’t changed a single thing about herself and I grin knowing my demon wanted me to find her.

  The lights drop and the music for in between sets starts, the chatter of men rising up with it. She bought a place that looks eerily similar to The Temple and she even named it as though they are sisters. The Sanctuary. Not only is it a bright blinking beacon, but it screams Christianity and everything I hate. I have to hand it to her, she’s fucking cunning, and her jabs are hits to kill.

  I watch the next dancer on the stage, her face void of emotion, and her body stiff, this is a necessity not a desire. I respect that but she has nothing on my demon. When her time is up, she exits through the same door as Tempest, and again I fight the urge to follow.

  “The usual?”

  I give a quick nod, not bothering to take my eyes off the stage, and I wait for the next dancer. None of them hold her appeal, her haunting grey eyes suck you in, and when her dark, tortured soul traps you, there’s nowhere to run. She was made for me.

  I hear the clink of the glass as it hits the wooden tabletop, my usual - soda water.

  “He’s been asking about you.” I say as I pick up the glass and take a drink.

  “She plays with her knife and dreams about killing you.” She retorts.

  I snort and finally take my eyes off the dancer on the stage. I look deep into Sky’s chocolate browns and grin, her face annoyed at my mentioning Hail.

  “What will she do when she finds out you’ve known about me all along?” I take another sip.

  “Probably kill me, too.” She turns and then calls over her shoulder, “she’s done for the night but she’ll be back on again tomorrow, same time.”

  I lay a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill on the table and stand from my seat, my eyes straining to the back doorway just beyond the stage. I want to march back there, grab my woman, and throw her over my shoulder, even if it means her knife will end up embedded in my back.

  Soon, Demon, I’ll have you singing for me again.

  Soon.

  Keep reading for a look into Through the Pain, book one of the Whitsborough Chronicles...

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, thank you, the readers! You make all the author’s dreams come true. Thank you for taking a chance and reading my passion. I appreciate you.

  Thank you to my family who just lets me be a hermit in my cave and write all day. I love you.

  Thank you to my Alpha readers Jocelyn and Tash. Your honesty is so appreciated and your friendships even more so, I love you.

  To my betas, Amber and Gemma, thank you both for your laser eyes and honest critiques. I love you to bits.

  Samantha!! Thank you for your honesty, for how much you care about my work, and just for being you. I am beyond
lucky our paths crossed. I love you.

  Thank you to TalkNerdyPR for all the hard work you guys put into marketing all my babies.

  About the Author

  C.A. Rene is married (but dreams of a RH of her own) with two kids (assholes) and lives in beautiful (cold most of the year) Toronto, Canada. To escape from life’s pressures (more assholes) she brings fingers to keyboard and taps out her imagination. Most of the stories floating in her head contain blood, angst, and dark, dark, love.

  Lover of all things dark. I love to read it, write it, own it, eat it, whatever it. My addictions include Coffee, books, and WINE, in that order.

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  Also by C.A. Rene

  Whitsborough Chronicles

  Whitsborough Progenies

  Desecrated Duet

  Hail Mary Duet

  Sacrificial Lambs

  Reaped

  Chapter One

  Ember

  I hear an insistent beeping noise and it pulls me from my deep slumber. I don’t sleep deeply ever, what the fuck happened last night?

  I mumble something and reach out to slap at my cellphone on my side table. Fuck school today, I’ll tell them I got my rag. My hand hits a bar and I feel a tearing pain.