Black Vows_A dark romantic thriller

by Dori Lavelle

  Dax brings the tip to my neck. “Be a good girl and you won’t end up with a gash in your neck. This floor was expensive. Let’s not stain it red.”

  I lift my chin in defiance, but don’t waste my words. Talking has done nothing to help me so far. Why bother?

  Whistling, he moves the scissors to my head, starts to snip what’s left of my hair. The hairs fall onto the floor in slow motion, some land on my lap.

  “No,” he says, standing back, a finger touching his lips. His eyes narrow to observe his handiwork. “This won’t do. You need a complete makeover.” He produces a razorblade. I tense up inside when the cool blade touches my scalp, wiping away what’s left of the old me.

  Tears drop onto my lap as hair falls in slow motion to the floor. The hair can go. He can take it all. It’s just hair. It will grow back. Being shaved is better than being flogged. I’m crying because I’ve lost so much in just a few weeks. Each day on this yacht I lose another part of me. When all this is over, what will I have left? Will I still have my life?

  It doesn’t take long before he’s standing back, studying my new look. My head feels empty, naked. “Perfect.” He nears me again, runs a hand over my scalp. My skin crawls in reaction to his revolting touch. “Oh yes, I actually like this look on you.” He places a finger under my chin and looks me in the eye. “Does being bald remind you of something?” He waits for an answer that doesn’t come. “It kind of reminds me of when you shaved your head to support your sister that time when cancer struck her for the first time.”

  My gaze meets his, my eyes filling with warm tears. There he goes again, rubbing salt into wounds that have not had time to heal yet.

  “I’m sorry, that was a touch insensitive. Do you forgive me?” He tilts his head to one side.

  I sniff and purse my lips as tears drip onto them.

  “Say you forgive me and I’ll untie you.”

  Saying something doesn’t mean it’s true. He doesn’t have the power to read the truth from my heart. “Yes. I do.”

  “Thank you.” As he speaks, he unties the ropes holding me to the chair.

  As soon as my hands are free, my hand goes to my head, my fingers gliding over the smooth surface of my scalp. He’s won yet again. He wants me to feel naked and that’s exactly how I feel right now.

  “Get to your knees,” he barks, his gentleness gone. When I hesitate, he calls for Otto to force me to the floor. The guard I thought would be rescuing me plants his hands on my body and pulls me to my feet only to drop me to my knees. The pain that explodes in my knees spreads like wildfire to the rest of my body.

  I was wrong. Shaving my head is not enough. Nothing is ever enough for Dax. He won’t stop until I’m completely crushed.

  This time, Dax pulls out the whip and does his own dirty work, whipping my ass until it’s raw. By the time he’s done, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to sit again.

  When the guards take me back to my cabin, I’m limping but no longer crying, a silent fuck you to Dax.

  I lay on my stomach to avoid my butt coming into contact with the mattress. When the guards leave, I lose the strength to keep from crying. I only stop when Dax enters the cabin close to an hour later.

  Without a word, he lies next to me on the bed. I move away from him, almost falling off the bed in the process. I’m glad he doesn’t try to hold me, to pretend he’s taking care of me when he’s just a sadistic piece of shit.

  “There’s something about me you don’t know yet.” He sighs. “You once told me you had a crappy childhood. Believe me, it was nothing compared to mine. You were safe. My father was a monster. He used my mother as his punching bag. Under his shadow, I promised myself that one day, I’d be a better man. I swore I’d never lay a hand on a woman.” He gives a low chuckle. “Then I grew up and discovered why my father did all those things to my mother. I learned the hard way that women are lying, scheming, cheating whores.” He pauses to allow his words to sink in. “I learned that my mother was the one who started it all. Imagine my surprise when I found out she fucked another man. She threatened to leave him. It hit me then that she actually deserved what she got. She made him the monster he was, the man who hurt me.”

  I shut my eyes tight, wishing I could block out his words. He has done too much for me to sympathize with him, especially when my body is throbbing with pain that he’s responsible for. Right now, I don’t care what he went through. It doesn’t justify what he’s doing to me. It doesn’t justify murder.

  “I didn’t want to hurt you, you know. I wanted to create a dream life with you. But you were trying to leave me. No one walks away from me.” He places a hand on my head. “Now that you understand the lengths I’ll go to keep you with me, I’m hoping we can start over. It’s time. I will make you my wife very soon.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I brush my tears away quickly when Dax walks into the cabin. “Time for you to get some air.”

  My brow wrinkles. Although he has given me his permission to stretch my legs on deck, it’s always during the day. I have no idea what time it is, but it has to be at least 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.

  This morning I refused to go out, my body still aching from the flogging last night. After telling me we will be getting married, I was relieved when he left me alone. It’s the first time I’m seeing him today.

  I shake my head. “I don’t need fresh air.”

  “Come on,” He comes to take my hand, pulling me to my feet. His fake gentleness doesn’t fool me. “I have a surprise for you.”

  Surprise. That word makes me cringe every time I hear it. His surprises are never welcome.

  I limp a little as I follow him out of the cabin. The mere thought of another whipping before my wounds have a chance to heal is torture to both my mind and body.

  He pulls me to his side as we ascend the steps. He doesn’t even care that his touch might be hurting me. “I promise you’ll like what I’m about to show you.”

  I keep my mouth closed and focus on not crying out as the pain flares across my skin.

  The first thing I see when we arrive on the sundeck are the flowers everywhere, white roses wrapped around large, flickering candles in glass jars.

  I inhale sharply, the cloying scent of roses making me gag. I don’t let it show.

  My gaze takes in the rest of the picture in front of me, the guards and other staff members lined up along the side of the yacht.

  A man I haven’t seen before is standing next to a table covered in white, a massive bouquet of white roses in the middle.

  “What’s this?” I ask.

  My stomach turns. I think I already know. I know what he’ll say before he opens his mouth to speak. I lay a hand on my stomach, which is now clenched tight.

  He kisses me on the cheek. “I told you yesterday that we’ll be getting married soon. Don’t tell me you already forgot. Today is the day.”

  Shit. I was still hoping what he said last night was a lie.

  “I hope you like what I did. Isn’t it beautiful?” I don’t need to see his face to know he’s smiling. “I wanted to make today extra special for you.”

  Bile burns the back of my throat when I look at him, his face lit up by the candles and the moonlight. “Dax,” I whisper, “we’re not getting married.”

  “Of course we are, sweetheart. We’ve waited long enough.” This time he presses a kiss to my temple. My hands form fists as I fight the urge to push him away.

  “What if I refuse?” I’m well aware I’m walking on dangerous ground, but I can’t help myself. I can’t marry this monster.

  He bends to whisper into my ear. “This wedding is going to happen.” His voice is velvety but edged with steel. “If you do anything to stop it, I’ll no longer have a need for you. I’m sure you know what that means.” He blows out a breath that sweeps across my skin. “I have another surprise waiting for you in the dungeon. Believe me, it won’t be as pleasant as this one.”

  He lifts my chin to kiss me on the lips, and
I bite back tears. He has killed before. If I disobey him, he’ll kill me and probably throw me into the ocean, never to be seen again.

  As much as I hate being bound to him, the only way for me to kill time is to agree to make his twisted wishes come true. So what if I marry him? It wouldn’t mean a thing to me.

  “So, which surprise would you prefer, my love?”

  I swallow hard. “Th-this.”

  His arm snakes around my shoulders. “I knew you’d make the right choice.” He waves Faith over. She comes to stand in front of us, hands clasped in front of her, eyes averted.

  “When you get back to your cabin,” he says to me, “you’ll find your wedding dress there. Faith will help you get ready. Then we will start our life together as a married couple.”

  I’m wearing a black lace, see-through dress, if you can even call it that. A black hair band with a black tulle veil hanging from it adorns my naked head. When I saw the dress for the first time, my first thought was that it’s fitting for the occasion.

  Faith stands back to admire my look, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “You look . . . you look nice.”

  I turn my back away from her, rejecting her compliment, and then it hits me that I understood what she said. I turn to face her again. “You speak English?”

  “I prefer German.” Her expression shuts down immediately. I guess she realized her mistake. How would Dax react if he knew some of his employees are talking to me in a language I can understand?

  “You have to help me,” I whisper as she covers my face with the black veil.

  “We should get back.” She turns her back on me and goes to knock on the door. It clicks open.

  My heart shrinks when I follow her out, where the guards are waiting. If even a woman doesn’t want to help me, what chance do I have of escaping?

  On deck, Dax is now dressed in a black suit, his gelled-back hair glistening in the moonlight. His guards take their place next to him—the way his best men would have done—the guns displayed clearly in their holsters.

  When Dax proposed to me and I happily allowed him to slide his diamond onto my finger, I never thought I would be marrying him at near gunpoint.

  Faith hands me a small bouquet of white roses and joins the other members of staff while I make my way toward the Devil.

  “Dax, I don’t want to do this,” I mumble when I’m close enough for him to hear my words.

  “I didn’t say you have a choice.” He adjusts his black tie. “What’s the big deal? You are my wife already. This is just to make it official. You belong to me, Emma.” As he speaks, he grins at his people.

  The priest clears his throat and welcomes everyone to our wedding. Then he starts the ceremony with a short prayer during which I keep my eyes open.

  As he reads the Bible and says all the things that are expected of him, my head starts to spin. He speaks as though this is just another wedding, as if he’s joining two people who love each other, not a murderer and his hostage.

  The closer he comes to the words I dread the most, the dizzier I feel.

  “Dax, will you take Emma Stanton to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise to be true to her, to love, cherish, and protect her, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, until death do you part?”

  Dax nods with a smile. “Of course. Of course, I do.” I try not to pull away as he squeezes my hands.

  Desperate to get away, I glance at the guards. Their hands are still on their guns, and Otto won’t meet my eyes. No chance of me becoming a runaway bride.

  “Emma,” the priest says, “do you take Dax Pierce to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise to be true to him, to love, cherish, and protect him, in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, until death do you part?”

  I realize I have hesitated a little too long when Dax almost breaks the bones in my fingers with his grip. When I wince, he lets me go and steps closer, encircling me with his arms. “Say yes, baby.” He grinds the words between his teeth.

  “Emma,” the priest calls again, eyes on the both of us. “Do you take Dax to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

  Dax tightens his arms even more around me until I’m finding it hard to breathe. “I do.” My words come out in a gasp.

  The priest says a few more words, then he closes his Bible and pronounces us husband and wife. Faith brings over the gold bands. Dax slides his ring onto his own finger before taking my hand to give me mine. The priest looks perplexed but doesn’t say anything.

  When Dax is given permission to kiss me, he doesn’t hesitate. He lifts the black veil, wraps a hand behind my neck and pulls me close, then he forces his tongue between my lips. I almost throw up into his mouth, but lucky for him, he pulls away before I do.

  After the ceremony, Dax sweeps me off my feet and takes me back to my cabin, which has now been decorated. Flickering candles are everywhere, and the bathtub is filled with white bubbles and red rose petals.

  He lowers me onto the bed, which is now covered in expensive white and gold sheets, and plump pillows. Lying on them, I feel like a doll, unmoving, unsmiling. This is not how I had imagined my wedding day to be. This is not how I had imagined my groom to be. This is not how I had imagined my life to be.

  I’m so numb that I don’t fight him as he uses a pair of scissors to cut the flimsy dress from my body and tosses it onto the floor. He takes his time kissing every inch of me, telling me he loves me with each poison kiss.

  It’s only after he has sucked each of my toes one by one that he stops kissing me and lifts me into the bathtub. The water is too warm for my bruised skin, but I don’t show my pain to him. What’s the point?

  Still smiling, Dax loosens his tie, and he kneels down in front of the tub, proceeds to wash me with a brand-new sponge. I sit there like a zombie. I may have given him what he wants, but if he expects me to be happy about being forced into a marriage, he’s kidding himself. For now, he doesn’t seem to care as he whistles, here comes the bride.

  When he reaches my vagina, I press my lips together and close my eyes, forcing my body not to betray me again. It obeys me this one time.

  Done, Dax puts away the sponge. My heart sinks when he dips his hand back into the water and plunges a finger into my vagina only to remove it and bring it to my mouth. He grips my chin and forces his finger between my lips. I consider sinking my teeth into his flesh, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.

  “See how good you taste,” he says as he withdraws the finger. “I’m a very lucky man.”

  The thought of tasting my fluids makes me want to throw up. Thankfully, the water rinsed off some of it.

  When I ignore him, he picks up the sponge again and washes my shaved head, water dripping into my eyes.

  I’ve never been attached to my hair but giving it away by force sucks. What did he do with it? After he kills me, will he use it to scare his next victim?

  I’m relieved when he finally lifts me out of the water and takes me back to the bed. Without bothering to dry me, he has sex with me. At first, he is gentle, taking his time to please me, then, driven by his desperation to have sex with me for the first time as his wife, he picks up speed.

  When I think he’s done and his sweat is dripping onto my skin, he pulls out, but only to push himself into my butt. He fucks me hard, ignoring my screams, until I’m nothing but a crying, broken mess on a bed of roses.

  He has shattered me in so many ways I don’t even feel as if I know myself anymore. If this torture ever ends, I will have to start from scratch as a different person. Going back to the person I used to be is not possible. The old me is dead.

  Before he falls asleep, he shows me what he claims to be our marriage license, a piece of paper with his signature and mine. My heart lifts a little. The marriage cannot be legal if he forged my signature. Our marriage only exists inside his rotten mind.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The morning after the wedding, Dax tells me he’s leaving the yacht to att
end to his businesses on land.

  As soon as he kisses me goodbye, I decide I’ll use the time during his absence to find a way to escape.

  “Things are different now that you’re my wife,” he said before leaving my cabin. “This yacht is your home. I’m giving you the freedom to walk around as you please. You’re no longer restricted to the sundeck. Consider it my wedding gift to you.”

  “Will I be followed around?” I can’t help asking.

  “I’ve told my men to keep their distance. They will only watch you at night.” He clears his throat. “In case you’re wondering, there are no cameras on this yacht. I trust you.” He comes to kiss me again, this time on my scalp. “I’ll see you tonight, so we can pick up where we left off.”

  I blink in response. I don’t even want to think about the disgusting things he did to me between the sheets last night.

  “What if I try to escape?” I ask before he leaves.

  He turns around slowly. At first his face is tight with tension, but a sudden smile melts it away. “You’ll be signing your own death certificate.” His eyes bore into mine. “Wherever you go, I will find you.” He pauses. “By the way, even if we’re now married, we won’t be moving into the same cabin. Sleeping apart sometimes will keep the romance alive.”

  I try not to sigh with relief. Being apart from him would keep me from going crazy.

  The moment he leaves, I run to the door, stand nervously in the doorway, afraid to step out unaccompanied, his last words still poisoning my mind.

  What if this is some kind of test? What if I’ll be walking into a trap? But can I afford not to take a chance? No way. This is it. I’m done. Dax Pierce has hurt me enough. I’d rather die trying than stay trapped in this life.

  Whatever actions I take, I have to be careful. Running out of the cabin as soon as he turned his back would be foolish. I retreat back into the cabin and wait to hear the helicopter taking him away.

  True to his promise, there are no guards on the other side of the glass. I uncurl my fingers, which I didn’t even know were bunched into fists.