by Lylah James
Ayla was okay.
At the thought of Ayla, my mind drifted back to the scene when she shot Alberto.
I was so fucking proud of her. She was my equal.
In that moment, she looked like a true avenging Angel.
If she had done more damage, I would have been there to support her. Fuck, I would have held her hands and let her cut him open.
But this wasn’t for her.
I knew Ayla. Shooting Alberto took everything in her, all her strength, and hatred. But killing someone…that was not my Angel.
Let me be your monster. Let me kill for you, Angel.
I didn’t think I could speak any truer words than that. I meant every single word. I was hers. I would kill for her. I had done it before, I would do it now, and I would fucking kill for her in the future too.
Do your worst.
I smiled as I remembered her words.
Yes, Ayla…I was about to do my worst.
After all, my Queen has spoken, and her wish was my command.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw Viktor taking his turn on Alberto. Punching, kicking, slicing, and cutting. Alberto had already been a mess, but now he was unrecognizable.
The smell of blood was heavy in the air, but I had gotten used to it.
I raised my hand, and Viktor halted his assault. He was breathing hard, his glares burning into Alessio.
“Phoenix, bring in Enzo and Artur. It’s time for a family reunion,” I ordered calmly. Sometimes, the calm was just as deadly.
I saw Phoenix’s face twisting in pure hatred at the mention of Artur.
Alberto sagged against his chair, almost falling off. We had a long way to go.
My eyes moved to the door as I watched Phoenix drag in a beaten-up Enzo and Artur. He pushed them in front of Alberto. I walked closer, and they fell to their knees, kneeling in front of me.
Their fear was so heavy it saturated the air. I could almost taste it. It just fed the monster inside of me.
Taking the latex gloves from my pocket, I put them on. I did it slowly, taking my time. They watched me with terror, so much terror.
The cutter was held tightly in my hands, and I squatted down in front of Artur. He was my man. One of my most trusted man.
I took him into my house. Gave him my name. But in the end, he showed no respect. He had no loyalty.
Viktor grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. He whimpered in pain as I pried his jaw open. He shuddered and twisted, trying to get away.
He knew what was coming. But there was no escape. Not this time.
Viktor pushed him back until Artur laid flat on the floor, thrashing for his life. I held his jaw firm in my hand, my fingers biting into his cheeks.
He pounded his fists against the floor, tried to dislodge my hold, but it was no use.
I showed him the cutter, moving it in front of his face. Viktor held Artur’s jaw, forcing his mouth open for me.
He screamed, but it only came out as a gurgling sound. My fingers latched onto his tongue, my fingers pressing hard. I held the piece of flesh firmly in my fingers.
His eyes widened with horror when I brought the cutter closer to his tongue. I smiled as he tried to shake his head.
He begged me with his eyes.
But it was too late.
My Angel suffered because of him. And now it was his turn.
Holding the cutter to his tongue, I cocked my head to the side. I waited, counting the seconds in my head.
When he saw me not taking action, Artur eyed me suspiciously.
I waited and waited.
And then he stopped thrashing, falling silent.
His muscles started to relax; his guard fell down.
I cut.
One single cut and I was holding his tongue in my hand. It was no longer attached to his body. Standing up, I watched him writhe on the ground, his agony too much to bear.
Artur screamed. He wailed. He cried. He sobbed.
And I smiled.
“You chose to talk too much. And I choose to end your talking. I think it’s a fair decision, isn’t it?” I asked casually, holding his tongue for everyone to see.
Enzo stared at me in horror, his face turning white. Alberto looked like he was about to pass out. I chuckled at the weakness they showed.
Phoenix brought me a plastic bag, and I dropped the tongue in it. Making a knot, I closed the bag and threw it at Artur. “There you go. Your tongue. Who knows? You might need it.”
He grabbed the bag and brought it to his chest. Blood pooled from his mouth. Such a pathetic sight.
I turned to face Enzo, and he shook his head. He tried to scramble away, but Phoenix held him down.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I hissed, stopping in front of him.
I kicked his stomach, feeling his rib breaking under the force. He howled in pain.
But it was only the beginning.
Nodding at Viktor, he came to Enzo and pulled down his pants. Enzo screamed, trying to break free.
“No…no…please…no,” he begged, but his words fell on deaf ears. They meant nothing to me.
I grabbed his dick in my hand and chuckled when he screamed again. I pressed the cutter to his flesh, moving the blade up and down. I didn’t cut him. I was only letting him feel the blade.
“Please…” he begged again.
“Every time you beg, it reminds me of Ayla. How she begged you. It just makes me angrier. So really, I think it’ll be better if you don’t beg,” I hissed, pressing the cutter a little harder.
Enzo nodded his head. “I…won’t…beg…don’t do this…” He hiccupped back a sob, his whole body shaking violently.
“I didn’t tell you to speak, though. Now I’m more pissed.”
I didn’t give him a chance to react or beg me again.
My cutter sliced through his dick, severing it from his body.
I stood up and watched him scream in pain. His whole body spasmed in agony, his screams continuing to fill the room.
After watching him thrash around, I threw his limp dick at him. Artur was no longer screaming, but he was still sobbing and moaning in pain.
“Make sure they don’t bleed to death,” I instructed in a deadly voice. It sounded harsh even to my own ears.
Turning toward Alberto, I stared at his pale face. He looked too white, like a ghost. His head hung limply against the back of the chair, like he had no strength to hold it up.
“That was only a warning. To you. Just to give you a little glimpse of your future. I would say be prepared, but no matter how much you prepare yourself, it won’t be enough.”
With those as my final words, I walked out of the basement.
I would be back. Soon.
But right now, it was time to see my Angel.
My heart felt light at the thought of her. The pain inside of me, the fury…it all soothed to a calming wave.
Climbing up the stairs, I made my way to my office. After showering and changing into another clean shirt and slacks, I went to the piano room.
My steps faltered, my heart hammering in my chest when I saw the lights were off.
My chest grew tight as I walked to our bedroom. I opened the door, my eyes falling into the darkness. There was only a lamp on, casting a soft glow into the room.
My eyes scanned the room, looking for her.
There she was. On the bed. Sleeping.
Relief coursed through me as I closed the door behind me. Walking closer to the bed, I stared down at my sleeping Angel. She looked so beautiful.
Her eyebrows were pinched together, and I knew her sleep wasn’t peaceful. I gently rubbed my finger over the stressed lines, smoothing it out.
I climbed into the bed and pulled her against me. Holding her close, I molded my body around her. My hands rubbed soothing circles around the baby bump.
Ayla moaned in her sleep and turned around in my arms. She must have been really tired if she didn’t wait for me in the piano room.
“Al
essio,” she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
My lips pressed against her forehead in a soft kiss. “I’m right here. Go back to sleep.”
“Hmm…”
She snuggled into my embrace and was asleep in no time.
I stayed awake, my mind refusing to shut down. After a few hours of holding Ayla, I pulled away from her. I gave her a kiss on the lips before slipping out of the room again.
I was back in the basement in seconds. Artur and Enzo were both propped against the wall, while Alberto still sat on the chair.
His eyes met mine as I walked into the room. I didn’t walk any closer.
Instead, I waited. There was someone who needed to join us.
Phoenix and Viktor were leaning against the wall. Nikolay paced. We waited.
Then the door opened.
The sound of heels clicking against the floor sounded in the silent basement.
I chuckled when I felt her standing by my side. She wore the same outfit she always did. Black leather pants. Black leather jacket. Her heels were always different, though.
This time she was wearing dark pink heels.
I turned to see her pulling her hood down. Nina smiled at Alberto. “Hey, love. Miss me?”
Alberto stared at her in shock, and he glowered. That was something not even Artur knew. Nobody did. It was only between Nina and me.
I placed her as an undercover at one of the clubs. She got closer to Alberto, playing the perfect whore for him.
It took everything in her to submit to a man like Alberto, but she did. Her loyalty to me came first.
Nina took a step forward, and I watched the scene unfold. I felt someone else at my back. Swiveling around, I faced the unknown man.
He was young. Probably twenty. There was a long scar on his face, one very similar to Nikolay’s. There was another scar on his neck.
His dark eyes were only trained on Nina, and I lifted an eyebrow.
“He’s with me,” Nina said without me even asking the question.
“Come here, boy.” She snapped her finger. He quickly moved to her side, like an obedient dog. He was taller than she was, her head only coming to his shoulders even with her heels on.
Nina patted his hair, and I saw her give him a small smile. In that moment, I knew that smile was only reserved for him.
“He’s under my wings. Under my protection. I’m training him,” Nina explained. “When he’s ready, I’ll send him to you. He will be perfect. I’m sure of it.”
Viktor, Phoenix, and Nikolay stared at her in surprise, but no one uttered a word.
Turning to face Alberto, Nina walked forward. “Do you remember him? Three years ago. You slaughtered his family. You scarred him. He wasn’t supposed to survive.”
Alberto’s eyes widened, watching the boy.
“But he did. He survived your cruel joke,” she hissed, punching the hand that I had made a hole in.
Alberto howled in pain.
Nina turned to face the boy again. She placed her hand out, waiting for him to take it. He took it almost immediately.
She palmed his cheek. “Go ahead. I’ll let you have a little fun. But don’t kill him, okay?”
He nodded, looking at Alberto eagerly. Nina stepped back and let her protégé have his fun. She came to stand beside me.
And we watched.
I had to admit, the boy was good. After all, he was trained by Nina. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
“What’s his name?” I asked, watching him hold a cigarette in his hand. I knew what was coming next.
“Xavier,” she replied, her eyes never leaving the boy.
He lit the cigarette, and Nikolay went to hold Alberto down. No matter how much he screamed, it had no effect on anyone.
The boy pressed the cigarette to Alberto’s skin, watching it sizzle. All over his chest, he left burn marks.
He twisted the cigarette into Alberto’s flesh, making a hole in his stomach. I could almost smell the burning flesh.
Over and over again, he did it. Lighting more cigarettes, pressing them into Alberto’s skin, watching it burn.
When Alberto started to lose consciousness, Nina stepped forward. “Stop.”
The boy stopped and returned to Nina’s side. She patted his cheek. “There you go. I’m proud of you. Are you satisfied? Is that enough for your revenge?” The boy paused. “Be honest with me,” Nina demanded.
The boy shook his head. “I know you aren’t satisfied. But he is not yours to kill. This is your lesson. You need to know when to stop and when to continue. If you continued, he would have died. You need to learn patience and control. Learn to play with your prey.”
He nodded his head, looking eager to please Nina.
I slowly shook my head at them. Glancing at Alberto, I saw his head hanging low. I pierced Nikolay with a look, and he nodded. Filling a bucket with cold, chilling water, he dumped it over Alberto.
He sputtered and grimaced in pain, but his eyes opened.
I put on another pair of latex gloves. Walking to the table, I got the one thing I’d wanted to use for a very long time. Holding the cow whip in my hand, I walked back to Alberto.
My fingers wrapped around his hair, fisting it and dragging him out of the chair. My knees came up hard into this side, cracking his ribs. When I heard the satisfying sound of bones breaking, I released him.
Alberto fell to the floor at my feet.
Viktor and Nikolay came to hold him down. Phoenix held his legs. I squatted down next to him.
I held the whip in my hand, but it was no use to me. I didn’t want the whip. I wanted the handle, the splintered handle. It was made of wood, perfect for what I had in mind.
I pulled his pants down and laughed as he tried to thrash, but he was completely trapped. Nowhere to go. Just like he had trapped my Angel.
“You’re going to enjoy this,” I whispered in his ear. “Take it like a good boy, okay?”
Watching him struggle under me, I chuckled darkly. Slowly I pushed the handle into his ass. His screams rang in my ears, but I savored them. I savored his pain.
The handle was just a few inches inside his rectum. I paused, waiting, letting his agony drive him insane, pushing him further into the darkness.
He sobbed against the floor. With an angry growl, I shoved the handle fully up his ass. Alberto bellowed out, but I just kept going, pulling out slightly before pushing it back in. Again and again, I tortured him.
His hole was bleeding severely. The splintered handle was covered with his blood, but I kept going. “You took her. Again and again. When she didn’t want you, you still took her. How does it feel to have something up your ass when you don’t want it? Huh?” I roared.
Alberto whimpered and cried out. I patted his back. “Shh…didn’t I tell you? Take it like a good boy. You like this, don’t you?”
Blood continued to seep out as I shoved the handle back in, lodging it deep inside of him. His head came off the floor as his body spasmed in absolute agony.
I left the handle there and turned to face him. His face was wet not only with his blood, but his tears too.
“She cried too. But you kept assaulting her. Your tears just remind me of Ayla being in pain,” I sneered, grabbing his head and slamming it into the floor.
I pulled the handle out, painfully twisting it as I did. Standing up, I turned away from Alberto.
I walked to Nina and handed her the whip. “Have some fun,” I said, raising an eyebrow. She took the whip from my hand and walked toward Alberto.
“Oh, I will definitely have fun,” she replied, her lips widening in a sadistic smile.
I watched as she pressed her heel into the back of Alberto’s knee. The heel sank into his flesh, and he screamed, trying to escape the cruel assault.
“You know how disgusting it was, letting you touch me every time? You make me sick,” she hissed, straddling Alberto’s back. Without warning, she shoved the handle into his hole again.
I nodded at Vikto
r, and he quickly came to my side. His eyes were just as deranged. I knew I looked the same.
The very monsters everyone knew us to be.
“Do what you want with him. I don’t care. I will come for him in the morning,” I said and then paused when Alberto let out another loud scream.
“I want to spend tonight with Ayla.”
Viktor nodded in understanding. “She misses you.”
I sigh, already knowing that. I fucking missed her too. Every minute away from her felt like a stabbing pain in my chest.
“Just keep them alive,” I said, nodding towards the Alberto, Enzo, and Artur.
“Tomorrow they will meet their end. I will finish what the fucking Italians started,” I snarled, my fingers tightening in fists.
Viktor nodded again. “I’ve got your back, Alessio.”
I knew he did. He always did have my back.
After clasping his shoulder in a show of gratitude, I left the basement and made my way to my Angel.
Chapter 22
I opened the door quietly and walked inside. I stopped next to the bed, staring down at my Angel. She was sleeping peacefully, a tiny smile on her lips. She must be having a good dream.
Making sure I didn’t wake her up, I took a few steps back. I didn’t want her to see me like this. This was the last thing she needed.
I knew she wasn’t scared of me…of who I truly was. But I didn’t think she was ready to know the things I had done. And would keep doing.
In the end, I was truly a monster.
That was never going to change, and I didn’t want to change. It was who I was.
I stared at Ayla, and for a brief moment, I let myself think of a different possibility. What if I was different man? Someone Ayla could proudly say was her man?
Not a deranged monster. Not Alessio Ivanshov.
With a sigh and a heavy heart, I walked away. Closing the door of the washroom, I shrugged off my shirt.
I got into the shower, letting the cold water rain down on me, washing the blood away. Washing any evidence of what I had done in the past hours away.
With my hands pressed against the wall, I tried to breathe through my constricting chest.
I stayed there, not moving until I heard the door open. My eyes squeezed shut, knowing who it was.