by Ker Dukey
Crack!
The maid stops gyrating immediately and falls forward, limp. Her body slides from my fingers and she hits the floor with a sickening thud.
“You can keep her if you like the smell of rotten corpses,” Niko spits out, venom in his words.
He killed her.
“You fucking idiot,” I bark. “My father won’t like this!”
But I do. Fuck yeah, I do.
“I’ll get rid of her,” he mutters. “He won’t need to know.” His face pales as realization of what he’s just done sinks in. Killing people isn’t new to either of us, but my father has strict rules that allow him to remain as powerful as he is.
Don’t kill on impulse. It could come with consequences.
In order to keep the respect, you have to show it.
Killing one of his service maids because you’re jealous and can’t admit it is a dangerous game no one can win when it comes to my father.
“The cameras would have seen her enter here,” I snap. “You can’t sweep this under the rug, Niko.”
Picking the tray up she discarded, I send it skittering to the floor, the plates shattering and the sound piercing the air. Niko’s eyes expand and then narrow, looking between the mess and the door before fixating on me.
Reaching down without breaking his gaze, I lift the girl. Her feet drag along the tiles as I move her across the room and add her to the pile of shattered china. I bend over her lifeless body and pick up a shard from the plate before burrowing it in her neck, relishing in the pop of her skin as it breaks under the force of my hand like biting into a ripe plum. A shiver races up my spine and every hair stands up in attention.
“Clumsiness will get you a knife in the eye or a plate in the neck,” I murmur, rolling my shoulders.
Righting myself, I take deliberate strides toward Niko. His skin flushes. He can see the darkness inside me and has always believed it was he who woke the demon. But he doesn’t realize my demons have run amuck long before I showed them to him.
His hand reaches out toward me, and I grasp him around the wrist, twisting his arm up his back and forcing him face-down over the counter. My still-hard cock presses into the crease of his ass. “Look what we did,” I taunt as I motion at the way the blood blossoms from the wound in her neck. She must still be warm to have a crimson flow seeping from her.
Beautiful.
“You shouldn’t tease a monster,” Niko growls, wiggling in attempt to free himself.
“There’s a flaw in your DNA for sure, but a monster?” I chuckle darkly at him. “A monster, you are not.”
I release his hand, and it slaps down on the counter, but he doesn’t try to move or flee. Roughly, I shove his jeans down his thighs, then spit into my palm, barely taking the time to coat the tip of my cock before I take joy in brutalizing him. The roar that rips from him is very monstrous indeed as I ram my cock deep inside his ass. I hope it hurts. I hope it fucking hurts. The grunts coming from him indicates it does.
“Fuck you,” he rumbles.
How ironic.
“I’m the master here, Niko,” I taunt, thrusting my hips forward. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Heavy boots pound from the corridor and Niko begins to panic, hissing under his breath. “Get off me, Viktor. Someone is coming.” I like the way he struggles against me. It makes me want to fuck him harder. So I do.
“Yes, me. I’ll be coming if you keep squeezing my cock like that,” I tease, pushing in deeper. The entry was tight, pushing past the ringed muscles, but unlucky for Niko, I like pain with my sex—and danger. He doesn’t have a choice whether he does or not.
“Viktor,” he begs, his voice hoarse.
I chuckle, pulling out of him but not releasing him. Grabbing the back of his neck, I guide him on unsteady feet over to one of the store cupboards, then shove him inside and follow behind, closing us in.
“I missed you,” he breathes, his glimpse of vulnerability one I’d like to devour.
“Prove it.” I push him down to his knees, my cock hard and free from our fucking moments before.
He greedily takes me into his mouth, slurping down my cock like it’s an ice cream cone and he’s overheating.
Yeah, suck down your master’s cock. Just like that.
The kitchen door opens and a rumbling of curses sound out from one of my father’s men. Other boots and voices join in, and Niko pulls back. Grabbing the back of his head, I force my cock down the back of his throat once more and punish him with my hips. Through the slats on the cupboard door, I watch as two men carry poor, slutty Vika out the back entrance. Another sweeps up the china and mops the floor like it never happened.
No questions.
No tears.
No fucks given.
I pump my hips against Niko’s face, savoring the moans vibrating over the supple ridges along my shaft. His mouth sucks strong and fast, his tongue skimming over the helmet. Over and over, his needy mouth moves.
Heat spreads up my spine and tightens my balls as pleasure seeps from my tip down his greedy gullet.
Pulling free just in time, I pump the last drops of my essence over his lips, knowing the sting it will cause to the cut I gave him earlier. He winces slightly, but takes it nonetheless.
The moment I’m drained of all pleasure, I tuck myself away and leave him on his knees. I push open the cupboard doors and stroll back to the meat I dropped on the floor near the refrigerator before scooping it up and throwing it in the bin. The doors open and screeching makes me startle.
“Viktor!” my little sister exclaims, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing over my face.
“Vika.” I smile against her cheek. The real Vika. The living Vika. My twin. She’s a lot shorter than me, her feet dangling as my neck carries her weight.
Vlad joins us with a rare, honest smile touching his lips. “Surprise.” He gestures with open palms, referring to our sister hanging from me like a monkey.
“Indeed,” I agree with a raised brow.
“I’m starving,” she announces, finally dropping to her feet and freeing me. She weighs nothing, her waist trimmer than it was a month ago.
“You’re skin and bones, little sister,” I point out.
Her hands drop to her hips and her nose scrunches. Every time I see her, she wears a different hairstyle. This one suits her well. It’s short in the back and cut bluntly longer in the front. “One minute does not constitute me being your little sister, Viktor. No matter how tall you grow.” Her amber eyes twinkle in amusement.
Vlad wraps an arm across her shoulders, tucking her under his armpit. “I’ve never known twins so opposite as the two of you.”
We’re not entirely different it would seem.
The cupboard door opens and Niko appears carrying a packet of cookies.
“Niko!” Vika bellows. “I wondered where you disappeared to.”
He strolls over to her, a warm smile on his face, and wraps his arms around her. Vlad glares at him.
Vlad and Niko were once best friends, but things have been tense ever since Vika announced she and Niko were in love.
“Oh, there’s where your boyfriend went to hide,” Vlad grits out.
Reaching up on her tiptoes, Vika plants a kiss to Niko’s lips, her face scrunching up. “What have you been eating? You taste delicious.”
My cock, little sister.
I have to bite down on my tongue to prevent the snort wanting to rip from me.
“Viktor,” my brother barks. “Come. I have something to show you, and if I have to witness that fucker kissing on my baby sister where I eat my breakfast, I may have to kill him…or myself.”
I’m right there with you, brother.
Although, I’d always choose his death over mine.
Tanner/Cassian/Viktor
Present
KAMI. IN MY FRANTIC HASTE to find her, I ignored the dangers of the monster’s lair. I exploded into the space in hopes to rescue one of the few links to my past. And it’s cos
t me dearly. Benjamin, emerging from the shadows behind me, shoves me hard, and I deserve it. I deserve the sudden imprisonment. My friend has betrayed me and forced me into a cell beside Kami’s.
Fuck.
Strong, fierce, beautiful Kami.
The lioness is nothing more than barely breathing kitty roadkill. A victim. A player very quickly losing this game.
“Kami.” My voice breaks, and I fucking hate it. If my brother were here, he’d growl and tell me my mask has slipped. The goddamn poker face has faltered. Such a mistake could mean the difference between life and death. I know this.
But no matter how hard I desperately try to pull it back into place, I can’t. Not now. Not after Benjamin. He’s not like the others. The man—no, the monster—has always been a gasoline-soaked match just waiting to ignite.
Now he’s motherfucking burning.
The flames of rage in his brown eyes show no signs of flickering or dimming. They’re out of control. The beast has been unleashed.
We face off—two animals with the same taste for violence.
“You can watch your precious Kami all you want now,” he bites out, a smug satisfactory look crossing over his features.
I fucked up.
Benjamin isn’t one you turn your back on. Ever. Yet, I did. I let my stupid fucking heart guide me for once. With Kami, the feelings I have for her are almost the same protective feelings I once had for my sister. Although, if Vika were here right now, I doubt I’d find one ounce of the brotherly love for her. Vika tore me in half, and it was Kami who sewed me back together. She replaced the pain inside me with sex and viciousness.
I let her down.
I let him down.
Smashing my fist against the unbreakable Plexiglass, I snarl, “Don’t do this, Benjamin. I gave you everything.” My chest heaves with exertion.
A pained expression crosses over his features. His vulnerability—despite only ever coming in flashes—is something I’ve craved from the get-go. An attraction, if you will. A desire to pick through his mental wounds and pluck out the things that eat at him. To implant myself right smack in the middle. To fucking own.
“But it wasn’t free, was it?” he demands, his bearded jaw clenching. “It was all a game to you, and it comes at a cost.”
My gaze skirts over to Kami, who lies unconscious—at least I hope she’s not fucking dead—in her cell. I turn my attention back to him. “Why hurt Kami?” My voice shakes again, and I want to cut my own heart out so I can stomp on it. “Did you—”
“Rape her?” His smile is positively wicked. Delicious. Even under the toe of his proverbial boot, I can appreciate his dark beauty. “She was the price. Your debt. You thought you could play with my doll and I’d allow it? You know me better than that.”
And I do.
His dolls are the cross he bears. We all have something we carry. I was careless. It was almost as though I wanted him to discover how a master watches his monster. To delight in the way he’d explode. But now that he’s an inferno and I’m trapped in a plastic box, my decision feels stupid.
A wrong move.
Benjamin plays the game well. Sometimes, better than I. It’s why I befriended him in the first place. Knowing his potential—even before he did—gave me power and a strategy that worked for a little while.
“I helped you with her!” I snap, driving home the reminder that I am the reason he has this whole life in the first place.
His nostrils flare and his hands curl into fists. “By spying on me? By fucking interfering? What about the gifts and notes? The disgusting comments on her page? Did you think I wouldn’t know it was you?” His screams echo off the tiled walls. “I had your man Luke trace the IP address.” He snatches an iPad and pushes it against the cell to show me. “It traced back to the club. To you!”
And this is why I’ll always beat Benjamin. My monster. My little pet. Because I pay attention to all the moves of all the players.
My lip curls up as I shake with anger. “That’s not mine, Monster.”
Shock skitters across his features. “W-What?”
“Had you not gone all Hulk on me, beat up my friend, and trapped me in this goddamn cage, I’d have had a moment to tell you someone was stalking your pretty new doll, Benjamin,” I spit out each word, reveling in the way his eyes blink in confusion.
I’m so sorry, Monster, but you’ve been played.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he seethes.
I sit on my ass in the cramped quarters and lean back against the wall. I’m already drenched in sweat and I’ve been here all of five minutes. This game is going to be tricky.
I’ve played far worse.
“Not so fast, Benjamin. You’re going to calm your ass down first. You will release me from this cage and let me see to Kami. Then, we’ll talk.”
He snarls, the thick vein on his neck bulging. “You’ll talk now or I’ll scalp your dumb bitch right here!”
My mask is back in place. Benjamin is violent, but he’s also been under my care for three years. I’ve taught him a lot. Making hasty decisions is frowned upon. The education of Benjamin Stanton was the same one my brother and father taught me.
“You will calm down,” I tell him in a bland tone. “You’ll calm down because you need me. Yes, I admit, I violated your trust by watching over you. But did you ever fucking consider it’s because you’re my best friend? That I don’t trust a random dolly not to fuck you over? You’re mine to look after.”
Benjamin falters for a moment, indecision flickering in his eyes. “Who was it?” His tone is deceptively quiet.
“Let me see to Kami, then I’ll tell you.” I shrug out of my jacket, banging my elbows in the process. He stalks back and forth in front of the cages, slapping at his head. I know he goes a bit mad from time to time. It’s me who always brings him back. I will bring him back. I toss my tie and start unbuttoning my dress shirt as he stops pacing. His dark eyes bore holes into me.
“What’s with the fucking suits all the time?” he demands.
What an unusual question so late in the game. I peel off the sweat-soaked shirt and drop it to the floor.
“All part of the game, Benjamin.”
The chaos tending to disturb his mind from time to time has quieted. He towers over my cage, his arms folded across his massive chest. It’s as though he’s a vengeful god—a god I created. And what does that make me? The ultimate master.
“Let me out,” I say in a calm manner that usually works on him when he’s all raged out. “We’ll figure this out together.”
And we will. We have to. The thought of this being it—the fucking end between us—is inconceivable.
“Why do you care so much about her?” he demands, his voice shaky, his truth bleeding through. He’s hurt because of Kami. Fuck, this is complicated.
All the best games worth playing are…
“She and I go way back,” I tell him honestly. “She’s like a sister to me.”
He smirks, the fury momentarily taking a backseat. “You like the idea of fucking your sister?”
Actually, the idea makes me mental. There are many, many things I want to do to Vika. Cut her throat. Disembowel her. Rip her fucking heart out like she did mine. Sex is the last thing I want to do with her.
“I hate my sister.” I let the abhorrence trickle out into my words. If I want Benjamin to let me out of this cage, I need to give him these morsels of the truth. I need him to trust me again.
His dark brows furl together and he steps back like I’ve struck him. “Why?”
“She betrayed me,” I grit out, my gaze darting to Kami.
“Why haven’t you ever told me you had a sister?” Again, there’s accusation in his tone.
“Because I can’t even say her name without wanting to strangle everyone in the room. She’s in the past, Benjamin. Just like this little blip in our friendship. I fucked up. But I can help you find your doll’s stalker. Together, we can kill that vile human.”
Reaching into his pocket, he retrieves his keys, his nostrils flaring as he unlocks Kami’s cage. Then, he unlocks mine. “Check on the cunt, then you tell me everything you know.”
I could overpower him. It would be tricky because he’s so violent and powerful, but I’m cunning and quick. I could do it. However, I’m playing a bigger game. One where my precious monster doesn’t die today.
I push open the cell door and crawl out. When I stand, we’re a mere six inches apart. Benny and I are evenly matched in height and build. Often, I’ve had fantasies of pushing him over my desk and fucking him like I used to with Niko. But Benny is such a rare beast, I’ve spent a lot of time domesticating his animal. One day, he’s going to want everything I offer him. Everything.
“I’m sorry, Monster,” I tell him, my tone genuine.
He blinks rapidly at me. “Check on her,” he barks.
I’m not dead yet, so this is progress. Benjamin tends to act first, think later. The fact that he’s thinking—plotting, planning, playing the game—has pride thundering in my chest.
Breaking the spell, I pull away from our intense stare and open Kami’s cage. She’s breathing softly, so at least she’s still alive. Her feet lie at strange angles. He’s broken her ankles it would appear. Dark, ugly bruises mottle the flesh.
It wouldn’t be the first time she’s gotten hurt this badly.
Blood coats the cell floor. Beautiful ruby slits are raised all over the soft pale flesh of her back. I’m so angry for what he’s done to her knowing she means something to me. Though, Monster has captivated me with such an intense force, I’m more pissed I missed him doing it. He’s inside me.
Poor Kami. My thoughts betray you.
“Kami,” I mutter as I push the hair away from her face.
She lets out a ragged sigh and cracks her eyes open through the congealed blood crusting her eyelashes. “Viktor?”
I tense my shoulders at her using my given name. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it pass her lips. Forbidden. The cracking of Benjamin’s neck behind me lets me know he heard. Ignoring that for now, I run my thumb across her busted lip.