by Erin Trejo
“You feel it too, don’t you?” I don’t want to say yes. I don’t want to nod but I do feel it. Some strange pull tugs me toward him. The way his fingers caress mine reaches into me and holds on.
“There’s a fear in your eyes, воробей. One I didn’t put there. I’m sure Alina has told you that if you would just give me your name, I will find out where you belong and return you there,” he says but I tense.
“You don’t want to go home?” He asks noticing the way I stiffened. What am I doing? I can’t think straight with the scent of him lingering around me. He makes me dizzy and confused. So, when I shake my head no, I surprise myself. Alexei smiles a soft smile.
“Very well. You don’t have to go home then. You may stay here as long as you’d like but be warned, воробей. I will not let you leave until you speak to me.” My heart hammers against my ribs. The air is still thick, and his fingers haven’t stopped moving over my skin. Sweat beads on my temples at the sudden shift in the temperature. Alexei notices it too. He leans in closer, near enough to kiss me if he so chooses.
“What do you see when you look at me?” I swallow hard and do something I know I shouldn’t. I speak.
“An diabhal.”
Chapter 9
Alexei
I left her alone after she spoke those two words to me. I didn’t let on that I knew what she said but she wasn’t wrong. She saw the devil in me and I can’t say she was mistaken. I’m not a good man nor am I pure evil. For if I was, I would have taken her without her consent right there. Touching her soft skin and feeling how she felt that chemistry between us too almost had me rethinking myself. I had to leave. She watched me go without another word, but I find myself intrigued to know more. She didn’t want to be returned home which made me wonder why. What happened that was so bad for her there? The thought alone that someone else may have hurt her sends anger coursing through me. It makes no sense to have these feelings for someone that I don’t even know, yet they’re there.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Dmitry asks as I pull my shirt down my arms and circle the chair in the basement.
“Are you calling me weak?”
“No, I’m calling you the Vor. You don’t have to partake in this,” he says motioning to the table of tools he’s set up.
“I am the Vor and I can do as I please. I need the distraction,” I admit to him. Dmitry nods his head as I circle Jimmy. We’ve been looking for him for a while now and when Dmitry told me he found him, I was ecstatic. Jimmy sits naked in the chair in the middle of my basement not saying a word. He’s better off that way if I’m being honest. After having that girl in my house for weeks, my head is a little cloudy. She hasn’t spoken to me again and I’ve given her a free pass to roam as she wishes. We run into each other occasionally, although I mostly plan it that way. Every corner of my house has a camera set up for security purposes and I find myself watching her more and more. The subtle way she moves, the way she talks to Vera and Alina. It pisses me off that she will relate to them but brushes me off.
“Are you just going to pretend this isn’t the way you’re going to die?” I chuckle as I ask Jimmy. He gazes up at me but he doesn’t utter a word. I walk to the table and grab cutters before moving back toward him.
“When we have a rat that speaks to the police, we have a problem. The only way to fix that problem is to rid ourselves of the infestation. I thought better of you, Jimmy. I thought higher of you, but I see that I was wrong. You are nothing to the syndicate. You will be punished accordingly. Which will be by death, but you will also serve as an example to others that wish to cross us,” I inform him as I reach for his hand.
“Fuck you,” he sneers at me. I chuckle once more as I bring the cutters to his finger. His body tenses knowing what’s about to happen to him. He doesn’t try to hide it either as he clenches his eyes closed. I squeeze the handle and listen as the bone is cut in half. Jimmy screams loudly, piercing my ears as he does.
“Which one should we send your girlfriend?” I ask. Jimmy’s eyes widen as he looks up at me with tears streaming down his face. “Oh, you thought we didn’t know about her, yes? We do and that little boy of yours too. He’s at the perfect age to become a soldier, don’t you think?” Anger filters into his eyes as he screams at me, trying to free himself of the binds that hold him to the chair.
“I’ll fucking kill you! I will come after you!”
“Highly unlikely,” Dmitry muses from next to me. I shrug and smile.
“He is right. You won’t be leaving this room to come after me. Don’t worry though, Jimmy. I will make sure your boy is well taken care of,” I sneer as I cut off another finger. Blood coats my hands as I finish cutting each finger from his hand. I plan on sending one to all his family members as a reminder that you do not speak to the authorities. For any reason. Let alone to try to bring me down. Once Jimmy has passed out from the pain, I look to Dmitry.
“You want some?” He nods his head and walks to the table grabbing a knife. He gets to work carving at Jimmy’s skin as I watch.
“What of his boy? Are we going to use him?”
“No. I just wanted the threat to linger. I wanted him to take that with him to his death. His breed is not worthy of such things,” I tell him. Dmitry chuckles before holding the knife out to me. I grab it in my hand, walk behind Jimmy, and grab a handful of hair. Tipping his head back, I slide the knife across his throat. Too bad he wasn’t awake for this part. The blood sprays out, some landing on my chest. It isn’t until I look up that I see her. Wide blue eyes watch the knife in my hand as if it’s a mirage. Dmitry follows my gaze when I can’t pull away from her. My cock hardens painfully as I watch the look in her eyes.
“You want me to grab her?” Dmitry asks. I nod once and walk to place the knife on the table. Much to my surprise when Dmitry heads toward her, she jerks away walking herself into the room.
“Leave us,” I tell him. He nods and leaves, closing the door behind him. I watch her, the girl who refuses to give me her name as she walks closer to the dead body. I’m intrigued as to what she thinks, but the more I watch her, the more I don’t want to speak. I’m under a spell. A spell that is all her and the curiosity that lingers in those big blue eyes. She steps up next to Jimmy and raises her hand but before she touches him, she looks to me as if to ask permission. I nod my head because frankly, I want to see what she will do. When she runs her fingers along the cut on his neck, I nearly come in my slacks. I’ve never seen this kind of wonder in a woman before. When she pulls her hand away from him, she looks at the blood that now coats her skin before looking up at me with curious eyes.
“What are you doing?” I ask her calmly trying to figure out what her play is. She doesn’t say a word of course, but she does move toward me slowly, cautiously. Her eyes roam over my chest, no doubt taking in the many tattoos that adorn my body before raising her hand to touch me. Again, she looks to me for permission which I give with a nod. Her fingers slowly move, barely touching me at first. Then she starts to trace the lines of the stars that are permanently inked onto my shoulders. Stars that show the position I hold. No one has ever touched them before, so why am I letting her now?
“You are very intrigued, yes?” She slowly drags her gaze to mine and nods before looking back at my chest. My body is buzzing with excitement and lust. I want to take her, slam her against the wall and fuck her in all our bloody glory. I rein it all in because frankly, I’m impressed with her. She hasn’t spoken but two words to me since she’s been here and now she’s touching me like I’m a prized possession. Her fingers roam further down over my abs and I stuck in a breath. Her eyes dart back to me, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
“You like driving me crazy?” She tilts her head as if she’s trying to figure out what she’s doing to me. As if she doesn’t know that her touch is igniting a flame inside of me.
“Clara,” she says softly, and I’m stunned. She spoke to me on her own.
“Yo
ur name?” I ask getting a nod in return. She goes back to her exploration of my body, but I can’t handle anymore. I lose myself, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around, pressing her body against the wall. Her eyes widen but she doesn’t move or make a sound.
“You’re playing with the devil, Clara,” I tell her before grabbing her face in my hands. I lean down quickly and slam my lips against hers, tasting her. I devour her mouth in a heated kiss that is going to get me in trouble, but I don’t stop. My tongue runs along the seam of her mouth and a soft whimper escapes her. When she parts her lips, I slide my tongue in and take what I need from her. She’s as eager as I am, kissing me back but as our tongues slide against each other, something is off. I pull away and look down at her, my brows furrowed. She knows what I found and that look on her face says it all. She’s ashamed. She ducks under my arm and runs from the room as I try to figure out what the hell happened.
Chapter 10
Clara
What was I thinking? What the hell is wrong with me? He killed that man but when I saw the blood something inside of me snapped. That was what I was sent out to do. I was to kill, and the blood intrigued me more than anything but his mouth? God, his mouth was powerful and full of lust and authority. I wanted to taste it on my tongue, feel it seep into me. He kissed me so roughly that my knees felt weak but when his tongue traced mine and he pulled away, I know he felt it. The hate for the bastard that did this to me returns full force.
I race down the hallway and up the stairs, but I know he’s behind me, I can feel him. His presence is unmistakable.
“Stop!” He calls out again, the same word that he’s been yelling since I ran from the room. I made it all the way up here and I’m almost to my room when strong hands wrap around my waist, lifting me off the floor. I kick and try to fight, screams tearing from my throat. Alina’s door opens, and she steps into the hallway taking in what’s happening in front of her.
“What is this?” Alina hollers pulling Alexei’s attention.
“Not your concern!” he roars as I keep fighting to get free. It’s no use. He’s larger and stronger.
“Don’t hurt her!” Alina cries.
“I’m not!”
“You are! She’s crying and screaming, Alexei,” Alina pleads with him.
“Go to your room, Alina! This isn’t the time,” he says carrying me toward another door. I scream louder and see Dmitry move to get Alina and force her back into her room. Alexei doesn’t stop and neither do I. Not even when we’re in another room and he’s locking the door behind him. He sets me on my feet, shoving me back a few steps but I lose it. I rush at him, slamming my fists into his chest over and over as I scream. No words come out, just gut-wrenching screams of old memories that are tearing me apart inside. I unleash on him until I have no strength left in me. I cry softly and collapse to the floor in a heap. Alexei shocks me when he too moves to the floor and sits on his knees in front of me. He reaches for me and I want to swat him away, but I can’t find the strength to do it. His warm hands cup my cheeks, his thumbs brushing the tears away.
“They did this to you there?” he asks. I don’t want to tell him anything, but I feel like something in my chest is tugging me to him. He’s anchoring me to this earth right now and I don’t know if I want to go with it, or be pissed about it. I nod my head once and look into his eyes.
“Clara. My God, the pain you must have endured,” he says shaking his head. Sobs still shake my body as I try to calm myself, but when I look back into his eyes, I melt. The sincerity, the sorrow, all of it is too much. I tip my head and study his face. Something has happened to him too. I can see the loss in his eyes.
“They said if I refused to speak to them, scream for them than I didn’t need my tongue. Timur had his men hold me down and he cut away what he could,” I admit to him as tears drip from my eyes. He watches me, listening and never judging. It’s strange because even the men that came in to rape me made it a point to tell me just how disgusted they were when they would force themselves into my mouth. They said I was useless and that all I was good for was a quick fuck.
“He cut it himself?” Alexei asks sounding disgusted but not with me. I nod my head.
“He left me in my cell to bleed. I was sick for a long time. Alina, she would talk to me and try to make me feel better,” I tell him. I watch his throat bob as he swallows hard, his tongue coming out to lick his lips. I can’t pull my gaze away from what he’s doing, not until he moves toward me, pressing his lips against mine. I’m afraid to let him in. I don’t know what I want to do but the power between the two of us is overwhelming. I give in. I let him kiss me as no man has ever kissed me before. His lips are soft and gentle, his hands holding tightly to my face. Alexei moves his hands to my back, slowly laying me on the floor as he climbs between my legs. He knees my thighs open, resting himself there as his lips continue the torture of mine. I’m confused, I’m angry but I’m also so hot I can barely stand it. Fighting against what I feel between us is hard but I press my hands to his chest and shove him back a little. He doesn’t protest or keep forcing me.
“I’ve never seen beauty like yours,” he whispers softly catching me by surprise. He leans back down and kisses me again and this time, I don’t stop him from slipping his tongue into my mouth. Slow, soft strokes send a fire building in my core. The way he rocks his body against me, I nearly explode. Alexei pulls away and quickly strips us both before getting back in his place. His mouth devours me and when I feel the tip of his cock pressing against me, I gasp. I’ve had sex before I was taken, but what those men did to me in there, I can never forget. So, when Alexei enters me slowly and gently, I reach around and dig my nails into his back. I need to feel some kind of pain. This is not enough for me. They ruined me and the fact that I know I need that pain is overwhelming. I start to push him away again, but he doesn’t move.
“Just tell me what you need,” he nearly begs me. His cock is so hard, and filling and it feels so damn good, but I need more.
“Pain,” I whisper the word and Alexei nods. He moves gently at first letting me adjust to him, but I need so much more. He looks in my eyes and must be able to see it. Another small nod and his hips rear back and slam into me. Sweet, red-hot pain zips through my body as my mouth falls open. It’s pure perfection. Gasps fall from my mouth as he fucks me roughly. Each thrust is harder than the last, the sound of our skin slapping against each other is music to me. I pant and gasp with each thrust of his hips until he sits up and looks down at me. Grabbing my hips in his hands he raises me to where he wants me. With one hand holding me in place, he slowly slides his fingers over my skin until he gets to my nipple. Forcefully grabbing and pinching, I arch into his touch. That’s it, that’s what I need to feel. My body clamps around him and he groans before releasing my nipple and sliding his hand around my throat. My eyes widen but he just smirks at me.
“Pleasure and pain. Just by looking at you I wouldn’t have known that’s what you needed, Clara. I must say that I do like it though.” Squeezing my throat, he pumps into me again. Each thrust tightens his hand around my throat. Oxygen is precious but right now, it isn’t needed. He takes it away and when things begin to blur, he hits just the right spot. I come hard, clenching around him as he finds his own release. His hand slowly loosens from around my throat as his cock jerks inside of me. Each time I gasp and nearly cry when I feel him hitting me so deeply. When he’s finished, he pulls out of me and lies on his side next to me on the floor. His eyes are closed when I look over, but his fingers are between my legs. He dips his finger inside me, pulling the wetness out and slowly circling my clit. I suck in a breath and let what he’s doing wash over me. My stomach clenches, another orgasm working its way through me. I look over and find Alexei’s gaze on me, so hot and heavy. The air is thick, the smell of sweat and sex lingering around us but he doesn’t stop. His fingers keep moving, keep coaxing me higher until I’m gasping for air. His eyes stay on mine and mine on his as I come apart once more
for him. He stops his movements but never moves his hand. He keeps it planted between my legs as we both lie there. My lids are heavy and slowly they flutter closed listening to the sounds of his breathing. I don’t know what just happened and frankly, I don’t want to analyze it. I’ve never felt anything like that in my life and I want to keep it with me just a little longer.
Chapter 11
Alexei
I gaze out the window as we make our way through the city. I’m meeting with other members of the syndicate today. Something is going down, we just aren’t sure what. It doesn’t bother me, I’m ready for a war if it should come to that. In fact, I’m always ready. My thoughts drift to Clara though. They always seem to do that these days. I waited until she fell asleep and then carried her back to her room. Once she was sleeping soundly in her bed, that’s where I left her. I felt like shit for doing so but it’s better this way. I told her when she first arrived that if they had broken her then I would shatter her, and that wasn’t a lie. I know I am not capable of love but that is something I can see she would need. Lust? I can do that part, but nothing more. I’ve lived through too much and have been deemed unworthy of anything more than a quick fuck here and there. But the more I watch her on those goddamn monitors, the more I want to know her. It’s an odd feeling for me to have because I’ve never given a damn about a woman before. Of course I’ve fucked them and had my way with them, but that’s it.
“Are you ready for this meeting?” Dmitry asks pulling my attention to him.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. You seem to be out of sorts today,” he says. I know he can see it. Dmitry has always been able to see things in me that others can’t. Perhaps that’s due to the way we were trained or the fact that we both watched the other live through Hell. Either way, he sees me.