by Bo Reid
Taking a few steps to the doorway, he calls for one of the guys that grabbed us. When he returns, he is brandishing my own knife; it’s almost poetic.
“You don’t care if you live or die, but I’m willing to bet you care if he does,” he says, nodding his head towards Aether.
Aether’s face turns to stone, but it's all for show. I can see the way his lip quivers and sweat forms across his forehead.
“You touch him, and I’ll gut you and use your entrails as Christmas decorations,” I growl, but Matthew just smiles before stabbing my own knife into Aether’s thigh.
Aether howls in pain, throwing his head back. I work my hands, attempting to get my wrists free of the ties, and still, my gaze never leaves Matthew.
“How about you pick on a real monster? Better yet, untie me, and let's go toe to toe,” I remark to Matthew.
“Battle to the death?” he asks, tapping his chin in thought. “I like it, but I'd prefer to keep the upper hand here. I’m not nearly as stupid as you’re hoping I am.”
“Are you sure about that?” I ask as a broad smile overtakes my face.
Matthew takes two steps forward; he is almost menacing… Almost. I’m sure to this town, to his people, he is feared. But to me? Well, you can’t scare the Reaper.
He smirks, turning on his heel and wrenching Victoria from her chair. She fights him as much as she can, but when he hits her across the face, her movements still. I have to fight the eye roll. It's just a little punch after all; I’m sure if she really tried, she could take it a little better.
“Where are you taking her?!” Aether yells, trying to break free from his ties.
“It's time for our special time,” Matthew calls over his shoulder, and that sets my blood boiling. Beatings are a way of life, and a little torture is just fun and games, but rape? I definitely draw the fucking line at rape.
When they disappear around the corner, and I hear men walking towards us, all I can see is the red haze closing in on me. I think Aether is talking, yelling maybe. There are voices, but they’re too far away to know what is being said.
I pop my thumb from the socket, removing the rope from my hands just in time to see one of the men has entered into my personal space.
Wrong move.
He moves his hand up my leg, roughly gripping my inner thigh. I drop the rope behind me, and head butt the man in front of me. He stumbles back, clutching his now-broken nose. I quickly stand, leaning over and wrenching the blade from Aether’s thigh. Earning me a painful holler from him — he’ll get over it.
I bring the blade up, jamming it into the man's throat and wrenching it forward. Blood coats everything around us as his eyes widen, and his hand grips his throat, trying in vain to stop the bleeding.
His body drops to the ground, and I turn to the other man standing in shock. I throw my knife as hard as possible, where it lands dead center in the man's chest. He grips the blade ripping it out and then dropping to his knees.
Bending down, I reach for the first man's blade, returning to slice the knife through the ropes binding my ankles, just as the next two members walk into the room.
This time I’m ready for them, and they’re about to meet the Reaper. They don’t have time to take in the scene in front of them before I throw the knife in my hand, embedding it in one of their heads. He falls backward, and I take the moment his comrade is distracted to advance on him.
I kick his legs out from under him, wrenching my knife from the other man's forehead before turning and burying it into the back of the other one's neck.
I quickly get up, pulling my knife out, and taking it with me. Walking over, I cut Aether free, then place the knife in his hand as another man enters the room. I slide across the ground, removing the Glock .40 from one of the men’s side holsters, then pull the trigger and deliver two perfectly centered headshots.
Moving silently up the stairs just as an ear-piercing scream rings out from the top floor, I keep my senses open as I move towards my target. When I reach the top of the stairs, I walk quietly to the closed door at the end of the hallway. I hear sobbing, and the sound of a bed creaking and metal clanking against metal. I reach down and very slowly try to open the door, but it's locked.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath before taking a step back. I brace my arms behind me on the railing, raising one booted foot, I plant it next to the locked doorknob. The door swings open, slamming against the wall behind it. I see Matthew Shay, holding down Victoria Tyler.
My mother.
He snaps his head to the now-broken door as I stand in the doorway, my eyes locked on him. Victoria is crying and fighting him, kicking her legs out and scratching his face with her one free hand. At least she’s fighting now, too bad I wasn’t something worth fighting for.
“Vicky, would you just play nice,” Matthew growls to her before his face splits into a sinister grin. “Maybe I should teach you a lesson and let you watch as I ruin your precious angel,” he seethes, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Sorry, Mathew, I’m no angel, and I’ve already been ruined,” I tell him.
He drops his hold of my mother and straightens to his full height. “Well then, I guess I can settle for a good old-fashion slaughter. I always did want Valdis blood on my hands,” he muses, and I smirk.
“Come and get me.”
Matthew Shay takes three long strides across the room, and just before he can reach his hand out and grab me, I duck away from him, sliding past him into the room, bringing my knee up into his gut as I pass him.
“You bitch,” he huffs as he bends over and attempts to catch his breath.
“Come on, Matty, don’t tell me you’re not game for a little fun,” I mock him as he turns around and lunges for me. I step out of the way, extending my foot causing him to trip and face-plant into the hardwood floor.
Placing my blade at his throat and my knee to his back, I lean in close to whisper in his ear. “Valdis women don’t play well with others.”
“Cocky, just like your father, I see,” he retorts before he manages to throw his elbow back and knock me off of him. My knife clatters to the ground and slides under the dresser in the corner.
Cocky always does get me into trouble; maybe someday I’ll learn, probably not today, though.
I jump to my feet as Matthew does the same, squaring off with me. He has a devilish smirk across his face as if he is actually going to win this thing. The only issue is, you only win if you kill someone that values their life, and I just don’t give a fuck about mine.
He strides forward, and I manage to slam my palm into his face, causing his nose to deviate, and blood to pour from the wound. He coughs and sputters, but when he looks back at me, his eyes hold nothing but malice. Up to this point, he had thought this a game, thought I was going to be as easy to dominate as my mother, he was wrong. He comes after me, and I sidestep him, twisting around his back and planting my foot into the back of his knees. He stumbles forward and face-plants into the wall, falling to the floor.
I rush over to the side of the bed and look at how Victoria is chained up — cuffs, and I’m betting Matthew keeps the key on his person. Fuck.
“Morana,” her soft voice trembles, and her weakness grates on my every fucking nerve.
If I dislocate her thumb, I can pull her hand from the cuff, but is that rude?
Probably.
“Morana!” she screams, and I look over to tell her to shut the fuck up when an arm comes around my throat and wrenches me away from her. My back is slammed against the wall, and Matthew Shay presses his meaty forearm into my throat, managing to lift me off the floor. His face is red from a mixture of blood and pure rage.
“I’m going to end you,” he spits.
“Then what are you waiting for?” I grit out.
When he raises his free hand, my knife shines in the light of the bedroom windows, and isn't that fucking poetic?
Spots start to cloud my vision when suddenly Matthew's arm leaves my throat, a
nd I drop to the floor, coughing and trying to bring air into my lungs. I look over and see none other than Kesden on top of his father. He drives his fist into his face over and over again. Suddenly I see a small flash of silver rising behind Kesden and I don’t think; I just react.
I dive forward, knocking Kesden out of the way and taking a blade to my side for my efforts. Someone remind me why the fuck I shouldn’t have just let him stab Kesden. I bite my lip and push down the pain as I rip the small blade from my side, then in a swift motion, I jam it into Matthew’s neck, twisting it before ripping it back out again. He shakes under me as I watch the pool of blood collect under him on the floor. The river of red seeps into the floorboards until his body falls still.
I’m breathing heavily, and one hand is pressed into my side where the knife was just pulled from. I feel two hands come under my arms as I’m pulled up to stand. Leaning into Kesden’s strong chest, I let him wrap his arms around me, pressing a strip of cloth into my wound, keeping pressure on it.
“Why did you do that for me?” Kesden whispers into my ear as I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“I kind of like you,” I whisper back. When I hear a small sniffle to my left, I look up and see Victoria Tyler staring back at me with her mouth agape.
The sudden clamoring of heavy boots sounds down the hallway coming closer. I turn in Kesden’s arms to face the door, ready for the worst when Aether comes in. He looks around the room, zeroing in on the body at my feet before rushing to his mother’s side, managing to ignore Kesden and me completely, typical.
Monsters always get ignored until you need them to do your dirty work.
I watch as he fawns over her, making sure she is okay. Comforting her, in a way that I not only can’t do but have no desire to. He really is the perfect mix of Hades and me. He is just as much a monster as I am, yet he was raised by a mother's gentle hand.
“Do you know where the key is?” Aether asks as he grips the handcuffs.
I glance down at the body of Matthew Shay, and when Aether doesn’t make any move towards him, I lean down; Kesden keeping a firm grip on me. Rolling the body over, I hear a faint gasp at the sight of Matthew’s neck, but I ignore it. Digging my hand through his pockets, I pull out a handcuff key, tossing it to Aether.
Kesden and I turn and leave the room, walking down the stairs and out the door, walking out on the woman that walked out on me all those years ago — pulling a fresh new monster along with me.
Waiting in the yard are two large SUVs and a gaggle of pissed off men. You would think they would have gotten used to me disappearing on my own after all this time; it’s not like I’m the most reliable in the bunch.
“Next time we stick together,” Ranger growls, and I smile at him, patting his cheek.
“We’ll see.”
Kesden releases his grip on me, and Ranger’s gaze zeros in on the small cloth pressed to my wound. He takes a step forward, pushing my hand away, he lifts my shirt and examines the area.
“You’ve had worse,” he comments.
“I’m aware.”
The door to the house slams open, and I turn to watch as she runs towards me, throwing her arms around my neck. I stand still, unable to move. Sobs break from her chest as she shakes against me and still, I don’t move. I don’t put my arms around her. I don’t bring her in for a hug. She’s a stranger to me. I’d rather hug a shark; we’d have more in common anyways. When she finally pulls back, her hands come up to cup my cheeks.
“My Angel, I have missed you so much,” she cries, and it breaks the last thread of my sanity.
I step back, shoving her off of me. She stumbles back but manages to catch herself before falling on her ass. “I’m not your fucking angel,” I growl, my hands balling into fists at my sides as a red haze threatens to take over. I feel Ranger press his hand lightly into my back, but not even he can keep me from going off the rails right now.
“Morana, I–”
“Left us,” I cut her off. “You fucking left us!” I yell, throwing my hands into the air as my chest heaves, my lungs searching for air. The heat starts to ripple under my skin, and I try to shake it off. I focus my attention on the cut to my side, allowing the pain to keep me grounded.
“You left, and you never looked back,” I feel my calming fog lifting, slowly being replaced by a red haze of anger. I know I have to get out of here. “You didn’t care when Hades died, and I was lost!”
Ranger puts a firm hand on my shoulder, but I shrug him off, turning around and planting two hands on his chest, shoving him back as hard as I can. Turning back towards Victoria, who now stands with Aether by her side.
“I’m not your angel,” I point my finger at her, “and I’m not your savior.” I turn to Aether. “I’m the fucking Reaper,” I growl in a low voice. “And you can go to Hell.” I turn on my heels, stomping across the yard and hauling myself into the waiting SUV.
When no one else makes any move to come towards the vehicle, I lean over the center console and lay on the horn. My guys finally move their feet, and I watch Aether bring his mother in for a hug, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her from the monster that is her own daughter.
When the guys load up into the SUV, I don’t say anything. The car stays silent as we drive back to the motel.
“Pack your bags. I want to be on the road within the hour,” I say as I slam the door to the SUV.
“Morana, wait!” Talin yells at me, but I ignore him and move inside the motel room.
I immediately move to fill my bag with all of my stuff, not making any move to organize anything. Two hands wrap around my wrists, halting my movements, and I notice how badly I’m shaking.
“Let’s just calm down and stay the night. We can talk about everything in the morning,” Talin says.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I grit out as he hugs me close to his chest.
“Well then, stay for the simple fact that you promised me we could have dinner with my mom,” he whispers, and I feel tears prick the back of my eyes.
“I can’t meet her, Talin. She’ll think I’m a monster, and she wouldn’t even be wrong.”
“She already knows everything, Honey, everything, and she doesn’t think you’re a monster. She asks about you every time we talk. She just wants to meet the woman I’m in love with.”
“Really?” I sniffle.
“Really,” he confirms. As I pull back, he reaches up and wipes the tears out of my eyes.
“I should have told you sooner, but I just wanted you to give her a chance.”
“I’m sorry that I haven’t. I just didn’t want to know what it would feel like when she looked at me with disdain and disappointment.”
“She already loves you, Honey, because I love you and you make me happy.”
“I do?” I ask quietly.
“Of course, you do,” he whispers.
A knock sounds from the motel door, and Ranger moves to answer it. When he opens it, Kesden stands in the doorway with his hands thrust into the front pockets of his jeans.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Honestly? Not a fucking clue, but I couldn’t let you leave yet,” he says.
I nod to Ranger, and he opens the door further, and Kesden takes a step into the room. He walks towards me, and Talin lets me go, taking a step back. Kesden reaches out a hand and runs his knuckles along my bloody cheek.
“I don’t want you to go,” he whispers.
“I don’t belong here, and you don’t share,” I say, planting my hands on my hips.
He looks around the room at the three other men standing around. “I don’t know how this works, but I know I can’t let you go. And if sharing is what it takes to keep you, then I can try,” he says.
“Going to have to do better than try,” I say.
“Just tell me what you need from me,” he whispers, gently brushing hair off my face.
I turn to Ranger, reaching my hand out to him. He grabs my hand, walking around m
y back and placing his hands on my hips.
“You sure you want to open this door? Once you walk through it, there is no going back,” Ranger says in a gruff voice, and I watch Kesden eyeing each of the guys before turning back to me.
“You’re worth it, not having you isn’t an option anymore,” he says.
Ranger moves his hands from my hips, unbuttoning my pants and sliding his hand into my panties. Kesden steps forward, running his hands along my arms before gripping the column of my neck. I moan when Ranger runs his finger over my wet slit.
Kesden crashes his lips to mine, and I stumble into Ranger’s firm chest. Kesden nips at my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. When he bites down, I groan and hiss at the taste of my own blood. He flicks his tongue over my lip before slipping it in my mouth.
Ranger works his fingers over my clit, and I feel Kesden reach behind me, slipping his hand down my pants and gripping a handful of my ass. Ranger pulls his hand from my pants, reaching for the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head before he steps back. He pushes Kesden and me closer to the bed, and I slip out of my pants as Kesden sits on the edge of the bed. Straddling his lap, I unbutton his pants, pulling his hard cock out and lining him up with my entrance. I lower myself onto his cock, moaning, and throwing my head back.
I feel Kesden grip my hips, and another pair of hands come around my waist. When I look back, I see Hunter shirtless and smirking at me.
“Pretty Girl, I want this ass,” he growls, as I slowly work Kesden’s cock.
“That’s good because I want that dick,” I moan, biting my lip.
I still my movements on Kesden, and he grunts, gripping my hips. Hunter presses his finger into me, causing me to groan and my head to fall back. Hunter gently pushes me forward and Kesden nips and sucks on my neck. When I feel the head of Hunter’s cock start to push into me, I moan at his size. When he is seated balls deep in my ass, I feel the first sting of his hand on my ass. Kesden’s eyes meet mine when I moan and wiggle my hips, begging for Hunter to do it again.
“You like that, Little?” he asks with a smirk.