by Kyra Quinn
He trails his fingers down my arm, smiling as I try to shrink away. “Interesting.”
Kane rises to his feet and crosses the room, stopping in front of the row of shelves. He thumbs through the various instruments of pain and pleasure until his hand closes around two thick metal clamps connected by a thick metal chain.
“I’m making a slight addition to your outfit for tonight.” He strolls over to me with a sinister smile, the clamps dangling from his index finger. “You’re wearing these under your dress.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “Because it pleases me. I plan to keep a riding crop close by, but I’ve noticed pain doesn’t motivate you much. I’m curious to see how you’ll respond to a marriage between pleasure and pain.”
Despite my inexperience in the bedroom, I need not ask where he intends to put the metal clamps. My breasts ache preemptively. “I already agreed to follow your rules. The nipple torture is unnecessary.”
“Maybe.” His grin stretches as he drops next to me on the mattress. “But I’ll enjoy it either way. And I suspect you might, too.”
He reaches over and cups my breast. He presses his palm against my chest, squeezing until his nails dig into my flesh. His hand burns hot against my chest, branding me with an invisible mark of ownership. He exhales a soft moan, the smile on his lips replaced by something darker. Something hungry.
He releases his hold and slides down slightly to roll my nipple between his thumb and index finger. A tiny whimper crosses my lips before I can help myself. My back arches as tingles of electricity soar through my body and into my clit.
“That’s an obedient girl, pet.” His smirk returns as he pinches my nipple until I yelp. “But no more until we get rid of the big bad super-demons.”
He tugs my nipple forward, placing it between the clamp. With his other hand, he screws the device until the metal teeth bite into my flesh until I yelp. He repeats the process with the other breast, humming under his breath while he works. After he screws both clamps in place, he gives my breasts a sudden slap and chuckles.
“This should suffice for now. I have weights over there on the shelf to increase the sensation, but we don’t want to overwhelm you on your first time.” He toys with the chain, tracing the metal with his index finger while admiring his handiwork. “What do you think, pet?”
“I think my nipples are on fire,” I grumble, aware my complaints won’t change his mind. Like any true sadist, Kane enjoys watching me suffer. If I try to hide my discomfort, he’ll escalate the torture until I can’t disguise it anymore.
He gives the chain a gentle tug, his grin widening as I wince. “This isn’t the leash I had in mind for you tonight, but we can improvise if the need arises.”
He jerks the chain one last time, then rises to his feet and cracks his neck. “Now that we’re at an understanding, I’ll send someone in to doll you up and bring you downstairs. Remember the rules. I don’t mind punishing you, but I’d much rather reward you for your obedience.”
He exits the room without another word, leaving me to wonder if killing him is worth sacrificing my sense of self.
CHAPTER NINE
Kane
Dagon waits for me in the living room after I leave Nadia. His head is buried in his phone as he swipes through photos of girls in bikinis or cocktail dresses and overpriced appetizers. I don’t waste time on social media. It’s a vapid invention by humans to distract themselves from their meaningless lives. Dagon spends more time on Instagram and Twitter than most high school girls.
“How’s it coming?” he asks, not glancing away from the screen.
“I’ve done what I can. The rest is in her hands.”
Which doesn’t fill me with much confidence. I don’t buy Nadia’s sudden change in behavior for a second. She’s too goddamn stubborn to break so soon. But there’s no time left to worry about whatever she’s plotting from her prison. If she pushes her luck tonight, it’s not my ass on the line.
Dagon turns his phone to face me. A photo of Nadia’s mother smiles back at me with misty grey eyes reminiscent of the sky after a storm. It’s impossible to look at her and not remember finding her bleeding out alone in her studio. “Did a little research while you were dealing with our captive.”
“On her dead mother?”
“On her bloodline. If she’s Alana Gray’s daughter, her abilities should have surfaced by now. Even a half-blooded witch is capable of more fight than she’s put up.”
“Did you find anything?”
He shakes his head. “I left a voicemail for one woman from her mother’s old coven, so we’ll see if she calls back. In the meantime, we need to keep a closer eye on the girl. There’s a chance she’s playing us all.”
I snort. Nadia is many things, but manipulative isn’t one of them. Her biggest weakness was always the way she wore her fragile heart on her sleeve for the world to see. Zeke trained her to point a gun and kill, not think for herself. She doesn’t have a mind for strategy or long-term planning. If she had any supernatural powers, there’s no way she’d be able to resist using them when her temper boils over.
“Maybe she’s adopted. Or Zeke and Michael suppressed her powers.”
“Possibly, but that doesn’t explain what Lilith and the Knights want with her.” He shoves his phone into his pocket. “We’re missing something here, but I can’t put my finger on what. The Knights of Hell don’t take random mortals hostage. If they want her, it’s in our best interests to figure out why.”
Arachne bounces into the room, putting an end to the conversation for now. She throws herself down on the sofa and pulls her knees into her chest, her face glowing with pride. “Where’s our new little friend? I’m dying to see her in the dress I picked out. She will look like a total snack.”
My stomach hardens. Hopefully no one else tries to take a bite. “She’s fine where she is. I’ll fetch her when Lilith and the others arrive. If she doesn’t embarrass herself too badly, I’ll move her into the bigger room after they leave.”
Dagon lifts a brow. “Already? Bloodstains won’t come out of the carpet.”
“But the attic is cold and gross,” Arachne adds, wrinkling her nose. “I wouldn’t open up to anyone in there, either.”
“It’s not about her comfort,” I correct, careful not to give the impression I care about Nadia one way or the other. “I don’t trust her enough to keep her in the attic. It’s too detached from the rest of the house.”
Arachne rolls her eyes and snickers. “How much trouble can she cause with no hands or feet?”
Good question. One I’m not sure I want the answer to. If Dagon’s suspicions prove true, restraints may not hold Nadia indefinitely. I doubt there’s a drop of magic in her blood. But I’m not confident enough to bet my brother’s promotion on it.
“I want her where I can monitor her,” I say, hopeful my tone is firm enough to end the conversation.
The renovated guest bedroom is closer to my own private quarters of the house. Easier to slip in and out unnoticed. After my last conversation with Nadia, all I can think about is what I want to do to her the next time we’re alone. How she’s now—at least for the moment—mine to play with as I wish. I want to hear her moan my name as I turn her aversion to touch into a craving for pleasure. I want to erase any man who came before me from her mind and ruin her for anyone after.
“It’s not the worst idea. She comes from a lengthy line of powerful witches on her mother’s side. We should monitor her on the off chance she isn’t as helpless as we think. Lilith will damn us all back to Hell if we somehow lose her.”
“Magic or no magic, she’s spent the last two years with Michael and Ezekiel. We shouldn’t underestimate what she’s capable of. It wouldn’t shock me if she chewed her own arm off to escape the restraints.”
Arachne grins. “Can’t say I blame her. The Red Room isn’t the nicest place to wake up in.”
“Don’t know what you mean.” I match her smile. “That’s a five-
star suite with room service.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. A heavy fist against the front door echoes through the foyer and living room. Our smiles vanish. Ready or not, the shitshow is here.
“Run upstairs and fetch our captive,” I tell Arachne. “Dagon and I can handle the Knights.”
She leaps to her feet and scurries off up the L-shaped staircase, likely grateful for any excuse to avoid Lilith. Lucky bitch.
Dagon fixes me with a grim look. “Play nice.”
“Always.”
I follow Dagon into the foyer. One of the newer recruits has already shown Lilith and Levi inside. Instead of Lilith’s usual theatrical wardrobe, she wears a pair of fitted leather pants and a tight black top with the shoulders cut out. A black gun is holstered to her hip. Looks like Dagon and I aren’t the only ones working late tonight.
"Gentlemen," Lilith says, her voice icy.
Levi greets us with a nod. “Marvelous work capturing the girl.”
“One of them, anyway.” Lilith rolls her eyes. “Let’s not be too lavish with our praise of a job half-done.”
My jaw tightens. “The other target wasn’t with her.”
“And no one’s thought to track her down? That’s interesting, because the rumor around town is that Dagon here still hasn’t given up the search for Hollie. If you wish to prove yourself worthy of a position in our circle, perhaps you should show your work the same dedication you show your train-wreck of a personal life.”
“We haven’t given up or forgotten about her,” Dagon assures her. Ever the diplomat, he lets her criticisms slide off him like raindrops and fixes her with a smile. “But now isn’t the most strategic time to strike. Michael is expecting it.”
Lilith frowns, but Levi takes over with an enthusiastic nod. “Michael is intelligent, if nothing else. If he lets us anywhere near the other girl, it’s because he’s using her as bait like Marax.”
“I don’t care,” Lilith snaps, folding her arms over her breasts. “Kill whoever it takes to secure the target.”
“Have patience,” Dagon says, placing a hand on her arm. “We’ve never failed you, and we don’t plan to start now.”
She jerks her arm away and scowls. “Where is the prisoner?”
“On her way downstairs as we speak,” Dagon assures her.
“Moloch won’t be joining us,” Lilith says, eying the staircase, “But his orders are clear. Moloch wants whatever information she has on Michael and his plans. He doesn’t care what you have to do to extract it from her.”
“You’re welcome to recruit outside help,” Levi adds. “If she refuses to tell us what she knows willingly, pull in a witch or a djinn. Drag it out of her.”
I have a few ideas about how to make Nadia talk, but none I’m willing to share with the group. No one is touching Nadia but me. Every inch of her body has belonged to me since the first time I laid eyes on her.
“I’ve made slight progress with her,” I tell them. “She has given nothing up yet, but we’ve made excellent progress in the little time we’ve had together.”
Lilith turns her icy glare on me. “I heard an interesting rumor about you, Kane. Word around town is this isn’t your first encounter with our new friend.”
My jaw tightens. Who the hell told her that? Not even Dagon knows about my brief and stormy history with Nadia. “I’ve seen her before, yes.”
She cocks her head and takes a step closer to me, tickling my nostrils with her perfume. “Is that all it was? You didn’t take her virginity a few years ago?”
I growl under my breath. “Whoever you get your information from is a fucking idiot.”
“So what’s the story?” Dagon asks, arching a brow. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”
“Because there’s nothing to mention. I found Zeke snooping around her one day, trying to recruit her. We saw each other a few more times after that. Maybe twice. Nothing ever happened.”
It’s not exactly true—Nadia and I were seconds away from me claiming her virginity two years ago. If I hadn’t gotten too cocky and put my foot in my mouth, no pathetic mortal man would have claimed her body before I could. I would have left her ruined for any other man by the time I finished having my way with her. I grit my teeth, trying not to remember how soft and small she felt beneath me.
“It’s still a conflict of interest,” Lilith snaps. “Your orders were to work with Alana Gray to find a spell capable of mass resurrection. Not fool around with her daughter.”
“So I should have just let Zeke take her? What if she shared her mother’s affinity for death magic?”
Before Lilith can respond, Arachne leads Nadia into the room. My pulse races. I expected anything other than Nadia’s exposed flesh to disappoint me, but Arachne did her job well. Thin spaghetti straps support a lacy blue dress. The hem cuts off at her upper thighs, revealing petite but shapely legs and tiny feet perched on dangerously high heels. Arachne pinned her wavy hair out of her face with a black diamond broach. A leather collar hugs her neck, the silver D-ring in the center connected to a thin metal chain Arachne leads her by. If it weren’t for the present company, I’d tear the dress off her with my teeth here and now.
An icy smile stretches across Lilith’s lips. “She cleans up better than expected. If I didn’t know better, I’d never guess she’s one of Michael’s lemmings.”
“The collar and lead is a nice touch,” Levi agrees. His pupils dilate as he drinks Nadia in. “She’d earn a pretty penny in Havana.”
My muscles tighten as I fight the urge to toss Levi off the nearest balcony. “Why don’t we consider that after she’s told us what we need to know? It’s a decent place to hide her from Michael and Zeke.”
Nadia’s face turns pale. She flashes me a pleading look, her eyes begging for help I can’t deliver. Under any other circumstances, I would have done damn near anything for this girl. But she’s caught up in a conflict bigger than both of us, and there’s not a damn thing I can do to save her.
If the Knights order me to kill her, that’s what I must do, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter. Disobedience is a sentence to the pits of Hell, not to mention losing everything we’ve worked for. We’re too close to victory. I can’t afford to let my dick make my decisions.
“Film the ransom video tonight,” Levi says, his eyes still wandering over Nadia’s body. “We’ll send someone by to pick it up tomorrow.”
Lilith crosses the room, stopping inches away from Nadia. She grips her chin and turns her head from side to side, her nails mirroring drops of blood against Nadia’s snowy skin. She leans in and purrs, “Try not to give these boys too hard of a time, doll. It’d be a shame if something happened to this pretty little face of yours.”
I half expect Nadia to headbutt her. She’s played her part well until now, but I’ve witnessed how short her fuse is firsthand. Lilith runs her free hand up Nadia’s side, and for a moment I can’t tell if she plans to kiss her or strike her.
Nadia remains perfectly still. Her nose wrinkles, and her lip curls over her teeth. She keeps her eyes pinned on me. Though she says nothing, the accusation in her glare is deafening.
Lilith releases her hold and gives Nadia’s face three gentle slaps. She leans in next to her ear and whispers, “See you soon, Miss Gray.”
Dagon shows Lilith and Levi out to their cars. Nadia’s shoulders relax the moment the front door closes. Arachne smiles, bouncing on her heels like an overeager puppy begging for attention.
“That went well,” she says. “I knew they’d love that dress.”
I roll my eyes. Still, a suitable leader gives credit where it’s due. “You chose well. They seemed impressed.”
“What happens now?” she asks, her eyes flickering to Nadia.
“Dagon will want to knock the ransom video out as soon as possible. Show her to her new accommodations while I wait for D.”
“As you wish.” She gives Nadia’s leash a brief tug. “You heard the boss. Let’s go check out your new room.”<
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Nadia’s eyebrows knit together, but Arachne pulls her forward and leads her from the room. I exhale and rub my neck. If anything in this world kills me, it will be that woman.
CHAPTER TEN
Nadia
My new room is a massive upgrade from the attic. At first glance, it almost resembles a fancy hotel room. Pale walls the color of smoke replace the violent red ones. Instead of a stained mattress shoved in the room's corner, a queen-size canopy bed occupies the center of the soft beige carpet. A bathroom complete with a garden tub and stand-alone shower sits behind a sliding oak door. It’s so homey, it almost creeps me out.
But the lavish furnishings change nothing. The door is locked from the outside, and heavy iron bars cover the single small window near the bed. Arachne didn’t bind my hands and feet, probably because she didn’t see a need to. There’s no way out of this room without help from the other side.
Long after Arachne locks me in, my heart continues to race. My skin feels too tight, the spacious room still too claustrophobic. My wrists are red and raw where the ropes pinned me for so many hours. I wrap my hands around the iron bars until my knuckles turn white, but the world outside is too dark to distinguish anything about my surroundings. It’s almost as if nothing else exists but this luxurious dungeon.
After all the warnings Kane and Arachne beat into my head, my brief encounter with the Knights of Hell is almost a disappointment. I had expected towering demons with hooved feet and massive horns protruding from their heads. Blackened flesh, pointed fangs, and glowing red eyes. I spent hours mentally preparing myself for them to torture me for information.
Lilith and Leviathan bear little resemblance to the monsters of my nightmares. It’s hard to understand why everyone is so afraid of them. Still, something about Lilith’s aura warned me not to push my luck too far. First impressions are often deceiving.
If only I had a way to contact Zeke or Jade. Either of them could tell me what I’m up against. If Kane and his brother work directly under the Knights of Hell, are they more powerful than most demons? It would explain why my gun failed to fire in the park that night.