Bloodstains and Bitemarks

by Kyra Quinn

  But she’s not the only person I’m pissed at, and the self-hatred is more difficult to banish. She played me for a fool, but I let her. Even against my better judgment, I allowed her to seduce me with lies and fuck her way into my head. I gave into lust and ignored common sense. She never could have betrayed me if I hadn’t given her the power to. I ignored my instincts, and it’s only fair I pay the price for it.

  “This is why we don’t fuck mortal girls,” I remind myself bitterly, staring out at the ocean with bleary eyes. “The trouble they bring is never worth the bit of fun.”

  Nadia was more than a little fun. Before she tried to kill me, anyway. It’s probably the only reason I didn’t kill her on the spot. Even if I can’t trust her character or her lying little mouth, I can still imagine plenty of uses for her body.

  “Thought I might find you out here.”

  Dagon appears beside me with two glasses of scotch. He passes one to me and adds, “Arachne mentioned you dragged Nadia to the red room. What happened?”

  I take a grateful gulp of the liquor, wishing I had another cigarette nearby. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle her.”

  He frowns. “No doubt. But I still need to know. I thought we had the girl under control.”

  I snort. Knowing Nadia, her behavior at the meeting was all part of the performance. Softening my suspicions before she attacked. “Leave it alone, D. I said I’ll take care of it.”

  He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Relax, man. I’m only trying to help. I understand the frustration of dealing with women better than anyone.”

  “Arachne has nothing on this bitch,” I growl.

  He laughs. “Not her, stupid. Arachne’s easy to work with if you stroke her ego a little. Hollie, though? Even on a pleasant day, she was her own special type of headache.”

  I remember. Hollie was always nice enough to me, but she and Dagon’s fights often rattled the windows. She was half his size and age, but the little witch had no trouble matching his temper. I suspect he loved her passion as much as he loathed her stubbornness.

  But the way Dagon fell apart when she vanished is also fresh in my memory. If my brother has ever had a weakness, it was Hollie. For as much as she annoyed him—annoyed all of us—she also brought a sense of peace to his life he’s struggled to replicate. I didn’t care for her much, but I understood why he did. He never fully recovered from losing her. And I swore to myself I’d never allow some woman to ruin me. I’d never make myself weak for something as fragile and fleeting as the affection of a mortal.

  “You’re better off without her,” I grumble, polishing off my drink. “If she’s still alive, I guarantee her life is shit now.”

  He gives a grunt I interpret as agreement. “Relationships aren’t the best idea in our position, anyway. It’s a distraction. Not to mention an easy target for our enemies. Stick to my philosophy: fuck ‘em and forget ‘em.”

  “Like you’ve forgotten Hollie?” I tease.

  He rolls his eyes and finishes his own drink. “Part of me hopes that bitch is still alive, just so she can suffer through the emptiness of a life without me. Let some wimpy warlock try to fuck her better than I did. I bet she’ll never cum for anyone again after the way I spoiled her.”

  And just like that, I know the perfect punishment for Nadia. I thank Dagon for the drink and head into the house to grab the tools. The pressure in my chest gradually eases as I dig through the trunk in my closet for my weapons of choice: a vibrating wand, an O-ring mouth gag, and a pair of identical glass dildos. The instruments of pain, should I need them, are already in the red room. I order Arachne to fetch me a bowl of ice water and scalding water before making my way into the room.

  Nadia is waiting for me on the floor. She lies naked on her stomach, spine curved with her feet bound to her wrists. I frown. It’s a striking pose, but not the most practical for what I have in mind.

  “You sick son of a bitch,” she snarls, arching her neck to stare me down.

  I smack her ass, leaving behind a puffy red handprint. “No one said you could speak.”

  She twists and wiggles against the ropes, but the knots only pull tighter. “Fuck you.”

  “Again?” I smirk, sliding my hand between her thighs. “If you insist.”

  She freezes for a second, then thrashes twice as hard. Her pussy rubs against my fingers as she moves, leaving behind a slick trail. I almost laugh. No matter what her mouth says, her body doesn’t lie. The psychotic bitch may hate me, but she still wants me.

  “Quite the stunt you pulled in there,” I say, leaning to growl the words next to her ear. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. Stupid, but brave.”

  Her face flushes. “Just hit me and get it over.”

  “Hit you?” I chuckle. “Nah. Too easy. Besides, I think some part of you enjoys it when I beat your ass like the dirty girl you are. But we’re not here for your enjoyment this time. It’s my turn.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I ram my middle finger inside of her ass, laughing as she gasps and jolts forward. “Since I can’t believe a damn word your whore mouth says, I only have one use left for you. I’ll give you a hint.”

  I stab my finger in and out of her violently until I’m convinced she gets the idea. The noises coming from her are more pain than pleasure, but that only fuels my fire. Let it hurt a little. She deserves nothing less.

  “I hate you!”

  My favorite four words. My cock hardens instantly.

  “Why don’t you take a brief nap now?” I say, pressing my fingers to her head. “We’ll continue this when I’m finished with you.”

  Her mouth opens, but her eyelids droop closed before her response crosses her lips. Good. Let’s see how much shit she talks with my ring between her lips.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Nadia

  I am so fucked.

  The words repeat in my head endlessly. I fight to keep my breathing steady, praying Kane won’t notice I’ve awakened from whatever stupor he put me under. Coarse, itchy rope cuts into my wrists and torso. Something firm between my ankles separates my legs, making them impossible to close. My heart pounds as I assess how screwed I am.

  “You’re not blindfolded,” Kane’s voice comes, too close to me for comfort. “Open your eyes. I want you to see what I have planned for you.”

  I squeeze my eyes closed tighter. He can torture me all he likes, but he can’t make me watch.

  Kane huffs. “Don’t you think you’re in enough trouble, pet? I suggest you don’t make this worse for yourself. Open. Your. Eyes.”

  His fingers pry my eyelids open. Kane kneels next to me on the bed, grinning at me like a wolf about to devour his prey. I bite at his arm, but he pulls back before I can sink my teeth in. He half-heartedly slaps my face, just hard enough for the slight sting to serve as a warning.

  “Naughty girl. I’ve got something for that lying little mouth of yours, though.” He reaches down and lifts a metal ring surrounded by thin strips of leather. A gag. My skin turns to ice.

  “No. No!” I struggle against the ropes as hard as I can, but it’s no use. Kane’s knots tighten with each twist of my body. He crouches in front of me and forces his hand into my mouth, separating my clenched teeth and jamming the metal circle between them. I choke, but he doesn’t stop to check if I’m okay. He fastens the gag into place around my head, whistling while he works.

  “There.” He gives my face two light slaps. “Much better. Listening to your bullshit ruins the mood.”

  “KANEEEE!” I roar, but the inability to close my jaw distorts the word into an unintelligible noise. He laughs, jamming his index finger into my mouth and swirling it around.

  “Mmm. Too bad I didn’t think of this sooner.” He winks at me and retracts his disgusting finger, his grin predatory. “I think this may become my new favorite way to punish you.”

  I snarl, the only response I can manage.

  His eyes narrow into slits. “You don’t seem to app
reciate the mercy I’ve shown you tonight, pet. After what you tried to pull in there, I should have killed you on the spot.”

  Part of me wishes he had. If I’ve learned anything about Kane in my time here, it’s that my suffering brings him some sick pleasure. Killing me would have probably been a mercy compared to whatever perverted plans he’s cooked up. Any sane person would pray for a quick and painless death.

  But I’ve never considered myself particularly sane. Despite the crushing gravity of my situation, I’m not ready to quit. I always expected to die young, but I refuse to die here. I’ve fought too hard for too long to throw it all away now. One way or another, I must make it out of this place.

  Kane rises to his feet and stands in front of me. He strokes his chin and stares at me, apparently considering what to do next. As the silence stretches on between us, my skin prickles. What is he waiting for?

  The door flies open, and I have my answer. Arachne scurries into the room with a jar full of water clutched to her chest. Creatures resembling tiny snakes swim around inside. My stomach flips. Leeches.

  “This is a terrible idea,” she mutters, passing Kane the jar.

  “No one asked you,” he snapped. “Lock the door on your way out. Tell the others that anyone who interrupts before I’m finished will find themselves on a one-way trip back to Hell.”

  Arachne drops her head, avoiding my eyes. “Yes, sir. Is there anything else you need?”

  He glances at me, and a slow smile forms on his face. “No, I think I have everything I need for a while.”

  Arachne nods and hurries out of the room, never once meeting my gaze. I don’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, I doubt I could abandon her to this fate and not hate myself for it.

  “Nadiiaaa,” a voice whispers next to my ear.

  I jolt, but there’s no one else in the room with us. Goosebumps cover my flesh. Is this what the poems and stories mean about slowly slipping into madness?

  But the disembodied voice continues. “Naddddiiaaa... you have... to cry…”

  I might have burst out laughing if not for the ring cutting uncomfortably into my gums. No wonder my plan didn’t work. Even the voices in my head are stupid.

  “Crrryyyyy….” the raspy whisper continues. “Let your tears wash away his rage. Your genuine power is in your weakness.”

  I shoot a glance at Kane, but he doesn’t move. He can’t hear it. I guess that’s how insanity works.

  Kane is a sadistic, demonic bastard with a bloodlust that puts even Ivan the Terrible to shame. My tears won’t move him to mercy. They’ll excite further cruelty. Any sympathy Kane felt towards me died when he realized I only slept with him to trick him.

  Lightning strikes inside my brain.. If I manipulated Kane once, maybe I can do it again. He won’t fall for it as easily a second time, but that’s where a little remorse and a dash of false humility might save me. The last thing Kane expects me to do is swallow my pride and apologize. Even if he doesn’t take the bait, the shock may at least knock him off-balance.

  Zeke told me once that doubt is the single biggest killer of dreams and action. Once planted, even the tiniest seed of doubt can spread roots through a person’s mind and destroy all sense of hope. I don’t need him to believe me. I just need him to doubt himself.

  Summoning tears on command, however, isn’t a talent I have. I’ve spent most of my life trying to hide and suppress my emotions. Even when I’d fall and hurt myself as a kid, my father never tolerated more than a few seconds of sniffling before he’d lose his temper and snap at me to pull myself together. Hunters died when they made decisions based in emotional impulses instead of logic. Feelings are nothing more than a distraction, a vulnerability best avoided.

  Kane turns his back to me. He resumes his whistling as he lifts a pair of identical glass sex toys from the foot of the bed. Two shallow bowls of water sit on the floor next to the mattress. Steam evaporates off the top of the bowl on the left, the other filled with cubes of ice.

  I dig through the memories I’ve locked away for so long, searching for one tragic enough to elicit the sorrow I need for this to work. Each pitiful mental souvenir makes my heart pound harder. Faster. Heat flushes my body as a heaviness settles into the center of my chest. My countless losses don’t hurt anymore. They’ve become fuel for the fire ravaging through my soul.

  Kane turns his attention back to me and fixes me with a slow, sadistic smile. “Pain doesn’t bother you as much as I’d like, pet. You’re a junkie for it. So I thought we’d try something different.”

  Drool drips from my mouth onto my chest. I fix him with a pleading expression, the only response I can manage without humiliating myself further.

  He reaches down and gropes my breast, pinching my nipple between his fingers and tugging until I yelp. “You need a reminder of who’s in charge here, pet. Until Lilith comes for you, I am your Master. It is I who decide whether you receive pain or pleasure, nourishment or neglect. I am your god now. And I’ll prove it by forcing your body to betray your mind.”

  I whimper. His fingers tighten around my nipple as I shrink back, sending pain shooting through the sensitive nerves and into my breast. It hurts, but that doesn’t stop the moisture growing between my legs. Fuck me. Kane isn’t the only depraved monster in this room.

  “Most women would consider what I’m about to do to you a reward. They’d thank me for giving them orgasms instead of lashes with my whip. But you’re not most women, are you, pet? Being forced to relinquish control and accept pleasure is torturous for you, isn’t it?”

  He’s righter than he knows. There’s a reason I almost never party with the other hunters, or why wild nights with guys from the bar never appealed to me. The last time I allowed myself to give into temptation and surrender to pleasure, my mother ended up dead. I prefer to keep everything about my body and surroundings under careful control.

  Finally, the tears come. My vision blurs. Kane falls silent, but I can feel his gaze on me.

  “Don’t do that,” he says, his voice tight. Frustrated. “Fuck.”

  He trudges over to the mattress and fiddles with the clasp behind my head until the ring in my mouth falls free. He crouches next to me and wipes a tear away with his thumb.

  “What is this?” he asks, eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you crying? Are you that disgusted by the thought of me touching you?”

  “I-I’m sorry, Kane. That was stupid. I don’t know why I grabbed your knife, but I never intended to use it against you. Please believe I’m sorry.”

  His face hardens. “Yeah? Now who’s the liar?”

  “No—”

  But he isn’t listening. His cold eyes burn with rage. He wrestles the gag back into my mouth, his nail splitting my lip.

  “You’re talented, pet, I’ll give you that. Never again will I underestimate your ability to wield your feminine charms against me.”

  My heart sinks. It’s too late. Whatever fondness he held for me before is poisoned by betrayal.

  He stands a few feet back and studies me. Despite his passionate speech, doubt flickers across his face. Maybe my efforts weren’t futile. If I planted even the smallest seed of doubt, maybe there’s a chance.

  “It’s a pity,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve met no one else afraid of allowing themselves to feel good for a while. What happened to the wild rebel child I met two years ago? The girl who liked to get high and rattle the windows with her music?”

  My stomach hardens. That girl died the same night as my mother. But Kane knows that already.

  “I have to punish you,” he says, a note of something close to regret creeping into his voice. “Give you a reason not to try anything stupid again. But I’m hopeful this time together might teach you multiple lessons. Like how to surrender to pleasure.”

  A shudder runs down my spine. His hand slides up the side of my thigh, stopping to grip my hip and squeeze. His fingertips trail tiny flames across my flesh. My heart races, already anticipating what he’ll
touch next.

  He shifts his weight and climbs to kneel between my spread legs. I hold my breath as he bends his face to hover inches over my pelvic bone. His breath is warm against my skin as he whispers, “Why don’t I warm you up with a kiss?”

  God, help me. I am so fucked.

  * * *

  Kane hovers over me, his mouth inches from the dripping slit between my legs. His forked tongue slides across his lips. He digs his nails into my thighs, grinning at me like a hungry beast about to devour his helpless prey.

  My heart jumps into my throat. I shake my head wildly, but it only elicits a deep laugh from Kane. My panic only excites him more.

  “Relax, Nadia.”

  The sound of my name on his lips sends ice through my blood. The menace has faded from his eyes. He slides his hand up my body to cup my cheek. The entire left side of my face fits in his meaty palm.

  “It’s not a crime to enjoy a bit of pleasure,” he says, his voice hushed. “Surrender to my touch, and you won’t regret it. You might even offer a more genuine apology by the time I’m finished.”

  I shake my head so hard I worry it might fly off my neck, but Kane pays me no mind. He slips his face between my legs. His hands on my hips, he places a kiss on the inside of each of my thighs before lowering his mouth to my sex. He slides his tongue along my pussy, spreading my lips open with his tongue.

  I whimper. My entire body trembles, but I can’t tell if it’s from fear or excitement anymore. Every voice in my head screams at me to fight back somehow, but my treacherous body has ideas of its own. My back arches, pushing his warm mouth deeper against my clit.

  Kane chuckles, the deep vibration from his throat sending fresh waves of pleasure over me. Hedonistic bastard. Every part of this is wrong, a crime against nature and humanity. But as Kane slides a finger inside of me while his tongue toys with my most sensitive spots, I’m grateful the gag is in place so I can’t beg him for more.

  Pressure builds inside of me until my skin feels too tight. I have no control over the sounds that spill from me, but I can’t hear them over the chorus of whispers and shouts splitting apart my thoughts. The voices from before return, their words jumbled beyond my comprehension. My muscles twitch and spasm. Kane only increases the pressure and speed of his licks. He doesn’t stop until I’m gasping for air, seconds away from exploding all over his face.