To have a slice of comfort in the coming storm… yes. I’d give anything to have that. But I don’t trust that Monster won’t hurt Lucifer. Not when he hurts everything he touches.
He must sense the direction of my thoughts, because he says, “I’ll give the cat to Max. You might not trust me, but I’m sure he’ll give you his word that he’d never harm an animal. Would that be sufficient?”
It’s a risk, but… it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’ll be devastated beyond the point of no return if Luci gets hurt because of me, because he’s not just my best friend—he’s a symbol of the progress I’ve made. He’s unconditional love and hope. But if I can trust he’s safe with Max, yes, I’ll take that. Any opportunity to see him.
I nod, and Monster smiles. It’s not a kind smile; it’s malicious and eager, as if he can’t wait for what comes next.
“Good. You’ll have to earn it. You understand that, yes?”
“Do whatever it is you’ll do.” I swallow. “You made me see just how high my pain tolerance is in that cell.”
“Sweet, precious Scarlett,” Monster says softly. He strokes his thumb over my cheek. “You won’t get off that easily. I’ll still stick to my word; I will not hurt you physically, ever again.Ever. Again.But I’d like to see what you remember from our time together. I’m going to have lots of fun exploring your body, so I think it’s only fair if I give you the same opportunity.” He releases me and leans back. “Undo my pants.”
I squeeze my eyes shut for several moments. I know I have to do this—I don’t have another choice, not if I want a slice of comfort in the misery I’m about to be thrown into. My hands shake as I open my eyes and reach for his belt. I slowly undo it, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to start falling again.
“Take out my cock,” Monster says once his boxers are exposed.
Nausea turns my stomach as I comply with his cruel command.
“Good.” He slides a hand into my hair, cupping the base of my skull. “Remember the night when I had you on your knees in front of me, with a vibrator in your pussy and your mouth on my cock? You learned exactly what I enjoyed… and I realized that you’re a phenomenally fast learner when motivated. Now, I didn’t have the foresight to bring toys—I was rather preoccupied with getting toyou—but nevertheless, I want you to wrap those gorgeous lips around my cock and make me come.”
Chapter Four
Greyson
She’s so gorgeous—so fuckingperfect. I want to sweep her up in my arms, hold her tight, and never let go. I want to break her so I can heal her. I want to plant her gorgeous pussy on my cock and fuck her raw… but instead, I settle for small steps. A quid pro quo. She gives me something, I give her something.
I can see that our months apart have not treated my little Flower well. She’s lost weight, and there are deep, dark circles under her eyes. She looks emaciated and exhausted, but beneath that I can see the fire that first drew me to her. The qualities I came to admire, even when I thought she’d killed my brother. Her fire. Her uncanny ability to not conquer but befriend her fear. Her determination and perseverance. Her commitment to her values, misguided as they might be.
My gaze flicks behind her, to the discarded gun on the floor, and anger fills my chest. Scarlett wanted totake her own lifein order to escape me. The aim of her gun wasn’t high enough to kill me; she intended to incapacitate me with a bullet to my leg and then shoot herself in the head. She’sthatdesperate to escape me, which fuckinginfuriatesme. She doesn’tgetto leave meat all, let alonelike that—and I will spend however long it takes to condition her to depend on me.
I’ll be the air she breathes. The water she drinks. The food she eats. I will make myself central to her world—no, I’ll makemyselfher entire world, until she can’t imagine a life without me. A life where I’m not her everything.
It took her a month to becomemyeverything… and I’m looking forward to returning the favor, no matter how long it takes.
“Go on, Flower,” I encourage her gently, stroking over her hair. It’s thinned out a bit, probably because she hasn’t been taking care of herself properly. That’s fine; I’ll be taking care of her from now on. I’ll see to it that she’s healthy, and eventually, happy. If not happy and in love, then at the very least accepting of her position in life. Her place by my side.
She leans forward, features scrunched with disgust. I don’t let it repel me. Her expression certainly doesn’t soften my erection, or take away my need to feel her—all of her. She swallows hard, delicate throat working, and closes the distance between her lips and my cock. My spine tingles at the thought of her hot, wet mouth engulfing my length. If memory serves, it won’t be as good as her pussy… but it’ll still be better than nine months of celibacy.
Scarlett suddenly jerks back when her mouth is an inch away from my cock and scrambles backwards, breaking the moment. Irritation prickles at my temples, but I force myself to stay calm and assess her.
My Flower has gone too long without me; she’s forgotten the pleasure she can feel and reverted to the fear. Fear that never fully went away during our time together, though I had eased a good portion of it.
“You can either wrap those pretty lips around my cock, make me come, and I’ll bring your cat with us… or we can just leave now,” I remind her.
That gets Scarlett’s back up. She manages to force her way to her feet and bares her teeth at me. “I’m not goinganywherewith you.”
Her gaze darts to the pathetic kitchenette; more specifically, to some of the drawers there. I didn’t anticipate that her desperation to escape me would push her to the extreme of being willing to take her own life, so I didn’t think to strip the apartment of any sharp items.
There’s nofuckingway I’m letting her get her hands on a knife. I’ve only just found her, just laid eyes on her afternine monthsof searching. She’s never escaping me again.
I’m up in an instant, cock tucked away, with an arm banded tightly around her waist and a hand fisted in her hair. She struggleshard, kicking, scratching, hissing, acting like an enraged kitten—but not a useless one. I grunt when she manages to bash her knee into mine and dig her nails into my cheek, but before she can do any more damage, I take both of us to the floor.
It’s harder than it should be to pin her face-down on the hardwood floor, mainly because I didn’t expect this sort of struggle after the defeat I watched sweep over her when she realized the gun’s chamber was empty. With a little effort, I manage to get her down, keeping her hands firmly behind her back and straddling her waist.
I wait, panting with exertion, as she starts to tire herself out. As her struggles grow from vehement and nearly effective to weak and exhausted. It takes several minutes of screeching threats and fruitlessly attempting to wriggle around, but eventually, she falls still.
“When I say this, Flower, I hope you believe me for your own good.” I lean down until my lips hover by her ear. “You are not getting away from me again—ever. What your time with me will look like depends entirely on you. If you want to be a fucking brat, you’ll get treated like a brat. Now, if you’re a good girl…” I let out a shuddering breath at the mere thought. “You’ll have a wonderful, fulfilling life by myside. I’ll make you so,sohappy.” I brush my lips over her earlobe, and she shivers. A small smile steals over my lips. Whether or not she’ll admit it, I still have an effect on her.
