I informed my dad as I continued with Vincent. “See, if you do this, you’re right, they will grieve for me, but they will need someone to blame, someone to hunt and hurt and cause that pain on the inside to become someone’s pain on the outside. Once you cross that line, Vincent, there’s no going back.”
Vincent puffed out a laugh, looking down at the boys and back before he said, “Those poor fucking saps. Getting themselves chained to the likes of you.” He let his hands explore me. “I wonder what this magical pussy would taste like. Should I give it a spin, boys?”
My father bellowed out his frustration, having the hardest time with Vincent’s words, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t let it get that far.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. My mates are quite a dangerous bunch, but if you’re that dedicated to the idea, who am I to stop you. Just do it.” I shrugged, acting like I didn’t care one way or another, but from what I had learned today, Vincent didn’t like girls.
“Get it over and done with.” I sighed, making my body limp like I couldn’t do this anymore, then I flung my head forward. “Come on, Vincent. I thought you were some kind of baddie. You’re just a pathetic loser who can’t get it up for women.” The boys and bosses were trying to grab his attention from me, but I couldn’t have that. “Come on. Come on, come on, come on, come o—”
He slapped his palm on the headrest behind me and leaned into my face. “You think this is all a joke?! That I won’t hurt you?!”
I shook my head, giggling before I stopped, taking on a serious tone as I said, “Do you want to know why I don’t care if you kill me, hurt me?” I looked around at all the men surrounding me, using the leverage that their love and support provided right now. I leaned forward, whispering as I said, “Because your death will be a hundred times worse than mine. Your death will be set in stone. My biggest regret will be not being there to watch. I want to see them skin you alive, feel your screams as they rip you apart one by one, just to put you back together to do it all again for the rest of time until they fully sate themselves on you, doing right by me.” My eyes went as wide as they could go, staring Vincent down as I continued with a smile.
“I regret that I won’t be there to hear your cries of pain or your sobs after you’re punished because, man, oh, man.” My face took on a wistful look. “I want to see how you look broken and dirty, lying on a cold cell floor. Thinking about all your misdeeds and failed plans.” His head snapped up as I continued. “You will once again be nothing but Rathe’s pathetic brother. The idiot who thought they could ruin the Syndicate.”
He growled, placing the knife under my chin, but I kept going. “My dad, my mates, even the other bosses will avenge my death. They will make you hurt so bad you’ll cry out for your mommy. They will never let you leave, never escape. Leaving you here to rot for the rest of your days, so do it, I fucking dare you.” We waited for a second until I yelled out, “Fucking do it!”
Vincent flinched at my words before his eyes turned a deep black as he turned toward Ternin. “Do you hear this shit? Your daughter is fucking nuts.”
My dad smiled, his eyes filled to the brim with water, pride, and love. “Are you kidding me? She’s perfect in every way. Why would I mess with perfection? My daughter is brave, loyal, and cunning. There’s not a damn thing I would do to change that.” One wet, small sphere rolled down his cheek. “Just like her mother.”
Vincent roared out his frustration and lunged at me with the knife. “Then she will die just like her mother did, spending the rest of her days in a box.” I stiffened at his words, but, for once, being in that box didn’t cause me the fear it used to. I was doing this for them. My death would give them all the strength to push forward with their revenge. I had no doubts about that. Heroes wanted peace, but villains... we want revenge any way we can get it.
I closed my eyes, ready for this to happen, ready to become my mates’ muse for total destruction when I heard a loud clink, someone screamed my name, and I felt nothing. No slide of the knife, no pain at the wound. My eyes popped open, about to yell at Vincent for fucking this up for me when I saw Lex right in front of me, wrestling with his uncle for the weapon in his hand.
“Let it go, boy. I will kill you if I have to.” His uncle bit out his words, straining to keep the knife in his hand, but Lex didn’t even flinch, his whole face a vision of calm fury, looking at Vincent like he was nothing as he breathed out evenly. Lex’s whole body was made of iron, not bending no matter how much Vincent struggled, Lex did not budge. More clinks of cuffs hitting the ground sounded.
“You will not hurt her.She is mine!” Lex screamed that last part right in Vincent’s face and stunned him for a second, but that was all Lex needed as he kicked him in his stomach, causing Vincent to let go of the knife, and it fell to the ground. Lex took the advantage and turned him around, getting him into a headlock as he kicked and screamed. “You’re going to regret ever laying a finger on her.”
Smoke leaked out of his arms, settling into Vincent’s skin, soaking in. It was seconds before black ink filled his veins, and his whole body stiffened from the poison Lex was shoving into his body. I heard the clanking of metal again, and before I knew it, my dad gripped Lex’s shoulder.
“Pull back, Lex. We don’t want him dead yet.” Lex turned his gaze to my dad, ready to fight, but his face dropped when he saw my dad wasn’t taking his eyes off Vincent. My dad’s eyes were hard as rocks, his body rigid, but the smile on his face could be described only as pure evil.
Lex complied with my dad, and Vincent groaned as the poison was taken away from him, the black veins receding like they were never there. As soon as the poison left his body, he slumped to the floor. Dad gave him a good kick in the stomach before Easton joined up and put magical cuffs on him as well as an entrapment spell. Vincent was going nowhere.
My dad tore his gaze from his prey and took a few big steps over to me, tearing off the leather straps and rubbing my skin where it was red and raw. Lex came over with a key he must’ve found on Vincent and removed my cuffs. It felt like I could breathe again. The weight of all we’d done came off me, and I realized we did it, we saved ourselves from having a bloody war.
Falcon came up beside Lex, holding out my bent up, golden rose pin to him. “Here. Couldn’t have done all that without this.”
Lex grabbed it without taking his eyes off me, acting like I would disappear from him if he did. He nodded his thanks. “I won’t go anywhere without it again.”
My dad fell forward, giving me a big hug, kissing me on my head before he said, “I hated all of that. Don’t do that again. I’m not strong enough to survive you not being here.”
A growly voice barked from behind my dad, “We agree. We are very put out, mate.” I looked up to see Ax with his hands balled into fists, but there was no mistaking the love and desperate longing in his eyes. Avery, Cosmo, Falcon, and Lex all nodded solemnly, all looking mad in their own way, but also so happy I was alive.
My dad stiffened and pulled away from me before he glared at the boys. “Don’t you think you have something to tell me, daughter?” He crossed his arms, and I realized he wanted to have that conversation now. “Rayla, I think it’s time for the truth, so spill it, now.”
I convinced all the bosses that we were all tired, drained from the events that transpired. I argued that to have a proper conversation, we would all need to be level-headed and not working off such high emotions. It was all bullshit, of course, me needing time to come up with how I would explain this, but in the end, they agreed.
That was how I ended up standing outside of the war room, all of my mates surrounding me as I was called in for a one-on-one meeting with all four bosses. Just me.
“Since I’m now the boss of the Devil’s clan, don’t you think I should be in this meeting?” Lex tried again, eyeing the door, but I knew it would not work. The bosses wanted to meet with me and only me after telling their sons they would let them in after they had spoken to me by myself.
“There is nothing to worry about. I’m just going to go in, tell them that you’re all my mates, and then we’ll be done. Easy!” I smiled up at them as they frowned down at me.
They were all still a little pissed about me trying to sacrifice myself. When I told them that my sacrifice would’ve made them fulfill their revenge, it made them even madder. So mad that while they all slept in my room, not one of them touched me in a single sexual way. Like, what the fuck? I had five, one of them should’ve broken by now.
I threw my hands up. “Come on, guys. I’m fine. We’re all fine. Vincent is chained up in the basement of despair, and everything is good.”
