RUNO
I sat at the kitchen table, grumbling under my breath as the scent of seared pork filled the air. Aeron had ushered me upstairs with the others, insisting I eat first like some kid who needed his veggies before playtime. The pork chop came from the loins of some guy Slash had killed a few months back, and it smelled delicious, just the fantasy of those crispy edges and savory juices on my tongue making me hard. But my stomach twisted more from frustration than hunger.
I had deliciously prepared three fucking bodies, all squirming to be let free in the basement and not one of my men had touched them.
Finn: It’s bullshit, really. I would have appreciated your present.
I snorted, knowing full well that Finn’s idea of appreciating a present was destroying it or locking it away. For years, he thought he was the prominent alter, parading his asinine ideasaround while pushing me deeper and deeper into the black hole of our mind.
Daemon: I like a little darkness just like the rest of them but what did Jade ever do to you?
“Then go fuck Dark, Daemon,” I muttered under my breath. They didn’t need to enjoy this. It wasmybody and I made them to make me feel better. Right then, though, they were making me feel like shit so I stuffed them all back into Finn’s metaphorical room and locked them away.
Back to the issue at hand.
I brought my men a present. A perfect one. I figured Slash would dive right in, carving patterns into Niles or something artistic. Samael might punch Brent a few times to work out his control issues. Aeron could plan a meal from the leftovers. Butno. They had dragged me up here instead, leaving the gifts unopened.
My attention drifted between the three of them, Samael typing away on his phone, his fingers flying across the screen. Slash was leaning against the counter, watching Aeron flip the porkchop in the pan with a bit of disgust. And then there was me, watching.
Like, what did I have to do to get them to be more interested? After all, I just gave them the big reveal of ME! Runo, himself. This homecoming is less than welcome and it’s cold as hell. At least I’d get a reaction if I went home to see my father. Fear was a reaction. Maybe the guy would even piss his pants as he tried to banish me back into my head or some shit. That would make it exciting.
When still no one made any move to explain what we would do with the presents I brought, I broke the silence. "Seriously? I planned everything perfectly. We should be killing right now." The image of Slash dragging his knife had my cock thickening between my thighs. I’ve always wanted to be the present alterand watch him during those moments. Now, I finally had the chance.
Slash glanced at me, his expression flat. "And that's great, but we don't exactly know you. We have no idea how far this goes, and we need to make sure our asses are covered before slaughtering them. What did Jade even do to you?"
I shrugged, deciding that I didn’t like Slash very much right now. At least Aeron was making me food. He would be the current favorite, then Samael, then Slash. "She's not useful anymore but she knows too much. I thought this would be a fun alternative.” I looked up at Slash and then at Aeron as he began plating the meat. “I'm not hungry."
Samael set his phone down and glared at me, a snarl curling up his lips. "You're acting like a spoiled child who's been told he can't have dessert for dinner." Even with the quip, I could see that he was enjoying my deranged self. It’d be a while before I got these men to love me for me but when they did? Everything would be so much better.
I grinned at that, leaning back in my chair. "So, you do know it was a delicious present.Good. I was beginning to get worried that the three of you had lost your touch."
Slash narrowed his eyes. "Why are you smiling like that?"
I rocked the chair back further, almost dangerously to the point of tipping before setting it back on all four legs. "Because that wasn't all of my present, and you were the most enthusiastic. So, I thought we'd have a little fun. I don’t really like you right now but you get to open your present first."
Slash straightened up as his face contorted with confusion. The darkness in his eyes was still there which was good. He was about to need it. "What—"
His words cut off as a crash echoed from downstairs, followed by a scream that ended in silence. The house went still and then the back door slammed somewhere below.
"Oh, I believe it's started a little early." A wild grin tore across my face as I folded my hands on the table.
Samael shot to his feet as he rushed toward the basement door. "What the fuck did you do?"
I followed, as did the others, a cackle tearing from my throat as we drew closer to the sound. There, in all her glory was Jade lying on her side, still firmly tied to the chair. She was squirming and kicking, tears streaming down her face as I righted her. Brent still sat bound, glaring at us through his gag, his face red with anger. However, Niles was long gone, his ropes lying limply on his chair.
It took them a few seconds to understand the situation before Aeron spun around toward me. "Did you untie that bastard?"
I nodded, waiting for someone to finally jump into this crazy bath with me. "I know Slash likes the chase. As do I. Look, you have all promised a lot of things over the years, and I remember Daemon asking for dates. You mostly gave them to him, but I'm here now. So, Slash, what say you and I have a little fun?"
Slash's face twisted up with a hint of concern. "You're fucking deranged. All he needs is to get to a phone, and it's game over." A bit of a closer look and I got what I was looking for. That flash of desire, that craving Slash had for blood and screams. He hadn’t indulged recently or the way he would have liked. I would know.
I waved that off. "I made sure that won't happen. Now, we might want to get started before he becomes a problem." I gestured to the door, praying Slash would take the bait. It didn’t make any sense why they were hesitating. Until it did. “Should I switch with Finn or something? Would that make it easier to get on board?”
Aeron stepped up closer. “They’re still in there?” My poor cannibal. I’ll need to let him see Killian and Dark every now and then.
“Of course, they are. They’re me. Now, how about that chase,Skinner?”
The sudden evil gleam in his eye told me that that was the only real motivation he needed. However, if at any point I thought they wanted me to tuck ‘Runo’ back into a little cage again, we would have words. Maybe blades, too. And then I would do with them the same I did with all those who tried to stash me away.
