“Do as he says,” Cas interjects.
“Or what, Caspian?” I yell.
Xaden takes a menacing step toward me and grins. “Or, I cut the lips off your friend and make you watch as I torture her snitching ass slowly.” My face contorts in confusion.
“Defy us and Harper pays with her life, Terror.” I stagger backward and crash into the dresser at Cas’s words.
“Harper,” I breathe out.
“Turns out you're a fed magnet, Tink. Change now or I rip the towel off you and drag your ass out of here naked. Choice is yours but I would hurry, Harper may not have long.” Xaden Devlin is the fucking devil. He’s the monster your parents warn you about when you’re a child. Hurting me with his words was bad enough. He is going to hurt her if I don’t do as he says.
I not only live with the devil, I let him inside me and allowed him to burrow himself under my skin and use me for his own gain. I dug my own fucking grave without knowing it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
XADEN
My phone keeps ringing but I ignore it. I know it’s Lorenzo and right now, I’m too far gone to deal with his shit. Cas overheard Harper’s conversation today with Meekan. The fucking bitch is a rat for Di-Leo and I let the cunt into my house!
I fucked up.
And now, I will rectify my mistake and tear her fucking tongue out so she will never be able to utter another fucking word. Toren sits beside me, tense with her head down. Cas follows behind on his bike. Tonight she is going to see what happens when you try and fuck with me and mine. She won’t see another fucking sunrise.
I’ve only ever cared about three people and now they are all dead. Their bodies are being eaten by fucking worms while I remain breathing. Forced to live every fucking day without them. Hell is nothing but a dream. I long for the day I meet my fucking maker as I’ll no longer be forced to walk this fucking path alone with no satisfaction or joy. All I have left is my last name and Cas. Together we will destroy all those who fucking wronged us and take over both Stormsend and Somerset and make them our own.
We’ll rule over all of them.
Adrenaline is pumping through my veins as we pass the town line into Stormsend. I inhale and relish in the feeling of being home. This place isn’t fucking Hollywood, but it’s the only place in the world I have ever experienced a hint of happiness. I never wanted power, all I wanted was to go pro and tour the fucking world with my best friends and her.
She was the one who fit this role I am now being forced to take over. She was made for it.
As we head into the industrial area on the outskirts of town, I see her stiffen out of the corner of my eye. I can smell the fear wafting off her like a perfume. I swallow my groan, loving the sight of her terrified and crawling out of her skin. This is the fucking reaction she should have had with me from the start. I crave her pain. I loved watching the hope fizzle out in her eyes as I tore her down tonight with my words.
Seeing her slowly break in front of me had my cock twitching.
I pull into the dark parking lot in front of the boat shed, it’s deserted and looks rundown. Unless you knew this place was here, you would never randomly stumble upon it. I own the land surrounding it. No one comes here aside from me and Cas. This is where we bring our toys when we want to keep them off Lorenzo’s radar so he doesn’t know what we’re up to.
I put the car in park and step out. I shiver, not from the cold but from the excitement of what’s about to happen. When she makes no move to get the fuck out of the car, I tap the roof twice with my fist.
“Don’t make me drag you out by your hair,” I grit out. I hear her sigh a second before she pushes her door open, then meets my stare over the roof of the car. I shoot her a toothy smile and wag my brows. “Time to get even, Tink,” I say as Cas jumps off his bike and places his helmet on the handlebars. He peels his leather jacket off and drapes it over the seat of his bike, then nods to me as he makes his way toward the shack.
Toren sucks in a sharp breath as she closes the door, then attempts to follow after Cas. I cut in front of her, forcing her to a halt. She cranes her neck back to look up at me. She can try and look pissed off but I see the broken little doll inside her that she is trying so hard to hide.
“You try anything in there and I’ll scalp your ass in front of your friend and mail it to your brother.” Her shoulders droop but she nods. It pisses me off not hearing the words out of her mouth, but I let it go. I lead her ass to the shack. As I push the old wooden door open, I step to the side and allow her to enter first. I trust the bitch not to run when she sees what’s waiting for her. The second she crosses the threshold, I pull the door closed and lock it.
“Oh my God!” she screeches and stumbles back. I grip her waist, holding her in place and smile as I lean down and ghost my lips against her ear.
“Fuck around and find out, Tink. This is what happens when you try to fuck with me.” She shakes her head vigorously but no words come out. I use my grip on her to force her forward until she is standing right in front of Harper. Her arms are chained above her head as she dangles over the water.
Yeah, this is one of those old school boat shacks where you can park your boat inside. I chained her ankles and even attached a few weights to them so it would put pressure on her arms and intensify the pain on her joints. Her head is drooped forward and her clothes have been cut off, leaving her in a pair of boy shorts and a bra. Her skin is a bluish color from the cold and there are scrapes and cuts that mark her flesh. She put up a good fight but in the end, it was fucking pointless, because I overpowered her ass and threw her in my car while Cas took Toren back to our place after he knocked Meekan’s ass out.
Toren begins to shake in my hold. Her hand comes up to cover her mouth as she begins to sob.
“See, Tink. I told you to believe half of what you hear and all of what you see. Do you see who I am now?” I taunt in a quiet tone.
A strangled sound escapes her, making me laugh. Cas just grins as he bends down and dips the bucket into the water, then tosses it at Harper. She comes to with a scream, making Toren cry out. She tries to rush forward but I band my arm around her waist. Harper stares at Toren with wide eyes. When I brought her here and chained her up, I never once saw a sliver of fear in her eyes but now, as she looks at Toren, I see it.
I cock my head to the side and study her. Harper isn’t scared for herself, she’s terrified for her friend. I cut Cas a look to see him deducing the same thing I am as he looks between both girls.
