Page 51 of Monstrous Grave

“I wonder how that’s supposed to happen.”

Viper kisses my neck, a low hum emanating from his throat. “It’s sure to be impossible when they’re all dead.”

My eyes shift from Benjamin to Alec, who appears nauseous, trying not to glance at where Viper’s hand rests.

“That’s right,” I reply with a cruel smirk.

Alec’s gaze drifts up to the ceiling, his head heavy with exhaustion in those tired, pale eyes.

“Now you know how it feels,” I tell him, voice tinged with anger. “When you decided power and territory were more important than found family. When you lied to me and pretended to be on my side, all the while planning for the Grimaldis to have me.”

He continues to stare at the ceiling, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he nervously swallows.

“Fucking look at me!” I scream, and he flinches, finally meeting my gaze. “You should know by now that I don’t take kindly to those who betray me. Peter Grimaldi is already dead, and now, so will you.”

“Please,” he stutters, but I see the truth in his eyes. The regret he previously showed isn’t because he regrets betraying me for power; it’s because he lost a friend for entirely selfish reasons.

“You’re going to pay for what you did to me,” I hiss, my voice dripping with venom.

The façade of regret Alec wore while feigning innocence slips away, revealing a cold, calculated look. It’s unsettling to see him so out of character, but I realize now that this is the true him.

“You’re ruining everything,” he seethes. “All of our plans.” This time, he doesn’t avert his gaze.

I swallow, hiding my shock at his words, but Viper’s hand, as it trails inside my panties, tapping on my clit, brings me back to the present.

I wrench the knife from Benjamin’s thigh, driving it into Alec’s stomach instead, coating the blade in blood. He bites his tongue hard, staring at me with hatred so deep it nearly makes me recoil.

“Fucking bitch. A woman doesn’t belong in this world of criminality.”

I feel no remorse for my actions, tired of being underestimated by misogynistic men. Instead, I plunge the knife straight into Alec’s heart as his impending fate dawns upon him. A strangled gasp escapes him, his scream of rage and agony echoing off the walls. He’s not sorry for hurting me. He’s sorry for what he lost, the chances he wasted.

It’s painful to witness Alec’s body convulsing against the chains around his wrists, the blade gradually piercing his heart. I know there’s no other choice if I want to earn my freedom. He desperately tries to fight the inevitable, his eyes meeting mine with betrayal seeping into his bones—it feels as if he’s the one twisting the weapon in me. A lone tear trickles down my cheek.

“You shouldn’t have betrayed me. I’m sorry.” I look away like a coward as my once best friend takes his last breath, blood gushing from the wound and dripping onto the floor.

“Shh, don’t worry, devangel,” Viper whispers soothingly, his finger finding my folds and pushing inside me.

It’s erotically fucked up, with the heartache of my supposed best friend’s corpse in the background.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Valenti screams incomprehensibly. There’s not an ounce of sadness in his eyes, as if Alec’s life means nothing to him.

“I’ll never bend to you again.” I curse at Benjamin, tightening my grip around the blade, its edge tearing through his throat next.

There’s resistance, but it yields to the force, all the while knowing Viper is behind me and has my back. Benjamin’s blood spurts out, creating a gruesome scene.

Never once does Viper attempt to seize control and take over my act of revenge, allowing me to pursue it for myself. He has never treated me like I’m less than for being a woman. Instead, he empowers me because of it. He doesn’t try to change me or my ways, he simply exists in the background as a support for when I need him, and for that I’ll forever be grateful.

I will never bend for a man who doesn’t treat me with respect ever again.

The basement is a grim mess of death and decay, yet as Viper turns me around, ripping his shirt off my torso, it has never felt more like freedom.

“I told you, you’re as exquisite as a blood angel from hell.”

His smirk widens, revealing perfect teeth as he takes me in, and I do the same, noticing how bloody I’ve become. He leans closer, licking the blood that sprayed over my neck, sucking on my skin.

“Delicious,” he says.

“You’re psychotic.”

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