Page 54 of The Cruelty of Thorns

“Fuck you,” I spat through gritted teeth. “You’re just as bad as him.”

I probably shouldn’t have antagonized her further, considering she held our fate in her hands, but I was pretty sure she meant to kill both of us before the night was done. At this point I’d just as soon get it over with rather than deal with any more of their sadistic games. She seemed to be contemplating that very thing when she turned to Rosetta.

“And you. This is how you repay my generosity?” She stepped closer to her, her eyes flashing rage. “How dare you try to run away, you ungrateful wretch. I own you!”

She reached back and delivered a resounding slap across Rosetta’s face, sending her head banging into the post. “Your betrayal has even stolen my appetite. At this point I should just have Giovanni take both your heads.”

“Or,” Christopher interrupted her, his deviant face lighting up. “I have another idea.”

She crossed her arms and stared at him. “Well?”

He stepped closer to me, his eyes roving hungrily over my body. “I like him. He’s got a nice ass and knows how to use his tongue.”

“He betrayed my trust.”

“Which makes him perfect.”

“For what?”

“Us.” He grabbed my chin in his iron grip, planting a bloody kiss on my lips. “Why don’t we turn him? If you don’t want him, I’ll keep him. He’s trainable.”

I didn’t know what they were talking about, but the thought of being Christopher’s permanent pet sounded even less appealing than death.

The Contessa seemed to be considering his proposal. “I haven’t done it in a while.”

“Inconsequential,” he quipped. “It’s like falling off a wagon.”

“What about her?”

They both looked at Rosetta, whose eyes widened in terror.

Christopher shrugged. “Kill her. She’s just a maid. They’re easy to replace.”

The Contessa offered a cold smile. “Actually, I have a better idea. In fact, it’s perfect.”

♦ ♦ ♦

The two of them left us alone in the garden for what felt like hours while they plotted whatever devious fate they had up their sleeves. I tried to console Rosetta, who continued to cry softly behind the gag, but we both knew there was nothing I could do to help her. The vines that bound my body grew tighter with every movement, the hooked thorns digging into my flesh, the blood loss weakening me more with each passing moment. Even if I could somehow free myself, I was still at the mercy of two bloodthirsty fiends.

“I’m sorry,” I called to her when Giovanni arrived to untie her. “I should never have tried to take you away.”

She shook her head, her tearful eyes entreating me as the coachman dragged her away, and I knew as long as I still drew breath, her muffled sobs would haunt me.

“Where are you taking her?” I demanded, which only caused Christopher to laugh harder.

After she was gone, the Contessa approached me, her dark eyes roving over my broken body, and I wondered how I had ever found her attractive. If she had a soul, it was as rotten as this godforsaken garden. She reached out and dragged her nails through the blood on my chest, digging fresh furrows in their wake, adding a new layer to my suffering. She brought her hand to her mouth and licked the blood off her fingers one by one, her eyes never leaving mine. My lips curled in disgust.

“Soon you won’t find this so distasteful, Julianus.” She leaned closer. “Did you think…” she grabbed the vine that circled my neck, oblivious to the thorns that also dug into her hand “…when I told you that you belonged to me…” she yanked on the vine, strangling off my air “…that I was being insincere?” The thorns dug deeper into my neck and I gagged, struggling to breathe.

“I’m going to bleed you out,” she whispered. “It’ll be slow and agonizing, but it won’t end there.” She tugged on the vine again while squeezing the one wrapped around my left wrist. I hissed and tried to swallow the pain, but my eyes gave me away, clouding with tears. Her lips curled up in a satisfied smile.

“I could do this more quickly, but I like watching you suffer. I think I deserve that privilege, don’t you?” She reached behind me and grabbed another vine, pulling it out and wrapping it around my cock. I sobbed out loud then, unable to control myself.

“Just kill me.”

She offered a throaty laugh. “Kill you? Oh no, Julianus. I’m not going to kill you.” She tightened her grip on my cock. “I’m going to remake you. You’ll become my most perfect creation.”

She leaned closer, her mouth pressed against my ear, her breath still sending hot tendrils of lust through my traitorous body. “Christopher wants you, but I think I’ll keep you for myself and watch you terrorize everything you once held sacred.”

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