He betrayed us.
My pulse quickens with every breath I take as I look at the man. The anger in my chest boils to a heat I last felt when I killed Mr. Williams. When I slaughtered him for threatening my Little Dove. My chest heaves and my breaths come in shaky gasps until I snap. Reaching up, I grab a handful of hair and hold the man's head in place, raising the knife with my other hand, and just as the one who tortured me did, I ram the knife into the man's eye, drawing the first reaction from him, a muffled scream through the gag forced down his throat.
Evelyn lets out a high-pitched whine behind me while Kyle barks out into laughter. But I ignore them both, shutting out their presence as I give in to the primal murderous instincts I've been suppressing for the past year. I twist and turn the knife, matching the muscle memory of my torture. The nerves in my face around my closed eye socket spasm, remembering how the knife drilled into my eye. Then I rip the knife out of his eye socket and watch the blood spill down his face.
The next time I drive the knife into the man, a twisted satisfaction washes over me as I savor every cry of pain, every desperate gasp for air as the man thrashes against his restraints, sending a primal thrill through my veins. With every twist of my knife that disfigures the man in front of me, I feel myself slipping further to the edge, dancing on the ledge, swaying back and forth between the light and the darkness that lurks in the depths of me. It feels good. Better than good—it feels liberating. For the first time in what feels like forever, I'm not holding anything back. I'm not holding in my desires or biting my tongue. I'm letting it all out and the experience is intoxicating.
With a final swing of the knife, I do what I do to each and every victim and cut off his genitals, dropping them to the floor as a pool of blood gushes from between his legs.
Gasping for air, I take long strides back to admire my work. The man hangs in the air, gurgling for air as his body fights for his life, covered in his own blood, both his eyes stabbed out, raging wounds marking his chest and the emptiness between his legs. My inner child screams with delight at the sight unfolding in front of me.
A whine behind me grabs my attention and I jerk around to find my Dove looking up at me, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. She looks delicate, almost fragile, like the perfect prey. She knows what she does to me, how the sight of her like this brings out something wild and untamed in me. The way the dress accentuates her softness, hugging every curve. The way her beautiful brown hair falls in waves around her shoulders. It's as if she's taunting me, daring me to give in to my primal urges.
But no, not yet. I can't let her stand there untouched by this moment, when this man is responsible not only for my wounds, but for breaking her heart. She has to show it— the side she hides behind her angelic appearance, the darkness that matches mine.
I reach for the pistol tucked into the holster at my waistband, making sure the safety is on. "Catch," I call to her, throwing it in her direction. She takes a quick step forward and catches it. Confusion is written all over her face in the form of a deep frown as she looks at it.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Shoot him."
"What?"
"Finish it," I say, my voice low and rough, "show me that you're not just my pure Dove, an angel walking this earth."
Her eyes drift back to the pistol in her hand. My gaze stays on her hands as she unlocks the safety and raises her arms, aiming at the man. "That's my good girl," I growl, rolling the R. "Remember the image of me when you found me, the blood, the broken body." Even from afar, I can see the veil of tears settling over her eyes as I drag the memories back to the surface. Me, tied up, barely hanging on. "Remember how I danced on the brink of death, ready to fall if you hadn't come in time to catch me."
"Noah..." My name rolls off her lips in a whisper, quivering with a flood of emotions— anger, fear, love.
I know I'm being cruel, but I can't help it—I need this. "Do it," I urge, my voice a growl, taunting her. "Kill him, for me, for us."
It's the one last push she needs, and she finally snaps, her mask slips, and she pulls the trigger, again and again. The first bullet hits his thigh, the next his chest, then his arm, his neck, until the last one goes straight through his skull. Each thunderous explosion makes my heart leap in my chest as I take in the beautiful sight of her releasing all of her emotions with each shot.
She doesn't stop until the magazine is completely empty. Then she turns and aims the gun at me, her teary eyes meeting mine once more, holding a challenge, a silent invitation. My tongue darts out of my mouth, moistening my dry lips. I take the invitation and toss the knife aside, rip off my gloves, shrug off my bloody coat, and stalk toward her with long, heavy strides. She takes a couple of steps back, but she can't escape me. She will never escape me. My long fingers wrap around her throat and squeeze as I force her back until she is pinned against a large tree.
Leaning down, I press my lips to hers in a ravenous kiss. She responds immediately, her arms flying around my shoulders, pulling herself up higher. I let go of her throat, my hands finding her thighs and lifting her off the ground, pressing her against the tree as I grind my growing erection into her core, drawing high, muffled moans from her.
Chapter 28
Evelyn
The uneven ridges of the tree dig into my back as Noah presses his full body weight against me, humping me hungrily as his tongue devours every inch of my mouth and I lose myself in the sensation, drowning in the taste of him. A high, muffled moan escapes my throat as I run my fingers through the short, sticky strands of his hair, clutching them to keep me anchored.
As his predatory side consumes me, heat pools between my legs, my arousal soaking through the thin fabric of my underwear, coating my skin. My clit throbs with every thrust of his hips against mine, expanding the void that begs to be filled.
"Guys?" Kyle's voice rings in the distance and Noah breaks the kiss, his head jerking in Kyle's direction. His murderous stare fixes on him. Unable to find the strength to even utter a word, I cling to Noah, struggling to catch my breath.
"You have one minute to get as far away as possible. If you're anywhere near when I start fucking her, you're a dead man." Noah speaks in a threatening tone that sends shivers down my spine.
Kyle's face morphs from one of amusement to one of playful fear. "This is fucked up, but…" He raises his hands defensively before aiming finger guns in our direction. "Got you. I'm going back to the house and you call me later to clean up. Have fun." He waves his hands in the air and disappears into the woods toward our house.
My breath catches in my throat as Noah's head whips back to face me, his pupil dilated, dimming the beautiful green in his eye. My heart pounds against my ribcage in a violent rhythm of anticipation. I should be afraid, should try to flee. But there’s nowhere to run. And deep down, I know he would never hurt me. I'm too precious to him, the most valuable bird in his collection.
"This is your only chance to stop me," he says through gritted teeth, his lips brushing against mine. His hot minty breath tickles my skin. "Or I will fuck you, right here, however I want, until I'm satisfied, my Little Dove. No safe word will protect you."
"I'm all yours," I say with a moan and crash my lips back to his. Within seconds, one of his hands finds its way through the slit of my dress, grabs the waistband of my thong and pulls. The narrow strip of fabric stings as it digs into my skin until it finally snaps in half and he tosses it aside. Now exposed, the cold air tickles my damp skin.
Noah sets me back on the ground before dropping to his knees in front of me, pushing up the skirt of my dress and forcing my legs open and over his shoulders so that I sit on his face as I lean against the tree. I scream and my hands fly up to his head, grabbing his hair as he flicks his tongue over my aching clit.