Page 68 of His Obsession

“I love you,” I say sweetly.

“I love you too, sweetheart,” he says.

“How do you like seeing my brand every time you bend her over?” Jake casually asks Lucian, taunting him.

“Oh, I love it,” Lucian says walking closer. “It’s a pleasant reminder of how strong my wife is. To know that she will only ever submit to me is incredible. You see, Jake. I don’t have to force her to her knees for me. I don’t have to force her to submit.If I told her to go to her knees right now… you want to know what she’d do?”

“Exactly what a whore is meant to do, I’m sure,” Jake smirks.

“Exactly,” Lucian says with a sadistic smile. “Because she ismywhore. She is whatever the fuck I want her to be, because that is whatshewants. How does it feel that the only pussy you can get is the kind that you have to force? Do you know what it’s like for a woman to be fucking dripping foryou? Of course not, because you have to force it. You have to take what isn’t yours.”

“And everyone here took her, too. Over and over and over,” Jake says coolly. “Who gives a fuck if she wants it? I wanted it, so I took it. I made her body do exactly what I wanted it to do. She doesn’t matter.Womendo not matter. They are here to serve men, andfuck,did she serve me well.”

“Elise,” Lucian says to me.

“Yes sir?” I ask.

“What do you think about this?” he asks me.

“That you are about to have a lot of fun killing him and I’m going to have a lot of fun bending over for you later,” I say, walking up to check the brand. It is glowing red, and I smile up at Lucian, letting him know that I’m ready.

“Jake, man… That’s cool but… Things are about to get really hot for you,” Lucian says. Josh and Sebastian bring a chair over andforce Jake to sit so they can restrain him. When Lucian nods to me, I step just a few inches away from him.

I stare down at my attacker and he doesn’t look so intimidating like this. He is a weak man who chose to do heinous things. He is a demon, but I am no longer possessed by him. I am no longer plagued by his evil. This is what freedom looks like. It looks like choosing to move forward, only I am choosing to move forward with him dead.

“I trusted you,” I say. “You were my friend, and I trusted you. Despite the red flags. Despite what anyone said, I thought you were a good man. You helped me and cared for me when someone tried to hurt me. You supported me when I couldn’t stand the thoughts in my head, but I was wrong… You are my brother. You are my rapist. You are my manipulator, but you are not my future. You are nothing but a bad dream, and Lucian is incredible at getting rid of my nightmares. After today, no one will care about you. No one will miss you. You will forever be known as the man who lost. Lost me. Lost his people. Lost his life. You will be forgotten, Jake. I will heal… and you will die.Thatis our destiny.”

I pick up the brand and before he can speak, I press it to the center of his chest. He screams in pain, and I hold it in place while he thrashes. His voice breaks and tears are tracking down his face. Eventually, he is reduced to nothing but quiet sobs. I peel the brand off his body with a satisfied smile. I toss the brand to the ground and walk around behind him to pull his head back.

“Anything you want to tell your people?” Lucian asks Jake. Jake looks around at all of the men on their knees. No one is speaking, but they all know their fate. They understand this is the end.

“No,” Jake chokes out.

The others fire off rounds. One by one, Jake watches as his people crumple to the ground. Lines of blood trail across the floor, all meeting the drain at Jake’s feet. Tears are steadily rolling down his cheeks, and I couldn’t be happier. His pain brings me solace. When the last body hits the floor, Lucian turns to Jake. I move to stand by my husband’s side, and he turns us to face one another.

“You will never know the pain he inflicted on you again, my love,” Lucian promises. “Let’s finish this so we can go home, hmm?”

“Finish it,” I say. I go up on my tiptoes and he grabs the back of my neck to pull me close. When he kisses me, I hardly notice him raise the gun. When the shot echoes through the room and I hear Jake letting out a gurgling sound, I pull away and look at him. He is fading away, so I walk close to lean down and whisper in his ear.

“I win,” I whisper. I pull back slightly to keep my eyes on his as the light slowly dims in his soul. He opens his mouth to speak, but he’s too weak to talk. I don’t move until he releases his last breath. Tears slowly trail down my face, but I’m not sad. I’m not angry. I’m free.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Elise

As the sun startsto rise, we are finally getting into the truck. This time, Bradley is driving. Lucian is sitting in the back, and I am laying with my head in his lap. I am physically tired, but my mind is busy. I groan when my phone rings.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Mrs. Voss. This is Robert Keens. I am the CEO of Stratagem Software,” he says. I abruptly sit up and put the call on speakerphone.

“Yes. Mr. Keens. Hello,” I say.

“I know it’s a bit early, but I wanted to know if you’d be willing to sit down and talk with myself and the new manager, AlanPierson,” he asks. “We will come to you, and we’d love if your husband could join as well.”

“Uh…” I say, looking at Lucian. He smiles at me, and I relax. “Yeah. When?”

“Preferably today. We will be close here in a bit. I have to sign something for Detective Clark Bishop, so Alan will be coming with me if you’d like to meet.”

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