Page 26 of The Library

Derek coughs again, his eyes flashing with defiance, even as fear flickers in the depths. “You think you’re better than me?” His voice is strained, desperate, repeating himself as he tries to dance around what’s going to happen. But it’s inevitable. “We’re the same, you and I. You want her just as bad as I do. You’re obsessed with her. She’s the one controlling both of us.”

I step closer, my movements slow, deliberate. I want him to feel the weight of what’s coming. Leaning down, I get right in his face, my voice a low, dangerous growl. “The difference between me and you,” I say, pausing just long enough to make sure he’s listening, “is that I don’t need to drug her for her to fuck me.”

The words hit their mark. I can see the fury in his eyes, the way his body tenses in rage. I smirk, knowing I’ve struck exactly where I wanted. “She begs for it,” I add, trailing my finger down his arm, “and when I fuck her, she’ll come apart, moaning my name. That’s something you’ll never know, Derek.”

His face contorts in anger, but all I see is the pathetic shell of a man who thought he could take what’s mine.

I turn away from Derek, his ragged breaths filling the silence of the basement. My footsteps echo off the cold stone walls as I walk toward the table, my fingers grazing the handle of the knife. The blade gleams in the dim light as I return, Derek’s eyes widening with fear, his body trembling as he watches me approach.

“Let me go,” he pleads, his voice breaking. “Please, I didn’t mean it. I won’t go near her again. I swear.”

I ignore his pleas, dragging the blade lightly across his skin, just enough to make him wince. Blood beads along the cut, and I watch as it drips onto the floor. I turn onThe Summoningby Sleep Token to drown out his screams.

“You’re going to feel every bit of what you deserve,” I whisper, leaning in close. “And when you’re gone, she’ll be safe. Because no one will ever touch her again.”

Derek thrashes against the ropes, his breathing ragged as I begin to carve into his skin, teaching him the lesson he should have learned a long time ago. His screams echo off the walls, but no one’s coming to save him. Not tonight.

I take my time, savoring every moment. His blood stains the floor, the air thick with the smell of fear and pain. By the time I’m done, he’s barely conscious, his body slumped in the chair, covered in cuts and bruises.

But I’m not finished yet.

I stand over him, my hands slick with his blood, and I watch as his chest rises and falls in shallow, labored breaths. His eyes are barely open, but I know he can still hear me.

“This is what happens to men like you,” I say, my voice low and deadly. “You think you can take what you want, force yourself on a woman, and walk away without consequences? Not with me.”

Derek groans, his head lolling to the side. He’s fading fast, but I’m not done yet.

I pull out a syringe, filled with a cocktail that will end this once and for all. “Now you get to feel what it’s like to be powerless,” I whisper, pressing the needle to his arm. “Just like you wanted to make her feel.”

He tries to speak, but the words die in his throat as I inject the liquid into his veins. Within seconds, his body goes limp, hiseyes rolling back in his head. His breathing slows, and then… stops.

I watch him for a moment, making sure he’s really gone, before I wipe the blood from my hands and step back.

It’s done.

I drag his body to the car, propping him up in the driver’s seat before abandoning it a few blocks from his apartment and putting it in drive, letting it roll into a concrete barrier. It’ll be found by morning, and the cops will chalk it up to an overdose. Just another unlucky guy who couldn’t handle his own vices. As much as I wanted to do more—leave him unrecognizable, make him truly pay—I had to keep it halfway clean. No suspicions, no loose ends. His death needed to look accidental, something easy to swallow. The rage inside me couldn’t have a full release, not this time. So I staged it, kept the brutality beneath the surface, buried with the rest of him.

Before I leave, I pull out my phone, typing a quick message to Lilith.

“If anyone ever tries to touch you or hurt you, I will kill them.”

I hit send, a small smile tugging at my lips as I imagine the look on her face when she reads it.

She’s mine now. And no one will ever hurt her again.

Lilith

My phone won’t stop buzzing, dragging me from the haze of my hangover. The shrill ring pierces through the pounding in my head, each vibration sending sharp jolts of pain through my skull. I groan, rolling over in bed, my body aching from the mix of alcohol and whatever else had been in my system last night. I don’t even remember falling asleep, and now I’m regretting every single drink I took.

The buzzing doesn’t stop. I reach out, fumbling for my phone on the nightstand, my fingers brushing against the cold surface before finally grabbing it. Without even looking at the screen, I answer the call, my voice scratchy and weak. “Hello?”

“Lily! Thank god you’re okay!” Anna’s voice is frantic, louder than necessary. I flinch, holding the phone away from my ear for a second before bringing it back.

“Jesus, Anna… What’s wrong?” I croak, trying to force my brain into functioning. The pounding in my head isn’t helping.

“Have you heard? Oh my god, Lily, have you heard about Derek?” Anna’s voice cracks, a mix of panic and disbelief.

“Derek?” The name feels foreign on my tongue, and for a second, my foggy brain struggles to connect the dots. Then it all comes flooding back—last night, the party, Derek bringing me home, his hands on me, pushing me against the wall. A wave of nausea washes over me as the memories resurface, and I sit upquickly, my body protesting the sudden movement. “What about Derek?”

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