Page 15 of The Queen's Serpent

My dream companion is the first man to offer me gentleness and kindness, without asking for anything back in return, besides my father and grandfather. How I wish this were real, that I was somewhere with someone who wanted me for me. Not for my name or my fortune. Not to use me as a prize or as a shield. Someone who wanted Isabella, and not the Stratford heir.

He does, he always wanted you.His desire for you was pure; he loved you, but you left him behind. You broke your promise and his soul. You destroy everything that is good, even him.An image of bright blue eyes try their best to break through the darkness, but I refuse to allow them through. I’m not strong enough to face those demons anymore; they will crush me under the weight of my regret.

No, that world is gone. That life ended long ago, with a girl who didn’t know what she had until she lost it all. It’s far too late now, and he can’t save me even if he wanted to.

Chapter nine

Diego

“I am obsessed with you, fascinated by you, infatuated with you. I hunger for your taste, your smell, the feel of your soul touching mine.”

Jack Llawayllynn, Indulgence

“How is she today?” I question, as I continue to look over the latest manifest of goods my father is shipping from our home back to our contacts in Europe. A smirk quirks my lips as I read what the container reportedly has for the legitimate documentation.Dildos. Fucking hilarious that my father is hiding our guns in crates full of dildos of every shape and size.

It would be highly amusing to see a transport inspector’s face when he opened one of our crates, to see nothing but a bunch of rainbow-colored dicks awaiting him. I wonder if I should divert a few of those toys here, so that Issy has something to play with?

Fuck, and now my cock is getting hard at thoughts of watching Issy sliding a big, hard dildo inside of herself and bringing herself pleasure, as she cums all over it. I wonder if she could take me and the dildo at the same time? It’s the only way I’ll ever share her with another fucking cock. That sexy, pink pussy belongs to me, and I’m not one to share my toys.

Unlike her sister, who has four fucking boyfriends, my cousin amongst them, to fill each of her holes and then some, my Issy will never get to experience having all her holes used at the same time unless it’s with toys. It’s not that I’m against fucking with others. I’ve had various threesomes and orgies before, with women and with other guys.

No, the problem is Issy. Just the thought of another man touching her creamy, porcelain skin, sliding inside of her tight heat, and listening to those breathy moans she makes when she’s getting fucked hard and fast, makes my blood pressure rise, and makes me want to commit mass murder.

I give my head a little shake, and clue back in to the fact that Raphael has been speaking this whole time, while I was daydreaming about dildos and Issy’s cunt.Fuck, pay attention, asshole.“Repeat that last bit,” I demand with a frown.

Raphael’s Adam’s apple bounces in his throat as he shifts from one foot to the other, wary and giving me wide owl eyes. He’s still nervous around me, worrying if I might have his head ripped off his body, and place it on a stake outside of the compound for what he did to Issy, for what I ordered him to do, that has led to days of her going through withdrawals.

She’s been so sick and pitiful when I’ve checked up on her at night while she’s sleeping. Every time I look at her fragility, I’m reminded that I had a hand in causing her the pain and torment she’s experiencing. There’s a part of me that wants to get down on my hands and knees and beg for her forgiveness, but that would be showing weakness, and knowing Issy, she would use that against me. Mylittle prizeis filled with venom in her veins, even if she hasn’t quite figured it out yet.

He clears his throat, the tension radiating off of him. “Better today. She’s managing to hold down more fluids and isn’t as disoriented. She’s… umm… requesting a bath, sir. I… I think it would make her feel better. She’s… ahh… been cooped up in that room for over a week now. It would be… beneficial to her healing.”

What the fuck is this asshole suggesting? Is he suggesting that I let him accompany Issy into a bathroom where he watches her bathe? I get up so quickly from my chair that it slams back into the wall with a huge thud. I move around the desk and wrap myfist around his throat, tightening my grip and lifting him off the floor.

“NOOOTTTT WIIITHHH… MEEEEE!” His words howl out of his lips as I continue to tighten my hold, and stare into his frightened eyes. I hope he sees his death right now, because he’s about to go make the acquaintance of all his ancestors.

I release my hold, and he tumbles to the ground, grasping at his throat and coughing painfully, his face a bright shade of red. “Aaalonee… that’s what… I… meant,” he gasps.

Well fuck, I may have just overreacted a little.My eyes rise to the doorway of my den, and I see the shocked faces of two of my men, who were drawn to the room with the commotion. I stare them down with a cold, menacing glare until they both back away and go back to doing their jobs.Cabrones.

I slip my hands into my pockets, to help prevent them from wrapping back around Raphael’s skinny neck. Ever since Issy tried to seduce him, I can’t stand the fucker. I know it’s not rational and that he’s been loyal; the cunt ratted her out instead of taking advantage of her. But, still,fuck,I just want to smash his pretty boy face to pieces.

Unfortunately, though, I need this fucker; he’s the only medic we have out here. I should really get my father to send me a replacement. The way things are going, I don’t see Raphael surviving for long.

“Get out,” I order through clenched teeth, as I watch him scramble backward to get away from me.

He stops at the doorway’s threshold and looks like he wants to say something. His mouth opens and closes, but no words come out, and then he turns and races out of the room. Fucker might be more intelligent than I give him credit for.Run, little lamb, run; the big nasty monster is coming for you.

I drag my hands forcefully down my face. I’m so fucking tired. It feels like I haven’t slept in weeks. I’ve spent the last few nightswatching Issy sleep, ensuring nothing happens to her. Every single night, without fail, she has nightmares. What they’re about, I have no idea, but I can only guess that I have a starring role in most of them.

What could have happened to her in her perfect, privileged life to make her this way? Who else is starring in those nightmares, and how do I protect her from them, especially if I am her villain? So many questions and so many unknowns with my girl. How many secrets is she hiding, and who is she calling out to in her dreams to save her?

I know it’s not me that she reaches for, or calls out to, and that both saddens and enrages me. I want to be her everything, her salvation, and her destruction. The desire to ensure that every breath she takes, she does because I allow her to keep breathing, her heart to keep beating at a tempo that only sounds for me.

Maybe if I give her what she wants right now, she might be willing to answer a few of those questions for me. Even if she doesn’t, giving her the bath she’s requesting might be worth it. I’m not sure how thorough I was with my cloth bath a few nights ago, when she was completely out of it, covered in vomit and sweat, and I found her passed out on the floor.

Should I have done more than just cleaned her and put her back to bed when she was so vulnerable? Probably not, but do I regret fingering her sweet pussy and giving her an orgasm,fuck no. It was spiritual watching her come undone in my arms. Her little mewing cries are music to my ears. If I could spend every moment of every day watching Issy come at my touch, I would.

I fist my hair in aggravation, knowing that when she’s awake, she detests me. That, if given the choice, she wouldn’t allow me to touch her, or bring her the euphoria that I have in the past. Right now, she can’t see past my kidnapping her and holding her as my prisoner. She doesn’t see that everything I have done isbecause I can’t let her go, that I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for her.

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