Page 39 of Savage Kingdom

Some people didn’t believe in heaven or hell, souls and fate, but have you ever looked into the eyes of a corpse? After seconds of them being dead that glow, that spark of life, is gone. If that wasn’t a soul, then what was?

I forced myself to look away, the image hitting too close to home.

The rooms were soundproof, but I heard the pleas. They echoed in my heart. They mirrored the pleas of a scared little girl.

I was a weapon, and it was time I started acting like one.

We passed rooms all sinister in their own way. None of them could be considered fetishes. This was a sickness, a fucking disease for devils. We made it to the end of the hallway, and I knew this room was the most depraved of all. There was no window to see what was happening inside, just a black door. I had a feeling a snuff room awaited behind those doors.

Gideon crouched so he was looking at me. He gave me a sad smile, his hands coming to my cheeks, his thumb to my lip. “You are, by far, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

I stopped breathing because I knew he meant them. He wanted me, I knew that, but right now there was no sexual desire in his tone. He was speaking his truth, and that made me feel dizzy.

Gideon leaned into me, his body heat providing a layer of warmth and security. “Would it be too much to ask for one kiss?”

The place started to thump, my ears ringing, but then I realized it was just me. My emotions. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

I looked up at him through my lashes, and my admission had his chest heaving. His gaze was dark. He liked what I said—he liked it a lot.

“You’re lying. You’re saying Morozov never took that mouth?”

“Everything I’ve done has been taken from me. I’ve never had the luxury to decide for myself.” The air was thick. Maybe it was because we were about to walk through the doors, not knowing what awaited us. “Even if it’s just once, I would like to know how it feels to do something because I want to…” The words hung in the air before he pressed his mouth to mine.

It was a real kiss. Something that started in your lips and you felt running through your veins, hitting every artery, every muscle begging your body to wake up and go into overdrive. It was the kind of kiss that ruined you. That stabbed your chest and spread a fucking poison to your heart. It was the first kiss I’d ever given anyone, and I was sure it was set to kill me.

In no time, Gideon took control, forcing my mouth to submit to his. He prodded my lips open, and I felt his tongue inside of me. His hand was on the back of my head, gripping me, at the same time he took my lip and bit so hard I howled out in pain. My senses were all focused on my mouth, and between my legs, and it was too late when I felt a sting behind my neck.

I looked straight at him as my body started to shut down. There was no remorse in his whiskey eyes. The thing about growing up with monsters…you get so used to them you let your guard down.

“I’ll never give you any…” The words died on my lips before I could vow that he would never get a thing from me.

Before I succumbed to the darkness, I heard him speak so low, like a whisper lost in the wind.

“That’s okay, Petal. I’m going to take it all anyway.”

One way or another,I always got what I wanted. I wasn’t cocky or overconfident; it was a fact. You know how I got my way? I didn’t let emotions get in the way of what I had to do. Did my cock get hard when I looked at Daphne? Fuck yes. Did I want to know everything about her? Yes, even if I had to torture it out of her, but my government came first. What’s a man without his word? He’s nothing, so my loyalty was to my country.

As Daphne fell backward, I caught her. The toxin hit her hard and fast. I didn’t have a lot of time. I leaned into her, my body covering hers so the camera that was outside the door couldn’t see what I was about to do.

There was so much more to Daphne that met the eye. You know what I found out about her? Nothing. She was a fucking ghost. Her face didn’t show up in any database. You don’t become a ghost in this world for no reason. There’s always a trail, and she had none.

Since we walked through the doors to Sinestre, I’d been slowly building my weapon. The dart with poison was hidden in the seams of my hair. The gel I used helped keep it in place. No one ever checks your fucking hair, and I was tall enough that most guards were at eye level with me. The sides of the dart were made of rubber, making it stay in place. As for the little blade I had now? That was stashed inside the body of my suit. The plastic around the metal was thick enough to block metal detectors. When we went to the bar, I hid behind Daphne, slowly getting it out and as she walked, leaving behind the shell of the plastic. Everyone was looking at the beautiful woman I brought to heel; no one paid attention to what I was doing. The blade was thin but sharp enough to cut off skin. I left the cap on along with a little string I attached at the bottom.

Before I carried Daphne, I hoped like hell I could put my trust in her. The dose of tetrodotoxin was diluted enough it was just to knock her out for a few minutes. I hoped that was enough.

I looked at her one more time, trying to forget her words and the way her eyes became like a snowstorm. She hated me. Good—maybe that would fuel her to fight like hell.

As I knocked on the door at that moment, I kinda hated myself too.

The door opened, and a light-skinned man in a suit opened the door.

I smiled at him like I didn’t have a care in the fucking world. “Mate,” I said, already shedding my lambskin—I became a wolf. “I have a gift.”

He eyed Daphne’s limp body that I offered up like a lamb to the slaughter.

“You know the rules?”

“Till death.” I grinned despite the way those words made me feel.

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