Page 46 of Ravage

A flash of emotion lights up in her eyes, but I'm not sure which part of my statement awoke it. Either way, I'm happy to have her back in the moment, so that I can get through to whatever she's fighting beneath the surface.

"Do you want to know what they did?" she asks, voice quivering slightly.

I nod firmly, refusing to let go of her hands even though I'm probably hurting her.

As the words fall from her mouth, I force myself to stay quiet—to listen. But inside, rage builds up, visions of the endless, ruthless torture forming in my mind as she paints a picture.

I'm going to kill them.

No, I'll do worse than that.

I'll become their living nightmare.

If they want to play God, then I'll do them one better.

I'll be the Devil.

Except there'll be no 'for the good of the science' nonsense. It will be cold, hard revenge. They will suffer, until they beg me to stop. Even then, I'll keep going because death would be too kind for them. Death would be a sweet welcome and they don't deserve that.

Maybe I'll make Arthur watch. I bet he'd squirm, knowing he would be next.

Or maybe, Alexander too—though I doubt I'd get the chance. Damon has his name written all over Alexander's casket.

When Avery finishes filling me in, I notice the light in her eyes is gone again. But there's also something else there. I can't place it, even though it feels familiar. Maybe it's because it's coming from her—my innocent little killer.

I'm sick and twisted because my body reacts to it, shorts becoming tight as my cock twitches under the gray fabric.

There's a glint in her eyes that says she's mad. No, notmad.

Certifiably enraged.

Her words from Elsher's office come back to me. They were hard to hear, but we all caught them.

"It's our fucking turn now. Remember what we're capable of…"

And then it hits me. She isn't shutting down because she's falling apart. It's deeper than that.

She's hurting, it's true. Underneath that hard exterior she's still that woman that went through abuse after abuse. Thedelicate person who just wanted to be loved and seen. That's still there, threatening her existence while she tries to grasp another betrayal by people who were meant to protect her.

But there's also something else brewing. She's had enough of being treated like she's weak—pushed to the breaking point time and time again as people use her for their own personal gain.

Something has snapped in her. For the first time in her life, she's no longer solely focusing on the misery—the unstable control over her emotions that she learned to hide. Now, she's angry. But she's never allowed herself to feel that way, scared of standing up for herself. It's dangerous, the potential to implode once she allows herself to give into the rage. That's the hardest part—because once she does give in, it signifies much more than anyone could imagine.

It would mean that she has self-worth. That she sees her own potential.

My own words come back to haunt me, like a prophecy being fulfilled—one that only I saw coming.

"She's a dark horse. Imagine what will happen when she finally takes hold of that pain and runs with it. Imagine what she can become."

Chapter 17

Theo

It feels almost… wrong.

Well, as wrong as I could be fucked feeling for someone who doesn't give a shit about most things.

When I offered to do this, it didn't quite occur to me that I'd have access to things that have been previously out of my reach.

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