Page 16 of The Devil's Viking

“You really think that?”

“Yeah.” Wolf picked up his coffee cup. “There’s no way that she or anyone else can connect us to Fieldin’. I mean, who’d even startlookin’ at us?”

Chapter Six

Uinta Mountains, Utah

The Garden of Divine Light

George Bennington, rechristened and redeemed as Gideon, sat at his desk, staring fixedly at the video recording of that traitorous bitch Iris. On repeat, over and over, he watched her waltz aroundhiswoman-servant’s dormitory, waltz intohislibrary and takehismoney, waltz on out ofhissacred compound. Over and over, he watched her give him a huge smile and then flip him her middle finger.

Who the hell did she think she was? No, scratch that – what the hell was she doing thinking at all? Who the fuck gave her permission to do that?

Yes, the dumb slut had only been one of his flowers for a year, and as such she was the last and least-important of all his property. She’d been a drug-addled wreck when she’d arrived at the Garden, hollow-eyed and shaking but still stunningly gorgeous with that midnight hair and those winter sunset eyes. She’d been raw and angry, wilful and challenging, and he’d had to remind her several times that she had, in fact, chosen to come to the Garden. He’d enjoyed reminding her.

Despite all of her rough edges, Gideon had hoped for Iris to quickly move up the ranks of his women if she worked hard to win his favor and approval. All of the little flowers in his Garden were true beauties, slim and delicate and demure, and he’d found Iris’ dark fire stirring. Her pale, haunting beauty had been intoxicating, and the more he sensed her struggle to bend to his will, the more he wanted to break her to submission. He was determined to mould her into the perfect woman-servant, totally under his control.

So yes, he’d definitely had big plans for Iris to serve him in all the ways that made him the most happy – and then she’d just walked away from all his wants and desires, literally given them the finger and stomped away into the night without so much as a glance over her shoulder. She somehow thought that she had that right; she actually thought that she had a say in how things went.

She thought wrong.

“Master?”

Right-Guardian Zachariah’s voice pulled Gideon out of some very pleasant thoughts of torturing Iris with a whip until her skin was broken and bleeding; done right, the long, thin marks would be delightful. They’d be vibrant red on her snow-white skin, and they’d be absolutely beautiful. The thought of tying Iris to his bed and running his tongue over the blood had made him rock-hard, right in front of his Guardian.

“Yes?” he snapped, his erection deflating. “What is it?”

“Master, Guardian Daniel just told me that the tire tracks on the side of the road are definitely from Grandtrek AT20’s. He says they’re most commonly used on vans.”

“Not cars?”

“Definitely not, Master. Occasionally on smaller trucks, but nothing very heavy. Pick-up trucks, maybe.”

“So Iris’ footprints stop where this vehicle was parked at the edge of the forest?”

“Yes, Master. Guardians Noah and Daniel trekked on foot and Servant Iris’ prints ended about ninety minutes north on a backroad that none of us even knew was there. It’s way off the beaten path and never used, but the woods behind the Garden lead straight to it. Whoever it was that left the tire treads, Servant Iris certainly went with them.”

“Tell Guardian Daniel good work.”

“Yes, Master. One more thing…”

“Which is?”

“Guardian Noah followed a second set of footprints away from the road and deeper into the woods. From their size, they’re almost definitely a man’s.”

“And?”

“Well… they lead to what looks like an area of disturbed earth and snow.”

Now Gideon was paying complete attention to his Right-Guardian. “Disturbed?”

“Yes, Master. As if somebody had been digging and then covering up a hole or an object. Guardian Noah said that he sent you a photo.”

“To my phone?”

“Yes, Master.”

Gideon grabbed his cell and sure enough, he’d received a text with an attachment. He opened it up and stared at what was clearly a large spot of forest floor that had snow stomped down flat. This wasn’t from any kind of natural snowfall, and no animal would leave the area like this.

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