Page 142 of Voracious

I start chanting and pound my fists against the table. “Clean it up.”

Silver moons knowingly lock onto me, after the bad dreams Dima has knowledge of the punishments and he moves away from the puddle of piss, shit, and blood as he lowers the chains. Watching torture is as much fun as doing it when I get to control them like little puppets.

Vlad huffs as he looks at Dima and he grabs the chain, treating it like a leash and looks down at his clothes before addressing the nonce.

“If you get a single fucking drop on me, I’ll make this worse.”

I don’t know what can be worse than her tongue lapping through that mess as she adds her own vomit to it.

Once it’s semi cleaned up, I sigh and kick my feet, dangling them over the table as they hook her back up. I jump down with her jewelry and check the foundry furnace is at the correct temperature before I fill the bowl with all the metals, not caring to remove the stones. I’ll have to buy Dani a new furnace, so it isn’t tainted with this shit.

The fire poker isn’t glowing enough, so I change my plan and Dima is still grumbling about the mess on the floor as he pulls on the chain so Yulia is back to standing. His grumbling doesn’t stop as he takes off his t-shirt and lays it on the ground, directlyover the remaining liquids. My cheeks hurt from how hard I’m smiling — I knew he was nice.

Val’s annoying voice is falsely sweet, making me grimace.

“How cute, the Bratva’s own Romeo and Juliet.”

I turn and slowly bring my middle fingers up of each hand as I ask, “Do you want me to tell Dani?”

Dickhead shuts up and focuses on whatever he’s doing to the wooden bats as I turn at the sound of cursing.

“Stupid fucking bitch,” Vlad snaps and punches Yulia in the ribs, causing the chains to rattle as she wheezes. He doesn’t stop punching her as he mutters and I’m going to stab him.

My voice raises from the frustration of his controlling tendencies as I remind him, “You’re not allowed to kill her.”

He stops and takes a step back with a small nod of his head but his anger is directed at Dima as he steps around a trembling Yulia.

“Move three steps back.”

I pause with the knife near Yulia’s neck and scowl at him. “Stop speaking to him like that.” Using the tip of the blade, I point at him. “You’re really starting to piss me off when you do it and I already think you’re annoying.”

Yulia is a dumb bitch and she breathlessly laughs like we’re not clearly in the middle of torturing her. Her voice is slow, broken up as she taunts, “You said he was your father.” She laughs, again. “But you’re nothing, you don’t know how to be a daughter.”

Vlad grips the back of her head as Dima’s fist flies out and lands on her jaw. The top portion of her face remains in the same place as the lower part of her jaw moves unnaturally to the side. The deafening crack is proof that it’s broken and I stop them from taking my kill away from me. Prodding her jaw with the handle of the knife, I force her to look at me as I wave my hand, gesturing to everyone in the room. “These people are my family.”I point at myself while she murmurs in pain. “OnlyIget to kill them if they piss me off.”

Warmth spreads through my back as Dima strokes down my spine and weight gently lands on my head. I look up to see Vlad placing his hand on my crown to hold my head like it’s a basketball. He pulls Yulia’s head back by her hair and softly says, “Go on, solnyshkuh.”

Weirdo.

I go back to my plan and they all groan in disgust when I cut her clothes away and Tali screeches, “I’m eating.”

He’s always eating so I ignore him.

I don’t have to think about what to do once she’s vulnerable, unable to help herself or hide, and I add my own brands to her skin. The letters on my stomach look better on Yulia’s as she thrashes, trying to get away from the knife. Dima and Vlad both move at the same time, grabbing each of her arms to keep her still for me. They have matching grimaces too, but I focus on my canvas.

The thick blade of the knife easily parts her skin as I write the names of everyone she’s hurt. Nina’s is the biggest, stretching across Yulia’s ribs, until I add Theo’s across her chest. My gloves are soaked in blood and it causes the knife to slip, but Vlad is a controlling asshole and he catches it before it can hit the floor.

“Can you turn around?” I ask as I snatch my knife back.

Nodding once, he turns and looks at the wall like I’ve put him in timeout. It makes me laugh and I wish I told him to stand in the corner now. But Yulia’s irritating whimpering stops me and my lips twist to the side as I assess her body for a place to hide the next name.

Armpit.

That will hurt and no one else will see it.

Dima forces her arm in the air and his face softens as he watches me carve the letters deep enough that her blood coversthem. Once I’m done, I step back, looking at the name as Dima does the same.

V L A D

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