Page 90 of Dreadful
“Good. You’reup. You’ve been asleep for hours. I’m not a patient man.”
My body might enjoy the sound of his voice, but my mind knows just how dangerous he is, and my eyes snap open wide.
“I’ve been asleep for hours becauseyoudrugged me!”
Severino’s face is directly above mine from where he’s sitting. His handsome, hard edges make my stomach flutter, but his sinful smile sends my pulse racing. The black long-sleeved Henley he’s wearing strains against his biceps as he rubs a washcloth down his cane in long, slow strokes, not breaking eye contact. I bite my lip, and his eyes drop to my mouth.
“I wish I didn’t have to do this, Talia, but fuck am I going to enjoy it.”
“Wh-What’re you going to do?”
He smirks, but his knuckles lighten as they squeeze his cane harder.
I brave glancing away to take in my surroundings. The room is as cold as a refrigerator and just as bland aesthetically. If I didn’t still have my warm sweater dress on from earlier, my teeth would be chattering. At first, I can’t place the stark white walls and polished concrete floors, but then it all hits me. My pounding heart stops.
We’re in his meat locker. The one my…
I try to sit up, but my wrists are bound in between my breasts by his tie, and the metal links wrapped around my body are actually a thick silver chain keeping me still. They keep my legs spread apart and behind me. With my arms bound and my ankles tied to the chain around my waist, I’m not quite hogtied, but I still can’t move more than a wiggle.
“What have you done to me?”
“It’s called shibari. From what I researched while you were unconscious, I’ve apparently been practicing my own twisted version of it as torture for years.” A dark, sardonic laugh rolls from him and flows over my skin. “It’s rope bondage, or chains in this case. I never thought to do it for pleasure. I’ve strung plenty of my enemies up to get them to talk, but never quite…like…this…” He lets the words linger in the air. “And I would’ve never guessed I’d have to do it toyou. But that’s what happens to people who lie and betray me, Talia. They end up here.” He holds up his gleaming cane to inspect it in the light. “Fight and scream all you want. No one will hear you, and the sound is music to my ears. But just know, you won’t get out until I’m done with you.”
“Did you saybetrayyou? Ha. That’s rich.”
Despite his warning, I still squirm and try to kick myself free. All I do is rub against the soft layer of fabric that protects the bare skin of my ankles from the chains.
“I didn’t have anything to keep the metal from irritating your skin, so I used scarves.” He huffs a harsh laugh. “Isn’t that crazy? You betray me, and I still worry about your pain. I’m so fuckingweak.”
“Let me go, now,” I hiss.
“Now, why would I do that? You’ve proven to be a formidable opponent. Hell, I watched you kill Claudio’s driverandhis priest. Your methods are a thing of beauty, almost as well done as my own.”
He saw me?
My eyes widen, and he smirks. “Don’t worry. You weren’t exactly discreet, but no one else was around. I made sure of it.”
“Why? Why protect me like that?”
“Because I’ve always hated Father Lucas, and I wanted to see what you were up to more than I wanted to save that bastard.”
I glare at him, but my mind races. My instincts were correct back at the theater. He knows what I’ve done, and he was taunting me over it. I keep my mouth shut in the face of his accusations. From my understanding, Severino only brings people down here on Claudio’s behalf. There’s no way I’m spilling my secrets this close to the end of my list. I’d rather die than admit defeat.
“But what I don’t know, sweet Tallie, iswhyyou did those things. And why did you stop at Chiara Bianchi’s grave? Do you want to skip all this back and forth and just fill me in?”
Hearing my old nameandmynonnoTony’s nickname for me is like two daggers to my heart, sending rage anew through my veins. How dare this monster tie me up and use them against me?
“Vaffanculo, Severino. Fuck you. I’m not telling you a damn thing.”
His brows rise. “And how long have you known my full name? Actually, you know what? Forget about it. I’ve got my ways of getting people to talk. Granted, no one’s ever received the treatmentyouare about to get.”
He walks over to a panel on the wall and presses a button. My brow furrows as the chains above me begin to clink down the pulley system on the wall. When the links around me shift and pull my body from the floor, panic clogs my throat.
“Sev, what’re you doing?”
“Ah, so it’s Sev, now, huh? Is that because you want something? Sev when you want me, Sever when you need me, and Severino when you bare your fangs?”
“I’ve never wanted or needed you,” I spit at him as I rise, even though my body trembles, silently begging him to let me down. Air wafts against my legs, and I silently curse the fact that I wore thigh highs instead of leggings today. The fear I had been able to keep at bay starts to filter in, but when Severino takesmyknife from the metal table beside him, it comes in full force.
