Page 18 of Only in the Dark
“I could lay like this forever if we didn’t have to take care of this fucking menace,” Kieran groaned, looking toward his brother with a scowl. “I’m glad the last thing you saw before we ended you was me buried in your girlfriend. When you’re rotting six feet under, she’ll be on top of me—finally learning what pleasure feels like.”
Matthew hung his head low, an evil laugh taking over that had his body shaking before he made eye contact with Kieran. “You can’t kill me. You’re my brother and a detective. You’d get caught, and Mom and Dad would hate you. And Olivia, you wouldn’t hurt someone. You couldn’t. Iknowyou.”
Now he was pissing me off. I didn’t want to remove myself from Kieran, but I carefully lifted my hips and hissed at the burn of his cock leaving me. I felt myself dripping a mix of Kieran and I’s cum when an idea struck. I reached between us and inserted two fingers into myself, scooping up some of the remnants left behind. I smirked down at Kieran as his eyes widened.
Matthew’s jaw slackened, and his brows knotted in a grimace of disbelief while he began shaking his head, his lips now sealed tight. I would’ve paid to see the look on my face from Matthew’s point of view as I forced my fingers through his lips, shoving them to the back of his throat so he couldn’t miss the taste. “You never knew me at all, Matthew. You saw the girl I pretended to be. Kieran lets me be free.”
I grabbed the knife and jabbed it into his other thigh, his agonizing screams music to my ears. “That is for telling me I wanted you to keep your small, unsatisfying dick inside of me when Itoldyou to stop. You covered my mouth and grunted for all of two minutes before it was over, but it didn’t make it any better. I was never just a sex toy for you to use.”
“Fuck, Olivia! That fucking hurts, you bitch. I can’t wait until you and Kieran are in jail for the rest of—”
I removed the knife from his thigh and thrust it into his neck, enjoying the sound of his gasping breaths and how his eyes widened when I pulled the knife from his neck. The blood poured from the wound, falling onto the pillows, comforter, and headboard.It only took a minute for his body to go slack in the handcuffs. I remained frozen, a devilish grin planted on my face while I looked down at his dead body. Killing someone with violence and blood was better and more freeing than I expected.
Mother lied. I loved it.
“Olivia,” Kieran whispered, his hand landing on my shoulder. I turned to face him. I thought he’d be mad at me, but he didn’t look worried or upset in the slightest.
“Shit. This wasn’t the best place. Th—that was—oh, fuck. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry. This is a whole mess to clean up, and the owner of the club is going to turn us into the cops. I’ve just ruined our lives.” My breath quickened, my heartbeat frantically rising.
“Hey, hey. Breathe. Calm down. Everything is fine. The owner is going to have this room professionally cleaned. He’s a cool guy—smart, handsome, a bit of an obsessive stalker,” he explained, chuckling before winking.
“You’re the owner?” I questioned, tilting my head. My first thought was to be jealous that Kieran owned a sex club. Did he…bring girls here? Did he come here often? I couldn’t stop the jealous thoughts that angered me. My grip on the knife tightened.
“I’m the owner, but I don’t come meet people here. At least not in years. I’ll bring you here and show everyone you belong to me if you want. Detectives don’t make much, and I didn’t want my father’s money, so I started a business of my own. Put the knife down, and let’s get out of here for the night and talk.”
“Before we walk out of here and talk about a future relationship…there’s something you should know. There was a reason I chose Matthew and stayed with him despite what he became. And now, I’ll need to use you to finish what I started. But if you hurt me, or double-cross me, I will kill you, Kieran,” I explained. It would be the last test for us.
“Fuck. I love it when you threaten me. Let’s go home and talk about it before I take you right here, again, next to my brother’s dead body,” he said.
He stood up from the bed and outstretched his arm toward me, and I took it. I couldn’t stop my lips from parting and a small groan of desire from escaping. “Christ, Little Serpent. You’re going to keep my hands full and my dick hard for the rest of our lives.”
I looked toward the bed. “And what exactly are we doing with your brother’s dead body?” I asked, a brow raised when my eyes locked on Kieran again as he put on his clothes.
“Easy. I’ve brought his disturbing proclivities to light, and now he’s going to disappear and leave behind a note on his computer. I have someone coming to take care of the body. I’m a serial killer, after all. I have plenty of hidden bodies.”
Olivia Mercer
I remained silent on the ride home, still reeling from learning that Kieran was a serial killer. I shouldn’t have been surprised after learning he had stalked me and drugged me for weeks, or after seeing how easily he was ready to kill his brother for me. I should’ve been alarmed, but I was ecstatic, except I had questions for him. I believed he held the same moral standard I did about killing people, but if he didn’t, it’d be a deal breaker no matter how much I wanted him and felt safe and loved for the first time in my life. I couldn’t be with someone who held the same beliefs as Mother. But Kieran didn’t put money above all else like she had.
When we arrived at my place, Kieran ordered me to strip down, promising to run me a warm bubble bath. I followed his instructions, sadly throwing my new lace lingerie in a trash bag, along with the matching black heels that Sarah picked out. While he ran the bath, I reached up and gathered my hair into a ponytail, twisting the elastic tight. I didn’t want stray strands dragging in the water. He made me a fresh tea while the bathwater filled up, then disappeared and told me to join him after I drank my tea.
Kieran was already in the tub when I stepped closer, his knees bent and pressed to the porcelain sides so he could make room for me. I eased into the space between his spread legs, sinking into the heat. The bubbles clung to my skin like silk, and his hands were slow and deliberate as they glided over me. The warm glow from the candles created a comforting ambiance.
He dipped the soapy sponge into the water and dragged it along my arms, over my shoulders, down my back, coaxing away the dried blood crusted against my skin. The water around us swirled from milky white to a deep, diluted red, bringing a new meaning to bathing in the blood of your enemies. Unsanitary, perhaps, but it soothed the hunger that lived in my darkness.
“I can only imagine how exhausted you feel right now. I hope I’m helping to make your night easier,” he whispered, pressing soft kisses along the back of my neck that forced a giggle to escape. It was too domesticated for two people who had just murdered someone and played with their blood while fucking. Especially given the fact that I had spent a year with said murdered person. Now I had to trust that Kieran would take care of everything as he said he would. My fate rested in his hands, which was odd since I never trusted anyone besides Sarah before.
I yawned, the exhaustion far deeper than Kieran could’ve expected. I was used to a post-kill high, not a post-kill nap, but a lot happened tonight that was different than usual. This kill took a lot more effort than my body was used to.
“Is it weird if I still want you to come through my window sometimes and watch me while I sleep? Or if I want to wake up with you inside of me?” I asked, my head resting on his shoulder. I felt his heart rate increase.
“Fuck no. It confirms what I already knew—you’re perfect for me. What if I told you I wanted to watch you seduce men, lure them home, and kill them together before fucking in front of their dead bodies? Would that turn you off, Little Serpent?” he questioned in a low, sultry whisper. His breath was warm and tantalizing near my ear before he gently nibbled on my earlobe, sending shivers down my spine. His hand traced a slow, deliberate path down my breast, lingering just enough to ignite sparks of desire, then continued its journey over my stomach. His fingertip lightly grazed my entrance, teasing with a fleeting touch that promised more before it withdrew, leaving an electric anticipation in its wake. It didn’t matter how much he had already touched me tonight—it wasn’t enough. He made me insatiable. “Or does that cater to the darkest parts of you?”
“I think we can make that happen occasionally. And we can start with my target, the guy Matthew was going to get me closer to so I could kill him. He hired Mother—the woman who stole me—to kill my birth mom and steal me. She kept me instead. Matthew had a purpose. Since he’s dead, you serve that purpose now.”
“Tell me who, and I’ll help you kill the bastard. I’ll come up with a game plan,” he offered.
I leaned back and whispered the name in his ear. I wished I could see the look on his face, but his initial silence told me he was shocked by the information. I figured he was processing.
