Page 34 of Cruel God

X reached out with his hand, wanting to sink his claws into the little girl’s shoulder when Hope turned around. She wasn’t shackled like the new ones. She knew her place. She knew running would be a futile attempt not worth the punishment. But this time the good in her made it impossible for her to obey.

The little girl had ducked away from X’s hand, and as he lifted his arm, Hope moved…and the next thing I knew, I was running toward her, yelling for her to stop. The room around me stood still, seconds no longer ticking by. As my heart stopped, so did time. So did reality. I didn’t care about my father or his ridiculous rules. All I cared about was Hope as she launched forward, using herself as a shield between the little girl and X’s fist.

“Hope!” I screamed, unable to run fucking fast enough. “Hope!”

Through the thrum of my violently beating heart, I heard the sickening sound of the blow, watching in horror as X’s fist collided with Hope’s face, jerking her head to the side. Blood exploded from her mouth, her lips instantly stained with crimson. The second her limp body landed on the ground, I was next to her—too afraid to touch her, yet wanting to make sure she was okay.

Her petite frame lay eerily still, her white robe stained with blood splatter. I was convinced that Xander had killed her with a single blow, and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to cry or scream. Whether I wanted to hold her close or drive a blade through X’s chest.

It was the longest, most horrifying moment of my entire fucking life—until I felt her weak pulse just below her jaw, my relief instant. It flooded through me like an indescribable life force that shocked my heart back to life. There was no nightmare, no hell that came close to the horror I felt when I thought Hope was dead—when I thought I’d lost her.

“Hope?” I whispered as I stared at her, reaching out to touch her cheek. It was the first time I felt her skin beneath my fingertips, and it fucking wrecked me. Feeling her soft skin, tracing my fingers down her neck, made me feel something I had never felt before. Affection.

Warm. Undeniable. Soul deep…affection.

I didn’t care about the cries and screams of the other girls as they watched the chaos unfold. All I knew was, I wanted to take care of Hope. I wanted to take her in my arms and carry her out of there, carry her to safety and make sure she was okay. The thought of never seeing her smile again was like having the devil himself drive a dagger through my heart. What kind of world would it be if I never saw her light again, the light that chased away the shadows that suffocated me day and fucking night?

Blood dripped from her mouth onto the concrete, and I didn’t give a fuck that my father was calling out my name, demanding that I leavethe slave girl.I didn’t care if I had to suffer his fury afterward. Right now, all I cared about was her.

I picked up her tiny, frail body in my arms. She weighed nothing more than skin and bones, proof of the fucked-up life she was forced to live.

As I carried her, safely tucked against my chest, my eyes never left her sickeningly pale face. A bloodied bruise marred her cheek, a grotesque welt appearing around her eye. I felt a kind of rage I had never experienced before. It forced its way through my entire fucking body, consuming every inch of my soul. Like a volcano, I felt the pressure build, the heat rising from my very core, and it threatened to erupt. To destroy everyone in its path. I wanted nothing more than to cut Xander wide open and rip his fucking spleen out with my bare hands. But my father didn’t raise a fool. I was in no position to execute my vengeance. Not now. One day, though…I would be.

I looked up and saw Victor standing by the door, watching me like he was waiting for me to make one wrong fucking move. That’s all it would take, just one wrong move, and my father would go back on his promise—his promise of keeping Hope so that she could one day be mine. He already knew I felt more for this girl than I should have. More than he would ever approve of. To him women were nothing but possessions. Animals that needed to be tamed, collared, and caged. Other than the fact that she abandoned me, my father never told me anything about my mother. But I thanked God every day that she left and managed to escape the hell Victor Cain rained down on everyone close to him. Pity she didn’t take me with her, but having Hope was the silver lining around that dark cloud of abandonment.

I kept my father’s glare, and judging by the incredulous look on his face, I was convinced he didn’t like what he saw one little bit. He didn’t approve of his son acting protective over a girl with a number inked on her wrist. To him any sort of feeling toward these girls, any kindness shown to them was seen as weakness. And Victor Cain never tolerated weakness.

While keeping my gaze on my father, I cradled Hope tighter against me, leaning my face close to hers. The usual strawberry scent of her hair was spoiled with the smell of her blood, and it set flame to the fury that threatened my control. But I knew if I lost my shit now, Hope would never be mine. I would never be able to save her, keep her, fucking worship her if my actions betrayed me. So I clutched her tight, feeling her frail body against mine as I leaned down, bringing my lips to her ear, and whispered,“He will die. I vow it, my butterfly.”

Chapter 12

Present

Now, here we were. The time had finally come. The day I’d get the chance to keep that promise. And by God, it felt fucking good to look into the bastard’s eyes, knowing he was moments away from taking his last breath.

Xander tried to get the knife out of his hand, but every time he attempted to touch it, he screamed like a fucking girl, pinching his eyes closed.

I etched my gaze on Colton. “My favors don’t come cheap, Mr. Riggs. If you want me to owe you one, you need to kill Xander here.”

“If I refuse?” Colton’s voice carried a subtle tremble—something I would have missed if I hadn’t been such an observant fucker. I was rattling his fucking cage, pushing him, forcing him, little by little, into a corner he’d never be able to get out of.

I placed my hands in my pants pockets. “If you refuse, you won’t get your favor. So, I guess the question is, what is this favor worth to you?” I leaned back against my desk. “What are you willing to do for this favor?”

Complete silence settled over us. The only sound in the office was that of the clock standing in the corner, ticking, counting every second Colton took to make his final decision.

Colton roughed his hand through his hair and groaned. “Fuck.”

I smiled, amused as fuck. “It’s not that difficult, Colton. Kill him, and you get your favor.”

Colton’s icy stare shot toward me. “This is bullshit!”

“Is it?” I pushed away from the desk and slowly walked forward until I stepped in next to Colton, both of us staring down at the crying, struggling X whose hand was still bolted to the chair, blood oozing from the wound. “If it was me,” I started, “I would do it. I wouldn’t even think twice about it. But if it will ease your conscience a little, I will say that this man is one evil motherfucker and has done things that will give a grown man like yourself nightmares for weeks. He deserves to die.”

“Like you’re a fucking saint,” X spat out.

Colton shrugged. “Man’s got a point.”

“Do you want a favor, or not? I’m a busy man, Mr. Riggs. I don’t have all day. So, either you take my offer, or you walk away.”

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