Page 68 of The Heart of a Villain

Smirking at the various scars reflecting back at me that stand out on my golden-tan skin, I roll my shoulders back, reaping enjoyment from seeing them.

Everyone advised me to get some tattoos to cover them all up, as they raise unwanted questions, but fuck that shit.

My scars are my honor badges speaking about the abuse I lived through and survived, but they also serve as a constant reminder that a monster exists within me who is always hungry for blood and gore, thriving among chaos and pain that knows no bounds.

And that knowledge is an aphrodisiac in itself.

Grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the counter, I put one in my mouth and light it. I go to the room and frown when a body still lies in the bed, the woman gazing at me seductively while patting the mattress. “Come back here.” She smiles, wiggling her shoulders and letting the sheet slide down to expose her breasts. “We have the whole night for ourselves.”

Her annoying voice grits on my nerves, and keeping my voice even yet deadly so she has no illusions about her charms, I tell her, “Get dressed and leave.” Surprise flashes on her face, and she sits up, covering herself. “Now.”

Anger fills her expression, and she swings her legs to the side, muttering, “Whatever, asshole.” She leans down to get her dress, puts it on quickly, and then slips into her heels. “Fuck you and your ‘no touching or kissing’ rule anyway.” With this, she marches to the hotel room’s door and finally leaves, shutting it so hard the room rattles.

Exhaling smoke all around me, I throw the towel away, allowing my skin to naturally cool off while wondering why women act so stupid sometimes.

I discovered sex at the age of fifteen and engaged in it regularly whenever the need struck me, the desire to find an outlet to the brewing emotions rushing through me usually after a fresh kill, when the adrenaline is so high I could soar from pleasure.

Sex always gave me clarity and allowed me, just for a second in time, to focus on something else but the constant anger present in me. However, I’m always clear with women on my stance.

No repeats, and they need to be gone once the deed is done. I sure as fuck never spend the night with anyone, let alone feel the desire to have them again.

I despise their touches and kisses and avoid it all costs because such intimate moments usually lead to attachments, and who needs those?

Sure as hell not me. While a lot of the dark protégés are married, I don’t want a woman in my life.

Loving someone is a curse that brings pain and anguish, so why would I willingly sign up for such bullshit?

One of the reasons I never take anyone to the penthouse Lachlan gifted me on my twenty-first birthday and prefer to have sex in random hotel rooms.

At the thought of the man who gave me a new life, my mouth curves into a smile, especially when I snatch my phone from the bedside table and see several messages from him, one more furious than the last.

You wouldn’t get it from just reading them, but those familiar with him know that his fury is a brewing storm that destroys everything in its wake, yet you never see it coming.

You destroyed a warehouse?

I told you to never act on your impulses. There are consequences for every reckless decision. Today, we had to clean up your mess.

Twisting the cigarette in the ashtray, I roll my eyes at this as annoyance fills me.

While I’m grateful for everything the man taught me, from various forms of torture and how to properly use poison, to training my body to withstand all kinds of shit, I’m really starting to get fed up with his control.

He takes ages to plan raids and thinks carefully about every decision he makes, while it takes us an hour tops to finish the job.

The particular warehouse has been on our radar for a few weeks, but he didn’t strike it because he was waiting for the dealer to show, to kill him. That specific organization sold kids to the highest bidder, and since the newest deal was supposed to happen in a month, the kids were kept in there but not treated badly or touched in any way.

I considered it a waste of time anyway because the pieces of shit who run it still breathed, and that was unforgivable. Since all the dark protégés supported his point of view, though, I was outnumbered—not to mentioned ignored.

Apparently, being the youngest among them all and having a hot temper put me in the “we don’t give a fuck about your opinion” category.

So, fed up with all this shit, I attacked in the night and killed them all after freeing the children and even managed to find out the name of the dealer.

One of the reasons I just had sex. The power of victory was so strong and satisfied me in itself; however, seeing all those kids… the fear in their eyes…

They awakened the old, festering wounds that never go away, and I hate it with a passion, despising any reminders of my former life, where I had no power.

You caught him, right? And we saved the kids. So what’s the problem?

The reply comes almost instantly as I put on my jeans. I’m surprised he doesn’t call me to rip me a new one. Probably because he’s celebrating his daughter’s birthday, and he never discusses business in front of his dark-haired princess.

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