Page 132 of Santiago's Conquest (Four Dark Horsemen 1)

And nothing and no one will ever take her away.

Chapter Eighteen

“She doesn't belong in my darkness, and I don't belong in her light.

When a monster and angel fall in love… where do they build their home?”

Santiago

Chicago, Illinois

Santiago, 18 years old.

Rock music blasts through the speakers around the guest house as I emerge from the bathroom, steam following me.

Grabbing my phone on the nightstand, I notice several unread message and see Agnes’s name flashing on the display.

My parents are out for the weekend. Want to come over?

Shaking my head, I drop the phone back on the desk and walk to the closet, picking up a white shirt and blue jeans along with some dark boots, quickly putting them on.

Some people really don’t understand the concept of a one-night stand, even if you make it clear to them.

I indulge in sex rarely, only when the pain in my head becomes unbearable. I crave the relief and clear mind from the voices screaming in my head, trying to lure me to the maddening pleasure it promises, which killing someone on the street will finally bring.

Anything and anyone can trigger me, their breath, their eyes, their comments, and it takes only a second for any random man to merge with someone from the past, and I’m taken back to the dark cell, starved and beaten.

The only reason I still manage to restrain my dark urges is the thought of Andreas and how I will get my revenge on him soon… the minute the opportunity arises.

All I have to do is find him.

After I came back three years ago, my parents called the doctor along with the FBI who had been handling my case originally. They asked me thousands of questions, where I told them briefly what happened to me, omitting some gory details, since my parents refused to leave the room.

I still remember my mom’s horrified expression at the truth; it still plagues my mind, her endless tears and sobs ringing in my ears, and how I wished to run to the bathroom to make myself cleaner to be worthy to sit in her presence.

My father though?

Stoic fucking expression through it all, and not a muscle twitched on his face.

They checked all my wounds, and I ended up lying in the hospital for two months as they had to crack some bones again so they would heal properly, worked on my scars, and any infections—not to mention, some shrink was assigned to my case who asked me daily if I wanted to talk.

No, I wanted to get the fuck out. However, my opinion didn't matter.

They attached several vitamin IVs to me and fed me so much, because, according to them, I had to regain my strength. Through it all, my mother stayed by my side, promising me everything would be better. I didn't have it in me to tell her better was no longer an option.

My childhood friends showed up on week two, but I refused to meet them, not wanting any questions or their friendship. The boy they knew no longer existed, so I saw no point in continuing our relationship. Besides, our experiences differed so much I didn't even think we had anything in common. And the last thing I wanted was to be some lab shit they studied under the microscope due to their curiosity.

My parents disagreed but didn't push.

Oddly enough, Remi pushed, sneaking inside the room and talking to me while I ignored his ass.

He’d show up every single day bringing games or books or even fucking movies, annoying me so much I finally asked for a restraining order. Obviously, my parents ignored that request too, but they did finally set boundaries.

Remi just laughed and still showed up one last time before he was escorted out by security.

Once I was out of the hospital, my parents hired so many tutors whose job it was to catch me up on everything I missed as quickly as humanly possible. I soaked up all the information I could get, because knowledge was power.

It took me two years, studying nine hours a day along with physical training to get in shape to finally be able to go back to school and only be behind by one year. I might have not had the best grades or knew more than the core basics of the subjects, but it was good enough to get into college. Plus, I still had tutors who showed up three times a week.

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