Page 16 of Santiago's Conquest (Four Dark Horsemen 1)

A whole different picture.

He worshiped the ground Andreas walked on and stayed by his side like a fucking dog, watching him do all his deeds and helping him out when needed. Such loyalty given to the right people is a magnificent gift one might offer that can be cherished through the years.

Otherwise…

Off to fucking hell you go.

Mark swallows hard, staying silent far too fucking long for my liking, so I stab him hard in the stomach, and his agonized cry reverberates around the space before I pull back and stab him again, this time lower, enjoying how the blood pours from the wound.

Leaving the knife inside, I snap my fingers in front of his nose while he opens and closes his mouth, unable to utter a single word. “You just don’t appreciate the generosity I’m showing you, Mark.”

He focuses his fogged, agony-filled gaze, and I mentally count. He has around five minutes to talk before he bleeds to death, or I’ll get fucking bored and speed up the process, since he’ll be useless to me.

Stepping on his foot, I appreciate how his toes crunch under my heavy boot and tears rapidly slide down his cheek.

He whispers, “Yes.”

Ah, the power of pain.

Even the strongest of loyalties crumble under it.

“Is he coming to collect?”

“Yes. He’s angry.” Oh, I bet. His daughter was treated like shit her entire life. I imagine Andreas doesn’t appreciate it much on top of all the lies surrounding her birth.

Even monsters can have affection for their flesh and blood, no matter how rotten they are.

“Eso es todo lo que quería escuchar.”

The dance between a hunter and the prey is only interesting when the prey seeks the bait the hunter prepared for it. Otherwise, what’s the point of wasting my time on Briseis?

“If that’s all you wanted to hear, does it mean you will let me go?” he asks, resting his head on the stick, gulping for breath, and glancing down at his wounds. “Please.” A beat passes and then he says, “I was kind to you, Santiago.”

“Indeed.” I agree with him and lean closer, so he doesn’t miss a single word. “Your kindness might as well have been a slap in the face as you stood and watched him destroy me, doing absolutely nothing.” Regret flashes in his face; however, it’s too late for such emotions.

Mark might have never participated in the hideous crimes, but his silent support puts him in the same box as everyone else.

Patting his cheek, I dig my fingers in so hard his jaw cracks and he jerks in the hold, too weak to even bother with screams, and thank fuck. I might have to stab a knife in his mouth and where would be the fun in that? “I’m going to show you the same kindness you showed me.” He shakes his head in denial, fear settling on his features, and I chuckle, the sound sinister in its nature and alerting every hair on Mark’s body as goose bumps break on his skin. “After all, fair is fair, right?”

He whimpers, silently begging me to stop this madness, while I only laugh.

Nothing can stop the monster eating at me from the inside out, because I’m the product of his creation.

Walking toward the table, I put on leather gloves before wrapping my hand around the silver blade and lift it up, seeing my refection in it. He thrashes in the hold, finding strength after all to fight for his life.

Every choice we make has consequences.

And all the choices Mark has made led him to this moment. Pleasure spreads through me as I deliver blow after blow, before his eyes permanently still in pain and he stops breathing.

Dropping the blood-coated blade on the floor, I glance at the watch on my wrist, and a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

I remove the gloves, throwing them in a trashcan, and walk toward the sink to wash away any traces of Mark, the fucker who shall never be remembered.

Right now though, I have a party to attend and bait to catch.

Chapter Five

“His eyes are like the clear, blue ocean tempting you to dive in and discover all its secrets.”

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