Page 5 of Santiago's Conquest (Four Dark Horsemen 1)

Finally, when his dick is shredded to pieces with blood pouring down his thighs, I step back and reach for the key, bored out of my fucking mind, and remove the collar from his neck, grinning at the deep wounds that sadly didn’t touch any important arteries.

He falls to the concrete with a loud thud, barely breathing and soaked in blood and sweat—such a contrast to the confident man who strolled into my club, wanting to have the night of his life.

Well, I accommodated his needs, didn’t I?

“He has a daughter,” he whispers, and I lean closer to hear him better. “He has a daughter, and he will come for her.” I still, not knowing how to react to this information, and he turns his head to me, gripping really hard for his useless life. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Are you asking for mercy?” He pales even more and bursts into tears, sobbing so harshly the tears mix with his blood. “Have you ever shown mercy when someone begged you for it, Peter?” I ask a rhetorical question, placing the heel of my boot on his stomach, pressing on it till he chokes on the blood, spitting it all over himself. “No, you haven’t. Why then do you expect it from me?”

“You’re Lucian Cortez’s son,” he rasps, his eyes rolling back, yet he still holds on, knowing if he succumbs to sleep, he will die.

My heart pangs for the first time in ages while I chuckle, hating this fact, as it always takes me back to my childhood. “Yes, I am,” I announce proudly and then fish for the remote inside my pocket, tapping on the red button. That’s when the creaking sound of the iron gates opening can be heard in the distance. “Today, you’ll be the one to pay for this fact.” And with that, a roar reverberates through the walls so loud I cover my ears, wincing a little, yet pride fills my chest knowing that Leo likes to fucking show off.

And why shouldn’t he?

Peter’s eyes snap open while fear settles over him, and I announce, “I’m done here. But he will have his fun.” He tries to twist his head toward the distinct tapping on concrete and screams, although at this point, it’s just a distressed hiss when he sees the magnificent beast prowling toward him. His huge paws move flawlessly as his golden fur glistens under the light, his whiskers so long they twitch a little on his nuzzle when he bares his teeth at the sight of Peter. “Meet my best friend and favorite pet Leo.” Peter trembles, and I elaborate. “He’s a lion, in case you haven’t noticed.”

I drop onto the chair nearby and watch him tear to pieces my victim who is conscious for most of it, because I made him drink a poison that keeps him awake and enhances the pain by a thousand, so it destroys him from the inside out.

My lion almost never participates in my crimes, but I make an exception for the likes of Peter. They deserve every fucking thing done to them. Besides, he doesn’t eat them, just plays with their bodies as if they are his toys.

Once Leo has enough of his fun, he runs back to his cage, and I click the gate closed, while the information Peter uttered swirls in my mind over and over again.

Until I come to the conclusion that whoever Andreas’s daughter is must be one unlucky woman.

Because she just became collateral damage in my plan.

Monsters and demons come in different shapes and forms in this life, their moods and styles of killing nurtured by their cruel environment.

Some forget about their nightmares, living the good life of perfect people, where their memories are nothing but a bad dream.

Some succumb to the monsters eating at their soul every single day and become even worse, committing such hideous crimes while those people are still alive, and no divine intervention stops them.

And then there are people like me.

A monster who destroys his own kind in order to once and for all end it so no one else suffers from their deeds.

Whoever his daughter is… she better prepare herself for the worst.

La vida es cruel.

Life is cruel.

And so am I.

Chapter Two

“If I only knew…”

Briseis

Briseis

The minute I step out through the double doors of the Chicago airport, I breathe in the air around me and close my eyes, lifting my face to the bright sunlight, warmth filling my chest when the familiar scent of home hits me full force.

Some people think it’s a ridiculous notion that a place can have a certain smell, but for me… Chicago always has this special aura I’ve only associated with this city, reminding me of my roots, and how no matter what happens to me, I’ll find peace and solace inside the borders of this unique and beautiful metropolis.

A city I have been exiled from for ten long years.

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