Page 70 of Monster's Obsession

"Blake, meet George."

I snorted, “George” sounding ridiculous coming from his lips, especially because I was sure that that was not the name this version of Seven would give himself.

I was right, because Seven huffed and shot a death glare at Ash. The scary look didn't seem to faze him.

"What? You’ve never given us your name, so George is it."

"It's because I don't engage with cretins like you," he said haughtily, the tone of his voice so different from how Seven usually spoke.

I was still eyeing Seven warily. What was he going to do to me this time, especially with that look on his face?

"George, tell Blake you mean her no harm and you’re in love with her," ordered Ash.

"Love," he scoffed, and something inside of me tightened with dismay. I knew it wasn't Seven there, but to hear a part of him say that was devastating.

"Love doesn't even begin to describe what I feel for her. Love is a simple word fools use. You couldn't possibly comprehend the depth of my feelings for her,” George abruptly continued.

My mouth gaped open in shock. A quick look at Ash told me he was just as surprised, as evidenced by the fish face he was making.

"Was that what you called the last time I met you..." I carefully prodded.

He shook his head, confidence across his features. “Seven wasn't doing what he needed to be doing to keep you. He was unwilling to give you what you needed, so I took over."

I thought about what had happened. I wasn't sure there was anything about that situation that I’d needed…

"And what exactly do you think I need?" I said, not feeling it was wise to argue with him when he had me in his grip like this. Maybe I would feel more comfortable talking when I was safely across the room.

"You need to be fucked. You need to have so much pleasure that you can't stand it. You need someone who watches you every minute, protecting and pleasing you above all else."

I was completely flabbergasted. At no point had I thought any of those words would come out of his mouth.

"I'm not sure that…Seven agrees with you," I finally said.

He ground his teeth in frustration, beginning to stroke my cheek much softer than I thought he was capable of. "Seven can't get out of his own way, and I am done with it. You’re mine, and you're always going to be mine."

The situation felt impossible. I had to admit, I was turned on by the aggressiveness of…George, but who I wanted, who I really wanted, was Seven. Seven…err, George, bent over suddenly and touched his forehead to mine and I was thrust into a dream…a memory.

Two little male monsters were playing in a field right outside a forest filled with crimson-colored pine-looking trees. One of them was counting while the other one ran towards the forest. That one was a monster, who I immediately recognized as Seven. Those violet eyes of his were impossible to miss. Seven slid behind a tree, a huge grin on his face as he hid. As I watched him peek out from behind the trunk to watch for his brother, I could see a group of terrifying monsters with glowing green eyes approaching quietly from behind him. I opened my mouth to scream to him, but no matter how loud I tried to be, the child never glanced over his shoulder. He didn't notice them until they were right behind him, grabbing him with a hand over his mouth so that he couldn't scream for help as his brother began to search for him.

The scene changed. I was in a large warehouse. Seven was in a cage, dark circles under his eyes, looking like he'd lost at least ten pounds. He was curled up in the corner of it, his gaze locked on his dirty feet. Staring around the room, I could see there were cages surrounding him, monsters of all shapes and sizes inside them, all in various stages of starvation and abuse. Seven was weeping quietly. My heart ached as I watched him. Metal screeching across metal filled the room. I turned towards the sound and saw a group of monsters in black uniforms with the same glowing, green eyes as the ones who'd found him in the woods walking inside. I watched as they headed directly to Seven’s cage, taunted him..and then beat him…with their fists and with long black metal sticks that sparked at the ends. His screams filled the air as the scene faded…and then changed.

I was in a cage with little Seven again, and time had clearly passed. He was even smaller, and bruises, cuts, and scrapes peppered his skin. One of the monsters in a nearby cage began to vomit, but the little boy didn't look up; he just kept staring at his feet. A few minutes after that, the monsters who’d kidnapped him came into the room. They dragged Seven from the cage and led him down a hallway, stopping in front of a large door. When the door opened, I saw all sorts of male and female monsters inside, strapped to various pieces of equipment I’d never seen before…The monsters were all being touched…or fucked in different ways. And none of them seemed to be getting any enjoyment out of what was happening, judging by their screams of pain that ripped through the air. I was screaming when they brought Seven into the room, inherently knowing what was going to happen. Whatever George had done, I was caught in that room with Seven, watching the terrible abuse he experienced.

And the memories didn't stop there; they went on and on until I felt almost as broken as Seven was.

The scene finally flicked away from the torture Seven had experienced as a child, and then I was seeing him, very similar to how he was today. Ash was dragging Seven from a battle, his recognizable scars all over him, but fresh. Deep wounds and lashes everywhere. Both of them were covered in dust and blood, and Ash was stumbling as he held Seven up and practically dragged him in front ofher, the beautiful monster I recognized as the Red Queen from the head in the museum. I watched as she refused to help him, ensuring he would be scarred like that forever. I heard Ash’s screams as he begged on his brother’s behalf. I saw Seven’s spirit die even more.

I was dragged from the dream then, the memories that had been shared with me. I was in Ash’s arms, tears streaming down my face and wracking sobs echoing around the room. Nausea was stuck in my throat. It felt like all the happiness had been ripped from the world.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Ash whispered softly as he stroked my hair. I couldn't answer him. I needed to find Seven or George or whoever he was at that moment. I'd never understood a person like I did Seven now, after seeing his past like that. As terrible as it was, it had changed something inside of me, just like the mating bond had. You never really got the opportunity to see what made someone who they turned out to be, but I’d just seen that with Seven. I felt like I almost knew him better than I knew myself.

"Where did he go?" I gasped, struggling out of Ash’s arms.

He immediately let me go

“He left about an hour ago, when you were still unconscious…" Ash growled, "He laid you down on the bed and stormed out of the room.” I whimpered, desperation bleeding in my veins.

"What did George do? What happened?"

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