Page 23 of Harbingers

QUINN

The room is covered in darkness, an oppressive silence that suffocates my senses. Fear courses through my veins like a deadly poison, every heartbeat a stark reminder of the danger I'm in.

I know I'm about to die. I can't tell you how exactly. It's like the scent of death is in the air. Malakhi may want me, and Dominic might have let him take me, but their words are thinly veiled as threats. I'm not going to make it out of this warehouse alive, and no one knows how deep my obsession runs with unraveling the story of the Harbingers. I'm going to end up just another act of violence in Hazelwood.

Dominic stands before me, a shadow in the dimly lit room, his presence a sinister specter that sends a chill down my spine. His eyes are cold, devoid of any hint of emotion.

My wrists ache from the restraints that bind me, the metal cuffs biting into my skin as I struggle in vain to free myself. I can feel the weight of my impending doom, a relentless countdown to the end of my life. There's no escape, no way out of this nightmare.

Malakhi, preoccupied with his own thoughts and desires, remains oblivious to the unfolding tragedy.

Dominic's gloved hand reaches out, his fingers cold and unyielding as they close around my throat. Panic surges within me, a desperate need for air that's denied by his cruel grip. I gasp, my vision blurring as darkness edges in from the corners of my sight.

“Such a delicate little throat. Tell me, do you like to be throat fucked?” Those are the last words I hear before a sharp pain engulfs me, and then the adrenaline kicks in.

This is it. The dark is beckoning my final descent into oblivion. I think of the life I've lived, the choices I've made, the darkness I've chased in pursuit of a story. It's led me here, to this moment, where I'm confronted with the consequences of my obsession.

I want to scream, to fight, to claw my way back to the light. But the room is a prison, Dominic is my executioner, and there's no escape from the fate that's been sealed. My world narrows to a pinpoint, the abyss swallowing me whole, and as I gasp for a breath that will never come, I'm forced to accept the harsh reality of my choices and the unrelenting darkness that's consumed me.

CHAPTER15

KHI

Dominic choked Quinn out as she woke up, hazily looking at us as I tied her up. The tension hangs thick in the air, an invisible storm brewing between Dom and me. The old warehouse, our once-secret sanctuary, feels like a battleground now, the echoes of our argument reverberating in the silence. We stand facing each other, our gazes locked, a tempest of emotions swirling within us.

"You can't seriously be considering this, Khi," Dominic's voice is sharp, his eyes blazing with anger.

I hold his gaze, my resolve unwavering despite the conflict that simmers beneath the surface. “I’m invested in her, Dom. I want her and look at her. She wants me, too. Hell, she wants to be in a brother sandwich, don’t you, little snoop? We can't just kill her now.”

His jaw tightens, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "You're deluded if you think we can just keep her as some twisted pet. She's a liability, Malakhi, and one I’m not willing to take on. You’re the only goddamn liability I care to have."

The words are a slap in the face, a stark reminder of the fractures that have emerged in our once-unbreakable brotherhood. We used to be united, bound by blood and sex. But now, the distance has consumed us, twisted our motives, and fueled this division that threatens to tear us apart.

"I want her," I argue, my voice firm. "If we kill her, that doesn’t change the fact."

Dominic's expression is hard, his gaze unyielding as he meets my eyes. "You're blinded by some sick infatuation, Khi. You that hard up to know what pussy feels like…is that what this is?"

My fists clench at my sides, a surge of anger coursing through me. "She fucking consumes me. That can’t be a mistake. She makes me feel like you do, and I can’t, no, I won’t let that go. I want her with or without you."

He takes a step closer, his voice low and dangerous. "I won't let her ruin us."

A bitter laugh escapes me, laced with frustration. "You think killing her will make this all disappear? I’m in too deep, Dom. There's no going back now."

His gaze narrows further as he stares straight through me. "So, what's your plan, Khi? Keep her leashed up like a bitch in heat? Let her watch us destroy more lives as you use and abuse her?"

A soft gasp hits my ears, and I know she must have heard that last part. Dominic only stole her breath for a few minutes at best. Why he chose to do all that is odd, but if that’s what he needed in that moment to finally fucking actually talk to me, then I’m cool with that.

My anger surges, a fire that's been smoldering now roaring to life. “Please shut the fuck up. She’s come to love being chained to me, and I’m many things, but I have no need to rape her. She wants us, and if you would just open your eyes and embrace it, then we could both have a new plaything.”

He scoffs, his bitterness palpable. "I have no use for pussy. Been there and had that. I have no use for any hole that is not yours. How do you not fucking understand that? Jesus Christ, do you need me to say it? I love you. I am in love with you as much as someone like me can be. You are fucking it."

Dominic's words hang in the air, a revelation that cuts through the tension between us like a knife. The weight of his confession settles over me, a mixture of shock and elation swirling within me.

I meet his gaze, my emotions a chaotic storm as I try to process the magnitude of his words. Love, it's a concept that's always felt foreign to us.

"You love me?" I whisper, my voice shaky, as if saying the words aloud will make them real.

Dominic's expression is raw, vulnerable, a stark contrast to the walls he's always built around himself. "Yeah, Khi. I do."

---