Page 44 of Mistress Mayhem

I wait until his back is to me before stepping into the open space, sneaking up behind him. By the time he makes it to the table, reaching for one of the dangling cuffs, I’m only about five feet behind him.

“What the fuck?” he hisses.

“It’s simple really,” I say, and he jumps as he spins to face me. “Sometimes I like to play with my dinner. Sometimes I’ll put someone on the table while I hunt down the rest of the trash. It usually draws the others here as he or she flails about and screams for someone to save them. Not that anyone is ever willing to put their necks out to help the person. It’s a lot of fun though. Shall we try it?”

“You’re crazy, bitch.”

I laugh, throwing my head back. “You have no idea, but you really should. After all, it was the four of you who made me into the person I am today. I’m sure you never thought that anyone could escape you. Did it scare the four of you when I did? Did you think I’d spill your secrets to anyone who would listen? You did, didn’t you?”

“But you didn’t. No one knew—no one knows. Why?”

“Because then I wouldn’t be able to have my vengeance. You took an innocent girl and broke her; completely destroyed her. But you also fueled her to become stronger. You taught her that if she wanted something in life, then she would have to take it. She might have been spoiled and had no idea how the world really worked, but when she escaped? She had to learn. She had to become just as hard, just as sick as the men who’d stolen her from the perfect life she’d been living.

“Mistress Mayhem wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for you. How does that make you feel? Knowing that you were part of the reason that she was created. That your actions have caused so many deaths by her hand in the last ten years? That tonight, you’ll die at her hand? And once you’re all dead and gone, I’ll make sure the entire world knows exactly what kind of disgusting pigs you were. That’s all anyone will remember.”

The entire time I’ve been talking, Lawrence hasn’t moved a single inch, but I take a step forward, and it seems to wake him up. His head swivels around as he tries to work out an escape plan, but it’s too late for him. He lurches toward the closest entrance, but I launch myself at him from behind and knock him to the floor.

“Too slow, Lawrence. Now, I can gut you like the pig you are.” He tries to wiggle beneath me, but I press my dagger to the side of his neck, immediately stilling his movement. I move to my knees, nudging him until he rolls on his back until I’m straddling him. My dagger never leaves his neck when I reach for the other one.

I sink it into his side as he lets out a pathetic scream that makes me smile. I push the weapon as far into him as I can before ripping it out, doing as much damage as I can in the process. Blood spills from the wound, soaking my dress, but I don’t care. No, I revel in this feeling.

Lawrence bucks beneath me, finally realizing that this is his end if he doesn’t fight back. I clamp my thighs, holding tight as he tries to push me off of him. The dagger at his neck nicks the skin, while the other sinks back into his gut. He manages to get in one good blow, backhanding me hard enough that I see stars, but it doesn’t stop me.

I pull my right hand back, the dagger still gripping in my hand, and punch him in his ugly ass face as hard as I can. His hands lift as if to block another hit, but I’m not going to hit him again.

While he’s trying to block his face, my dagger is at his throat, slicing it from one side to the other. Blood jets from the wound, confirming that I’ve hit the carotid arteries. It soaks my face and chest as I lean in close.

Lawrence’s hands go to the wound as if to staunch the flow of blood, but it’s much too late for that. His eyes are wide as he stares up at me, and I see the moment he finally accepts that this is the end. A smile stretches across my face as I spit at him, loving the way he flinches.

“I’ll see you in hell, asshole.”

He gurgles as if he wants to speak, but he can’t around the hole in his neck, making my smile grow. I continue to sit there, even as I become more and more soaked in his blood, until the light fades from his eyes and he breathes his last breath.

I drop my head back, staring up at the ceiling as I revel in the kill. I feel some of the weight that has been riding me for the last ten years lift off my shoulders. This is what I’ve needed. This is how I’ll finally be able to move on with my life.

Chapter Twenty-two

Sage

Istartleatthesound of quiet applause, turning around to find Cooper standing there with heat in his eyes. I swallow hard, my body quickly turning into an inferno as he stalks toward me.

I push myself off of Lawrence, leaving my daggers to clatter to the floor as I stand. When he reaches me, his hands come up to cup my face. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you more beautiful than you are right now, princess. Covered in the blood of your enemies. So. Fucking. Hot.”

I don’t even have a chance to respond before his lips are descending on mine. The kiss is filled with desperation on both of our parts, and I practically climb him like a tree to get closer.

Cooper’s hands clasp the back of my thighs, helping me get where I want. Our lips never break as my hands rove over his body, and he walks us across the room. I gasp when my back hits the wall, finally breaking our kiss. The smile Cooper shoots me sends shivers down my spine.

“I’m going to fuck you now, princess. I’m going to take you as his blood cools on your skin, and then I’m going to help you hunt down the next motherfucker until they’re all dead.”

“Yes!” Need courses through me, desire making my words husky as I try to get closer to him—even though we’re pressed together from chest to hips. “I need you inside me, Cooper. Fuck me, please.”

Cooper chuckles, nuzzling my neck, and for a moment, I wonder if the blood bothers him at all. He quickly answers that question for me as his tongue swipes along my skin, taking more than a little blood with it. He adjusts his hold on me until my back is pressed against the wall and he can lean back to stare down at me.

When he reaches between us, pushing the blood-soaked material of my dress to the side so he can stare down at my bare cunt, I whimper. “Now, Coop. Please.”

“So desperate for me—just like you always were.” His hand slips between us, fingers delving into my pussy and moaning. “Did killing that piece of shit get you wet, Sage? Does killing those who have wronged you turn you on?”

“Yes!” I scream, frustration clear in my tone as I buck against his hand. “Get your cock inside me! NOW!”

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