Flesh and lead mixed with the spongy fat hanging precariously from the gaping wound, reminding me of shredded meat.

  I could visibly see the carnage done to the tissue. The mangled nub seemed to gush blood in sync with his frantic screams.

  “What the fuck?” His brother instantly knelt beside him, removing his shirt to use as a tourniquet. The result was him carelessly pulling off more flesh to secure it.

  Jacob’s wails continued to fill the room. I could’ve listened to his agonizing cries all fucking night, but he wasn’t the main attraction—just collateral.

  “Shut him up,” I said to Amo.

  Without a word, he slammed the butt of the gun into the side of Jacob’s head, ignoring Tyson begging for him to stop. He hit him once, twice, the third time being the charm and leaving only a small wound.

  Their mother wailed and started to rush towards him. I pushed off the wall and grabbed her by the bun on her head. She cried out as I swung her full circle into Knox’s chest. He caught her in his arms and snarled at me like a dog, too big of a pussy to step forward and do anything else.

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  “If you haven’t figured it out yet, just remember me as your biggest regret.”

  I looked between him and his mother, thoroughly unimpressed.

  My mom would’ve never stood for this shit. Then again, that comparison wasn’t all that fair. My father—Grimm—would never let her wind up in this kind of situation again.

  “I suggest you get started, or the next slug might be in his head.”

  Knox muttered a choked-up apology, then proceeded to remove his mother’s dress. I didn’t see what the big deal was. There wasn’t anything impressive about her body. Her tits were as white as powder—shaped like cucumbers.

  Once her dress was on the floor, Knox finally surprised me. He cocked his arm and swung. His fist connected with his mom’s face with a resounding thwack, knocking her glasses clean off. She dropped to the floor, sobbing so intensely she choked on her own breath.

  “I’m sorry, Ma.” Knox crouched down and helped her back up.

  He cradled her to his chest, sounding as if he were about to cry himself.

  “You satisfied?” he seethed, glaring at me with pure hatred.

  I loved it.

  “I give the hit a five out of ten. Your form needs some work. And you forgot the kiss. That’s all right, though. Seeing her down on the floor like that gave me an even better idea. I think she should just go all out and suck your dick. What do you guys think?”

  “Oh, I certainly think that would be a sight to see,” Amo agreed.

  “Lil?” I turned to look at her.

  She didn’t even hesitate. “That’s the least she could do, since they hurt Hannah.”

  “What is wrong with you?” Tyson yelled, still struggling to stop Jacob from bleeding out.

  “What’s wrong with me?” I pointed to myself. “I’m doing this for your brother. I just saved him from a case of blue balls.”

  “I’ll do anything but that,” Knox rasped.

  “Oh, really? How about you get down on your knees and suck my dick, then?”

  “Will that spare her?” Knox asked.

  “This is truly a new level of entertainment,” Amo stated, laughing hard.

  Knox ignored him and began to full blown beg. “Please. I’ll do anything. You want supplies? A lag supply?”

  “Stop,” I demanded coolly. “I loathe your kind the most. You’re pathetic. You’re weak. You don’t deserve to stand in the same room or breathe the same air as me.”

  Someone should’ve taken this shithole out a long time ago. I stepped forward and grasped the back of his mother’s neck, forcing her down to her knees. “Better drop your jeans, Knox. Your family’s lives depend on it.”

  From my peripheral, I saw Lilith shift slightly closer to Jin, her eyes trained on Knox and his mom.

  “You have three seconds.”

  “Ple—” the older woman tried to beg.

  “Two,” I interjected.

  Amo cocked the gun, and the woman quickly got into the correct position. With shaking hands, she undid her son’s jeans, face stained with tears. She mouthed an apology, reaching for his limp dick.

  I didn’t fully understand the need for theatrics. These people kept their relations in the family. Was Mom off limits? If that were the case, she didn’t hesitate as much as I thought she would.

  She closed her mouth around the sad bit of flesh, holding it tight with one hand. It wasn’t that big, but he was gradually getting hard. Knox closed his eyes and clenched his fist, his entire body tense. I watched on for about five minutes before I got bored. Where was the vigor?

  “Faster,” I commanded.

  She let out a breathy sob, obliging.

  “And stop acting like you haven’t sucked a dick before. Take it all.”

  It took her a few seconds, but she complied. Excess saliva dripped from her lips, gradually coating her son’s balls every time they hit her chin. Knox’s dick was hard now, and a line of sweat had formed across his brow.

  Was he trying not to come? I guess that didn’t matter. Him getting off wasn’t a reward I wanted to grant. His mom swallowing her grandkids would’ve been a nice bonus for their humiliation, though.

  I turned to look at Lilith. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded, uncharacteristically silent. I’m sure there were a million plots going through her pretty little head. I would chain her to my fucking side before she got the chance to run away again.

  I looked back at Amo and rolled my shoulders. “Let’s finish this.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  He tried to run.

  When he realized Mal had no intention of letting them out of this alive, Tyson jumped up and ran, leaving one brother passed out on the floor and the other with his dick in their mom’s mouth.

  Amo swung the gun around and pulled the trigger. The shell found a home in the lower left cheek of Tyson’s ass. He went spiraling forward, colliding with the wall. I was struck by a wave of déjà vu, reminded of the scene back in Phobos.

  The gun going off had Tammy springing away from Knox, letting out a screech that had me cringing. She jumped up and rushed to Tyson’s side. Amo tried to shoot her too, getting a clicking noise in response.

  “Damn, I’m out of shells.” He flipped the gun around and slammed the butt into the back of the woman’s head.

  “Stop!” Knox attempted to go to his mother’s aide without bothering to tuck himself away.

  He rushed right into Mal’s gambit. The expression on his face was priceless. He looked down where the metallic colored handle was sticking out of his upper navel as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  “You didn’t think you’d get out of this situation unscathed, did you?” Mal pulled the knife out and gave one forceful shove.

  Knox careened backward. He met with the dining room table and fell over it, landing on top of broken glass and saucy beans.

  “Grab that old bitch and let’s go,” he directed at Amo.

  He glanced at me and held his hand out.

  “What about Hannah?”

  “Fuck her.”

  I stepped back and glared at him. “No. She’s still alive!”

  Something flashed in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. He wasn’t showing it on the outside, but I knew on the inside he probably wanted to kill me here and now.

  “I’ll meet you out front,” Amo stated, carrying Tammy out of the room, cradled in one arm like a football.

  Without another word spoken to me, Samael walked over to Hannah and crouched down.

  Looking me dead in the eye, he grabbed her head and lifted her up, keeping one boot on her side.

  He twisted with so much force his muscles visibly flexed.

  There was a faint pop, the snapping of her neck.

  “A miracle occurred. She’s no longer alive,” he mused, dropping her now lifeless body.

  I could only stare at him. Why did he look at me like that? He’d clearly misunderstood what I meant. I’d wanted her dead too. She would be no good to us alive, and leaving her here like this would’ve been too cruel.

  He purposely stepped on her as he made his way back to me, grabbing hold of my hand.

  “We’re going now.”

  “Jacob and Knox are alive too,” I managed to say as we crossed the foyer. I’d heard them both groaning and breathing heavily as we exited the room.

  “That’s because I’m not done yet.”

  What did he mean by that?

  I followed along, letting him lead me out of the house. The proselyte that had come in with him silently trailed us.

  Outside, the lights from two Brabuses and the barn partially lit our darkened surroundings. A few bodies of people I didn’t recognize were scattered in the driveway.

  Takara, Poet, and Cherry all stood beside one of the box-shaped SUVs. They seemed to be okay, watching what was happening with the mother.

  A large toolbox of sorts sat between Brody and another proselyte. They created a tag on the barn door, marking this place as Lazarus. The insignia was a lot like the Savages, to the point that some people got confused. I think Mal did that on purpose. It was the opposite of how Travis has described it in Phobos—not hidden at all.

  Amo approached Brody with Tammy still in his possession. Those two and the proselyte worked quickly to attach her in the center of the insignia, starting with her wrists.

  The proselyte held her up while Brody pinned her arm so Amo could insert what looked like a large chunk of metal through her wrist.

  The air filled with the echo of hammering and her painful wails. I wondered if they would do her feet, too. It would be agonizing enough just to be left dangling by the wrists. All her body weight would be resting on those two screws.

  Gravity would soon stress all her muscles, joints, and ligaments. They’d be overextended. Her arms would certainly pop out of their sockets at this point.

  Takara finally noticed me, sparing a glance for Samael. I wanted to go to them, but, as if he could read my mind, Samael’s grip tightened to the point I had to muffle a squeak of protest. He led me to one of the Brabuses and pulled open the passenger side door.

  “Get in.”

  I didn’t have the energy to battle with him, nor did I dare to test his mood right now. I climbed into the car without any resistance and settled against the leather seat. Mal slammed the door shut without sparing me a second glance and then disappeared back inside the farmhouse.

  I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

  When I came to, I had been covered with a soft throw and we were no longer at the rodeo grounds.

  Readjusting, I sat up stiffly and looked around, gathering my bearings.

  I looked in the backseat, seeing only the two proselytes. I could only assume Takara and Poet were in the SUV trailing us. I faced forward again, viewing Samael in my peripheral. He kept his attention on the road ahead.

  There was so much to say, but I couldn’t find the ability to speak. Where did you start when you knew your ignorance had epically fucked everything up? An apology would seem like mockery.

  For so long, I’d done whatever I could to try and push him away. All of it had been for nothing, but that didn’t matter much when the irreparable damage was already done. In this situation, was it better to say nothing at all? I looked at my lap, wishing I could go back to the exact moment we wound up on this crash course.

  “You have nothing to say?”

  His tone gave nothing away, and he still wouldn’t look at me.

  “I’m sorry I let you down. I’m sorry…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I had too much to apologize for.

  It wasn’t just him I owed an apology to. My regrets were vast and plenty, as was my anger, but not for the reasons one might think. I was sorry I hurt those that cared about me the most. I was angry about the betrayals and suffering endured on both sides of the metaphorical line. I mourned all the hearts I broke.

  Theirs.

  His.

  Mine.

  “Nothing is right.”

  I leaned my head against the window, not bothering to ask where we were going. From the aches and bruises on my body to the ones on my soul, it all hurt. There was no one to blame for this other than myself. I don’t know why I made a habit of fucking my life up.

  I’d become a wrecking ball on legs, single-handedly wreaking havoc on anyone who got too close to me.

  Samael was far from perfect, but he didn’t deserve this.

  I wasn’t worth it.

  PART TWO

  So is this a path of glory

  Or a dead end to a lonely saddened story.

  Sadistik

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  My curiosity gave me something other than the suffocating silence to focus on. We’d been driving for a solid two hours with me still having no idea where we were or where we were going. It couldn’t be the lodging site. We would have gotten there by now.

  Trees began to take shape on either side of the road. Samael slowed and took a right turn, driving onto a dirt path I had failed to notice.

  I wondered how he knew this road existed but didn’t dare to ask. The terrain went from smooth to uneven. All I saw was woodland. Samael drove deeper into it, taking the Brabus cautiously around a sharp bend. I began to feel a little nervous.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “Isn’t this a good place to hide a couple of bodies?”

  I crossed my arms and made a point to look out the window. He went around another bend, and then the terrain sloped slightly down. There was a clinking noise from the back end of the SUV and a sudden noticeable resistance, like something had gotten caught.

  I leaned forward and squinted at the side mirror, unable to see anything due to how dark it was. The clinking turned into the sound of something being dragged.

  “Don’t you hear that?”

  “It’s Knox.”

  “Knox…?”

  I trailed off, momentarily forgetting all about him. Samael took another turn and was now heading straight towards a massive structure that a small crowd of people lingered outside.

  There were lights strung from the main building—which looked an awful lot like an old barn—to the one somewhat behind it. The large insignia painted on each building gave away the fact that this place had existed for some time.

  Everyone turned to watch the two-vehicle procession as it rolled by. Samael veered to the left and pretty much coasted the Brabus into a parking spot. The second followed his lead. He switched off the ignition and then got out, coming around to open my door for me.

  It wasn’t done from a sense of chivalry.

  I unhooked my seatbelt before he got to my side of the car.

  He grabbed me none too gently, not letting go even after my feet were on solid ground. I took the few second he gave me to look around, noticing that some of the people outside were donning the near black proselyte robes and the rest were wearing regular clothes.

  “Let’s go.”

  Samael took hold of my elbow and started walking towards the larger of the two buildings. Hearing the other set of car doors slam, I looked back in time to see Takara, Poet, and Cherry being ushered out of the SUV by Amo of all people.

  I also got a look at what was hanging from the back of not only Samael’s ride, but Amo’s too. When he’d said it was Knox a few minutes ago, he’d been being literal. Well, at least, it was what remained of Knox.

  From the Brabus’ hitch, a thick chain extended and wrapped around Knox’s legs, binding them together.

  His head had been sloppily severed along with his right arm. What remained was three mangled limbs and a skinned and bloodied torso. The second vehicle had one mere leg leftover from whichever Roboy had been attached to it.

  I’d dozed off when Samael went back inside the farmhouse and missed him dragging Knox out. I must’ve been more exhausted than I initially thought to have slept through that whole spectacle. I found that to be disturbing. Not what he’d done—me sleeping while it happened.

  As we headed towards what I could now see was a house of sorts, the people lingering about were all quick to get out of the way. I caught a few insignias, but they weren’t all the same.

  “Welcome back, our liege,” a woman greeted as we passed her.

  Liege?

  Samael didn’t respond, but I knew he’d heard.

  We entered the building through a side door, stepping into an open concept floor plan. The ceiling was high, made up of thick wooden beams the same color as the floor. Everything about it seemed to be a step up from the lodges. From outside appearances, I wasn’t expecting that.

  Three people were inside, and two of them were sporting head masks while the other only wore a robe. It was just like at the camp.

  Samael took me upstairs and down a hall, pushing open the second to last door on the right. As soon as I crossed the threshold, my confusion grew tenfold. He used his boot to shut us inside, and I took in the space.

  There was a large bed against the main wall, made up in deep blue and black linen. Two nightstands that matched a dresser to the right sat on either side of it. But the furniture wasn’t the main source of my confusion. In fact, it was trivial.

  I was perplexed about everything else I was seeing. This bedroom was clearly his. The scent of him lingered, and a few miscellaneous items I knew belonged to him caught my attention.

  “You need to take a shower.”

  There was no way in hell that’s all he had to say.

  Well, he wasn’t wrong, but was he seriously not going to explain any of this? I’d been holding back questioning him because I felt as if I had no right to do so, given what I’d done, but this was too much. I pulled my arm free and took a step away from him.

  “What’s going on? What is this place?”

  The look I received was almost enough to make me abandon any line of questioning.

  “That’s the last thing you need to be worried about,” he replied levelly.