“Please don’t!” Her daughter’s desperate pleas reached me and did nothing but make me think of another woman that had said those words to me that night. I couldn’t wait to get back home to her.

  “Even if I didn’t want to kill you, unfortunately, I don’t have a choice. I made a promise I can’t break.”

  I gripped the woman’s hair and pulled her head back to slit her throat, ensuring Garret’s face served as a siphon. He had begun to shout as I slid the blade in an arc and pulled back, cutting through the woman’s overly tanned flesh as if to sever her head.

  He screamed, then gagged as his wife’s blood spurted into his mouth. I took a step back and let her lifeless body drop. She landed with a soft thud. I didn’t give an impassioned speech or explain why this was happening. Garret knew, and that was all that mattered.

  This was the price of defiance, the cost of breaking our sacred laws. Their remaining daughter was a mess of hysterics. “Get him to level two and finish this.”

  The disciples bowed their heads, one stepping forward to retrieve my blade before I left the room.

  As anticlimactic as this tended to be, it was done. The deed was carried out with precision and a finality that left no room for doubt or remorse. I made my way back to the viewing room where my father waited. His presence was that of a stern advisor and a proud parent. He’d observed with a critical yet approving eye.

  I joined him and sanitized my hands. While the sight and smell of blood were nothing new, I preferred not to carry its remnants unnecessarily. It was a matter of cleanliness, a small ritual that marked the end of one act and the beginning of another. I smiled to myself as the marks on my hand stung from the solution.

  “You handled that efficiently, but with you that’s not surprising,” he remarked with a smile.

  His praise was expected, yet it stirred a sense of accomplishment within me. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a breach.”

  He clasped his hands behind his back, looking through the one-way glass, amusement sparking in his eyes as the blonde attempted to punch a disciple. “Only two this year. Your brother’s already handling the Oblivio.”

  Of course he was. The thorough and meticulous process was something my baby brother took a cold, pragmatic pride in. To infiltrate someone's life and erase it entirely was a power that came with a deep sense of control.

  “He was awake?”

  “The Pleasure House.”

  “Ah.” I canted my head in acknowledgement. At twenty-six, Emilio was four years younger than me and Bishop. He’d yet to make a claim on any single woman—or take a man in to serve him.

  He wasn’t as bad as our cousin, though, who’d fucked his way through the entire Pleasure House at least twice.

  The new girl wouldn’t be untouched by him for long, if that’s where she wound up.

  Our conversation naturally shifted to Lolita.

  “How is our girl settling in?”

  If anyone beyond my immediate family dared to call Lolita anything less than mine, I’d rip their throats out. She was special to all of them. Promised to the Alistairs. A dark deity to our faith. Everything to me.

  “I know she will embrace her role in time. She's everything she was meant to be, and more.”

  “But?” he urged me to continue.

  It took me a moment to reveal my thoughts. There wasn’t anyone I trusted more than my family, and my father had firsthand experience with his own Electi—my precious mother. With Lolita being home and having an opportunity to observe her so closely, I knew my initial assessment was spot on.

  The problem was laid within her mind.

  “She’s having a harder time accepting what and who she’s meant to be than she does our way of life.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “I spoke with Esther about her memorizing sections of the codex.”

  “She told me about that too. I haven’t brought that up yet.”

  “Would you like my advice?”

  “I always appreciate your input.”

  He turned his head towards me, eyes meeting a pair so much like my own, a sharp intelligence behind them. “Fear, doubt, and insecurity can be crippling. I imagine she’s feeling a variation of those emotions.”

  “She is,” I agreed with a deep sigh.

  “If it were me, I wouldn’t shield her from the Isle. It will do a lot of the groundwork for you. Whatever it can’t do, our family will. Just be her center. Reinforce and direct as necessary. Punish and reward the same.”

  That was clear and concise.

  I’d approached this arrangement the way I had thinking it would be best to gradually ease Lolita into things. If I allowed things to unravel naturally, I could put his advice to use.

  “You’re probably right.”

  “I’m always right,” he corrected in jest.

  I laughed and took a step away from the window. “Will you be going back home?”

  “Until I need to be at the Chapel.” He turned and placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “I’ll be up if you need me.”

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  He dropped his hand and left the room, no doubt eager to return to my mother. By the time I stepped into the hall, he was long gone. The prison was completely silent. A strong antiseptic scented the air, an after-effect of sterilization.

  The disciples had already moved Garret’s dead wife to the incinerator then. I made a mental note to check on the boy. Children were precious, after all—more so when they belonged to me and the people of the Isle, as that young one now did.

  Garret and the older daughter would be locked away together on the second level. The guards would take turns using each of them until they were bored, and then they’d be burned as well. Whether they’d be alive or not when it happened was debatable.

  They could keep them around for days or months. I left that to their discretion. These people would cease to exist in the outside world after tonight, and they deserved some entertainment in their day-to-day lives. The ones that belonged to our society were mostly off-limits until it was time for them to be judged or executed, and I wasn’t the only one on the Isle with a penchant for darker proclivities.

  Phoenix’s entire basement almost put Carcerem to shame.

  I called the elevator and stepped inside, pressing the button for level three. Closed inside, I found myself momentarily enveloped in a strangely serene environment. The polished steel walls of the lift reflected the soft lighting, creating a brief respite from the relentless pace of my duties. A small screen flickered with each passing level, a sign that this was a descent into a world much different from the one beyond these stone walls.

  The doors slid open for floor three, revealing the stark contrast of the levels before it. The hallway was narrow and dimly lit, the light casting long, somber shadows. Here, the air felt heavier, charged with a tangible sense of despair that seemed to permeate from the walls. This level housed those who were awaiting my judgement.

  I’d made at least four of the people held here wait nearly a year so far simply because I could. The corridor was lined with cells, each housing a single occupant. The bare essentials were provided: a bed, a toilet, a sink. Nothing more, nothing less. As I walked past, I saw various reactions from the few occupants we had.

  Some sat in silence, resigned to their fate, while others paced restlessly. Their eyes followed me, a blend of fear and a begrudging respect evident in their gazes—even Nicolette’s. I’d be dealing with her tomorrow evening.

  With each step I took, the atmosphere grew denser. The clean scent of antiseptic from the upper floor was now replaced by a faint odor of despair and human sweat and piss. My power was absolute in this domain, a fact I was well aware of as I approached my intended destination.

  I stopped at a cell midway down the corridor, set apart from the others by a brick wall. This particular cell was designed for isolation, a place where one could reflect on their choices without the distraction of other prisoners. I peered through the barred window, finding Anya inside.

  She was sitting on the edge of her cot, her posture one of solid resolve despite her circumstances. A bloodied bundle was in a far corner, another beneath her. She hadn’t been given anything for her cycle. The smell of old menstrual blood was potent.

  I could admit that she was a beautiful woman, even in her current state, but I’d meant what I said to Lolita at dinner. She was leagues above all other women in my eyes for everything she was on the inside as well as the out.

  As for Anya…I truly felt nothing but disdain for her.

  It wasn’t solely because she was a slut that would fuck her way through my Magistri Tenebrarum for status and money.

  She represented an aspect of Lolita's past, a connection to a life that had no place in the future I was meticulously crafting for us. Whatever void was left by the erasure of Lolita’s old life I would fill with my presence, my ideals, and my love.

  She didn’t need anything or anyone else when she had me. I would give her a family. I’d give her friends too, ones that wouldn’t happily fuck her husband or drag her down every time they crashed and burned.

  Finally sensing my arrival, Anya’s dark eyes met mine, a mix of anger and a flicker of fear dancing in their depths.

  "Diabolus," she greeted with forced bravado, her voice laced with bitterness.

  She’d gotten a crash course on who I was the night she arrived, and fortunately for her, she hadn’t forgotten it.

  She’d been under the misconception I wanted her and hadn’t shut the fuck up about me being an obsessed psychopath.

  It was offensive.

  I’d sooner stick my dick in a meat grinder.

  “I’m going to keep this brief. In two days’, time you will be evaluated and assessed. The result of that assessment will determine where you end up—whether it be breathing or dead.”

  Her eyes narrowed. "Is this where you tell me you'll change your mind and let me out of this cell if I beg? Or should I promise to be good?" The defiance in her voice grew stronger, but there was an undercurrent of desperation, too.

  “When has begging me for anything ever gotten you anywhere? In all honestly, I don’t want you to do anything but cease to exist. In fact, that’s a win for both of us and a guarantees you’ll be free of this cell. You just have to leave it as a corpse.”

  Anya's eyes flashed with anger and fear, her posture stiffening as she processed my words. "You're a monster," she spat out.

  I laughed lightly. She had no idea. If I had a dollar for every time I’d been called that, I would be a little richer than I already was. I slipped my hand into my pocket and turned away, pretending I was done with this whole debacle.

  “Wait, please don’t go," she called out. “You took my friend… Have you hurt her?”

  “Depends. What’s your friend’s name?”

  Her jaw clenched. “Have you hurt any of the girls you took?”

  Hm. She didn’t want to tell me Lolita’s name. I paused, feigning contemplation as her plea echoed in the cramped cell.

  “Hurt her?" I fixed my gaze back on her dirt-streaked face, a sardonic smile playing on my lips.

  "The fascinating thing about my Lolita is how she finds pleasure intertwined with pain. It’s a beautiful thing."

  Anya's face contorted with a mixture of horror and disbelief. "You're lying," she accused, though the uncertainty in her voice betrayed her.

  “You’re not anyone I would feel the need to lie to. In that regard, it’s only fair for you to know that whatever friendship you had with Lolita is over now.”

  She rapidly shook her head back and forth. “I-I don’t understand. What the hell are you planning to do with her?”

  “Whatever I want.”

  “If you hurt her, I’ll—”

  “You’ll what? Curse me from inside your cell all through the night?”

  The look of defeat that slowly crept into her eyes was deeply satisfying. The most pitiful thing about Anya was that she wasn’t stupid.

  She thought like a man and behaved like a vapid viper, and that ruined anything decent about her. She’d fucked so many men, she probably had no idea which one she’d pissed off enough that I was asked to hold her here. Not that I wasn’t benefiting from it too, though I preferred to see her rotting body instead of this living one.

  Having what I needed, I turned to leave, giving her one last cutting truth. "Anya, unlike you, Lolita is much more than just a captive. She's everything to me. Find solace in knowing she will experience pleasures and riches that are beyond your wildest imaginations, far exceeding anything you've ever known or attempted to obtain.”

  Her eyes widened, the defeat turning to anger and an acute sadness. She bowed her head and looked down at the ground. “As long as she’s safe. I can keep myself safe, too.”

  “Excellent pep talk. You’ve got great spirit,” I deadpanned, and because I was an asshole that couldn’t help myself, I asked, “Do you want to know the best part about this?”

  “Just tell me,” she whispered brokenly.

  “She didn’t have to fuck half a nation to get it. She only had to come home." With those final words, I left her alone with the reality of her situation.

  As I walked down the dimly lit corridor, the idea of visiting someone else flickered through my mind. The lower levels of Carcerem held many secrets, two of them belonging to me. But tonight, my thoughts were elsewhere.

  I returned to the upper level and exited the prison, the decision I’d come to further solidifying as I approached my car. I slid into the driver’s seat, cellphone in hand. I dialed my father as I reversed.

  “Are you just now leaving?” he answered with a question.

  “Pulling out now to head home.” I sat my phone in the cup holder once the Bluetooth connected. “I’m going to take your advice.”

  “If you recall, this was mostly your idea to begin with. You changed your mind twice.”

  “Thank you for reminding me.”

  His laugh carried through the speaker. “I’m going to see her after tomorrow’s Tenebris Consummatum.”

  “Good. You should.” I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, plotting how I was going to give her the first ring I had made. The second was for our final binding.

  “The day after, bring her here for brunch. If she can meet me, she can meet the rest of our family. They’ve waited just as long for her.”

  “She’ll be there,” I promised, thinking of my mother and the rest of our family.

  We hung up shortly after, agreeing to fill in the others when we got to the office. They had a vested interest in this, too. I wouldn’t have made it this far without the men that were always in my corner, the rare few I considered family without sharing a drop of blood.

  I arrived back home in record timing, feeling a weight I hadn’t realized I was shouldering lifted off me. I climbed the staircase and slipped into the bedroom. Lolita was still sound asleep, facing away from me. I started to undress as I approached the bed and looked down at her. A sense of certainty settled over me.

  I had told her that our life together would be akin to a fairy tale, and I meant every word. It wouldn't be the kind of story that people read to their children at bedtime, though. Ours would be a tale laced with blood and sin, but it would be uniquely ours.

  The path to get there wouldn’t be any easier than the one I had already set her on. It would be excruciatingly difficult for both of us. My biggest struggle would be letting her in. I’d never had to work so hard; I hadn’t cared this much. I’d been afraid of pushing Lolita too far too fast.

  I didn’t have to break her.

  I had to make sure she didn’t shatter completely when I put her back together with a few extra pieces.

  Stygian Isle was my greatest ally and asset. Our doctrine and way of life. The truth she’d never known.

  Everything was here.

  Including her mother.

  SEMPER

  Now I had to decide, would I become what he needed, or risk everything just to die by his hand?

  (Double check your triggers and one-click)

  PRE-ORDER

  DUET PLAYLIST

  (Spotify)

  Daughter--Youth

  The Beach--The Neighborhood

  Grandson--Blood // Water

  Billie Eilish—Lovely

  Just Loud—Angels and Demons

  The Killers—When You Were Young

  Bad Omens—Just Pretend

  Adele—Love in The Dark

  Halsey—Bells in Santa Fe

  Lana Del Rey—Cinnamon Girl

  Banks—Drowning

  Mr. Kitty—After Dark

  Lana Del Rey—Happiness is a butterfly

  Paris Paloma—Labour

  Daisy Gray—Wicked Game

  Breaking Benjamin Angels Fall

  Marilyn Manson—Personal Jesus

  Dzanum—Teya Dora

  Conan Gray—Family Line

  BANKS--contaminated

  In This Moment—Whore 1983

  Stateless—Bloodstream

  Camilla Cabello—Shameless

  Taylor Swift—My Tears Ricochet

  Lana Del Rey—Say Yes to Heaven

  Ruelle—War of Hearts

  Amber Run—I Found

  The Weeknd—One of The Girls Sleep

  Kasey Musgraves—Can’t Help Falling in Love

  Token—Chokehold

  X Ambassadors—Devastation

  Luisa Sonza—La Muerte

  Billie Eilish—What Was I Made For?

  Miles Hardt—Sweet and Dark

  Ed Sheeran—Perfect

  Lana Del Rey—Chemtrails Over Country Club

  David Kushner—Dead Man

  Ava—Famy

  Florence + Machine—Heavy in Your Arms

  Warren Zeiders—Sin So Sweet

  Dove Cameron--Sand

  Indila—Tourner Dans Le Vide

  Sia—Angel By The Wings

  Ari Abdul—Cursed

  Dermot Kennedy—Without Fear

  Ari Abdul—Babydoll

  Isak Danielson—Power