[Rosalie’s POV]
“You're shaking like a limb,” Diego chuckles, finding amusement in my fear. “What exactly do you fear I will do? Do you think I will fuck you here in the open for all to watch? Or do you think I will kill you?”
Opening my mouth, I prepare to respond with the latter but remain silent, knowing my response didn't matter.
“Just do it!” I hiss, closing my eyes. “Why waste time taunting when you've already won?”
For a moment, Diego doesn't speak, and all that can be heard are groans and guttural snarls that indicate that the hunt is over and all those who have been auctioned lost. And when he continues to remain silent, I open my eyes to find that he is looking down at me with disgust in his eyes as he too listens to what is happening around us.
“Is that what you want?” He suddenly asks, taking me by surprise. “For me to rape you right here and now?”
My eyes widen as I take in each and every one of his words, which are laced with venom. Wasn't that why he bought me so that he could do as he pleased? If not, then what exactly was his reasoning, and why did he remove my shirt?
“I hate to break it to you, little criminal,” he continues, baring his teeth in rage. “I am not one to force myself on anyone, and when I do fuck, my partners are willing participants.”
“Then why…” I begin, but stop as he pulls something from his back pocket. It looks like a simple box, but when he opens it, I see a glowing ring.
With wide eyes, I watch as he puts it on his finger and then brings it down between my breasts, burning the flesh there.
“STOP!” I shriek, unable to ignore the burning pain I’m feeling while the scent of charred flesh reaches my nose, threatening to make me hurl. “PLEASE!”
At my words, Diego pulls away the ring and takes in his handy work, and once he is sure that it is to his liking, he gets off of me.
For a moment, I don’t move as I examine his proud face while trying to determine exactly what it was that he was even up to. If he didn’t buy me to use me as a toy, then what other reason was there?
“Get up,” he orders when I continue to not move. “Don’t you dare think I’m going to pick you up.”
Despite his words, I continue to lay there, listening to the sounds around me and fixing my gaze on the labyrinth ahead. What exactly would happen if I were to just get up and run again? Would he kill me for my lack of obedience? I was half-tempted to try.
“Do it, and you’ll regret it,” Diego warns, seeming to read my mind. “I’ve already won this game.”
Giving the chance at freedom one last look, I slowly get to my feet, and once I’m up, my throat is being cuffed and I’m being yanked.
Eyes widening, I reach up and claw at the collar that Diego has placed on me, making me no better than an animal.
“Did you think I was just going to let you follow on your own?” He chuckles. “You’re my pet, and as such, you should be treated like one.”
Pet. He was saying that I was a pet and much lower than a sex slave or breeder.
‘Kill him,’ the darkness hisses, attempting to come forward only to be blocked by some invisible force. ‘What?’
Instantly, shock rushes through me as I understand the purpose of the collar.
He knows. Diego knows what I’m capable of, and this collar he has placed on me is his way of making sure that I don’t retaliate and attempt to kill him like I did my husband and his bastard guard dogs.
“Don’t look so shocked,” Diego calls, watching me over his shoulder. “Did you really think I would allow you to freely use your gift?”
Gift? Was he really calling the thing that threatened to consume me on a daily basis a gift? If anything, it was a curse. One that would end up destroying not only me but all those around me one day.
“Don’t just stand there!”
Gasping, I find myself being pulled forward so that I’m sent crashing to the hard earth below, and instead of stopping to allow me the chance to get up, Diego continues to move, dragging me along behind him while all those present watch in amusement. It is only when we reach the exit of the labyrinth that he pulls me up by my leash to show me and my marked body to the crowd.
“You see this woman!” He booms, continuing to hold me up while the collar around my throat chokes me. “She is mine, and if any of you dare to touch her, I’ll fucking kill you without a second thought.”
“Why?” I hiss, not understanding the point of him staking his claim on me like this. “Why are you doing all of this?”
“Because you’ve got something I need,” he responds simply, releasing me, so I go crashing to the ground once more. “And once I’ve used you to the foolest, I’ll personally kill you with my own hands.”
After that, I’m dragged forward and out of the game arena, where I am thrown into the trunk of a car. Once I’m in place, it is slammed shut, leaving me in complete darkness that reminds me too much of my dark cell back in Blood Moon.
“No,” I whisper as the phantoms from that time begin to swarm me. “No! Go away! Please!” I cry, feeling their claws scraping against my skin. “PLEASE LET ME OUT! NO!”
However, no amount of pleading frees me. Instead, I feel the car jerk forward, taking me from my latest hell to another, while I wish that it would just all end.
“Please let me die!” I beg the goddess while squeezing my eyes shut in hopes of making the phantoms disappear. “Please just end my misery!”
“I can’t.”
The voice is faint, so faint that I’m not sure if I heard it or if I imagined it.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?” I gasp, my eyes flying open. “Why?”
Nothing more is said after that, and I truly begin to think that I just imagined the whole thing, but something deep down in me knows that what I heard was the goddess. But why couldn’t she end me and free me of this pain? Was she forsaking me just like everyone else had in my life?
‘You’re alone,’ the darkness giggles. ‘All alone! You’re a monster, and no one will ever love or want you!’
‘You’re right,’ I respond, curling in on myself. ‘I’m a monster.’
I was a monster from the moment I was born. That was the reason mom’s village didn’t accept me and the reason I was locked away, and now it was the reason I would be used as a tool for Diego.
[Rosalie’s POV]My first week in the Moon Storm pack was exactly as I expected it to be. I was treated like nothing more than a pet, as Diego promised.When I wasn't leashed to his side, I was in a cage in his room, where I had to bear witness to everything from him fucking to his daily routine—wake up, workout, shower, disappear for a few hours, return, and repeat—and even his nights alone, where he seemed to be haunted by unseen demons when he tried to sleep.It was always the same no matter how many days passed, and I couldn't help but wonder why exactly I was brought here.To this point, he didn't say another word about my being a tool, which made me question if what he said from the start was true or not, but by day seven, instead of leaving after finishing his morning routine, Diego came to get me.Remaining silent, I wait until my collar is put in place before getting up so I won’t be dragged.“You're obedient this morning,” he murmurs in satisfaction. “Are you trying to get on
[Diego’s POV]Women are all the same. From the day I was born until now. They bat their eyes at you, pretending that they’re so innocent, and when you fall for their tricks and they have you in their grasp, their real colors come out.It’s disgusting and annoying, and it pisses me off anytime I see it. Even now, staring at the shaking and sobbing woman in front of me, I feel the need to kill beginning to rise, but I can’t. Not yet.When I joined the auctions, I knew what I was doing, and I knew that this woman would be there. That was the only reason I bothered attending. What other reason could there truly be? An auction involving nothing but criminals who all deserved to die. Why would anyone waste even a penny on them? But this woman was different from the rest of them, and she possessed something that I needed.However, looking at her now, sitting there pretending to be hurt because I made her show her true intentions when she lied, I didn’t see anything special. From her long whi
[Diego’s POV]“This annoying fabric needs to go,” I murmur, hooking a claw in the slip that Chanel wears and tugging it off. “Much better.”Once it is out of the way, I begin to work my way down Chanel’s throat to her breasts, where I stop to bite and lick at her pierced nipples. Groans of gratification escape her as her hands wrap around the back of my head, urging me on.Growling, I grab both in one hand and pin them above her head.“You know the rules,” I warn, sitting up and fixing my gaze with her dark one.“No touching,” she pouts. “I’m aware of that rule, but you’re letting me touch you now,” she continues, tightening her legs around me. “So what is the difference?”“The difference is if you don’t want to fucking listen, you can get the hell out of here, and I’ll find another woman to warm my bed.”“No, no,” she sighs, rolling her eyes. “So touchy. Is that woman pissing you off so much?”“Who?” I ask, not wanting to think about the woman who was most likely crumbling in the hol
[Diego's POV]I stare up at the large building in front of me while waiting to hear screams from inside, but when it continues to remain silent, I make my way inside and then up the winding stairs that lead to the single room in the whole thing.When I arrive, I once again wait as the feel of electricity presses against my skin. Even from where I stood, it was unpleasant, so why was that woman able to endure it? Was this some type of ploy to go easy on her because she was so small and weak-looking?Annoyance flaring, I push open the door and let my eyes come to rest on her. Her clothes are in tatters, and her skin is covered in burns from what is being done, making it clear that my assumption was wrong.“What the hell?” I growl, moving forward, just as another wave of electricity erupts from the cords that are attached to the woman.As it begins to travel through her, her body arches and her mouth clamps, but even when she is clearly in severe pain, she doesn't cry out.When it ends,
[Rosalie's POV]Pain. My whole damn world is pain, and when one round of it ends, another begins. Again and again, it goes. I only get a few moments to breathe before it happens again, and when I think I'm truly going to die, my new master decides he wants to kill me.What exactly was it that he wanted from me? He keeps mentioning an ability, but I don't know what this ability even is!‘I do,’ the darkness giggles. ‘Just set me free, and I'll...'‘No!’ I hiss. ‘I can't! He may really kill me before I take back what's mine!’I knew the dangers of letting the darkness take control, and it just wasn't worth the risk, but if this continued, my life would end.“Please,” I rasp, reaching up and grabbing Diego's wrist. “Tell me what it is that you want!”Instead of responding, Diego gives me a look of disbelief before his expression fills with rage.This was it. I was actually going to die right here and now. There was no saving myself unless I actually took a risk.‘Please,’ I whisper inwar
[Diego’s POV]I walk slowly up the long path that leads to the temple, and once I arrive at its entrance, I try to ignore the negativity that presses against me. Peeking out of the corner of my eye, I wait to see if the woman feels it, and when her body shakes and she wraps her arms around herself, I know that she does.“What the hell?” She murmurs, narrowing her gaze. “Are you bringing me to my doom?”“Not quite,” I respond.Lifting a hand, I grab the rope that rings the temple's doorbell and then wait until the door in front of us moves inch by inch so that a glowing blue eye can take us in.“Diego?” A raspy voice announces from the other side. “Is that you, boy?”“Yes, elder Marin.”At my words, the door opens more, allowing us entrance into the dark space beyond. Gritting my teeth, I ignore the energy that continues to press against me while my eyes take in the decrepit space around me.Once upon a time, this place was beautiful with a pure white interior, and it radiated with suc
[Rosalie’s POV]I sit alone in a corner, watching as the phantoms slowly slink toward me, their grotesque mouths open so I can see their rotten teeth that want to sink into my skin.“No,” I whisper, tightening my hold on my knees. “Stay away.”Why was I back here in this place? It was so long ago! I was sure that I managed to escape, but here I was in this place again, surrounded by these dark beings that wanted to devour me alive.“Go away!” I hiss as one wraps its clawed hands around my ankle. “Don’t touch me!”Where the creature's hand connects turns cold, and that cold begins to travel up my leg. It’s painful, and I can feel it sinking through my skin, into my muscles, and toward my bones.“NO!” I scream, kicking out and jumping up so that I can take in the area behind them. It’s my old home in the village with my mother, but it isn’t the same at all. It is decrepit, and the ceiling and walls are beginning to crumble. Even the floor beneath my feet is starting to rot.“Why?” I whi
[Rosalie’s POV]I continue to stare up at the serpent-like creature as it continues to drop, its mouth growing closer and closer to Diego. It was becoming increasingly clear that he was the creature's target, but why was it after him?‘Let him die,’ the darkness huffs. ‘Then we will be free.’‘No, we won’t,’ I hiss, beginning to move. ‘We will just be sent somewhere else, and the cycle will continue.’Diving forward, I push Diego out of the way just as the serpent's fang sinks into my leg. Hissing, I pull it free, leaving a long gash along my skin that reveals the muscle beneath.“What the hell is happening?” Diego growls, taking in my injury. “Where did that even come from? Is this some fucking trick on your part?”As he shoots his accusations at me, the creature prepares for another attack.“CAN YOU JUST THINK WITH YOUR FUCKING HEAD?” I snarl, jumping up and grabbing him before the creature strikes again. “We have to get out of here!”“Not without Annemarie!” He hisses just as the s