Page 86 of Her Blood Revenge

She takes another step away from me.

I grip her doll in my hand, and I make her stay. I make her return so she stands over me as I remain kneeling in the dirt.

‘Hit me again,’ I tell her.

She doesn’t.

‘I said hit me!’ I command, using the doll to control her.

Her fist connects with my cheek, splitting my lip.

‘Again! Harder!’

Smack.

‘Stop it,’ she says, clutching her hand.

‘Again!’

She has no choice. She strikes me, and I go down, falling onto my back. Her hand must hurt like hell, but not as much as my face. Shit, she’s a strong little thing.

I look up at her.

‘Again.’

She shakes her head, but I have her under my control.

She stands over me and sits, a leg on either side of me.

‘Stop it,’ shecries.

Smack.

I have her doll in my hand. So I have her will and her body, too.

And I make her strike blow after blow. She sobs as she lands each hit and begs for me to stop.

‘I’m going to kill you,’ she sobs. Her words are not a threat but a painful realisation as I make her bring her fist down on my skull again. ‘Dorian. Stop.’

‘I can’t do that.’

‘Why?’

Smack.

‘Because I love you, Poppet Doll,’ I groan through the copious amounts of blood filling my mouth and the indescribable amount of pain radiating through the entirety of my head. ‘And no matter what you do, what you feel, how you react or the struggles you face or what you say to me, I will love you. Unconditionally and forever. So you need to kill me. Because you just said that you love me too. And that has sealed your fate in its entirety. Kill me now and run. Or we will keep you for the rest of time and love you every damned day.’

Smack.

My ears ring, and my shadows claw at my insides, howling furiously at me and my refusal to allow them out.

Claim her. Contain her. Break her bones so she can never leave. Stop her from killing us, or we shall end up back in hell with the dark mistress.

I know we will never allow her to leave. I’m not made to be so kind.

This is all I can offer her. My life in exchange for her freedom. It was hers from the moment I saw her in thatshitty village pub. When I saw her snatch that dagger from my hand and slam it into that spy of a pixie we had on the table.

Smack.

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