Page 2 of The Devil of London

Maxwell’s renewed screams seemed to echo off the walls. Nasir turned, watching as he continued to struggle against the men, he had ordered to retrieve him. No, they weren’t men. They were all monsters who were loyal only to Nasir. No matter how much I pleaded or begged them, they’d offer no help. Maxwell’s soft, chocolate-colored eyes sought me out as they kicked his knees, forcing him down to the floor in front of them.

“If you do this, you might as well kill me too,” I whispered so softly I wasn’t certain Nasir heard me.

“I didn’t do this. I warned you the last time you thought to betray me, when you attempted to escape me, that if you ever tried again, I’d show no mercy,” he murmured back, his darkening eyes held mine with no empathy. “You promised to behave if I freed the boy you’d hired to spirit you away to Scotland. He lives because you promised to be a good girl. Yet, here we are again.”

“You broke me, Khaos. I swallowed each of your lies because I was naïve enough to believe you. So, go ahead and murder him. But know this: if you do this, I’ll never stop fighting you. I’ll always run from you. And when I’m gone, there’ll be no one left who truly loved you. I am the only one who could love the monster you are.” His eyes narrowed as he exhaled and then laughed coldly at my vehemently whispered promise.

“I’ve never lied to you. Never.” Stepping closer to me, he sneered. “I also never asked for, nor wanted your love, Aderyn. You are nothing more than a possession to me. I never expected more, or wanted anything else from you. Stop breaking your own heart by believing in fairytales when the only thing around you, is nightmares.”

“You are my nightmare,” I whirred as Maxwell made a strangled noise. Sliding my eyes to Merikh, I silently pleaded with him to spare Maxwell’s life. “He does not have to die. Maxwell is innocent. His only crime was to love me. I forced him here. He didn’t even want to marry me,” I lied as my voice broke, wavering as the words escaped. At Nasir’s and Merikh’s grunts, I continued, “You have me, which is what you want, Nasir. I will be anything you desire. Your whore. Your slave. Anything. Just please, let him go.”

“It seems as if you misunderstand this situation and are trying to bargain with something that is already mine. I’ve had you from the first moment I met you, love.” Nasir slowly walked toward me, smiling as something dangerous flickered in his stare. “What am I cutting off poor Maxwell tonight? His fingers or his cock? You get to choose which one you are going to fuck for your deception and disregard of the rules.”

“I choose neither!” I spat out past the clattering of my teeth.

“One or the other. If you refuse to decide, I’ll decide for you. If left up to me, you’ll be accommodating his entire fist up your tight, needy cunt.” A violent tremor shot through me.

“You’re insane!”

“All the best people are, love. Choose. I won’t ask you again.” The look churning in his turbulent depths sent horror washing over me.

“F-f-fingers.”

“And here I thought you’d choose his cock,” Nasir growled as he withdrew his blade, setting it down as he held my gaze prisoner. Slowly, he stripped out of his doublet, and a soft whisper of sound expelled from my lungs. They’d built Khaos for war. Every inch of his body was hard, deliciously wicked lines of muscle that the gods themselves had chiseled. Turning back toward where the men held Maxwell up by his arms, I released a soft, plaintive plea. “Save your pathetic pleas for someone stupid enough to believe them, Aderyn.”

Maxwell struggled with renewed energy as Nasir strolled toward him. His complexion went ashen with panic as Khaos knelt before him and used the tip of his sword to force Maxwell’s chin up until wide, horror-filled eyes locked with his. A fine sheen of sweat bathed his face as panic forced his pupils to dilate until they swallowed the irises of his eyes.

“Did you think I’d let you have her? I warned you to stay away from her, but you ignored the warnings. Now, you will pay for trespassing against the devil.”

“No!” Maxwell shouted.

“No? You touched something that belongs to me, boy,” Nasir accused as his lip curled, and then he made a noise of disgust deep in his chest. “You sought to take what’s mine, and now you’ll understand why you shouldn’t have attempted to do so. Was she worth it?” Baring his teeth, he awaited Maxwell’s reply, and when it didn’t come, he snarled. “I asked you a fucking question. I expect an answer.”

Maxwell cried out as the blade pierced his chin, cutting it open.

“No, she wasn’t worth any of this. I was unaware she belonged to you, Devil!” Maxwell lied, which caused pain to pierce my heart with his betrayal of what we had shared. “She misled me to think she was an unwanted daughter of a peasant. Aderyn told me she was untouched by man and pure of virtue. She lied to raise her position in society. I give you my vow to never see her again if you allow me to live.” Maxwell shook with fear as he begged, “I am a man of my word.”

“Ah, but you see, I know you received my letters of warning, boy.”

“I never received them. I swear! If I had known she was yours, I’d never have even looked at her.”

Nasir laughed coldly as he rose, then aimed a merciless gaze toward where I stood with tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Is that so?” Nasir asked without looking away from me. “You see, I asked around about you after my warnings went unheeded, Lord Herne. I know more about you than you think I do. You’re much like your father. The youngest son of Oran Herne, isn’t it? Puritans who think themselves above heretics. Your family has been a thorn in my side for a very long time. She may not have known who you are, but I do. Just as I know you have always known exactly who she is,” Nasir seethed. He spun with purpose, and the whistle of his blade sliced through the air, which was followed by the sound of steel cutting through flesh. The crunching of bone met my ears a heartbeat before Maxwell’s scream filled the church. “Cauterize the wound. I won’t have the bastard bleeding out before he sees who she belongs to.” Maxwell passed out from shock as blood gushed from his severed arm, and the men holding him dropped him unceremoniously to the floor.

The sight of his detached arm had the room spinning around me. I started forward—to do what, I didn’t know, only for Khaos to block my path. His hand curled around my throat as warm lips brushed against my forehead. He held me as if I were precious, as one hand pressed against my spine, supporting my weight.

“You don’t want to see that,” he whispered as my body shook with horror. Pulling away from him, I gasped as black dots danced in my vision.

“I hate you!” I lifted my hand to remove the smug smile from his face as rage sliced through me. Before I had realized what I’d done, there was the loud, sharp slap of my palm meeting his cheek, and I froze in genuine fear.

“If I’m a monster, then it might be best not to incite my wrath, darling.” Emotionless eyes slowly settled on my face. “Once you’ve finished cauterizing his wound, leave us. Do not re-enter the church, no matter what you hear coming from within.”

Teetering on my feet, I struggled to control the panic consuming my mind. Greedily sucking air into my lungs, I fought the need to throw up, as his hand lifted to test the material of my gown, smiling devilishly before he spoke. “You truly are ravishing in red. The blood of the dead suits you. It brings out the green in your lovely eyes. I’ll have to order you red dresses once I’ve finished punishing you.”

“You’re mad,” I whispered through numb lips while attempting to back away from the palpable anger radiating from his pores. Nasir didn’t allow me to evade him. His smile dropped as he grabbed my wrist, marching me across the room to the altar. Once there, he lifted me and forced me to sit on the blood-soaked stone surface.

“The state of my mental facilities is irrelevant,” he mused as he fingered the lace bodice of my gown. “Such a pretty gown you wore to betray me.” Then he ripped it wide open. It forced me to shield my naked breasts from the men who remained stoic. Merikh watched me with regret in his eyes as he pushed a sword into the fire burning beside the pews.

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