Page 49 of Thorns Laced In Blood

No. I could never bring a child into this precarious world.

“Lie on the bed, sweetheart and spread those legs for me,” he drawled, piercing into my thoughts. I looked at the clock and grinned.

Fuck it. We had time.

“You do realise that I will be looking at Bear the entire time,” I said to him, doing as I was told.

He cursed and ripped Bear from the ceiling. It was only then that I noticed that he had hung him by his neck. At least it was a black silk ribbon and not a rope. The man had issues, but who didn’t?

???

“You look like a floating angel,” Saul said before he twirled me around. “Stunning.”

My pale blue dress floated in the air. It was long and had chiffon waterfall material that covered my scarred arms. The main eye-catching gimmick on the dress was the gold belt and the slim golden embroidery that ran down my front. Saul’s eyes rested on my breasts before he pulled me back towards him.

“You're biased,” I said, but he was the hottest man at the reception. “Their vows reminded me of ours.”

A slow track came on, and Saul wrapped his arms around me. We swayed to the soft, melodic tune, soaking up the atmosphere.

“Our wedding was the highlight of my life,” he said, moving his hands dangerously close to my ass.

“You're okay with us not having children?” I asked quietly because the same insecurity always played on my mind.

“Maeve, I will be whatever you need me to be as long as you have a smile on your lips and lube in your ass,” he said, never breaking the rhythm of our dance.

I chuckled and slapped his back before resting my head on his chest. My high heels allowed me to reach his heart. His grip tightened, and I looked into his fierce green eyes.

“You're mine. My angel. My warrior. My wife. You will always be enough for me. Always,” he said, his voice as fierce as his feral eyes.

He pushed my head back onto his chest, stroking my hair.

“We can have the best of both worlds with our nieces and nephews,” he said, kissing the top of my head before he continued to speak.

“Let’s face it with Sean no longer copulating with citrus fruits and has a wife, we might get lucky.”

I smiled against his jacket, closing my eyes. “I love you, Master.”

“I love you, Maeve Thorne,” he said, full of devotion, love and pride.

Three years later, he still loved to say my name. He denied my proclamations, but he was my saviour. There was nothing he could say that would convince me otherwise. Even through difficult times, We beat the odds, carving a slice of paradise for ourselves in a harsh world.

Saul

Seven Years Later

It took some time to rebuild a replica of her cell on land I owned. The top-of-the-range security system around him ensured he could never escape. Each time I visited him, it fed my ravenous monster, but it was never enough. It was ten years since I captured him—ten years of physical and mental torture.

I smiled as my thumb opened the third door. His door.

“Hello, pig,” I said when I saw him curled into a ball on the small metal-framed bed. “It’s been ten years.”

He turned away from the grey wall, using his stumps and elbow to aid him. His hair and beard were overgrown. His face was gaunt, with black circles under his eyes and only a tiny flicker of blue from his eyes.

“Please, kill me, Master,” he croaked, but his sobs were what I needed to hear.

I placed the supplies on the table. I enjoyed watching him crawl across the room on the camera, seeing his four stumps drag along the cement floor.

“What is your name?” I asked.

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