Page 37 of Brutal Serpent

How many were there?Hundreds? What if they all decided to rush me at once, climbing my body and gnawing away at my skull, until there was nothing left of me in the morning except my teeth?

I screamed out again.

“Help!Please!Somebody help me!”

My groping hands reached the small window, my stomach dropping when I realized that not only was it only a tiny slit in the wall, but it too was thoroughly barred. I felt half-mad with fear and I shook on the thick bars with all my might.

That’s when my hands did touch the skeleton.

CHAPTER 20

St. Erth

Isipped my glass of port and tried to believe it was relaxing me.

I had changed my clothes for the night and was relaxing comfortably in my room. If I finished my glass of port, I could call my valet and he would immediately procure me another one. Or my snuff. Or a book of sea-travels, so I could reminisce about my life at sea.

But I felt restless.

I glared at the door.

Was it just that I was already bored in the country, away from London? No horse races, no card games, no boxing with Gentleman Jackson?

No, that wasn’t fucking it.

It was my own godsdamn wife.

I should have fucked heronemore time before leaving her in that dungeon. If I’d had justonemore time I could have left her there and gone to sleep.

But as it was, I felt need and desire sizzling up my spine, blood rushing to my cock as I remembered her little squeaks and how she had looked bent over the table in front of me.

Shit.

There was no way I was going to be able to sleep without having her one more time.

I gritted my teeth as I descended the steps to the dungeon again, forcing myself to move slowly.

But I had barely headed down when I heard her screams.

There was no reason whatsoever that my strides should lengthen just because Catherine was screaming. It would do her all the good in the world to have rats chew her dress. Maybe then she wouldn’t dare to play a trick like that on me again.

I seethed about her disobedience, but somehow my strides were long and I reached her quickly.

“Stop these hysterics!” I barked sharply as I put the key in the lock.

She flew at the door, rattling the bars as she shrieked unintelligibly.

When I opened the door she flew into my arms, but only to beat at my chest with her little fists.

I was already horny as fuck and this was only making it worse.

“Stop!” I ordered her, putting my hands on her slim little waist to shake her. “I told you this was your punishment.”

She took a huge breath. “You didn’t have to leave me with the dead bodies of everyone you murdered, you monster!”

“I? Murder someone and leave them in the basement of my own home?” I asked coldly. “What kind of a fool do you take me for? Show me what you mean.”

She was clutching my jacket so tightly and I could see in the light of my candle that she was pointing in the corner.

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