Page 79 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

“What deal?”

“There will never be lies within the dark four. No matter how horrific our actions are, we will never deceive one another. Honesty above anything else.”

We all exchange looks, knowing full well how Octavius values these qualities, and sometimes I wonder what will happen with people who betray him.

Or if a woman does. I think among us all, he’ll be the only one who won’t show his woman mercy if she commits an unforgivable act in his eyes.

“Bueno,” Santiago agrees, snatching the knife from Florian and slicing his hand before I do the same.

We all place our splayed palms above Octavius’s, letting our blood mingle together as we forever seal a vow none of us intends to break.

Because if we ever do… our unity will shatter, and that’s the one thing keeping us all alive.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”

“Our pasts are sacred to us. We don’t decide how the monsters among us deal with their wounds,” Octavius says, letting me know he doesn’t consider this a breach of our vow.

“Besides, you knew we knew,” Santiago speaks up, our gazes clashing, as my best friend with his eyes alone allows me to see the truth in his words. “You just preferred to pretend we didn’t.”

Hiding from Santiago is like hiding from the mirror, because he knows me better than anyone.

And I would have never endangered the dark four in my twisted games, if I didn’t suspect on some subconscious level they were aware of my plan all along.

Our bond holds us together wherever we go, never truly leaving us alone to the despair and agony polluting our minds.

Florian claps his hands together, spilling even more tequila, so Octavius snatches the bottle away from him. “Our question remains. Who is Penelope to us? A bride? Or a weapon?”

Penelope speaks to the monster inside me, soothing his rage in ways I never thought possible as he craves to possess her every thought so she won’t even think about escaping me.

The world becomes almost bearable in her presence, despite the injustice it has shown me time and time again. She’s an addiction I can get used to so easily; I crave her to the point of insanity.

A true madness that serves as a hammer to the chains keeping my control in check, threatening to wipe all sane thoughts from my head and to act like a true barbarian by claiming her for everyone to see.

An obsession and desire destined to be my downfall. It makes me forget about my revenge. I despise using her in my plan, because I want to harm, or even kill, any male nearby who even thinks about hurting her.

An angel who grew up in love, doted on by her father, a princess who dreamed about a dashing prince, and instead she got a villain with no morals who resides in darkness that will envelop her in it too. Pleasure and possessiveness wash over me as I enjoy the idea of her losing some of her purity, so she will belong in hell with me, instead of trying to run back to heaven.

Because her sweet and compassionate soul can’t stand the gore and pain I inflict on anyone I see fit.

Yet it won’t stop me from chaining her to me, watching the hope slowly die within her, until she finally accepts her inevitable fate.

My siren who, with her face and voice alone, has the power to destroy me in ways my enemies haven’t managed. Love and lust in my family always have the deadliest consequences.

The need to put my ring on her finger and the desire to cover her body in my marks of ownership consume me, so then everyone will know she is taken. This obsession fills me and shakes the foundation of everything I’ve tried to build and achieve all these years.

Through the years, I fucked many women. Never bothered to remember their names as I’ve never slept with anyone more than once. Anything permanent has represented danger to me, and having a woman when I built an empire was a distraction I didn’t need. I enjoyed sex as much as the next guy, but the minute the deed was done, the woman was of no interest to me.

My emotions didn’t get involved at all.

With Penelope, everything is different.

I want to worship her naked body on my satin sheets for hours, making her addicted to the pleasure only I can provide, so I won’t be alone in this maddening need.

I want to learn every inch of her body before fucking her so hard she won’t remember anything but me.

I snarl at the idea of using her as a weapon now, giving my enemies an opportunity to take something so valuable from me and use it to their advantage.

In fact, the monster in me wants to hide her far away from my revenge so he never gets to see her, let alone talk to her.

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