BOUND TO HIM BY FORCE

19. I WILL BLEED IT OUT OF YOU

“Run..”

Azrail did not have to speak twice, the boy scrambling up to turn and run to the nearest door. When he got there, they pushed him to a wall and he was crying and trying to explain what he had been sent to do. The man near the door unlocked it and opened it with the boy running out. If I was him, I would never come back, but I knew Azrail had not been joking. Would he really kill the boy’s family until the boy came back? Would I come back if I was the boy? I did not know; it was a sick twisted game Azrail seemed to enjoy playing because he was the king and no one could checkmate him.

“Good boy.” I heard him say, his voice to forever haunt me even in my death.

He turned, pointing to Maximus and the other two men who he had picked. The suited men rushed and picked each up, walking out with them. They did not even fight, they went willingly, heads bowed, accepting defeat and hoping death would take pity on them before they reached wherever they were going.

My legs were shaking, my inner voice begging him, begging him to take me in his arms again so I could bury my face in his chest and pretend it all was not happening before my eyes. In my head, I was crying for him to whisk me away because nothing but death clogged the air.

Some of the men that had gone to the cells walked out, them nodding their heads with blood all over them, having killed everyone in that Stock house. But what about the girls? My heart nearly exploded, my eyes wide, my hand pulling on his shirt. I suddenly could not find my voice, my throat burning from all the crying and screaming I had been doing since getting there.

Azrail did not budge, my head tipping up, trying to get his attention with the tears falling but I knew he hated them so I tried holding them back but with little success.

As much as I pulled, he was not paying any mind to me, watching his men work with him seeming sated by the turn of events.

“ A….” I took a deep breath, saying a name I had only said once in my whole life, saying a name I wished to never call but what option did I have as it burned my tongue, knowing I had to speak no matter how scared I was.

“Azrail,” I finally called, my heart as if to tear from my chest and fall on my feet with how hard it was beating. Horse hooves in my ears, drumming away and leaving me deaf.

His head tipped down, his cold and soulless eyes fell on me, robbing me of any sense of security as they left me as if I was staring at a ghost. How could I live with such a man? But I had no option. My problem was thinking I had options when I did not.

“Plea…. Please don’t kill the girls. Please.” I begged. I could have laughed, what authority did I think I had to be begging.

He chuckled, chuckled at my face but it was the coldest chuckle I had ever heard.

“If I were you, I would be worried about my own future or the lack of it.”

I had accepted my lack of a future when I signed those papers that bound me to him, I had accepted the life that would come. I could have never imagined it being this brutal but I had accepted it. Those girls still had a chance. I knew it was false hope but I would try my best.

“Please, they have already gone through enough, please,” I begged, my hand on his chest, it firm and warm, fooling you that he was human.

He never answered, not knowing what he was thinking and just as I was thinking, he spoke.

“Get the hounds in.” He shot with his men turning to stare at him as I paled where I was.

Hounds?

My eyes went wide, scared but wanting to see what would happen, wanting to know what would happen. My hand gripped more on him with seven of his men walking out. I felt as if I was standing on eggs shells, breath stuck and held in my throat, my eyes on the door, watching for it to move, sure what was coming was not good.

The cries of the men that had tried to run picked up, tearing me apart. My arms went around Azrail, him so tall my head was just at the center of his chest, leaning on it but my eyes not shifting from the door.

I heard them, heard them from a distance. I had thought it was code but the growls that came had me cold. My other arm slipped around him, clinging onto him as a baby clings to her mother in a fit of painful sobs. My head shook, a voice telling me to look away but I could not, I could not tear my eyes from the door. More men ran out, the doors left wide open with those in the room stepping aside.

I was going to pee on myself.

Azrail, I kept chanting in my head, shifting now and again, closer to him.

“Azrail,” The word suddenly slipped from my lips as the first hound came in, chains around it, men, four men gripping on the chain, heels dug on the ground, trying to stir the hound around with saliva dripping from its sharp teeth. I closed my eyes, my head buried in his belly as I cried out his name, not wanting to see, not wanting to hear. The men that had tried to escape screamed, hearing the commotion as the hound was let loose. I cried so hard, holding on so firmly to him I thought his stomach would curve in and my head swallowed. I cried so hard, the sounds of bones cracking, growls, and spatter of blood.

I screamed until I stopped, my head dizzy, waving all around with my hands letting go. I felt myself float with arms holding me firmly, my body picked up. My head hung on the side, hair floating in the air as my eyes closed to open. I was slipping in and out of consciousness, feeling myself move, someone walking with me in their arms.

My eyes opened with everything hazy, a large hound, eating, with blood all over as five men held it to not stir from the people it was devouring. My eyes closed with a tear escaping to open to the darkness surrounding me, the cool air kissing my skin with my head bouncing up and down.

I heard as a door opened to close with voices speaking. My body was adjusting, lying on someone strong, someone so warm I could not help but cling to them. The person had a heart, it beating and calling at me. My arm went around his back, gripping firmly as they held me tightly with the car moving.

Every time I thought my mind was letting go, it met nothing but screams, growls of animals breaking bones and chewing on screaming men. I shook and cried, feeling the man hold me tighter in his grip with my tears falling on his already wet shirt.

What had a done to be condemned to such fate, my brain trying to cope for me but failing because every time it tried to rest nothing but gore met it.

I felt the car stop, my eyes opening, a red shirt before my eyes, them closing again, losing the sense of time.

Suddenly, the person was walking with me in his grip, feeling large currents of air blowing my hair away from my body, digging my head more into the man’s chest.

He smelt so nice, smelt of cigars and lemon if that made sense. It was a smell that had me frown yet found myself digging in for more. With it, came a memory of a person I called father. My dad. He always carried a musky yet woodsy scent with him.

He taught me how to fight, his large hand on mine, closing it to a fist with his eyes on my own.

“Be strong my little angel, be brave, you can do this.” His voice echoed in my head, his dark eyes filled with such love.

“But dad….” A ten-year-old me complained, his face morphing into a smile having me forget what I wanted to cry out about.

“You got this Masha….”

My body was moved, feeling myself being placed down in something soft. I cried out, holding on with a hand coming to pry mine away.

“Azrail…” I cried out, him pulling away as my body jerked but his hand came on my chest, slowly pushing me down to the bed. I wanted to protest, wanted to fight but sleep also had a firm grip on me, my eyes barely opening, seeing a God before me.

I gasped, such a handsome man before me. My heart skipped a beat, my head confused and groggy.

How could I fight such a beautiful face? My body lain down, him sitting beside me with his face falling on mine.

“You are stupid and childish wife.” He suddenly said as I shook my head, tears falling away, shaking my head over and over again.

“I am sorry,” I whispered, begging with my heart breaking.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” He said back, giving me false hope, giving me a sense that everything would be okay, that things would not be as bad as I thought they would be.

A shiver went down my body, his hand cupping my cheek to brush it with his thumb. It was warm with his ring cold and harsh on my skin. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth, a false sense of security. He did not say anything, just silence as he brushed on my skin. I felt myself drift, about to be taken away but he withdrew his hand and I stirred.

“It’s okay little fighter, I will bleed it all out of you.” He said, the words leaving me cold, trying to keep my eyes open but they were closing fast with myself drifting away so quickly. Something heavy was placed on my body, his cologne clogging my nostrils with the warmth of the heavy cloth seeping into my skin.

My heart drummed, fear clogging me with his words echoing all over my head. My head turned, eyes peeling open with his back turned, walking away while fading away into darkness.

“Take her to the morgue.”

Everything turned black.