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The doors swung open to reveal the dimly lit room I had been inside only a few hours before. It had been empty then and the natural light had showcased the grandeur of the space perfectly. The three women had been anxious to leave the room as soon as we went in, each of them acting as if Soren would magically appear-rise from hell is a more apt depiction-and catch us all in his personal space.
Their unease had fueled my own and I found myself indulging my own anxiety and leaving the office before I well and truly explored.
I would not have the chance to this time either as I took in the three men in the room who were perched at various points within the large space. I had sensed danger before venturing into the room but now that I was actually within, I was alarmed at how wrong I was.
It was not danger.
It was death.
A man was sprawled across the floor, blood covering his clothes as he groaned in pain at the assault that had been enacted upon him by my husband's brother.
I had been right about Diesel Hunter's instability.
I knew he was dangerous, a demon who lurked in the shadows of the room even now and was illuminated only by the cigarette that burned in between his lips. He looked menacing, unhinged and the fear for my best friend grew so much within me, I was sure I would pass out from the assault of emotion.
He had placed himself strategically, assumed his position as a shadow who struck out and maimed unsuspecting lambs led to slaughter before the Sins but I had sensed his sinister presence the moment I walked in. Not because I could scent the copper smell of blood back to him but because I had learnt the hard way to always be aware of my surroundings.
My eyes skirted away from Diesel's bloody hands as he exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes not quite registering my own. He seemed to be far away in his thoughts and curiosity engulfed me at what he could be possibly thinking about. My sentiments were broken though once my eyes landed on Kenji and Christian who were seated on the black couch on one side of the room, each of them beholding unreadable expressions.
Even Christian, the ever-cheerful and talkative one among the four was silent, his eyes traveling from the man on the floor to my own. He gave me a subtle nod of acknowledgement, the only sign that he and I had shared the pleasant conversations we had at the wedding reception. That he was not a stranger.
It was better than Kenji who simply turned to look at my husband who was seated on his Executive chair once more, behind his massive mahigany desk. He looked like the King he was, so damn handsome. I hated myself for noticing his perfection even in this moment, one filled with so much uncertainity and darkness.
"Is this really necessary, brother? Isn't it a little too early?"
Kenji muttered, seeming genuinely incensed by the events that were unfolding or were about to unfold. I didn't know which but he was not instilling a lot of confidence within me. I was worried now, more so when Soren's cold gaze settled on my own, the warmth that had been there completely extinguished.
"Oh, I think its the perfect time to remind my darling wife exactly who I am, what I do and why she should Never f*****g lie to me."
He seethed the last part, the vehemence in his words unsettling the hell out of me. I had never seen him so angry, so irritated. I was at a loss, scrambling to understand what I could have possibly done to make him so f*****g pissed but nothing really came to mind. Nothing that would explain his words or his anger.
"Well, much as I would like to be Jean Grey or Professor X in this moment, I can't really read your mind so could you please explain what the hell I am doing in this dark society-esque kind of setting? I mean, I don't mind being invited to be part of the boys hangout but this is a little too weird for me."
I was rambling, spiraling and panicking. Warning bells were alive in my mind, urging me to run away from this scene and yet I was rooted at the spot, knowing well enough deep down that he would not let me go and neither would the two guards perched outside.
Diesel and Christian chuckled at my words and I could swear I saw a ghost of a smile on Kenji's lips but I might be hallucinating from the fear coursing through me. Especially considering that Soren had not reacted at all to my words. The stone expression he always beheld was still there, revealing nothing of his true emotions.
I struggled to keep my emotions in check but I was strung so tight, I took a step back instantly once he suddenly got to his feet and moved towards me.
Or rather the bleeding man who was still on the floor beside me.
I held my breath, watching silently as he glared down at the man like he was the lowest piece of scum on the planet. It was a chilling sight and I vowed there and then that I would never have him look at me with so much disdain. I don't think I would be able to take it.
"Get on your knees and look at me!"
His voice was different, cold and unfeeling. It unsettled the s**t out of me and made me slightly jump at the veracity of his words. I was seeing the Sin of Wrath now, not the man I married but the man who ruled an Empire. And it was terrifying, most especially when the wounded man scampered to his knees despite the fact that he was gravely injured.
He would rather obey orders than nurse his wounds...he knows a greater punishment would be dished out if he didn't listen...
A violent shiver went through me at that realization but more so when I took in the features of the man beside me. Although he had been badly beaten and bruised, I could not forget the man that had clutched my hand and stopped me from running from my wedding.
He found him...Holy s**t, how could I have been so stupid to think he wouldn't?
I turned to my husband instantly only to find him watching me, clearly waiting for the realization to sink in. I pleaded with my eyes, my hands shaking, my body wracked with the fear of what was to come. I was f*****g petrified of the nightmares that would come, of what Soren was capable of.
"Ah, so it's finally sunk in, has it? That expression on your face should be f*****g framed."
He muttered, brushing a hand down my cheek that still left goosebumps in its wake. I wanted to turn away from him, to beg him to do the right thing and let the man go. I wanted to go on my knees but I knew deep down that it would make things worse. Way worse than what was to come.
"Please, Soren. He was just doing his job."
I tried, earning a sneer from my husband that distorted his handsome features into an angry visage. It was petrifying, more so when he glared down at the man beneath him who flinched at the tenacity of his expression.
"His job was not to f*****g touch you! If you decided to run, they were ordered not to stop you. You would have had a chance to walk away from all this s**t, even if it was for just a moment before I hunted you down and brought you back. He took that privilege from me and hurt you in the process. How f*****g dare he touch what belongs to me? Affect the events that I had so carefully planned out?!"
He was seething, his hands clenched so tightly at his sides, I was scared he would draw blood from his palms. I let his words sink in, urging myself not to get mad at the man beside me. Although I knew that Soren was right, that he would have found me no matter where I ran, I still could not help but indulge the small part of me that believed I just might have found a way to evade him.
"I'm here now, though. And I am yours. It still worked out as you planned. Please, don't do this."
I urged, praying fervently to whoever was listening to prevent the disaster I could see coming. Soren was silent for a moment, saying nothing, only watching me. Taking in my emotions no doubt. I conveyed all of my feelings onto my expression, hoping that he could see just how badly I needed him to be merciful.
I couldn't have another man's blood on my hands. Not again.
"He made you lie to me. To protect him, he made you deceive me and that is a sin I cannot forgive. Disobedience. Betrayal. He signed his death warrant the minute he committed them."
The man beside me had just began to talk. Had just opened his mouth to beg for his life. But he never got the chance to. A gun I recognized perfectly, one I had been too out of it to spot atop his desk, flashed under the dim light. The muzzle illuminated the room for a moment as my husband emptied a bullet right into the man's forehead.
A head shot. Cold. Effective. No mercy. Only death.
Blood splattered on my face and my white and nude pajama combo. I knew I probably looked as menacing as my husband who also had blood on his clothes and the hand he had used to pull the trigger and murder the man beside me. He collapsed on the floor with a thud and silence reigned.
But only momentarily.
I knew the three men were speaking but I couldn't hear them. It felt like I was drowning, my mind completely lost in the depths of my sub conscious as I struggled to process the violence I had just witnessed.
Is this going to be my life? My future? All this senseless violence, it has to f*****g stop somehow. All this power he possesses, its not f*****g fair.
It was only when the two men who had been perched outside came in and dragged the body of the nameless man out that I came back to the present. Ice filled my veins despite the anger that scorched my heart.
I wanted revenge.
I wanted to humble the man before me whose eyes had never left mine the entire time I processed my shock.
He raised a brow, clearly seeing the violence in my gaze and the darkness lurking within. I wanted to tame the King of Sin, to avenge all who had been victims of his Wrath. It was absolute insanity to challenge a man who was clearly so powerful but I didn't care. I wanted him to regret everything he had done.
I would make him regret it.
A wide grin settled on his lips. In that moment, he looked so handsome, I almost faltered under the assault of the butterflies that engulfed me. The madness in his eyes mirrored my own.
We probably looked one and the same. A match truly made in hell.
"Hey...say, you remember that little wager we've been playing around with? Well, I want in. I want the chance to f*****g end your psychopathic reign over this world. I want the chance to destroy Wrath, the King of the Sins. The Demon behind the shadows. I have three conditions. Fulfill them and I promise you that I will put everything into Killing you, my dear husband. So... how about it?"
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