Sadistic Mates

Chapter 6

Ryland

Helping her would have only frightened her more—and risked doing real damage. She’s terrified of Thaddeus, and with good reason. He’s more monster than man, driven by instinct and volatile emotion. Any attempt to intervene would’ve escalated the situation. She doesn’t yet realize that her fear is what fuels him. It perfumes the air around her, sharp and sweet, and he drinks it in like a drug. Every tremble of her body, every tear, only deepens his need.

Some would call what I did cruel—letting it go that far. She needs to understand something. Being around Thaddeus means learning to control her emotions. She can’t afford not to. Fear doesn’t repel him; it invites him in.

We never would’ve let him rape her. Orion and I were watching closely, ready to intervene if he went too far. We saw the moment it began to hurt her—and we saw him try to stop himself. That was what I needed to know. Could she reach him? Could she bring him back from that darkness we’ve both spent decades trying—and failing—to tame?

I want him to change. I want him to try. The truth is, the life we live is addictive. The violence, the power, the taking. Thaddeus never asks—he takes what he wants when he wants. Always has. Orion’s never approved, but sometimes it’s easier to give him what he wants than deal with the consequences of saying no.

Still, I know Thaddeus loves us in his own way—twisted, possessive, and conditional as it may be. As much as a dark Tribrid is capable of love. But with Evelyn... it’s different. I can feel him fighting himself more. Struggling. Holding back in ways he never has. She doesn’t see that yet—she sees only the monster. And if she’d met him before we found her, she’d be right to.

He always held himself back with her, even in that room, even with the hunger clawing at his spine. Anyone else would’ve been drained dry, f****d, and left as a corpse. Humans are toys to him. Prey. But she’s ours. That one truth has stopped him from doing what he would’ve done without hesitation.

And that gives me hope.

When she cried out—told him he was hurting her—I felt the shift. His entire body went still. Something broke through the haze. He pulled back. Sat up. For the first time in the thirty-seven years I’ve been with him, I saw guilt in his eyes. Felt his hesitation through the bond. Thaddeus doesn’t apologize. Not to us. Not to anyone. When he’s hurt Orion or me, he’s only ever responded with rage. With her... he stuttered. He tried to say sorry.

She’s been with us for just over twenty-four hours. And already, she’s managed what we couldn’t in decades. Brought him to the edge of something human.

She’ll never know just how close she came to death—and how close he came to breaking.

She may think he’s a monster.

She’s not wrong.

What she doesn’t know is how tightly she’s already wrapped him around her little finger. She will change him. She already has. In ways he doesn’t understand yet, and in ways that terrify me.

Thaddeus is not lost—not completely.

Maybe, just maybe, she’s the one who can pull him back from the brink.

Maybe she can save him.

Even if the rest of us are already damned.

***

Evelyn

“Why didn’t you help me? You just stood there and watched,” I yell at Orion.

“Stop getting your knickers in a twist, love. You needed to learn,” Ryland says, making me glare at him.

“Learn what? That doesn’t even make sense!” I shout, storming into the bathroom. I grab my clothes off the bench and go to pull off the towel. Orion walks in, handing me new clothes—tags still attached.

“When did you even buy these?”

“Get dressed. We’re leaving soon. Thaddeus wants to be on the road.”

“I’m not going anywhere with any of you,” I snap, taking the clothes from him.

“You keep thinking this is a choice. It’s not,” Ryland calls, stepping into the bathroom behind him. “We need to leave. So we’re leaving.”

“Whatever. Just get out so I can get changed.” I shut the door, only to realize it doesn’t shut all the way. No handle. No lock.

I sigh and sort through the clothes. Lace underwear and a matching bra. Of course.

“Really? Lace?” I yell. “You couldn’t get normal underwear?”

“They looked nice,” Orion calls from the other side, clearly amused. “Don’t girls like pretty things?”

I groan and yank them on. They’re definitely pretty, but they itch and ride up in all the wrong places. Pulling the bra tight, I glance in the mirror and grimace. My skin is a mess. Bite marks on my neck and collarbone. A ragged bruise on my hip. Even my lips are swollen. I touch one of the wounds and wince.

After dressing, I step out. Ryland’s eyes roam over me, unashamed. I try to ignore the way it makes my skin crawl. Then I hear it—my phone ringing.

I spin around, searching the room, digging through the couch cushions. The ringing stops.

“What are you looking for?” Ryland asks.

“My phone.”

It rings again—closer this time. I look toward the balcony.

Orion pulls it from his pocket and silences it. My blood boils.

Storming over, I throw open the sliding door. Thaddeus and Orion lean on the railing, overlooking the ruined city. They glance over as I step out. I march up to Orion and reach into his pocket, yanking the phone out.

The ringtone blares again. I answer.

“Geez, girl, I’ve called like twenty times! Where are you?” Lisa’s voice comes through, full of concern.

Thaddeus watches me like a hawk, and I suddenly don’t know what to say. Tell her the truth? Lie? My mouth moves before my brain catches up.

“I’m running late. I’ll be there soon.”

I reach into Orion’s other pocket and steal a cigarette.

“Anything else you want?” he asks dryly.

Lisa’s still talking about Miranda coming back to work, and Thaddeus is glaring again, and it’s making my skin prickle while I wonder if is just his normal version of resting b***h face.

“Evelyn? You still there?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll see you soon.” I hang up, slipping the phone into my pocket.

“You’re not going to work,” Orion says, turning toward me.

“No. You are leaving. I’m going to work.”

Thaddeus growls. He steps forward and snatches the phone from my hand—then crushes it in his fist like it’s nothing.

“What the hell?” I shout. “Give it back!”

He steps closer. I step back.

“We’re leaving. I won’t leave without you. You’re mine. Stop being a brat and do as you’re told.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

His hand clamps on my arm, his eyes burning bright before they shift to pure obsidian. His grip tightens, and I feel the rage rolling off him. Then, without warning, he lets me go and walks away.

Orion watches him go, stunned. Then he sighs and ushers me back inside.

The front door slams.

“Where’s Mr. Cranky Pants going?” I mutter.

“To find someone to eat,” Ryland replies, smirking.

My blood runs cold.

“He won’t be long,” Orion says. “Stay here. I’ll bring the bags down.”

I nod, mind racing. No way am I staying.

I follow Ryland into the other room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Got a smoke?” I ask, already planning my escape.

He eyes me, then grabs a pack from a jacket over the chair and hands it to me.

“You really shouldn’t smoke, you know.”

“I know.” I take them from him and slip out onto the balcony.

Closing the curtain behind me, I head to the corner where the fire escape runs. Climbing onto the railing, I grip the cold metal ladder. My hands are sweaty, shaking. I peer down. It’s high—really high.

Heart hammering, I descend.

The final eight-foot drop makes me hesitate. I hang off the last rung, then my fingers slip—and I drop. I hit the stairs with a clang, pain jolting through my side. But I made it.

Ryland’s distant curse echoes down as I scramble onto a skip bin, then the alley floor. I sprint to the street, looking around frantically.

Taxi.

Waving my arms, I flag it down and dive inside.

“Go. Just drive!” I yell.

The driver flinches, startled, then pulls away. I duck low in the seat.

“Where to?” he asks, checking all his mirrors.

“The Pit Stop Café.”

Only when we’re blocks away do I sit up. Reaching for my wallet, I realize it’s gone. s**t.

When we arrive, I bolt inside, grab twenty dollars from the tip jar, and rush back to pay the driver. Then I clock in and start serving tables.

Lisa eyes me and I am relieved when she says nothing.

An hour passes before she pulls me aside with Miranda.

“What the hell happened the other day? And what’s this?” she asks, pulling my collar down to see the bite on my neck.

I open my mouth to explain when the bell above the door rings.

I peek out. My stomach drops.

Thaddeus. Orion. Ryland.

I duck behind the counter.

“What are you doing?” Lisa mouths, confused.

Miranda walks out, instantly recognizing them.

“Hi. What can I get you?”

Her voice is falsely sweet. Lisa suddenly screams.

“I know she’s here,” Thaddeus bellows.

Miranda chokes on her own breath.

“You’ve got three seconds to come out, Evelyn—or I’ll kill your friend,” Thaddeus snarls.

The café explodes into chaos as people flee. Chairs scrape. The bell jingles. I rise slowly.

Thaddeus has Miranda by the throat. When I step into view, he drops her. She stumbles, coughing and clutching her neck.

I run to her, guilt flooding me. This is all my fault.

Thaddeus grabs me, yanking me against his chest. His hand tangles in my hair, forcing my head back.

“You’re going to regret running,” he growls in my ear, then shoves me toward Orion.

“All their deaths are on your hands now,” Thaddeus growls.

The air thickens. Lights flicker.

Then the windows shatter.

Gunfire erupts.

Orion tackles me to the floor. Ryland covers us. Screams erupt everywhere. Thaddeus takes bullets to the chest and shoulder—growling as he storms through the doors.

The floor shakes. Metal groans. The roof collapses.

Lisa screams. Alarms blare. I try to get up—Ryland forces me down.

“You shouldn’t have run,” he whispers, eyes pitch black.

Thaddeus stomps back inside. His boots stop beside my head. Ryland moves off me.

Thaddeus grabs me by the collar and hauls me to my feet.

Lisa screams again.

I run—toward the sound. Miranda’s been shot in the stomach. Lisa’s trying to stop the bleeding.

“No. No. Please,” I cry, dropping beside her.

Orion tries to pull me away.

“Help her! Please!” I scream.

Thaddeus strides over, grips me, and rips me back.

“This is your fault. I warned you not to run,” he snarls.

“Please, Thaddeus. Help her. I’ll do anything. Please, just don’t let her die.”

Ryland’s voice cuts in. “He helps her, you let him mark you.”

“What?” I gasp.

“Choose. Your friend’s about to die,” he says.

Thaddeus shakes me. “Choose!”

Lisa’s voice cuts through. “Evelyn, please!”

I nod. “Help her. Please.”

Thaddeus lets me go. Biting into his wrist, he places it over Miranda’s mouth, then shoves his finger into the bullet wound.

“You’re killing her!”

“No. I’m saving her. She won’t heal with the bullet still in,” he growls.

He pulls it free, and the wound vanishes. Miranda gasps, eyes flying open. Thaddeus stands, grabs me, and hauls me to the door.

“Wait—!”

He throws me over his shoulder. I scream, thrashing. He smacks me hard on the ass.

“Enough,” he growls. “We’re leaving.”

Outside, the street is unrecognizable. Cars impaled on light poles. Buildings in ruins. Bodies everywhere. Orion grabs me, and the world blurs. The wind howls, pressure crashes in on me. Then it stops.

I collapse.

“s**t,” Orion mutters, scooping me up.

I vomit.

He pulls my hair back. Cold touches my face.

When the dizziness fades, I’m back in the apartment. Ryland is cleaning beside me.

Thaddeus stands over me, eyes burning.

“Grab her,” he says.

Orion lifts me again. I’m placed in a car, my head spinning.

Thaddeus climbs in beside me and gently lays my head in his lap. He brushes my hair from my face.

Darkness pulls me under.