Sadistic Mates

Chapter 5

Thaddeus

Sunlight bleeds through the blinds when I’m stirred awake by Ryland shifting beside me, his hand reaching across the bed, searching for me in his sleep. I sit up and rub my eyes, the faint sounds of Orion in the kitchen drifting in.

Throwing the blanket off, I open the bedroom door. Orion glances at me and places a finger to his lips, nodding toward the couch. Evelyn is still asleep, curled tightly beneath the duvet. I cross the room quietly and sit beside her, gently lifting her head to remove the pillow beneath it. Her scent envelops me, intoxicating and warm, stirring something primal in me.

She’s so small, so soft, and every inch of her humanity calls to the worst parts of me. I want to touch her, hold her—the thought terrifies me. She's fragile in a way I forget sometimes. I can smell her mortality. There was a time I doubted she was human. My mother was thought to be once—until my fathers discovered the truth.

I watch her chest rise and fall. Her heart beats in a slow rhythm, her breath steady. I reach out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She shifts in her sleep, turning—and her cheek presses against my groin.

I stiffen. Literally.

My c**k twitches, hardening under the duvet, and I try to shift away. She moves again, unknowingly grinding against me. It takes everything in me not to groan. Even unconscious, this girl affects me.

Orion walks over and leans on the back of the couch to check on her. He sees the situation and smirks, leaning down to kiss me softly.

“You won’t break her,” he whispers. “She’s not as delicate as she looks.”

I nod yet can’t take my eyes off her. I lean closer, inhaling her scent. Her lashes flutter, and then her hazel eyes lock with mine. I freeze, caught in her gaze. Her heart rate spikes, the blood pulsing through her veins like a drumbeat. She's trying to decide whether to run or freeze.

Ryland appears in the doorway. I know he felt her fear, just like I did. Our bond is forming slowly. She feels it too, faintly, that much I can sense. Through him, I feel her clearer. Stronger.

“I won’t hurt you,” I tell her gently. “I just wanted to be near you.”

She stares at me like she’s trying to figure me out. Then she gets up, walking over to Orion instead. Jealousy surges in my chest, sharp and hot. I know she’s more familiar with him, trusts him, if only slightly, but it still burns.

Orion hands me a plate, eyebrow raised, and I force the anger down, shaking it off. I sit at the table next to her. She immediately stands. That simple rejection slices deeper than it should. I grab her wrist, not hard, just firm enough to make both Orion and Ryland freeze.

She glances at them, then quickly sits back down. Orion places her plate in front of her.

“Eat,” I say. She picks up the fork and pushes the food around.

Darkness flickers at the edge of my vision. A voice in my head urges me to make her obey. To take what’s mine. I grip the edge of the table too hard.

“If you’re not hungry, why don’t you take a shower?” Orion suggests, his voice level while his eyes are locked on mine.

I almost pull her back down when she rises. Ryland’s hand clamps down over my wrist. Her alarm fans the flame inside me, feeds it. She can feel my power—my dominance—like heat against her skin. She bolts from the room.

Ryland waits a beat before letting go. I stare down at my plate, grab my fork, and stab a tomato. The porcelain cracks with the force. The plate splits in two.

I shove it away and toss the shards into the sink.

Orion stands. “Here, I’ll make more—”

I wave him off, already heading down the hall. Ryland stands in my path.

“Thaddeus. You’ll scare her worse.”

“I don’t care,” I snap, brushing past him.

I need to touch her. Just once.

At the ensuite door, I twist the knob—and it crumbles in my hand. Her scent pours out. My control slips, and a low growl rumbles in my chest.

I push the door open.

She screams.

The sound hits me like a blade. She spins away, turning her back, arms covering herself. Water streams down her body, and my eyes fixate on the angry scar that runs from her shoulder to her hip. A burn.

“Orion!” she cries out, panic in her voice.

Her heart races, pounding so violently I fear it might stop. I step forward, barely aware of my own movements, driven by instinct and something darker. I reach for the shower screen.

“Thaddeus.” Orion’s voice cuts through the fog, sharp and commanding. He stands at the door, leaning against the frame.

I growl low, warning him off.

“Thaddeus,” he repeats, voice harder this time.

I turn to him, and for a moment, the rage bubbles just beneath the surface. She’s mine. How dare he tell me I can’t have what belongs to me?

***

Evelyn

The shower is still running when I hear the bathroom door handle snap and fall to the floor. My heart skips a beat. I whirl around, dripping, and find Thaddeus standing in the doorway—his chest rising and falling rapidly, a low growl vibrating from deep in his throat. His eyes are pitch black, and his lips part, revealing sharp fangs. The look in his eyes makes my blood run cold.

I scream.

He steps forward, his hand reaching for the shower screen. I turn my back quickly, trying to cover myself, my body trembling.

“Orion!” I cry out, praying he’ll stop him.

Orion appears, leaning in the doorway like this is just another Tuesday. “Thaddeus,” he says flatly.

Thaddeus snarls at him, and before I can blink, he lunges.

I scream again and shut the water off with shaking hands. I throw the shower door open, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around myself before bursting into the bedroom.

Thaddeus has Orion pinned to the ground, growling like an animal. Orion manages to shove him off. Thaddeus lunges again. Ryland walks in, pinching the bridge of his nose. I look at him, silently pleading for his help, he only shrugs. No help is coming.

Thaddeus punches Orion hard, sending him crashing into the dresser. The lights flicker, casting the room into a strobe of chaos. I can barely breathe. Orion pulls himself up, only for Thaddeus to slam into him again, booting him straight through the wall.

My scream tears from my throat as I run forward, grabbing Thaddeus’s arm to stop him. He shoves me—hard. I hit the carpet with a soft thud, dazed.

Ryland moves only to watch. No one intervenes.

Thaddeus’s head snaps toward me, his eyes wild. He stalks over and grabs my ankle. I kick at him, scrambling away, clutching the towel tighter. “Get off me!” I scream.

He growls again, louder, deeper, and lunges. His face presses into the crook of my neck as he inhales deeply. I can feel him—feel him losing control. This isn’t Thaddeus the man. This is something else. Something monstrous.

I look at Ryland again. He just stands there, expression unreadable.

Thaddeus pushes me flat on my back, clawing at the towel. I fight him, panic flooding me as Orion and Ryland just watch. He grabs both of my wrists with one hand, pinning them above my head like I weigh nothing. His nose trails up my cheek, and I freeze, heart slamming in my chest.

He’s not human. Not even close. He’s the Dark King.

I hear my own pulse in my ears, feel my body trembling beneath his. His fangs graze my lips, sharp enough to draw blood, and it trickles down my chin. I try to turn my face, shielding my neck from him and low threatening growl escapes him.

“Orion,” I choke out, tears brimming in my eyes. “Please…”

He moves forward, and Ryland holds out a hand.

“Leave her,” Ryland says.

My stomach drops. The betrayal hits harder than the fear. They’re going to let him…

I twist under Thaddeus’s grip, trying to break free. His hold tightens. He yanks the towel down, exposing me, and his rough palm covers my breast. Pain blossoms under his fingers. I cry out, sobbing as he squeezes too hard.

“Thaddeus, stop!” I scream, but his eyes are unfocused, black and feral.

He doesn’t see me.

He sees prey.

His face dips again toward my neck. His growl is animalistic, full of hunger. He’s too far gone.

Ryland’s voice is cold. “She needs to learn.”

Learn what? How to die quietly?

Thaddeus’s head tilts. He watches me, studying my face like he’s trying to remember something. For the briefest moment, his eyes flicker—green bleeding through the black.

I do the only thing I can.

I kiss him.

It’s desperate, clumsy. My lips meet his, and I feel his fangs slice into the tender skin. He freezes.

For a second, I think it’s worked.

Then he grabs my hair and yanks my head back hard. I scream, and he silences me with another brutal kiss, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth, devouring me. His weight pins me, his body pressing between my legs. One of his hands fists in my hair; the other grabs my hip, nails digging into my flesh painfully.

When he finally lets me breathe, his lips move to my chin, then lower—biting, sucking, marking every inch of my exposed skin. I sob as he sinks his teeth into my breast. Pain tears through me.

“Please… stop… you’re hurting me…” I whisper, gasping.

He pauses.

My shaking hand touches his face, gently pulling him back. His eyes flick to mine—and they’re different. He blinks like waking from a nightmare.

He sits back slightly, and I see the realization hit him like a punch. His gaze sweeps over me, taking in the bruises, the blood, the tears. Guilt floods his expression.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I… I…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence.

He just stands, backing away, staring at me like he doesn’t recognize himself. Then he turns and leaves the room.

I sit up, pulling the towel tight around me, shivering uncontrollably. Orion steps forward, his hand outstretched.

I slap it away.

“Why didn’t you help me?” I whisper, voice hoarse, tears falling freely now.

Orion flinches like I struck him. He turns, jaw clenched, and glares at Ryland.