Madness: Part 2 – Chapter 49

I pull up to my house and push the garage door opener. I start to enter, but I pause when I see her SUV. I knew it was going to be here, but it’s weird seeing it.

Pulling in, I park next to her Cullinan, turn off my car, and get out, closing the garage door before I enter the house. It’s dead silent and pitch black since the sun hasn’t come up yet. Making my way to the primary suite, I open the door and enter, closing it behind me.

The curtains are open so there’s a little light in here from the sconces that hang on the outside of the house. She’s lying in my bed. Her back to the window, her arm stretched out on my side of the bed. Her cat lies on my pillow like always.

Walking over to the nightstand, I remove my gun from the waistband of my jeans and go to put it on the surface but pause, looking back at her. She looks so pretty and peaceful.

Her dark lashes laying on her cheeks, her pouty lips are parted, and she softly snores. I release the gun and get undressed. Picking up the covers, I lie down next to her and pull them back up to cover us both as Muffin meows and jumps off the bed.

I run the back of my knuckles along her cheek, over her jaw, and down her neck. Her pulse is strong and steady.

“Haidyn?” she whispers, her eyes remaining closed.

“Yeah, doll face. It’s me,” I tell her, my thumb running over her bottom lip.

She gives me a faint smile, then she does something I don’t expect. She moves closer, pressing her soft body into mine and draping her left arm over my side and her left leg over my hip.

It makes me tense for just a second before I melt into her warm embrace. Lying down on the bed on my side, I run my right hand up her back, feeling the curve of her spine and over the nape of her neck. I can feel her Lords crest that they branded her with before I allow my fingers to slide into her soft hair and cup the back of her head. I hold her as if she’s a dream I don’t want to wake up from as I remember part of our “training.”

Four years ago

“I have something to show you,” the woman says with a smile.

I grind my teeth. “I’m not in the mood for games,” I inform her, stepping into her. The four guys rush forward, and she raises her hands to stop them.

“No worries, boys. We’re just talking.”

I need to check on Saint. This is the first time she’s let me out of my basement cell in days. “What the fuck do you want?” I still don’t know where the fuck Kashton is.

“I want to show you something.” She steps forward.

Throwing my head back, I take in a deep breath, trying to calm my fucking temper. I’ve had enough of this bitch. “What is it?”

Giving me an evil smile, she turns, and I follow her like the good boy she’s trying to make us into. It’ll never happen. But I can play the game just as well as she can.

We make our way outside, and I look over my shoulder to see her four guys following us. I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans and wish I had my sunglasses. There’s not a single cloud in the sky; it’s the middle of the day, and it’s hotter than usual for this time of year. It was snowing just last week.

As we approach the back fence surrounding Carnage, she steps to the right, and I stop at what I see.

A woman stands with her back pressed into the ten-foot chain-link fence, on her tiptoes, spread-eagled. Each wrist and ankle are secured with barbed wire, and it’s also wrapped around her neck twice. Blood runs down her naked body from her struggles to get free. And there’s a fresh scar—horizontal on her lower stomach. Her once flawless skin is sunburned. “How long has she been out here?” I demand, stepping forward, knowing exactly who it is.

The sound of my voice has her body thrashing, and her muffled voice from being gagged fills the black hood that covers her face.

“Two days,” the bitch answers.

I turn to face her. “Why is she here?” I bark. “Let her go. She has nothing to do with this,” I shout, panic gripping my chest.

She tilts her head to the side. “I think she has everything to do with this…with you.” She smiles. “You brothers share everything. Including women.”

Crazy fucking bitch! “Let her go!” I shout, stepping forward, but she doesn’t retreat.

She frowns. “Women are supposed to mean nothing to you. And her.” She points at the sobbing woman. “She belongs to you. So what are you going to do with her?” Walking over to the woman tied to the fence, she rips the hood off her head.

Wide, bloodshot eyes meet mine, and she screams around the duct tape placed over her mouth.

I walk over to her and rip it off her face. “Hai-dyn,” she sobs, her body shaking, yanking on the barbed wire, trying to get free.

“Shh,” I say, placing my hands on her tear-streaked face. Her skin is hot and clammy. Two days? They probably haven’t given her anything to eat, let alone water. “Calm down, baby,” I tell her, and she closes her eyes tightly. “Can you do that for me?” I ask, and she nods the best she can. “That’s my good girl,” I say, and she whimpers at the praise.

“See, Haidyn, you always have a choice,” the bitch adds cryptically.

I release Sierra and turn to face her. “Why is she here?” I demand.

“She’s your chosen, Haidyn. The Lords gave her to you as a reward for all of your devotion and hard work. She belongs to you until you’re done with her. So she will stay here with you at Carnage and go through training with you. Everything I do to you…I’ll do to her. And as long as she survives, I’ll let you still fuck her. Oh, and don’t worry about the possibility of pregnancy. She’s already been given her hysterectomy.”

Sierra cries and now the fresh scar makes sense. Sterilization is a requirement here at Carnage. Doesn’t matter man or woman, whoever is brought in as a prisoner is to be made sure they can never reproduce. How long have they had her hidden here if they’ve already done that to her?

“But…” The bitch continues, getting my attention and pointing at her four men who followed us out here. “If you choose to be done with her, then you give her to them.”

“No,” I snap as Sierra’s cries turn to sobs, knowing exactly what she means. Either I keep her here for me and allow the bitch to torture Sierra or I hand her over to her men to let them rape her. “Absolutely not.”

The woman’s frown deepens.

“Haidyn…please…” Sierra sobs, and I turn back to face her.

My eyes quickly scan the barbed wire around her wrists, neck, and ankles. She’s been cutting herself trying to get free. There’s no way for me to get it off unless I cut it, and I have no way to do so.

“PLEASE…” Sierra screams, her panic rising at what’s to come. “Don’t let them do this to me!” She yanks on the barbed wire, and it cuts deeper.

I’ve shared her before, but this is different. Things have changed since Ashtyn ran, and I’m not about to let these sick bastards rape Sierra because I’m being tested. Or let them punish her for nothing she’s done.

“What the fuck do you want?” I shout at the woman, losing my patience. We both know it. I’m powerless here, and I hate it. I don’t love Sierra, but I also don’t want to see her being tortured or raped by these men. She has nothing to do with Carnage. She’s here because of me. I turned down Ashtyn as mine, and then I helped her escape. Sierra was stuck with me as her Lord because of my father. After I refused two different chosens, my father decided for me. It was no longer an option. We were forced into each other’s lives. She didn’t choose me. Everything leads back to me.

“My men work hard, Haidyn. And I believe that hard work should be rewarded. Like yourself.” She reaches out and one of them hands her a pair of pliers. “Cut her free and let them play.”

My eyes drop to the pliers as my heart races at her words. Sierra won’t stand a chance. Two days with no food or water…she’s exhausted and bleeding. Even if I could take all four of them on, she wouldn’t be able to get far.

This bitch has taken over Carnage, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Saint is still in the hospital with no word on his condition other than they’ve got him sedated for a better chance at recovery. I don’t believe that shit. I haven’t seen Kash in days. I can only save one person at a time.

Taking them in my hand, I turn back to Sierra. She shakes her head, fresh tears falling from her eyes. “Please…no…”

I pocket the pliers and place both hands back on her face, gripping her tear-streaked cheeks. “Shh, calm down. Deep breath, baby.”

She sniffs, snot running from her nose.

“Good girl.”

“Please,” she whispers. “Please…please…Haidyn…don’t let them…” She sobs, unable to finish her sentence.

My chest tightens. I’ve done some fucked-up shit in my life, but I don’t kill the innocent, especially women.

“Don’t let them rape⁠—”

“Calm down.” I interrupt her. “Relax.” I nod my head as my eyes search hers. “Can you do that for me?”

I feel her trembling body relax into the fence the best she can and give her a reassuring smile. Gently, I turn her head side to side to see how much movement the barbed wire wrapped around her neck allows. “That’s it. You’re doing great, baby.”

Taking a second, I place my forehead against hers, feeling my heart pound in my chest. “I’m sorry…”

A soft sob leaves her cracked lips before she whispers, “Thank you.” Is she accepting her fate, or does she think I have a plan to save her? Because I can’t think of one. Whoever this bitch is that’s running the show here now has an army. She’s brought in her own men. I have no control. None of us Spade brothers do.

I pull back; her bloodshot eyes meet mine, and she gives me a soft smile as fresh tears fall over her bottom lashes. Without another thought, I snap her neck.

Sierra’s body goes limp against the fence, and I gently lower her head. Stepping back, I release her and see her hanging there like a sacrifice that didn’t need to be made.

My heart is heavy, and my pulse races. I’m fucking gasping for breath. I killed her. We both knew that was the only option she had. Who knows what they would have done to her or how long she would have been a prisoner of Carnage. She didn’t belong here.

“I’m disappointed in you, Haidyn.” The bitch sighs dramatically.

I give a rough laugh. “Get in line.” It’s a long one.

“Cut her down and leave her for the wildlife to eat,” she orders her men.

I turn to face them, giving my dead chosen my back, protecting her body. “We’ll be taking her with us.” She deserves to be laid to rest.

The brunette steps into me, her green eyes on mine—they’re contacts. She’s trying to hide her true identity from us. I’m just not sure why. Eye color doesn’t make a fucking difference. “You don’t call the shots here, Haidyn. You were being tested, and you failed.”

I snort.

“You will see. It’s for the best.” She turns to her men once again. “Leave her and bring him back to the basement. He earned a punishment, and you guys deserve to give it.” With that, she walks back to Carnage.

I turn around and grab the pliers out of my pocket and start to snap the barbed wire that holds her in place, catching her body as it falls into me. Before I can turn around, I’m knocked forward and we both fall to the ground. Motherfucker… Leaving her on the ground, I don’t even get the chance to turn around to face them before they jump me.

I look over a sleeping Charlotte. I hope Bill was lying about who she is and what they want from her. Because she was right when we stood in her kitchen. There are worse things than dying. That’s why Bill suggested I kill her because he knows exactly what her future holds.

My eyes scan her soft features. Could I kill her? No. Even though I know deep down that she’s innocent, I can’t kill her or walk away. She’s mine. I’ve wanted her for years. Why would I deprive myself of something that already belongs to me?

My cum leaks from her lips, her cunt, and her ass. It’s my name she moans in her sleep. And it’s my bed she wakes up in. I’ll ride this train until it falls off the tracks. And then, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she remains mine. Forever.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out and close my eyes.

Do you ever get that kind of sleep when you feel like you’ve slept for days? Like your body needed a reset. I never have. Until now.

Opening my eyes, I’m greeted with a set of pretty blue ones. I blink, looking around to see we’re in my room, in my bed, and the sun is up. “What time is it?” I ask. My voice sounds rough.

“Almost noon.”

“What the fuck?” I sit up quickly, rubbing my eyes. No way I slept that long.

“What’s wrong? Do you have somewhere to be?” she asks. I feel her hand on my back, rubbing it. I stiffen at the touch, and she removes it.

“I never sleep that long.”

“I never see you sleep at all.” She laughs.

I look back over at her, and she’s now on her back, hands under her neck, and she’s staring up at me. My eyes drop to her body since I pulled the covers off her when I sat up. I don’t miss the way her soft pink nipples harden when my eyes linger on them. Then they drop to her pierced belly button. I find myself lying down next to her, on my side, my hand propping my head up as the other goes to her stomach.

“Do you want kids?” I’m not sure why I ask, but the conversation I had last night is still fresh on my mind.

“Of course,” she replies as if it wasn’t an odd question. Then she gives a little laugh. “If I had married my Lord, I would probably have at least one by now.”

I frown. “You said you didn’t have a Lord yet.”

She rolls her eyes. “I recently found out that I have one. He’s just…unavailable.”

“What’s that mean?” Who told her this?

“He’s dead.” She turns her head to look up at me, and I know she’s lying. But I don’t push it. As long as she’s in the process of her assignment, she won’t be given to anyone. The Lords have given her to me, and I’m starting to appreciate that. “What about you? Do you want kids?”

“No.”

She frowns at how quickly I answer the question. “Why not?”

“Because children don’t belong in Carnage.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for Saint and Ashtyn, but we were the children raised in that hell, and I don’t want any child to have to endure that. No matter who their fathers are.

“What if your Lady wants a child?” she asks, her voice lower than before. As if she’s afraid to ask.

“I won’t be getting married,” I answer.

“Wait.” She sits up, and my hand falls from her waist. “You have to take a Lady, and you have to reproduce.”

I lie on my back, getting comfortable by propping my head up on the pillow to get a better look at her, but I say nothing.

She goes on at my silence. “Don’t you believe in love?”

I snort at that thought.

She surprises me by getting up and straddling my hips. Her hair falls over her shoulder, and I push it back so I can see her body. My cock instantly hardens underneath her. “Then I feel sorry for you,” she says matter-of-factly.

I laugh, and she slaps my chest playfully. I grab both of her wrists and hold them captive as her eyes meet mine and soften. “In our world, there is nothing but evil.” She licks her lips and sighs. “You are forced to prove you’re worthy for them…and once you have proven yourself, they have the power to take it from you at any given moment. Don’t you want someone you know will love you unconditionally?”

I just stare up at her, hoping she can’t feel my heart racing in my chest.

“Someone who can see who you really are and still accept that?” She tilts her head to the side and smiles. It’s a soft one, but it lights up her pretty face. “Who wouldn’t want to know love in a world full of hate?”

“That’s what you want.” It’s not a question but more of an observation.

I get it. She had a different life than what the Spade brothers and I had. She wasn’t raised in hell. She wasn’t beaten because she didn’t want to hurt another life. She knows she has to prove herself and is willing to do so, but it’s not the same. Letting go of her wrists, I run my knuckles down the side of her face.

Her smile widens, and she corrects me. “It’s what I have.”

“Who?” Her fake boyfriend? I want to tell her that he isn’t going to care about her if he ever finds out who she really is. And if he does, she’ll have to kill him. If she refuses, I’ll do it for her. Because then he’ll be a threat to her.

“My mother and my stepdad.” Her shoulders are back, and her head held high. She’s so proud of that statement.

“Go home…grab your gun and put a bullet in her head while she sleeps.” That’s what her stepdad told me, and I highly doubt she knows what kind of future she has. Does she even know she’s a founder…how much power she truly has? Doubtful.

Her smile falls at my silence, and her eyes drop to my chest, avoiding mine. Sitting up, I cup her face in both of my hands and give her a reassuring smile. “Not everyone is as lucky as you, doll face.” I lie, not wanting to burst her bubble that she thinks she’s safe in.

That smile returns, and her nails softly run up and down my back, making me break out in goose bumps. “You⁠—”

I push my lips to hers, cutting her off. Enough bullshit talking. If she wants to believe in fairy tales, then that’s on her. I don’t believe in them, nor do I want one. She’s naked in my bed, so why talk when I can fuck her?

CHARLOTTE

I squeal as he picks me up and throws me onto my back. When he kneels between my open legs, I drop my eyes to his hard dick. I could feel him while I straddled him. I’ve been trying to have a real conversation with him, but it was so distracting.

When I woke up this morning in his arms, he seemed different. He wasn’t a Lord or a Spade brother. He was just a man holding me. It gave me a sense of hope. I know what my future holds for me. My Lord will hate me. I thought I had accepted that years ago and only wanted power, but to feel protected, loved? Even if it was false, it fucked with my mind. It made me want that.

“Stop that, doll face.” Haidyn’s voice breaks through my inner rambling.

“Huh?” I ask, my eyes meeting his as he hovers over me.

He grabs my waist and tosses me over onto my stomach and grabs my hips, pulling my ass up into the air. His knees spread mine wide open, and then he’s pushing his cock into my pussy. No foreplay, no ropes, chains, or gags. Just one hand in my hair, shoving the side of my face into his mattress while the other shoves his thumb in my ass, and he fucks my cunt until I’m crying out his name, and my cum covers his pierced dick.

I open my heavy eyes and look around the room. It’s just Muffin and me in his bed. Getting to my feet, I use the restroom and put on a shirt before I exit his primary suite. My stomach rumbles, telling me to eat some breakfast. I came twice, and after that, I was nothing but jelly. Haidyn fucked me until I passed out.

Walking down the hallway, I come to the open kitchen and living room where I see Haidyn standing by a kitchen chair in the center of the room. Rope sits on the black leather and so does a syringe. I step back and spin to return to his room.

“It’s going to happen, Annabelle.”

The name makes my teeth clench. What makes him decide to call me by it? When he’s mad at me? Did I do something to piss him off? I thought we shared a moment this morning? Maybe it was wishful thinking talking about love. I mean, I know he’s never going to feel that for another woman, but I still felt he had opened up to me just by asking me if I wanted kids. It was a very personal question, and for the first time, it was as if he wanted to know about me. The real me. Not the one I pretend to be because I have to.

“Either you willingly sit down in the chair, or I chase you down, drag you back by your hair, and tie you to it. What’s it going to be?”

I shouldn’t get excited at the way he explains the things he’s going to do to me. But I can’t help it. You can only fight for so long, but eventually, it’s pointless. Closing my eyes, I silently curse. Goddamn him for doing this to me. Turning back to face him, I lift my chin and walk toward him. When I come to a stop in front of the chair, he lowers his eyes to the T-shirt of his that I wear.

“Strip,” he commands, and I feel those butterflies in my stomach that always come when he tells me what to do.

I pull the material up and over my head, tossing it to the side.

“Have a seat, doll face.” He taps the leather and picks up the syringe before I do as he says.