10. Tyson

Tyson

T he writer’s block I’ve had since the hunt in the forest is driving me crazy. I have been sitting in front of my laptop for hours, trying to finish the edits to my last book, as I have a deadline for it. No matter how many times I reread it, something feels off about it, and I don’t want to send it like this to my publisher.

It is the first time that I have had a block since I started writing while in college. I wasn’t always a book person, but that’s what I ended up doing after I dropped out of college after working hard to be accepted to a STEM university. In the end, I wasn’t cut out to be an engineer. Not because I didn’t have the brains for it but because of my role as a Lord. The first years after Rueben, the others, and I became blood-brothers, we took part in many missions, some of which sent us overseas. It was only after Jasper joined us that we finally settled down.

“For fuck’s sake,” I curse out loud when I notice it is past lunch, getting up from my office chair and rushing to get to the basement, which we turned into our men cave.

I never liked holidays, but ever since we were in high school, Rueben, Ansel, and I always had a big Call of Duty tournament on Christmas and the day following, drinking beer and listening to rock music. Then Mose joined us, and lastly, Jasper.

“Finally, you show up,” Ansel says as I join them.

He gives me my headphones, and moments later, I log into my account. Rueben passes me a bottle of beer and a cigarette. I tried to quit a few years ago, but since Rueben and Ansel smoke as well, I find it impossible, especially since Mose and Jasper will occasionally have one with us.

I put the cigarette between my lips, and Jasper takes a lighter from his pocket and lights it for me. As soon as the nicotine enters my system, I finally relax. I didn’t even realize how stressed I was because of this current writer’s block.

When I get up from my chair to go grab more beers, Jasper asks me to check on the bitch as well. I nod my head, but I have no interest in her. She could die right now, and I wouldn’t even give a shit. The world is full of whores like her. You get rid of one, more pop out.

The day my father took me for the first time to the Blood Lodge, I knew I wanted to be a Priest and assist the other Lords in their ceremonies, but when the life plans I made for myself failed, I joined Rueben because, just like me, he isn’t interested in finding a bonded. Ansel usually does what Rueben says, so it was easy for us to point out the benefits of being single to him. Mose and Jasper are the only ones who want to have a family, but as long as Rueben is the leader, that will never happen. We are stringing them along, but in time, they will realize it is better like this. Women are whores, and no matter how good you treat them or how much you love them, they will always cheat.

After I put kimchi into a big bowl, I grab a box of beers from the fridge and my chopsticks, then I return to the basement.

“Did you check on Olivia?” Jasper asks as he grabs a beer.

“The bitch is fine.”

Jasper doesn’t seem convinced. Apparently, the soup Mose made for her was ‘too spicy,’ so he had to make something else, which she ended up not eating, and Jasper is worried about her.

Ungrateful bitch.

I really don’t understand what the fuck Rueben was thinking when he decided to bring her here. There are other ways to find information about Carlos or to bring her father down without having to fuck her. Not that I will take part in any of the madness Rueben comes up with.

I bet I can make her talk after a session of torture.

Why the fuck didn’t I think of that before?

There is no need to keep her around to film and fuck and show it to the world. A few hours with me, and she will be chirping like a bird.

Knowing Jasper won’t agree with me, I keep quiet. He always has a soft spot when it comes to women.

When I die in the game, I say, “I am going to check on my pets and then on the horses.”

I leave the basement before anyone realizes my true intentions, as I always take care of my pets first thing in the morning.

I leave the house through the front door, and I don’t bother putting on my coat despite the air being chilly and a few snowflakes falling from the sky. Once I am done with the bitch, I will have to check on the horses and Juniper. Grooming them is therapeutic. It helps me calm my demon down. He hasn’t been the same for a long, long time, and I am still trying to understand why. The feeling I get from him is that he dislikes me.

The guest house is warm, and I ‘accidentally’ turn the heat off before going into the bitch’s room. She is sleeping, her long hair spilled on the pillow beneath her head.

“Time to get up, stupid bitch,” I snarl as I march up to the bed.

My demon growls, his hate fuelling me. At least, we are on the same page when it comes to this bitch.

Her eyes flutter open.

“You and I are going to have a conversation about Carlos,” I say as I unlock the handcuffs.

“I don’t know anything useful.”

Sure she doesn’t.

“Get up!” I bark at her, and she rushes to obey me. Malaky was right about one thing—she is submissive. Good. It will make things easier. “If you try anything funny, I will break your neck.”

“Do it anyway,” she whispers.

Her legs tremble, and she looks like she will faint at any moment, but how do I know it’s not an act she is putting on?

“Not until I find out everything you know.” I jerk my head towards the door. “Let’s go out for a walk.”

She walks slowly, and I have to rush her, not wanting to be caught by any of my blood-brothers. When we are outside, she looks around.

“We are not out here for sightseeing,” I snarl, and she lowers her head.

When we reach the shed I keep my pets in, I say, “Get inside.”

She does so, and a smile cracks on my face.

The shed has no windows, but special lamps keep my snakes and scorpions happy.

The bitch freezes a few steps away from the doorframe, and I have to shove her further inside so I can get past her. She almost falls but regains her balance at the last moment.

I point to a chair between the terrariums of my two snakes. “Bring it here.”

She licks her lips nervously. “No, p-please, I am terrified of snakes.”

“That’s too bad,” I click my tongue. “Do as I say, or else I will lock you in here and let the snakes free.”

Her fingers twitch, and she stares at the snakes as if she is afraid they will escape at any moment.

“Now!” I snarl.

She moves, her steps light, never taking her eyes off the snakes. Her hands tremble so hard it looks like she has Parkinson.

“Please,” she whimpers. I go to one of the terrariums, and before I can open it, she says, “No! I will be good.”

I step away from the snake. “Faster, bitch! I don’t have all day.”

She grabs the chair and drags it as far as she can from the snakes.

“Sit!”

While the bitch sits in the chair, I go over to where I keep my torture equipment. I not only keep my pets here, but I also break all the idiots who think they are smart enough to get in my way.

I might write books about women getting railed by possessive men, but I am first a Lord, and that comes before everything else. I take a roll of duct tape and tie the bitch to the chair.

“Tell me what you know about Carlos.”

She doesn’t hesitate a moment before saying, her eyes fixed on the floor, “He is a sadist.”

“Look at me when you talk,” I sneer. “I want to see those whore eyes of yours to be sure you are not lying.”

She lifts up her head slowly. Her pupils are dilated, letting me know she is afraid. Good. I can use that against her.

“He is a sadist,” she repeats.

I grab her hair with one hand and wrap my other hand around her neck. “I already know that, dumb bitch. What I want to know is where he is hiding.”

“I don’t know.”

I let go of her. “Oh, I think you know exactly where he is. After all, you sucked his cock daily for how many years now?”

She yanks her gaze away from me. “I am not lying.”

“Don’t worry. When I am done with you, I will know every little secret you have.”

Her chin trembles.

“Why are you doing this? Rueben, I understand his motives, but—”

I grab her chin between my fingers, and she stops speaking. “You want to know why I hate your very existence?” My fingers dig into her flesh, forcing her jaw open. “Because you are a fucking Duchess whore. You and all your kind should be exterminated. And every-fucking-thing that happened to you is because you couldn’t keep your legs closed.”

The bitch starts to cry, and I slap her across the face with the back of my right hand, and her head flies to the side. I hate— hate —when women cry. They use their tears as a way to manipulate men to obtain what they want. It doesn’t work on me, though. I am practically hoe-proofed by now.

“Stop with the fake tears!” I snarl.

She sobs quietly—I guess it can’t be helped since women are emotional creatures, aka too stupid to understand what they are told—and I slowly walk around the shed, looking at my pets.

I became fascinated with snakes and scorpions at twenty-one, and since then, I’ve studied them, learning a lot about and from them.

They are, umm, rather charming creatures. I know that not many will agree with me, but I don’t care. Some like dogs and cats, I like other kinds of animals. I even have a deathstalker scorpion tattooed on my back and a boa on my left hand, its body wrapped around my arm and its head on my shoulder.

I open one of the terrariums and take out an emperor scorpion. While it has venom, it is not lethal to humans, but it is still unpleasant, and also, it causes pain with its pedipalps.

If the bitch is afraid of snakes, I bet she is afraid of scorpions as well.

I turn to face her, and her eyes go wide with terror.

“Have you ever seen a scorpion before?”

Her voice trembles as she replies. “Not in real life.”

“I guess it’s your lucky day then,” I say and go over to her and put the scorpion on her left knee.

She lets out a shriek, and I wrap my fingers around her neck, squeezing it hard.

“Scream one more time, and I will pull out all your teeth,” I snarl in her face.

She gives me a curt nod, letting me know she understands, and I step away from her and go to my torture kit. It is something I put together over time, and it fits in a toolbox. The first item that went in it was given to me by Reyes, another troubled Lord like me. As a Lord, Reyes is as ruthless as I am, although he doesn’t despise women as I do– he only sees them as sex toys, but he likes killing as much as I do.

I look inside the toolbox and contemplate what to use on the bitch first—the special knife Reyes gave me, the stun belt, waterboarding, or the pliers. I have many other things in there, but I am not trying to kill, not yet, just break her.

If it weren’t for Jasper, who is some sort of a feminist and is against violence toward women, I would have used white torture on her, but I don’t have time for that.

I put on a pair of gloves, pick up the knife, a box of needles and return to her. Her nails are painted red—go figure—making it easy to hide what I am about to do.

The scorpion walks along her leg.

“I am going to ask you nicely one more time, tell me what you know about Carlos,” I say as I open the needle box and pick up a few long ones.

“P-please. I r-really don’t know a-anything.”

“Have it your way, bitch,” I say and cut open the t-shirt with the knife. I grab one of her tits and pinching her nipple hard, I add, “You think Carlos is a sadist? I can be ten times worse,” as I push the needle through her pink areola.

She screams, and I put the knife on the side of her tit and put the tip in. Blood rolls down her body. “I-it hurts,” she whimpers loudly.

Good.

I want the bitch to suffer.

“Make one more sound, and I will cut your tit off!” I bark. Not because I fear Jasper will hear her and barge in at any time but because I can’t deal with her screams. Something about them unsettles me.

She bites her bottom lip, tears streaming down her face.

The scorpion keeps walking along her leg. A little more and it will reach her pussy.

“Tell me what you know about Carlos,” I demand as I push another needle through her nipple.

She inhales deeply before starting to cough. Any other person would believe she is sick, but not me. Just a cheap act she put on to make me take pity on her.

I am stabbing more needles in her areola again when the door opens, and Rueben enters, a cigarette between his lips.

“I knew I would find you in here with her,” he says as he locks the door behind him.

“Does Jasper suspect anything?” I want to know.

Rueben walks up to us. “Diseased Cunt, open your mouth and stick your tongue out.” The bitch obeys, and he uses her mouth as an ashtray as we keep talking. “Nah, he is having a little too much fun with Mose and Ansel.” Looking at the scorpion, he says, “That thing won’t kill her, right?”

“Don’t tell me you’re worried about her.”

Rueben laughs as he puts out the cigarette on the bitch’s tongue. “Eat it!” he snarls as he shoves the cigarette down her throat.

She coughs, spitting the cigarette onto the floor, and he punches her thigh with such force I swear I heard her femur break.

My scorpion falls off of her.

She throws her head back, a loud shriek coming from her opened mouth, her eyes rolling at the back of her head because of the pain. Jasper might be the strongest of all five of us, but Rueben comes second after him.

“Man, be more careful,” I say as I pick up the scorpion and put it back on her leg, close to her pussy.

Her legs are slightly open, and when she tries to close them, the scorpion lands between them. Annoyed by the sudden movements, the scorpion plunges her stinger into her labia before attacking her clit with its pedipalps.

She screams bloody murder, bucking against the restraints. I bet it hurts like hell.

I press my hand against her mouth, my fingers pinching her nose, preventing her from breathing. “What the fuck did I tell you about making any sound?”

The scorpion keeps attacking her pussy, blood dripping from her clit, and Rueben takes it away from her and puts it back in its terrarium.

“It won’t kill her,” I let him know.

“But it will absolutely destroy her pussy, and it will look bad in the videos.”

I let go of the bitch. She sobs hysterically. “P-please.”

I ignore her. “Don’t tell me you are dead serious about fucking her.”

Rueben runs his fingers through his hair. “You think I am happy about sticking my cock in the person who fucked up my life!? I will have to be drunk or high to do it, but I want her father to pay for ruining the lives of so many Lords. If you want to torture her, go ahead, but I don’t want any permanent damage done to her until Senator Deymar is out. Then I will personally kill her.”

“But why keep the bitch around when we could kill the senator and be done with it,” I wonder aloud.

“Because I want his reputation to be absolutely ruined. Imagine how the Dukes will react when they find out about her being our bitch. It might drive them to make some mistakes that will be to our advantage.”

I am not totally convinced, but Rueben has a great mind when it comes to strategies, so I trust him to know what he is doing. “Do as you wish, but don’t expect me to fuck her.”

“We will have her tested to make sure she is clean.”

The bitch keeps crying, but she is trying to be as silent as she can.

“I would rather go to the Blood Lodge and fuck Giselle or whatever the fuck is her name,” I let him know. “At least she doesn’t have a ruined pussy. And she is cute, not like this bitch.”

“Do as you want,” Rueben finally lets me be.

Turning my attention back to the bitch, I say, “Are you willing to talk now?”

“P-p-please,” she hiccups.

I sigh and grab more needles. “Rueben, help me.”

While I push more needles into her areolas, Rueben sticks as many as he can beneath her nails. When she still refuses to speak, I put a wet cloth on her face, making her feel like she is drowning but the bitch still refuses to speak.

Frustrated with her refusal to cooperate, Rueben starts to break her toes.

“Jasper will be livid,” I say as I make some cuts on her tits.

“He will live,” Rueben retorts.

Her screams have me put duct tape around her mouth, and Rueben and I keep inflicting as much pain as possible until she passes out.

“How about we put some walnuts in his food?” Jasper is very allergic to walnuts, and even a tiny bit will make him sick for days, even after he uses his EpiPen. His demon will also keep him safe. “It will give us some time to find out what she knows about Carlos.”

Rueben helps me remove the needles from her body and put everything back in the toolbox. “I don’t think she knows much. After all, she was only a sex slave. Not even Carlos’ favorite girl.”

“There must be something she knows.” I am sure she is hiding info from us.

Rueben looks at the bitch. “If she does, then I don’t think violence is what will work with her.”

“Then what?” I ask as I wash my hands.

“I don’t know yet, but I do remember she used to tell me many of her secrets because I made her believe I was interested in her.”

“You want to befriend her?”

“Not me. Jasper.”

I cast a glance at the bitch—she looks like she has been through hell. “You think he will want to help us after he sees what we’ve done to her?”

“It’s not like he is in love with her, he is only infatuated with the idea of having a bonded. Why else do the hunt?”

I don’t say anything because Rueben is not wrong. I only agreed to it because I thought it would be fun to have a bitch at the farm and use her as a stress reliever. And because it would have made Jasper happy. This bitch is not worth the money we paid to take part in the hunt. Unfortunately, Malaky won’t give us a refund, or else I would have asked for one by now.

“He knows she won’t be our wife, not after killing Camila,” I point out.

“I'm sure he is aware of it, but I think he is trying to make me change my mind. He is even trying to find out why she killed Camila.”

I snort because Jasper is such a pushover when it comes to women.

Once everything is in its place, Rueben helps me take the bitch back to her room.

“What about Jasper, he will check on her sooner or later.”

Rueben rubs his temples. “Make sure to have the EpiPen close by.”

It’s not every day that Rueben agrees with me.

After I make sure the bitch’s pussy is not bleeding anymore and her clit is still where it is supposed to be, I go take care of the horses while Rueben goes to the kitchen.

Putting walnuts into Jasper’s food worked better than I thought, especially since Mose was so drunk he couldn’t make dinner, and Rueben and I took over. Unfortunately for Jasper, he was sick for the last few days, leaving me to take care of the bitch since the rest had to return to work.

I try to enjoy my drink while I wonder why the Elders wanted us to gather three days after Christmas.

Despite Mose catering to Jasper, he is still sick, and I am starting to feel bad, especially since Jasper didn’t deserve what I did to him. It’s all that bitch’s fault. If only Rueben had the balls to kill her that night in the forest, I wouldn’t be here feeling like I am drinking ashes because I hate that I made Jasper spend the last few days in bed, feeling like absolute shit and barely stomaching any food or liquid.

Reyes and his blood-brothers—Alekos and Stefan—sit close to us. When my eyes fall on his wedding ring and I see the stupid smirk on his face, I wonder what is so great about being tied to one woman. Sure, she might offer the promise of anchoring my soul to her so that my demon won’t consume me, but in time I realized that I don’t give a fuck about what happens to me.

Rueben and Stefan start to talk, and I listen to them.

“What happened to your face?” Stefan asks.

Rueben runs his fingers over the scratches on his face. “My Christmas gift got out of hand.”

We haven’t told anyone about the bitch, and we don’t plan to do so until she starts talking, but Stefan is more curious than usual.

“A new horse?”

I snort softly before I take another sip from my glass. It is clear the scratches were made by a—

Before I can finish my thought, Rueben says, “A bitch.” I choke on my drink, and he slaps my back hard. “Tyson and Jasper bought her for the farm. She needs a lot of training, but I am sure she will learn fast. Hell, she might even give birth to strong pups, as she is from a good breed. But that will come later when she is clean and obeys all our orders.”

What the fuck? Pups? Is he referring to kids? I would rather cut out her ovaries than see her pregnant with any of our children. She is not worthy of such a privilege.

Before Rueben can say any more stupid shit, Elder Calum clears his throat, and every blood-brother present looks at him.

“Not long ago, Brother Alekos gave me a pen drive and told me it contains important information about the Dukes, among other things.” My gaze goes to Rueben. If the Elders have that pen drive, we don’t need the bitch anymore. “Brother Cirro is still analyzing it, but based on what we learned from there, we are sure the Dukes are preparing something big, that might change the world as we know it.”

I grip the glass hard. I bet the bitch knows something. After all, she has been hiding in the Celestial Heaven for many years. It’s impossible for her not to have heard something. Anything.

When part of the blood-brothers present begin to ask for more information, Elder Calum says, “I am going to tell you, but first,” he looks at a man who sits with Rin and his blood-brothers and has the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his face, “Yan, you may reveal your identity.”

If I remember correctly, Yan is Rin’s cousin, but he went missing years ago, and everyone thought he was dead.

Yan pulls back his hood. The number 514 is tattooed on his left cheek. Strange.

“The last time I was here was a day before I turned thirteen. A few days after my birthday, I was kidnapped and taken to a medical facility.” He stops for a few seconds before continuing. “The years spent there have been hard, with all kinds of experiments performed on me.”

“What was the purpose of the experiments?” Elder Janoah asks.

Yan traces the tattoo on his face with the tip of his finger. “Ever since I was captured, I have been wondering the same thing. Of course, nothing was revealed to me or the other experiments, but after I escaped, I spent some time spying and trying to find out what Azael’s real intentions were.” Whispers rise in the Inferno Room. Yan keeps talking. “I am certain he is making an army to later attack the Garden of Eden.”

Is he referring to Azael, who was once Lucifer’s right hand?

More blood-brothers start to speak, and the Elders have to raise their voices before silence returns.

From next to me, Rueben asks, “Azael?”

“The Betrayer,” Yan confirms my suspicion.

After betraying Lucifer, Azael was hated by both angels and demons and was shunned even by the Outcasts. For a long time, he lived on Earth in hiding, never revealing his true nature or name. Apparently, the angels accepted him among themselves, but with what purpose? If Yan is right, then…God knows what Azael is plotting, especially since he is using his real name.

“What happens now?” Alekos asks.

Elder Calum looks around the Inferno Room. “We must stop Azael before he sets his plan in motion.”

“How?” Stefan asks.

“The leader of the Sisterhood, Wasp, contacted me. She is willing to help us,” Elder Calum informs us.

The news about the Sisterhood is slowly spreading among the Lords, while trying to keep the rest of the world in the dark about their return. It is an organization established by hellstars centuries ago to protect them from any harm; in time, when no more hellstars were born, normal women took hold of it. Right now, its sole purpose is to make hoes think they don’t need men, which is total bullshit because them bitches need us to protect them from the Dukes.

“And what does this Wasp person want in exchange for her help?” Rueben asks.

Elder Uzziah takes out his laptop from his leather bag and puts it on the table in front of him. He is quiet while he works on the laptop for a few minutes. When he establishes a video call with someone, he turns the laptop to face everyone else. A woman wearing a black mask and a cloak with a hood covering her head is on the screen.

“Wasp, everyone is wondering what your real intentions are,” Elder Callum lets her know.

If she wants to help us, why does she hide her true identity?

Her voice is distorted by a microphone she wears on her cloak. “My intention for now is to stop Azael from destroying Raphael and Eden’s creation—the garden where angels and demons are allowed to love each other freely.”

I lean back in my chair. “Why do you care so much what happens to the Garden of Eden? After all, you are not a hellstar nor are you bonded to anyone.”

Wasp looks at me, her eyes hidden by shadows. “Would you like the angels to destroy the only place your demon and you will find peace in the next life?”

I exhale softly but don’t reply to her stupid question. God won’t let anything happen to the Garden of Eden.

What Wasp says next surprises me. “If any of you expects God to intervene, you are wasting your time. It’s not that God has abandoned us, but the actions of the Outcasts have hurt him deeply, and since the day he closed the gates of Heaven, he has been spending his entire time in his palace, not wanting to see anyone. God is grieving, and that is why things are happening here and in other worlds as well, things that might affect Earth if we don’t take action.”

“What things?” someone asks.

“While I can’t reveal everything right now, what I can say is that this world is not the only one that has demons and angels,” Wasp says.

“The story about how humans came to be tells us otherwise,” someone points out.

“It is true, to some extent. The demons and angels from this Universe have power over the worlds and planets here, but in other Universes, others take care of God’s creation,” Wasp explains next.

“You mean there are more Universes out there?” I chuckle. I have heard the theory before, but I always thought it was a bunch of crap.

“Many,” says Wasp.

“So, how do these multiple Universes fit into the story, and what do they have to do with us?” Mose asks.

“There is a…blight…spreading across time and space and Universes. A blight that destroys everything in its path. A group of female angels and demons managed to escape from those worlds that were destroyed and make their way here,” Wasp replies.

“How do you know this?” Elder Calum questions her.

Wasp straightens her back. “The Archangel who guards the portal between the Universes has agreed to let them in, but with the condition they become hellstars for the Outcasts who are still waiting to find their way into the Garden of Eden. Many of them have been reborn as women and are waiting to be found.”

“So are you telling us that not only are there hellstars on Earth, but they are coming from other Universes created by God?” I ask in disbelief. “Who told you this bullshit?”

Wasp sighs. “I can’t reveal my source, not yet, but I ask you to trust my word. I will reveal more things soon, but until then, those who will find hellstars, please treat them with kindness. They might be the key to stopping the blight.”

“And how do we recognize the hellstars?”

“Their mark appears only when they accept Outcasts as their mates, but before that, their souls—their light shines brighter than anything. And some have stars in their eyes. This is the only thing I ask in exchange for my help to bring down Azael—protect the hellstars until they find the demons or angels they are most compatible with.”

“What do you mean by ‘most compatible?’” Elder Janoah asks. “Hellstars are soulmates to demons or angels.”

“I am afraid I can’t reveal anything more. But there are many hellstars out there. Find them before Azael does and forces them to be with Outcasts unworthy of them. Also, be careful when it comes to him, he is… different.”

“Different, how?” Rueben asks.

Before she can reply, the connection is severed.

We return to the farm shortly after nightfall. I am still thinking about what Wasp told us, and I don’t notice Jasper entering the guest house until it’s too late.

“Fuck,” I curse under my breath and run after him, but by the time I catch up with him, he is already in the bitch’s room. He stands in the middle of the room, his back to me, looking at her. From the way she looks, it’s impossible for him not to realize what I have done. “Jasper,” I rasp.

“I trusted you with her safety.” He sounds… disappointed and hurt.

“Why do you care about this bitch so much anyways? Rueben will kill her soon.”

“Because she has…scars that need to be healed before she can glow again.”