Chapter 9

Peyton

Rough hands grasped at her body, making nausea roll through her in disgusted waves. They touched her as they pleased, taking what they wanted and laughing at her protests. Bruises marred her skin and blood coated every inch of her.

“Stop!” More laughter echoed as she begged for a reprieve, tears streaming down her pretty face.

“I said fucking stop! ” she screamed, whipping her arm around her. Suddenly there was a blade in her grip, slicing through the skin of her abusers.

She watched as they bled out, a vindictive smile spreading across her face. She had got her revenge, after all. And it felt so fucking powerful …

Peyton woke with a start, her breath coming out in loud gasps as she gulped in air. That dream—nightmare—was so real. She could still feel the unwanted touches and the sticky feeling of fresh blood on her skin.

It took her a moment before reality smacked into her with an unnecessary level of cruelty. Memories overtook her, reminding her of everything she had been through—everything she had done.

A new level of nausea bubbled in her stomach and she turned onto her side, vomiting over the edge of the bed she was in.

She had killed people.

Worse, she had enjoyed killing them.

Peyton didn’t know who she was anymore.

Once the nausea subsided, she rolled onto her back again and looked around the room. At first she thought she was back home in Willowbrooks before she realized that no, she was somewhere else entirely.

She was in Hadina Adis’ bed.

“ Tentadora , you’re awake,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Peyton twisted her head to see Hadina standing in all her goddess-like glory, her long raven hair hanging in straightened strands and giving the appearance of Death itself. It pained Peyton how much her body still craved the woman before her, how her stomach fluttered with childlike innocence at the sight of such pretty features and that dark smile.

But things had changed.

After missing Hadina the entire time she was being held captive, wishing for her sinful kisses and suffocating embraces, Peyton couldn’t let herself give in to her foolish feelings. She had been na?ve to think that she belonged in this life; that Hadina Adis could be trusted.

No, Hadina was a snake and it was only a matter of time before she unhinged her jaw and devoured Peyton entirely.

“I don’t want to see you.”

Hadina smirked, shrugging her shoulders as she took a step into the room. “I’m not good at following someone else’s orders, darling.”

Peyton glared at her, pulling herself up to a sitting position slowly. “You forgave Zellie. You brought her with you to save me . I’m not your darling, Hadina. I’m not anything to you anymore.”

Tutting, Hadina shook her head and sat at the edge of the bed, making sure to leave space between them. “It’s complicated. Forgiveness is a fickle thing and it will take far more than time to make me let my sister off the hook for all the shit she’s done. But she helped me find you; I’d be a fool to shun her after that.”

“Ha,” Peyton said, chuckling dryly, “and here I thought I was the delusional one. Your sister is an evil bitch and you’re suddenly teamed up with her? Everything that happened to me… Zellie is the cause of all of this. I won’t forgive her just because you think she’s repented or some shit.”

Hadina closed her eyes and Peyton cursed herself for how much she wanted to lean forward and press her lips against Hadina’s painted ones.

“There’s more to tell you, tentadora . I–I found out a lot of things while you were gone. But you should heal more and then we can talk. I’ll tell you everything.”

Peyton scoffed, wincing as her stomach muscles contracted. “I don’t care, Hadina. The second I don’t feel like my body is about to crumble, I’m out of here. I’m done with you and your family and all the fucking secrets. I don’t want this.”

“You’re not leaving,” Hadina said dryly. “I will not let you go alone into the world and risk someone else taking you. Risk that puta getting her hands on you. I will chain you up and let you hate me forever if I have to, but I will protect you. I let you down before—I should never have let you run off on your own. That mistake shall not be repeated.”

The devotion and heartache in Hadina’s voice was almost enough to break Peyton, but she wouldn’t let anything crumble her resolve. She had spent weeks being broken and abused; it was time for her to be her own champion.

“Try it, Hadina. Just try and keep me prisoner. I’ll never let someone be my captor again.” Tears slipped down her cheeks, burning her already sore skin. “I wanted nothing more than for you to come and save me. You know, I would close my eyes and think about how it felt to be yours; how your tender kisses and rough touches made me feel. Memories and visions of you were what kept me going.”

“ Mi amor ,” Hadina whispered, reaching out to take Peyton’s hand. Peyton flinched and pulled away from her touch, tears falling harder as she gulped.

“I wanted you to save me, Hadina. But you didn’t. You left me with them for weeks while I was beaten and berated. No matter how much I prayed for you to come find me, you didn’t come. I had to wait, to force myself to be strong. You didn’t want me to belong in this life of crime you have, but your family is the reason I had to change, had to become someone else. You didn’t save me in time. ”

“I tried!” Hadina stood, making her way around the bed to kneel beside Peyton, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit. “I looked for you, I swear. You never left my mind, Peyton. I did everything I could.”

Peyton wiped her face with the back of her hands, sniffing and willing her tears to stop.

“You didn’t try hard enough, then. Because I had to become the monster you didn’t want me to be. You command your shadows and now I command mine. The darkness belongs to me as much as it does you, and I hate you for it. I love you—more than I ever thought possible—and it makes me so angry that you’ve twisted my love into something else.”

Hadina flinched at the brutality of Peyton’s words, rocking back on her heels as though she had physically wounded her. “Please, don’t say that. I can handle you hating me, but please don’t think I didn’t try.”

“You call yourself the fucking queen of the shadows! If it took you so long to come for me, then I know you didn’t try hard enough. You wrapped yourself up in self pity, while I was being wrapped up in rope. I am the monster in my own nightmares and I will never be able to escape that.”

“You’re no monster,” Hadina pleaded, her eyes watering with her own tears. “You can come back from this, tentadora .”

Peyton laughed until it turned into strangled sobs, her eyes and nose burning in the process. “There is no coming back from this, Hadi—not for me, not for us . I don’t need you to teach me how to devour the world; I taught myself. So, go back to your sister and play house and make amends. Leave me to heal and pick up the broken pieces of myself so that I can leave this hell on earth and never come back.”

“ Tentadora , I beg you, please !” Hadina whispered. “Don’t do this.”

“Leave, Hadina. Go back to your kingdom and find someone else to play with. I’m done with tempting you… I’m done with anything the Adis family has to offer.”

Hadina bit down on her lip and stood, unblinking and unwilling to look at Peyton. “As you wish.”

Peyton watched as the love of her life turned on her heels and followed direction for the first time in her life. Only when the door clicked shut behind her did she allow herself to shatter completely, emotion flooding her system like a tidal wave. She didn’t regret a single word she had said, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.

The price of betrayal was a bitterness in her heart that she didn’t think she would ever be able to escape.