Sierra

M y heart is practically thumping out of my chest, the adrenaline slowly calming through my veins. Julian pulls my leggings back in place and presses a gentle kiss on my head, the moment is sweet and tender which is entirely the opposite of Julian's normal behavior.

I knew it was Julian the moment he started jogging behind me. I knew that he was making good on his threat to chase me, to hunt me. I taunted him, knowing full well I'd enjoy running from him. What I didn't expect was being trapped in the memories once he caught me.Surrounded with the fear I felt in the past merged with the terror of being caught. And then he comforted me like he knew that I had been imprisoned in a place that only his voice had the key to.

"Let's go kill the fucker," he whispers, extending his hand out for me to take. The contrast of how I've always known him to this affectionate man is confusing, especially in the feral way he just fucked me against the brick wall, and the way he owned my body like I was built just for him.

I give him a slight nod, keeping myself silent at the perplexity of what I'm feeling. My body came to life in a way that I never expected. I felt it the moment he pulled down my leggings. I was soaked. Drenched.

"Come on, Mu?ecita, where's that fire? Shall I remind you why we're here? Shall I force you to remember the memories that plague you so that you can enact your revenge?" he says softly, pulling my arm into him. My eyes harden at his words, just the thought of the memories I've tried to hide make them push against the invisible wall in my mind enough to bleed through.

"Hold still, little bitch, Paul wants his turn." Frank's voice is cold and detached while he holds down my arms above my head. I don't allow them the satisfaction of watching me struggle, it's no use anyway. They always take what they want. Always leave me alone after, alone and a little more dead inside. "You better make it worth it, little bitch. I'm paying double for this little cunt," scoffs Paul, his legs pin down my own. My ass is completely bare for them, and the continuing repulsion of his hands on me make me want to kill myself. I inhale and exhale slowly, allowing the faint sound of Paul's zipper take my mind to the small paradise I've dreamt of. The ocean waves hit the soft sand. The wind blows through my hair as the sun shines down on me. Heaven. That's the way I picture it. It's the only way to escape the feeling of him pushing inside me, to distance myself from the burning pain that comes with each assault. It feels like I've been on that beach for years, watching myself grow older until I hear the faint grunts. Their hands are no longer on me, his satisfied mumbles towards my stepfather begin to fade. And then they're gone. Leaving me hating myself a little more, wishing for a death that won't come.

I grit my teeth, the crack in my foundation slowly breaking more each time the memories break through. I pull my hand away from Julians, wanting a little distance between us while he chuckles. "That's my girl."

I grab my white ski mask from my pocket and slowly place it on. Julian brings his mask down, mimicking my movement as we come to a halt in front of the Pastor Residence. I know he's a killer, that this is his job, but what I don't understand is what he's doing here. He checks the door handle and slowly creaks the door open. Well, Craig doesn't seem to care about his safety. I had been sure to send an anonymous message to his stepdaughter, making sure she left the house. Like always they listen, especially when either threatened or promised to be saved from the monster they already fear.

I follow Julian's movements as he explores the downstairs of the house, making sure it's just the two of us isolated inside this pedophile's home. The moment I saw his information I knew he would be my next kill. Craig Pastor, 45 years old has been accused of rape, multiple times and yet it was never proven. His picture though reminds me of Paul, the sick fuck that would pay for me. He's fit, handsome even, one look and any woman would be sucked in by his charm. He hides who he truly is, a monster. A man that preys on the innocence of the younger girls, one that bought me countless times. It's not him, but he looks just like him. The same light eyes and white complexion, the same blond hair and physical features.

We make sure that the coast is clear, the house is completely deserted. We quietly walk up the steps until we reach the main bedroom. The door is wide open, the room completely black with only the television that's turned on as the light, the sound is so low that it's barely even audible. Julian takes out duct tape and very carefully removes a piece, covering Craig's mouth.The feeling makes Craig jump and wake in horror. A chuckle escapes me as he reaches for the tape only to be held down by Julian. His tattooed arms hold Craigs down, reminding me of the way I was held down in a similar position.

"Craig, there's no point trying to fight us," I say, in the most cheerful voice I can. "Either way, you're going to die," I sing, mockingly. His eyes widen in horror, the realization that he's not going to get out of this has him flinging himself against the mattress. His legs kick up while Julian holds his upper arms.

I pull out the beautiful dagger I took from my last kill. The expensive dagger is a little heavier than my usual butcher's knife, but it feels right to use this beauty right now.

"Careful now, Craig. You wouldn't want to make me mad," I taunt, his legs stay flat on the bed most likely praying I'll appeal to the fact that he's obeying me to get free. That's laughable. I climb over him, straddling him on the bed. Julian's glare darkens as I look up at him.

When I finally get comfortable, I bring my dagger up to Craig's stomach, inching down slowly just to be sure he feels every part of my blade.

"Make it messy, Mu?eca," Julian whispers, his tone almost sounds like he's in awe. The room goes silent as I pull the blade out and back in, living up to the name of the Slasher with each strike of my weapon. I let out all the fury, the rage, the justice I begged for at one time.Images of my stepfather and his friend flood through my mind on a continuous loop. I black out, fueled by rage and justice. Blood seeps through the comforter, the mattress, and my clothes. My focus is solely on the holes I've punctured into his flesh.

"Te ves hermosa recibiendo tu venganza," Julian whispers into my ear. I didn't even see him move from where he held Craig down.

"You look beautiful getting your revenge," he translates, causing my heart to flutter as he pulls the blade from my hands and rests it on the dead body. He lifts my mask above my face, while I slowly peel his mask off. The moment feels intimate, confusing, but with the way my heart keeps beating against my chest it mostly feels sensual like we're taking off the masks we hide, under allowing each other to feel. He brushes my hair away from my face, and grips my face with both hands. His lips inch closer, until they gently sweep over my lips. The gentle caress, and his scent have my pussy weeping as my heart continues to race. I part my lips deepening the kiss, pulling him closer to me while I continue to straddle the corpse.

He moves his right hand down to my throat, gripping me forcefully while his left hand comes down to my arms, he pulls me up and off the lifeless body until my shaky legs touch the ground.

"You're mine, Mu?eca, all mine," he moans into my mouth. "But the next time you sit on a man like that, dead or alive, I'll mark you to remind you that you're mine."

I'm about to make some smart-ass remark when he cuts me off with a burning kiss, a kiss that curls my toes and makes me arch into him. A life altering kiss that has my knees buckling until I forget what I was going to say. He pulls away, and with one last stroke of the strands of hair by my ears.

"We need to leave so I can get the cleaners to come by. Let's get you home, bruja."

The car comes to a stop the moment we arrive at the little dive bar, the lights are still on meaning the party seems to have continued after we disappeared.

I turn my car off, and quickly change back to the dress I had earlier. I would have rather showered, but there's not much I can do when I'm the one who offered Enzo the bar. Her ex- fiancé is still missing, and as a precaution, Enzo decided that this was the best place for everyone. Wishing they could disappear before I walk inside. I glance at the mirror one last time, making sure there is no blood on my face and hands before being interrogated. Knowing Catalina, she'll have questions for me, thank fuck that Julian and I didn't drive together. I can only assume that Ry told him where to find me. Hopefully, he's still here so I can yell at him for not warning me, again. Taking a deep breath in and out a few times, I check my phone as I exit my jeep and walk towards the bar.

Catalina : Where did you disappear to?

Enzo : Cat's looking for you.

Catalina : Are you okay?

Enzo : She's about to hire a search party or call the police.

Catalina : I'll come looking for you.

Shit, I didn't even think about how she'd notice when I went missing. All I could think of was the need to get my hands on that asshole for all the little girls he's hurt. I didn't expect to see Julian, and yet I didn't hate it. His presence calms my mind and brings my body to life in a way I never thought was possible. Did I ever really hate him? Was I just projecting this hidden desire I had by pretending to hate him? This can't happen. He's part of the cartel. He's the enforcer. He lives off the kill and although I kill too, they aren't innocent.

I finally walk inside, the different conversations and laughter all blend into one sound like a busy night at the bar. I'm grateful no one has spotted me yet.

"Sierrrraaa!" screams out a drunken Catalina. Enzo is attached at her hip as she struggles on her feet to get to my side. So much for not being spotted.

"Caaat!" I mimic, hiding behind the fake happy persona that I've had to hide behind since I came back from our abduction. Breathe, . Breathe .

"Hermanooo!" Cat's attention shifts the moment I feel a presence by my side, Julian smiles at her and looks back at me. There are no smart-ass remarks. I'm not sure if he's trying to hide what is happening between us or trying to protect me in some way, so I do what I do best.

"What's wrong, Demon? Did you finally get what you deserve?" I tease, rolling my eyes with added effect. Catalina's smile fades as she watches the tension between us grow, or at least I hope she's too drunk to see it.

"Actually, little bruja. I got exactly what I deserved and that was to be balls deep in my good little slut. Thank you for asking." Catalina gasps at the crude comment while I stare at him with my mouth slightly parted. I can't believe he just said that. I can feel my cheeks starting to heat in embarrassment and yet a sense of belonging falls over me when I think back at his words. He said my. He leans into me, brushing his lips besides my ears so I can hear him over the music.

"You may want to close that mouth, Mu?eca. You're giving me some naughty ideas."

"Hermano, leave her alone!" Cat yells, while Enzo looks back and forth between us.

"I think it's time to go, baby. We need to sober you up for tomorrow," Enzo speaks loudly enough for me to hear over the music.

"He's right, babe, get some rest and sober up. I'll see you for brunch this week before you're officially Mrs. Enzo!" I wrap my arms around her, give her a quick kiss on the head, and walk towards where I see Ry standing in the corner.

"You could have warned me," I whisper-shout as I get closer to where he's smirking.

"Would it have mattered?" Ry says, always talking in riddles like I should know what he already knows. I scoff, turning my back towards him and walking towards my sanctuary. The place I can take off my mask of lies.

I unlock the door to my room and head up the stairs, I don't bother closing the door. I'm not even sure why, I guess a part of me wanted to see if Julian would follow me up here. A few moments go by where there's silence. The music from the party seems to have been turned off, but I don't think about that. I'll change and head downstairs to close up as soon as I know mostly everyone has cleared out. I'll clean in the morning; for now, all I want is a shower and my bed. I stand in front of my mirror and slowly drag the zipper on the side of my dress down, letting the light fabric fall off my shoulders and down to the floor.

I stand there completely naked; three crescent moon shaped marks are on my waist from where Julian dug his nails into my skin. The memories of the way he fucked me so fiercely has my skin turning a light shade of pink from my cheeks down my chest.

The lock of the door breaks me out of my memory, I watch as Julian turns around through the mirror. His darkened gaze lands on my body, his eyes slowly devouring the sight of me completely bare. He can no doubt see the burn marks down my back, the thought alone leaves me feeling vulnerable. It makes me want to wrap myself around a blanket so he can't see the pain I've endured. I've been meaning to get them covered up so I no longer have the constant reminder of what I've been through but haven't had the strength to remove my past. The anger fuels my form of justice each time I eliminate the monsters for all those innocent girls and boys that are still out there.

He quickly walks up to me; his eyes meet mine through the reflection. I cower in his presence, ashamed and disgusted as my mind battles to go back in time in my subconscious.

"Look at me," he commands, his voice stern but gentle like he knows exactly what's going through my broken brain. "I've got you; you may not need the help or want it. But I'm yours."

He clenches his jaw as he looks down my back, the anger radiating off him the way mine had been for years after my step-father.

"I'll kill them all," he whispers. I shake my head, admitting a truth I've hidden for the longest time.

"He can't hurt me anymore. He's dead… I killed him." I say softly.

"I was sixteen at the time. M-my stepfather had gotten home, to the house we had other than this one. He was completely shit faced while my mother was at the bar working or better yet drinking probably as much as he had. He probably did that to make sure she stayed at the apartment, while he came to take care of me." I cough out as I clear my throat, recalling the day like it was yesterday.

"He had me pinned down on my bed, flat on my stomach as he usually did. But this time was different. I was tired of being a toy for him to use. It was either kill myself or him. It was a last-minute decision but I chose him." I watch Julian's face in the mirror for some sort of indication that he's disgusted with me but it's neutral. He's silent waiting for me to continue.

"I had a knife under my pillow at the time, fully prepared for him to come in. I didn't know what I was doing. I blacked out the rest of the time, I barely remember how I got rid of him being that I was barely legal to do anything. The moment my blade pierced his skin while he was preparing himself to f-" I choke back the tears. "I remember stabbing him a few times, and dragging his body to the backyard and through some trees where the woods started to grow. I remember burying him. But it was like I wasn't in my body as I did it, the way I remember it is like I was watching a movie playing out."

My mother thought he disappeared with some woman he cheated on her with. She went into a depression a little after that and then I escaped her clutches when I turned 18 years old only for her to drag me back into her life when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. I felt guilty, we had one good year before she left me the bar as some sort of consolation inheritance.

"You got rid of your monster, because you, Mu?eca, are a fighter. You came back from the depths of hell as an angel. Never be ashamed of your scars, or of your past. It brought you here. You'll never be alone to deal with the monsters. You'll always have your demon ready to fight by your side," his voice is soft as he whispers the words.

"Why?" I say, turning my back towards the mirror to face him. I look up at him and really look at him, his dark whiskey-colored eyes have specks of black around the irises, and gold around the pupils. He has light freckles over his nose, ones that you probably couldn't even see unless you were this close.

"I wish I could tell you why. I don't do feelings. I don't do relationships. I don't do attachments," he starts, and my heart sinks. "But, there's something about you that calls to my dark soul. There's something about you that brings me to life in a way I've never experienced before."

His hands caress the curves of my body, moving up from my waist up until he reaches my breasts. He kneads each one as if he were studying their weight, admiring the way my nipples harden under his palm.

I moan, forcing myself to get out of my head and the disappointment I feel that this is all it will ever be. He's by my side until someone new comes along. He doesn't do feelings, and though I hide behind my mask of lies, feelings are the one thing that fuels me. That reminds me, I'm all I have. This time is no different.