Page 6 of Dark Goodbye

“No longer fucking exists. Do I have to spell it out for you? We have a King now. Jaxxon.” He spits the name out as if it’s a foul taste in his mouth.

“Then surely King Jaxxon will have you tried for your crimes. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Does he hate omegas as much as you?” It’s stupid, really, the fact that I’m having a conversation with this man, as if we’re friends having a chat.

But it’s far deeper than that. If I can make him talk, distract him, then maybe I have a chance at someone finding me.

“Ahh. Naïve omega. Do you think I hate you? Oh no, my little Ladria. I’ve craved an omega of my own for years now. I’m going to brand every inch of your body with my love.” Gulping, I will the frantic whimpers to stay in my throat where they belong. “As for Jaxxon hating omegas, he’s the reason you’re in this mess. He treasures them, honors them.”

“Then why?” I wail. “If he would champion for me, then why? Surely, he would hang you if he knew what you were doing.”

“A swift execution for sure.” His voice is a soft murmur laced with malice. “But that’s why your death was paramount. The guard that slammed you against the wall will die for his mistreatment of you. Not me.”

“But why me?” I grind out. My body betrays me. I want to hold onto my anger, my indignation, but the rasp of his thumbs against my inner lips threatens to drive rational thought out of my brain. “You’re an Alpha, surely you can get a different omega.”

“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” His thick digit slides down and notches at my entrance. “Before Stanlion fell, I had a chance. But now, omegas are free to choose. It takes away the intrigue, the politics… the fear. I used to walk the halls of the High Sanctum, whispering to them the things I’d do to them when they’d become mine. Yet every other fucking cunt was giving to another Alpha, one that didn’t deserve them.”

There’s a hint of hysteria that peppers his words, sending a shaft of terror through me. Though I thought he was unhinged before, this confirms it. Wrong place at the wrong time. For more times than I care to contemplate, I bemoan the fact that I took any part in Alexi and Karis’s scheme. I knew it was wrong to cross an Alpha, and yet, because they were my friends, I did it.

His touch is shallow, uneven as he pushes his way through, stopping when he gets to my barrier. “The gods have blessed me indeed,” he cries out. “A pristine. A pristine of my very own.” Once more, he pulls out and shoves back in, testing the barrier’s strength.

There’s a hysterical edge to his words, far different than the ominous tones he had been using, and for some reason, that makes me far more frightened and ill at ease. The air is spiced with his arousal, making my head swim with the dizzying heaviness of it.

Though his touch doesn’t hurt, it’s still agonizing. All it will take is a hard enough shove, and I’ll be tainted, forever a fallen woman in the eyes of Stanlion. Tears gather and slip past my lids, but this time, I don’t even try to stop them. Perhaps Xiarius will see them and know I saved myself for his statue.

It’s not through any will of my own that I’m about to bleed. Visions of the fertility god’s statue loom in my mind. Perhaps if I just imagine that I’m back in the commune, in front of my friends and chosen family. It doesn’t matter that the other parts of the ceremony haven’t been seen to. Giving my barrier to him is the most important aspect.

“I know what you’re thinking, little Ladria. You think I’m going to rip through this barrier of yours, saving you from the agony of my cock tearing through it as I fuck you for the first time. You should know better by now. Or have I not made myself abundantly clear on how things are going to go? Perhaps I can drill it into your brain, hmm? Carve my plans on the back of your skull?”

His finger slips out, and for the moment, all I can think about is the relief I feel at knowing I’m staying intact, at least for now. I have no clue when he plans to take me, but I’m hoping it’s during my heat, so I won’t feel it as badly. If he’s merciful enough to do it then, it will be a hormonally-induced haze that will make me easily forget.

My stomach clenches as I puzzle through his words. How could I know the methods of a madman? I’ve never had to follow thought patterns as evil as this before. But in a way, he’s right. He’s shown me the depths of his depravity. Based on what he’s already done, I know he won’t wait until I can forget.

Sliding off the gloves, he tosses them to the side and walks over to my right arm. “Such a pity you left before they could mark you. Such a smart girl to leave before your second test. While you were unconscious, I tested your blood, and it showed up as omega right away. No doubt you would have been thrown into the High Sanctum where I wouldn't have any hope of reaching you. It’s as if you knew I wouldn’t have you, and so you ran.”

His hand slides down the side of my face in what’s obviously supposed to be an affectionate gesture. The man is insane. There’s nothing in my mind that tells me differently. Even as he’s cooing over me, as if I’m some childhood sweetheart, I know there is worse to come. Nothing about this man is nice.

Sure enough, he reaches down to undo my hand. Before I can strike out, he wrenches it upward, yanking my arm out of its socket before fastening it down above my head. Unimaginable pain rips through the joint as I lie there, unable to even breathe. It shoots down my arm to throb at my shoulder, then shoots up into my neck, robbing me of the ability to even scream.

But only for a moment. Soon, I cry out, my screams echoing in this death chamber until all I can hear is me bouncing back. In loud, mocking tones, he pretends to sob as well, adding to the riotous noises clashing in my skull.

I try to move my hand, but I can’t. Just the very act of curling my fingers brings another blood-curdling scream to my lips. Instead of helping me, he places more weight on it until my vision swims.

“Did you save yourself for me, omega? Should I take pity on you? Show mercy? Cunts like you don’t get mercy,” He spits out hard enough that saliva drips down onto my face. “I’m a fucking doctor. I should have been mated to the best of the pristines. But no. I’m stuck with you.”

“I didn’t choose this!” I shout out, desperate to make him see reason.

“No, but they didn’t choose me either. The new Stanlion has views about omegas it seems. They somehow now have the right, the power to say no. But now that you’re dead, I’m sure they won’t have anything to say about me fucking a corpse. Imagine. If only you had stayed in Stanlion, how very different this interaction would be.”

Tears scald my face as he stares down at me, my own personal demon set to torture me. Is this what it’s all about? Punishment for the crime of self-preservation? I was a fucking child. All I knew was that I had to run away from these militant beings, but even then, I never imagined anyone as horrible as the man before me.

His weight decreases, and for a moment, I’m able to breathe. The monitor continues to beep, but this time, it’s in time with the pulsing in my shoulder. Each throb is met with a corresponding beep, forever searing the sound in my brain. How I long for the steady plink of the water I could never find.

Again, he’s back, but this time, he brandishes one of the blades I wanted to reach for but could never access. The tool I was going to use as my demise, is now firmly planted in his hand. If I’m lucky, maybe he’ll nick something vital, something important.

“Such soft, pristine, virginal skin. Just like your cunt. I looked through your files. You were ten when they last had you on the radar. You left just before your second tests and permanent markings. You knew, didn’t you, you naughty girl. You knew you were an omega, even then. Didn’t you?” I don’t answer, far too consumed with the pain coiling through me. “Didn’t you?” He bellows again, all fury and wrath.