Page 81 of Bleed with Me

I looked back at the girl standing on the poorly lit porch. She waved once and, surprisingly, smiled. It wasn’t the wide, radiant grin that should have brightened her face every day. It was small, shy, and afraid, but genuine enough to give me hope that her days would be brighter from now on.

-39-

Dorian

Everyone had a preferred way of killing. And Malin, well, he liked to break his victims long before he ever touched them. He loved to hunt them down until their bodies gave out and the last flicker of hope drained from their eyes.

It was exactly what Julien Young deserved. To feel the fear and desperation when he couldn’t escape. To scream until his voice gave out. To understand that there was no way out of the hell Malin had arranged for him.

“Get out!” I pushed Julien out of the car, and he fell face-first onto the muddy ground. His hands were bound behind him, one ankle swollen from the fall, and blood trickled from his head onto his bruised shoulders.

“Stop!” He gasped when I roughly grasped him by the shoulder and lifted him to his feet. “It hurts.”

“You have no idea what pain is, honey,” I whispered menacingly, pushing him to walk before me.

Malin parked the car on the side of the road while I escorted our honored visitor to the massive gate that served as the entrance to Malin’s favorite playground. Zyon shoved the massive key into the lock and unchained the gate wings, opening them like the wide mouth of a hungry monster.

“What is this place?” Julien asked, shaking uncontrollably. “And who are you? I have no idea what is going on.”

“Think,” Zyon barked, slapping the back of his head. “What’s the worst thing you have ever done?”

“I don’t…” Another slap, this time against his cheek.

“Think harder,” I advised, knowing that Zyon’s patience was limited and the next hit could knock him down. The contusion on his nape was deep, and he could have a concussion. Our fun could end before it even started properly.

“I really…” he choked out, his eyes widening in horror when Zyon pulled out a glowing golden gun. “Fuck, man, I don’t…” He stepped back, only hitting the wall named Malin with his back. “P-please… I… I…”

“You what?” Malin growled, his gravelly voice making the guy almost jump out of his skin. Oh, fuck, how I loved being back with my brothers, outside, playing. “You didn’t sell your underage daughter as a fucking toy?”

“That’s what she told you?” Julien laughed awkwardly, sounding like a dying animal. “It was just a game. She agreed.”

“A game,” Zyon spat the word as if saying it out loud insulted him. “That’s what it’s called these days? An innocent little game?”

“Yes!” Julien yelled, clearly losing the ground under his feet, figuratively and literally. His legs were giving up. “No one hurt her. I swear!”

“Okay.” I slammed my shoulder into his, pulling him into a half-hug. His entire body tensed; he gulped audibly and tried to wriggle away, but I didn’t let him. “Let’s play a similar innocent game, shall we?”

“N-no,” he stammered, shaking his head.

“Why not?” Malin whispered into his ear from behind. “We won’t hurt you. Pinky promise.”

“P-please…” Julien begged. “Let me go. I… I won’t t-tell anyone. Please.”

“Fucking pussy,” Malin snarled, hitting him in the back of his head with his gun roughly. Julien fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“Hey!” I whined, slapping his arm. “Don’t ruin my fun!”

“You’ll have your fun.” The promise in Malin’s words made me grin like an idiot. I lifted my mask and sent a kiss his way.

“I love you.” I bumped his shoulder and burst into laughter when he rolled his eyes in annoyance. Without another word, he grasped Julien’s swollen ankle and dragged him into the forest.

“I need to go.” Zyon stopped me when I walked past him to follow Malin. “Will you two be okay?”

“We’ve done it a million times, boss.” I smiled, but it quickly evaporated when I noticed the seriousness in his dark eyes. His mask covered his face, but I knew him well enough to read between the lines. Something had gone to shit.

“Is everything alright with you?” I asked carefully. “You seem on edge every time I see you.”

He hesitated. We had our secrets, but mostly, when confronted, we chose to share the burden of things bothering us. My brothers were the people I trusted most, and I never did anything to make them doubt I was here for them.