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DEATH

“They searched the hills with torches, never knowing darkness had taught their lamb to love the void.” ~ Anonymous

A half hour had passed as I remained in the room, my mind plunging into the dark depravity of my soul.

The metallic scent of blood filled my lungs as I dragged my fingers through the crimson pool beneath John’s corpse. With methodical precision, I began writing on the concrete wall in his blood:

I COUNT THE WAYS I’LL MAKE THEM SUFFER

My hand trembled, not from fear but from the pure ecstasy of imagining their pain. Below it, I added:

FOR EVERY TEAR SHE SHED

The blood dripped down the wall like macabre tears. Kip watched from the doorway, his expression impassive. He’d seen me like this before.

“You’re slipping,” he said quietly. “Sebastian’s fighting to surface.”

“Let him try.” I dipped my fingers in more blood. “Sebastian needs to see this. Needs to understand what we’re capable of when someone takes what’s ours.”

I began drawing symbols beneath the words of ancient things that lived in the darkest corners of my mind. Patterns that spoke of torture and vengeance.

“Should I be worried?” Kip asked, his voice carefully neutral.

I turned to him, aware of how I must look covered in John’s blood, my eyes wild with barely contained violence. “Worried? No. But they should be. Anyone who touched her, who made her feel fear …” I dragged my bloody fingers across my face, marking myself. “I’m going to take them apart piece by piece while she watches. And she’ll love me for it.”

“Jesus,” Kip muttered.

“No.” I smiled, knowing it wasn’t a kind expression. “Just Death. And I’m going to show them exactly why they should have feared that name.”

I pressed my palm flat against the wall, leaving a perfect bloody handprint. “This is my promise to her. Written in the blood of those who dared to cage my queen.”

I could feel Sebastian’s horror in the back of my mind, his desperate attempt to stop this display of madness. But he needed to understand—this was who we were. This beautiful violence was our true nature.

I whispered, more to myself than Kip, “I’m going to lay their bodies at her feet like offerings. Paint her skin with their blood. Show her that every drop spilled was for her.”

I turned back to John’s body, already planning how to display it when we found the others. It would be my gift to her. A tableau of vengeance that would make her understand the depths of my devotion.

“You think this will make her feel safe?” Kip asked.

“Safe?” I laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. “No. This will make her feel powerful. When she sees what I’m willing to do for her …” I dragged my bloody fingers across my lips, tasting copper. “She’ll finally embrace her own darkness completely.”

Kip pursed his lips together. “I should go check on Xavier and make sure the fucker hasn’t figured out how to escape. I’ll find you later.”

I grunted at him as he left, then I closed the door as images of Ella flooded my mind. My cock hardened with visions of her on her knees worshipping me as we reveled in John’s death. With her hand wrapped around my dick, stroking me as she worked her hot mouth up and down my length. I briefly closed my eyes and unzipped my jeans, my skin sticky with John’s blood. I released my throbbing shaft and stroked as I imagined looking down at my little lamb, her green-eyed gaze full of reverence. As I continued to stroke myself, blood-soaked, I imagined Ella climbing onto a bed beside me. She would straddle me, her body glistening with sweat, her expression hungry and full of desire. She would lean forward, her breasts brushing against my chest and her lips meeting mine in a desperate kiss. Her hands would grip my hips tightly, pulling me towards her as she placed my cock at the entrance of her wet pussy. With a moan, she would slowly lower herself onto me, feeling me stretch her out and fill her completely.

I could almost hear her soft sighs as we moved against each other, our bodies slick with sweat and blood. She would ride me hard, her hips thrusting up and down, my cock sliding in and out of her as we lost ourselves in each other’s pleasure. The thought of Ella’s wetness enveloping me sent waves of ecstasy through my entire being.

As I approached my climax, I imagined Ella’s fingers digging into my flesh, urging me to go faster, harder. She would call out my name, her voice hoarse with desire as she reached the peak of her orgasm. With one final thrust, I would pulse inside her, filling her with my hot cum as she shuddered beneath me, her body trembling with pleasure.

Still breathless from the intensity of my fantasies, I could see Ella’s face clearly in my mind, glistening with sweat, lips swollen from our harsh kisses, eyes full of satisfaction as she looked at me.

A sharp pain stabbed me in my skull as the room came back into focus. My hands shook as I stared at them, coated in John’s blood. The metallic scent filled my nostrils, intoxicating and familiar. I tucked myself into my jeans as Sebastian attempted to push his way forward.

Stop. This isn’t who we are.

“Shut up,” I growled at Sebastian’s voice in my mind. I dragged my bloody fingers across the wall, painting it crimson. “This is exactly who we are.”

You’re going to destroy everything; our family, our life. Stop this madness.

I laughed, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. “Madness? This is clarity.” I wrote on the wall in dripping letters: DEATH COMES FOR THEM ALL

A sharp pain shot through my skull as Sebastian fought for control. I staggered, catching myself against the blood-smeared wall.

Think of Ella. Think of what this will do to her.

“I am thinking of her!” I roared, slamming my fist into the wall. “Every drop of blood is for her. Every scream is vengeance for her fear.”

This isn’t vengeance. This is you losing control.

I pressed my forehead against the cool concrete, leaving a bloody mark. “You don’t understand. You never have. This is who we are. Who we’ve always been. The sooner you accept that, the stronger we’ll be.”

I won’t let you destroy us.

The pain intensified as Sebastian pushed harder. I grabbed my head, gripping my hair. “You can’t stop me. You’re weak. You always have been.”

And you’re a monster.

“Yes,” I whispered, a smile splitting my face. “That’s what they need me to be.” I dipped my fingers in more blood and continued writing: THEY TOOK OUR QUEEN. THEY’LL PAY IN BLOOD

Please , Sebastian’s voice grew desperate. There are other ways.

“No.” I dragged bloody fingers down my cheeks. “This is the only way. The only language they understand.” I turned in a slow circle, admiring my work—the walls covered in crimson promises of violence. “When Ella sees this, she’ll understand. She’ll see the beauty in it.”

You’ll terrify her.

“No, I won’t. You don’t know her like I do. I’ll empower her.” I pressed my palm against the wall, steadying myself. “She has the same darkness in her. She just needs permission to embrace it.”

The pain in my head became blinding as Sebastian made one final push for control. I dropped to my knees, blood soaking into my clothes.

“You can’t win,” I snarled through clenched teeth. “I won’t let you cage me again. Not until they’ve all paid for what they did to my little lamb.”

Then we’ll both lose everything.

“No.” I forced myself to stand, fighting against Sebastian’s influence. “We’ll become what we were always meant to be. And Ella will love us for it.”

I could feel Sebastian’s horror as I added one final message in blood:

FOR MY QUEEN—A SYMPHONY OF SCREAMS

“See?” I whispered to Sebastian. “This is true love. This is devotion. This is who we really are.”

His silence was answer enough. He was still there, watching, horrified, but powerless to stop what was coming. Just as he should be.

I stepped back to admire my work, covered in blood and grinning. Let Sebastian hide from our true nature. I would paint the world red for Ella, and she would finally see us for what we were—beautiful monsters, perfectly matched.