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5

RHEA

T iana Ortega is the only reason I stuck around this godforsaken town after my business here concluded. My childish crush on her spiraled into an obsession while I was away, one that tempted me no matter how far she was. I always had eyes and ears on her, whether it was through camera bugs, tapping into her phone, or having somebody follow her.

I had to leave for me, the past five years were chock full of rebuilding myself from the ground up. My only friends were memories of Tiana's sweet essence and my ever-growing rage. They tore me down, shattered my soul, and thought they won. Meanwhile, I was only getting stronger. Now, I’m back for my lady and my vengeance. I walk and move like I mean it. No hesitation, no second-guessing. If I don’t own my space, someone else will try to.

“Tiana,” I whisper in reverence.

She tilts her head slightly, the movement making her features—her sculpted jaw, her full lips—stand out like an artist’s masterpiece. My body lights up inside at the sight of her, sparks swimming inside me. A veil of fear still hangs heavily in the air. The combination is heady, sending shockwaves straight to my pussy. My girl looks so damn beautiful with different hues of crimson smeared over her face and neck. Her full lips part in shock, and all I want is to sink my teeth into them.

Tiana drops the gas canister, taking a tentative step forward, and I march to her confidently, cupping her face tenderly. She is the only person who can render me speechless with just one look. The look that screams you’re my person .

“I…can hardly believe it. I never thought I would find you,” she whispers, squeezing my arms.

“I just needed time, but I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.” Her eyes soften and something in her gaze makes me snap. “Fuck it,” I say before pulling her to me, crashing my lips onto hers. Every single thought in my brain fades away as she melts into me, deepening the kiss. A small moan slips from her, and I use the opportunity to explore her mouth with my tongue, pulling her impossibly closer. The coppery tang of blood lingers, igniting something deep inside me. Nothing matters except for her right now.

A deep, grating voice cuts through the cloud I’m on. “What the fuck is going on?”

When I pull away from Tiana, all I see is red. Elias has only ever been good at ruining shit. My girl did a number on him, but he never knew when to quit. I’m surprised she kept him alive for this long. Then again, I’m surprised she had all this in her. Wordlessly, I rush to him, picking up a discarded bat, but Tiana grabs onto the other end before I can swing.

“Don’t waste your energy on him, he’ll be dead soon anyway,” Tiana rationalizes calmly, diffusing me like a bomb. “I would like an explanation from you though. What did Elias do to you?” Her expression hardens as she stares me down, unwavering. That’s not what I was expecting, and she catches it. “Any other questions I have can wait, but I know you. The way you react to him, the way you look at him, it holds so much pain and rage. What did he do, mi amor? ”

No matter how much time has passed, no matter how hard I try to detach myself from that horrible night, it still has a hold over me. A knot forms in my throat and my body gets hot while I struggle to find the words. My eyes fall on the stairs behind Tiana as my mind replays the scene.

“He let him. He walked in on Jericho raping me and did nothing. I begged for help. I prayed for death. I fought and cried and bled. All Elias ever had to say for himself was, ‘Jericho told me he was sorry, so just let it go.’ As if sorry could ever change what he did. As if the apology was even directed at me. As if my brother, my protector, didn’t have a hand in the very event that killed me inside. The Rhea everyone once knew is dead. I’m here to kill the ghosts of her past.”

When I refocus on Tiana, she’s tremulous with unshed tears and anger flashing in her eyes. Her form is rigid and her eyes shoot to Elias. “How many girls…” she grits out. My heart sinks at the insinuation, but all I can do is take her hands in mine and grab her attention.

“We won’t let them hurt anyone else, Tiana,” I coo soothingly. “Jericho was the first person I paid a visit to when I landed. He got what he deserved.”

Her eyes darken. “Finish him, but make it painful.”

Those words are music to my ears and make my lips quirk up. Fisting her collar, I pull her face to mine within a hair’s breadth to whisper huskily, “I’ll make it painful, then show you how it can be pleasurable. Will you let me do that?”

Tiana’s breath hitches, and then she teases me by chewing on her lip. “I’ll let you do anything you want to me. Show me how violent you can be, mi amor .”

There’s a silent promise in her eyes, one that I intend to put to the test. We both grab a discarded knife and prowl to our victims. Without another thought, the blade sinks into the side of Elias’ abdomen forcefully, pulling a pained, strangled grunt out of him. He screams hoarsely when I yank it out, replacing it with my finger. Elias pants like a mutt as the fight leaves him, shivering under my touch when I trace over the word COWARD that’s etched onto his chest. He mumbles something under his breath and the sound triggers me instantly.

My hand snaps up to his neck with a firm grip, hardly holding myself back from ending this now. “Speak up,” I grit out.

“Always…knew…you…wanted her.” The side of Elias’ lip twitches like he wants to smirk.

Pinning him in place, I hold his chin steady to carve a deep frown. I fucking hate that shit-eating grin he wears like a second skin. Always using it to mock, taunt, or intimidate somebody.

“She was mine before you ever laid eyes on her. Let me prove it to you.”

The blade kisses his throat, and I slice across it slowly, deliberately. Warm blood spills in a steady leak instead of flooding the life out of him quickly. A gurgled choke breaks free, blood dribbling from his lips and the shallow wound as his eyes blow wide with the slow realization. His body fights, shuddering violently as shock engulfs him, his breaths turning shallow and frantic as the color drains from his face.

There’s nothing left for him except for a final parting gift. One last fuck you before he takes his last breath. When I look over at Tiana, she’s shaking slightly over Bianca’s lifeless, disfigured body with labored breath, bathed in their blood, both old and new.

Bianca is bleeding out from more holes than I can count and has a knife sticking out her neck, her eyes staring up at the ceiling lifeless. Now she really does look like a bloody little doll.

Tiana doesn’t respond when I call her name, doesn’t react when I haul the long-forgotten table upright, and makes no movement when I approach her. She’s stuck in a daze, no doubt caused by tonight's events, but she needed this, and it’ll take time for her to fully process everything after today. When I lay a hand on her shoulder gently, she doesn’t react. When I find her lost hairband and pull her hair back into a bun, she relaxes a fraction, but still doesn’t move or speak. When I whisper in her ear, she finally makes a move.

“You are so damn strong, and you look so fucking sexy covered in blood. Let me help you relax,” I purr.

Tiana turns to me with a cocktail of emotions swirling in her eyes. “Take me. Make me yours. Please ,” she breathes out, before pulling me into her like I’m her only salvation.

Without breaking the kiss, I lift Tiana into my arms and she wraps her legs around me. Walking over to the table, I lay her over the cool metal to kiss a path down her neck, only stopping when she takes off her shirt hurriedly, tossing her bra aside. Blood clings to her skin, rich and electric on my tongue becoming more addicted as I lick the crimson from her throat. A worship laced in sin and devotion. I kick my boots off while I peel hers off. Caressing my hands down her body, I reach the button on her pants and flick my eyes to hers.

“ God, yes, ” she whimpers, sending shivers straight to my pussy.

Splayed out in front of me, this woman makes me want to lose control. As I drink in every inch of her sinful body, my very definition of beauty changes. Sucking her nipple into my mouth, my hands roam her body, the right one snaking up to dip two fingers into her mouth. Circling her swollen nub, I glide a single finger into her wet heat, stroking gently before adding a second.

“You like that, pretty girl?” I coo.

Tiana’s eyes flutter closed as a moan slips out. “Yes,” she drawls. “I need more. Make me forget everything but you.”

My lips meet hers in a frenzied kiss before I pull away abruptly to kiss her other lips. I waste no time devouring her like a beast let off its leash, finding the spots that make her tremble, pull my hair, and cry out my name until she’s falling apart, flooding my face with her release.

“If you could see how beautiful you look when you’re coming, you’d lose your mind. I know I am,” I murmur, slightly dazed.

She sits up to catch her breath when I wipe the remnants of her off my face and suck my fingers clean, savoring her sweet taste. That’s all it takes for her to pounce on me, knocking us both to the floor in a tangle of limbs and sloppy kisses. Tiana tugs on my belt and I take the hint to help her undress me. My hair has its own personality—wild, a little unpredictable, and sun-kissed at the edges. Just like me. In a swift movement, I throw it into a messy bun to get it out of the way.

“I want you so fucking bad, Rhea. I need you.”

That snaps the last bit of my composure and I flip her on her side, right next to Elias’ pooling blood. He’s hardly conscious, but still watching ’til the end.

“I’ll guide you, just follow my lead,” I say.

Pushing her top leg up to her chest, I bend her like a pretzel before straddling her bottom leg. Slowly, I thrust against her sweet spot and we both groan on contact. Tiana meets me thrust for thrust as our bodies entwine in a tangled dance of pure desire.

“You listen so fucking well. So needy for me, baby,” I cry out, our moans filling the air uninhibited.

“Shit,” she breathes out, pulling me closer. “You feel so good.”

Reaching over her, I drench my hand in Elias’ blood to paint a trail around her perky nipples, then up to her neck with mild pressure. That only spurs her on, making her jerk violently against me as her whimpers get quieter and a tingling heat builds up my spine. She welcomes the fresh oxygen greedily when I release her throat to pinch her clit.

“Such a good girl, so responsive for me. Are you going to come with me?”

“Yes. Fuck yes! Oh, I’m coming.” Tiana screams until her voice gives out while we both ride out the waves of pleasure.

By the time we both start coming down, I wrap Tiana in my arms and lie on the ground with my chest to her back, and my hand over her racing heart. Elias is officially dead when I glance over, and peace settles over me.

The silence stretches comfortably, broken by Tiana’s whisper. “This is so…different.” My heart drops at those words.

Please don’t regret us. “We don’t have to talk about it,” I fumble for the right response.

“Wait.” She turns in my arms. When I don't find a trace of regret in her eyes, I release the breath I had been holding, instead that desire still burns bright with reassurance. “I have no clue what will happen after tonight when reality catches up to us, so let me say this. The first time Elias and I slept together, it wasn’t consensual, and many times after it wasn’t either.” My body goes rigid. While it doesn’t surprise me, knowing Tiana had to deal with that for so long feels like someone stabbed my gut, twisting the knife deeper with each word. “He said since we’re in a relationship it isn’t technically rape, but I never had anyone to talk about it with despite knowing it wasn’t right, but it was also all I knew…With you, it’s different. I feel alive, euphoric. You are like my own personal ecstasy. We don’t have to rush anything, but I want us to get our lives back on track together. You’re my person.”

“If he wasn’t already dead, I would’ve made his death so much worse.” I take her hands in mine, placing a kiss on them. “We have each other now. I will never hurt you. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, I promise. The scars we carry are heavy, but our strength will carry us further than either of us can imagine.”

“I won’t let you go again,” she whispers against my lips before stealing a kiss. “We should probably get dressed,” she exhales, almost laughing.

What we need is a shower,” I grumble. That pulls the laugh out of her. “Let’s get out of here, then I can bed you properly.”

She nudges me playfully before pushing up onto shaky legs. I sit upright .

One glance at our grimy clothes is all it takes for me to refuse putting my clothes back on. The look Tiana gives me tells me we’re on the same page.

“How about I grab us a clean set of clothes instead?” she suggests while stretching before lending me a hand, completely unbothered by the destruction around us.

“Lead the way.” I say, giving her hand a squeeze when I stand.

She stops at the gas canister. “Will you do the honors while I get a bag together?”

“I thought you’d never ask. I'll meet you in the room.”

I watch unabashedly as Tiana’s naked form sways up the stairs. Snapping into action once she’s gone, I douse everything with gas—the walls, the floors, the bodies, trailing my way up the stairs.

Dropping the half-emptied canister outside the bedroom door, I find a much cleaner, clothed version of my favorite girl throwing random shit into a backpack. While she’s distracted, I throw on the outfit she laid out on her bed.

“Damn, how do you look better in that outfit than me? I can’t even be mad about it.” Tiana says from behind me, sliding her arms down to my hips.

Twisting in her arms, I pull her in for a quick kiss before saying, “Are you ready to light this house on fire?”

The underlying implication hangs in the air between. She responds without hesitation. “Absolutely.” She tucks a joint behind her ear and takes a final sweep of the room before meeting my eyes with conviction. “Let’s go.”

I follow behind her, making sure to leave a generous amount of gas behind us until we reach the backdoor, tossing the tank inside before joining Tiana on the porch. She rests the joint between her lips and fumbles in her pockets for the lighter I grabbed. Lighting the tip for her, she takes a pull and brushes her lips against mine. I take the hint and inhale the smoke from her, leaving a chaste kiss before exhaling it.

Offering her the lighter, she exchanges it with the blunt. I stand right behind her as she burns down the remainder of her miserable past. They’re all dead now. Reduced to nothing but ash, victims of the monsters they created.