Page 16 of Marked (Wicked Heirs #1)

Moonlight spilled through the stained glass windows that circled the high ceiling above the grand staircase that led up to the mansion’s second floor. Despite the alcohol I’d drunk, my steps were steady and my vision was clear—but only one thing consumed my thoughts.

Avril.

The noise of my father and his new bride echoed through the house and my skin crawled as my brothers and I strode through the foyer.

Bastian chuckled. “Sounds like there won’t be any problems with this one.”

“Shut up,” Valen growled.

“The old man can still fuck,” Bastian continued, clearly enjoying Valen’s discomfort. “No shame in that.”

Julia’s cries echoed again along with the sound of an open hand hitting firm flesh.

“Nice.” Bastian chuckled again.

I glanced over my shoulder as Valen shoved at our younger brother .

“What?” Bastian’s protest was on the edge of anger. “You can’t tell me you didn’t wonder what kind of lay she would be. Our new step-mommy. She seemed like she’d do anything he asked. Traitor’s whore.”

“If it were me, she’d be getting what she deserved,” Valen snarled.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face them. “And what would she deserve?” I asked.

Valen’s eyes narrowed, and I wondered if he was still drunk.

“What makes you think she’s not getting it?” Bastian snarked. “Father knows what he’s doing.”

“Does he?” I snapped.

Another animalistic noise echoed from the room at the top of the stairs and I looked toward it and my stomach tightened.

A pale shape hovered at the doorway.

Pale light danced over Avril’s exposed skin, making her vulnerability all the more enticing. Her chestnut hair cascaded down her shoulders as she stood outside our father’s suite in nothing but a filmy nightgown that clung to her body and revealed almost everything.

What an opportunity.

I couldn’t help the smile that curved over my lips.

“What is she doing?” Bastian asked.

“Something she shouldn’t be,” I replied.

I turned away from my brothers and climbed the stairs at a careful pace. Bastian followed behind me, and I heard Valen let out a disgusted breath before he did the same.

“Quiet,” I hissed.

Avril stood frozen in front of the doorway, and I saw it was ajar.

The noises coming from the room grew louder as we drew closer, and I knew Avril hadn’t heard our approach.

I came up behind her and inhaled deeply .

Her scent was sweet and alluring—crushed roses at midnight.

My hands hovered over her shoulders and I saw goosebumps on her pale skin.

“What are you doing out here?” I said in her ear.

She let out a thin yelp and then clapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. I could see the fear shimmering in their depths. Delicious. She took a step back, preparing to flee from us like a frightened animal.

“Going somewhere?” I asked. I moved swiftly to block her escape route with a cruel smirk.

“Titus, please,” she whispered. Her voice trembled and my cock twitched at the sound of her plea.

“Please, what?” I challenged, enjoying the way her gaze darted between me and the path of retreat I had cut off. A sharp slap echoed, and Julia’s answering moan made Avril wrap her arms around her torso. “Are you enjoying the show?”

“Leave her alone, Titus,” Valen said. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want to play?”

I didn’t look at my brother. He had been acting strangely these last few weeks, and I didn’t know what he truly thought about our father’s decision to bring these traitors into our house. But the tone of his voice was dark and predatory, and I knew he wouldn’t tell me to stop if I acted on the impulse that throbbed in my chest.

Good.

“Doesn’t she?” I mused as I stepped closer to Avril until I could feel the warmth emanating from her body.

How fragile she seemed.

Powerless and weak.

As I studied her, Avril’s shallow breaths quickened and I could almost smell her rising panic.

“Let me go, Titus,” she implored, attempting to sound more composed than she was. But I could hear the quaver in her voice, and it only fueled my amusement.

“Or what?” I taunted, relishing the way her body tensed at my proximity. “You’ll use that innocent little magic of yours against me? I’d like to see you try.”

Avril unwound her arms and clenched her fists. Her eyes flashed with brief anger before fear reasserted its hold on her. She bit her lip and the vulnerability in her expression made my heart beat faster.

“Tell me, sister,” I purred, my voice dripping with cruel delight. “Do you enjoy watching your mother’s… debasement?” I grabbed her arm just above the elbow and she let out a thin gasp as my fingers tightened and dug into her flesh. “You watched her submit to a powerful man—the most powerful man in Messana. How does it make you feel to see her beg to be fucked by a man who should end her life and take her power for what she’s done?”

Avril’s breath hitched, and I could see the anguish twisting her delicate features, but she refused to meet my gaze. Still, she fought against my hold, her body trembling with the effort. I reveled in her futile struggle, knowing that there was no escape from my grasp.

“Let me go!” she hissed through clenched teeth. Despite her best efforts, she sounded desperate.

She didn’t belong here. It seemed almost unfair that such purity should exist within the sinister confines of Withermarsh.

Yet that only made me crave her submission even more.

Dark magic coursed through my veins and called out to be unleashed upon her.

But I resisted the urge and chose instead to savor my desire for her in its most primal form.

“Please, Titus,” she whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. “You don’t have to do this. ”

“Of course not,” I admitted, my voice soft but cold. “But it’s so much more satisfying when I do.”

Finally, she met my gaze. Fear, loathing, and something else I couldn’t quite place filled her hazel eyes as she looked up at me. It was as if, despite the overwhelming terror that gripped her, there was a flame of lust that burned there, too.

Valen and Bastian loomed like specters in the dimly lit hallway. Their eyes glinted with malicious intent as they watched the scene unfold in front of them.

“Brothers,” I said casually, “what do you think? Should we send her off to bed and deprive her of her entertainment? She was watching so intently…”

Valen stepped forward, his gaze locked on Avril as he closed the distance between them. “Little spy— Did you like what you saw?” he asked her with a smirk. He reached out to tuck a stray lock of her chestnut hair behind her ear and Avril turned her face away.

“Don’t touch me,” Avril whispered, her voice trembling.

Bastian circled around her like a predator stalking its prey, his movements fluid and unpredictable. The chill in the air seemed to intensify as he moved, an unsettling presence that heightened Avril’s anxiety.

“Such a pretty bird,” Bastian murmured as he stopped just behind her. “It’s almost a shame to break her.”

“Isn’t that what we do best, though?” Valen chimed in, his fingers grazed Avril’s cheek as he spoke.

Dark magic surged beneath my skin and Avril’s breath hissed between her teeth as she felt it in my palm, but I held it at bay.

My brothers and I had always taken pleasure in toying with those weaker than ourselves, but there was something about Avril that made her suffering all the more delectable.

“Please,” she gasped as Bastian’s breath ghosted over her throat, her wide hazel eyes pleading for mercy. Her vulnerability; the way she trembled with every touch—it was delicious.

With a grunt, I pulled her back toward the open door.

With one hand on the nape of her neck and the other on her elbow, I held her in place.

“Watch,” I growled in her ear. “Watch your mother submit—”

As our hands moved over Avril’s trembling form, her breaths came in short, shallow gasps, her body betraying her arousal even as her eyes filled with humiliation.

Dark energy coursed through my veins. It heightened my senses and intensified my desire to dominate and possess her completely.

“Titus, please,” she choked out, her voice barely audible as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Shh,” I admonished.

I released my hold on her arm as Valen grabbed hold of her hip and Bastian’s hand roamed over her perfectly rounded breasts. I covered her mouth with my hand and held her against my chest to silence her pitiful whimpers. “You’re only making it worse for yourself.”

Her muffled sobs feathered against my palm and ignited a perverse satisfaction that only drove me further. I reveled in the knowledge that I held her fate, her very soul, in the palm of my hand. And as Valen and Bastian took turns tormenting her, it was obvious that we had formed a wicked alliance.

“Eyes open,” I murmured in her ear. Valen chuckled as he pulled one of her hands against his crotch and rubbed against her.

Avril moaned against my hand as I forced her to keep her gaze on the scene that unfolded in the room beyond.

On the bed, Lucian fucked his new bride with hard strokes that made her cry out and beg for more .

The crackle of his dark power was everywhere, and his knife had left slight cuts on Julia’s naked body. They didn’t bleed, but glowed with my father’s dark magic, which heightened her pleasure—and his control over her.

Her red-painted mouth was open as she panted with lust and arched back into his thrusts.

Would Avril take my cock as eagerly?

Could she beg for us like this?

“Watch your mother become my father’s whore,” I said through gritted teeth. “Watch her give everything to him—”

Avril’s moan was desperate against my fingers as I pushed my other hand between us and pulled up the hem of her nightgown. Her thighs were wet, and I chuckled darkly as I pressed my fingers against her cleft.

“Our little whore of a sister is getting off on watching her mother get fucked,” I said, and my brothers laughed softly.

Valen groaned as he pressed his cock against Avril’s hand and forced her to stroke his hardness through his jeans.

I smiled when Avril nipped my fingers with sharp teeth while Bastian pinched and plucked at her nipples through the nightgown.

“Careful,” I murmured. “I like pain.”

I pushed my fingers under the edge of her panties and pulled the soaked fabric away from her heated slit so that I could stroke my thumb along it.

“Such a good girl,” Bastian whispered as he continued to tease Avril’s hardened nipples beneath her thin nightgown. His voice was sickly sweet and deceptively gentle.

Avril trembled at his words and Bastian smiled at the humiliated flush that burned across her cheeks

Valen’s arm tightened around her slender waist and he flexed his fingers around her slender wrist as he forced her hand to move rhythmically against his bulging erection. The lewd grin on his face contradicted the icy glint in his eyes as he watched the spectacle our father was providing.

“Can’t get enough, can you?” I taunted, and then tensed against her as she tried to squirm away from our touch. But we were stronger, our dark intentions hell-bent on possessing her until she surrendered herself to us entirely.

I could feel the rapid beat of her heart against my chest while I maintained a slow, tantalizing rhythm between her thighs. Teasing at her clit and tracing her soaking entrance with the tip of my finger.

Her body shuddered at my touch, an involuntary reaction that underscored how responsive she was to my manipulations. She tried to close her eyes and look away, but I held her steady.

“I’ll ask again, dear sister,” I said huskily into her ear, ensuring she felt every inch of me pressed against her back. “Do you like what you see?”

“See how your mother takes pleasure in our father’s touch,” Valen whispered in Avril’s ear, his hot breath fanning over her exposed neck. “She isn’t like you. She didn’t resist. She was eager. She begged Lucian for it.”

Bastian nuzzled against Avril’s shoulder as he deftly slipped his fingers underneath her nightgown, his movements fluid as he gripped her breast and kneaded it with an eager touch.

“Look at her,” I growled again, pressing myself against Avril’s back so she could feel the hardness of my desire. “Don’t you want to be just like your mother?”

The room filled with Julia’s pitiful whimpers and moans, punctuated by Lucian’s cruel laughter. Dark energy pulsed around them like an electric charge.

Avril’s wetness coated my fingers, and I chuckled darkly again as she moved her hips—encouraging me. “You’re just like your mother…” My thumb slipped inside her silken heat and she gasped against my palm .

The thought of taking such an innocent creature made my cock throb.

Valen growled low under his breath as he gripped Avril’s hip tighter, forcing her hand to move rhythmically over him. Bastian twisted one of her nipples before he lowered his mouth and latched onto the sensitive peak through the material of her nightgown. The sound of sucking and Avril’s muffled whimpers filled the air, mingling with the wet sounds of coupling from the other room.

“Imagine how much better it would feel…” I continued, “imagine if you willingly gave yourself to us.”

Avril’s body twitched as I slid another finger inside her and Bastian took her other nipple into his mouth to give it an equally torturous treatment like the first one.

“All of us.”

Avril moaned as Valen’s large hand guided her smaller one over his crotch in slower movements, creating the perfect rhythm that made him throw his head back in pleasure.

Moments later, Bastian released Avril’s breast and moved his own hand downward, toward her core where my fingers were already exploring. Feeling his fingers move over her clit brought on a fresh wave of debauched pleasure that made me grin with anticipation.

Avril was our plaything… our tortured doll.

For a moment, everything around us ceased to exist as we focused entirely on the terrified woman trapped within our cruel grasp. Her sobs became more frantic in response to the escalating pleasure we were forcing upon her. Despite this, she couldn’t hide her undeniable arousal.

I pushed my fingers deeper, fucking her with quick strokes as Bastian worked her clit.

She glanced rapidly between the vulgar exhibition in front of us and our united assault upon her. Her mouth fell open as Bastian pinched and twisted her clit, and my palm muffled her exquisite howl.

In the room beyond, Julia’s ecstatic cries reached a crescendo, and Lucian gave a triumphant roar that echoed through the grand halls of Withermarsh. The air thickened with dark magic, sending shivers down our spines.

I traced my fingertips along Avril’s thighs before rewarding her for due obedience by plunging two fingers inside her. She jolted against me as I quickened my pace — inward and out—matching the rhythm of Lucian’s ruthless strokes into his new bride.

“Look at them,” Valen commanded, his words laced with malevolence.

“See how your mother finds pleasure in the arms of a monster?” His voice was a menacing whisper in her ear, cruel and cold. “Does it stir something inside you? Does it make you crave the same, little bird? Do you want to choke on our cocks and beg for us to fuck you?”

Tears ran down her cheeks as she whined against my hand, but her body was treacherous. She writhed against me, body arching with every caress and thrust. She was splintering into pieces in our tight hold as we took turns showing her who she really was.

Bastian let out a wicked chuckle when Avril's body convulsed against his hand. Her petite frame arched in sync with the pained moan that spilled from her lips. “That’s it,” he grunted, hand never leaving her throbbing clit as he looked over at me with an amused smirk. “She’s close.”

The satisfaction on Valen’s face mirrored my own as we forced Avril to teeter on the edge of what promised to be an explosive release.

We had pushed her far beyond her comfort zone and primed her for an experience she would never forget .

A dark thrill coursed through me as we tightened our grip on Avril, ensuring she couldn’t escape the torment we were inflicting upon her.

My fingers dove deeper, easily sliding in and out of her heat as her body instinctively welcomed me and demanded more.

A wicked grin spread across Bastian’s face as he continued to manipulate Avril’s clit with ruthless precision. Every stroke drove her closer to release.

Valen groaned and swore.

In the other room, Julia’s whimpers became ragged cries of ecstasy as our father drove into her again and again. The animalistic growl that erupted from him shook the walls of Withermarsh and filled our ears.

I could feel the tremors coursing through Avril’s body, which threatened to crumble under our relentless assault. Our fingers skillfully worked in unison and drove her toward the precipice of an earth-shattering release.

I felt the pressure of Bastian’s magic as he increased the pace of his fingers and strummed them against Avril’s clit. Her ragged cry vibrated against my hand and her cunt clamped down on my fingers as her orgasm broke over her.

I gritted my teeth to keep from groaning as I imagined what it would be like to have her impaled on my cock.

She sagged against me and her body jolted with the force of her climax. Bastian pulled his hand from between her thighs and pushed his fingers into his mouth to suck them clean.

As Lucian’s guttural roar faded into a panting whisper that was drowned out by the cracking hearth and the moans of his bride as she collapsed onto the bed.

I pulled my fingers from Avril’s shuddering pussy and released my grip on her.

She staggered back from our group, her wide eyes locked on me. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly .

“Pathetic,” I sneered, my voice dripping with contempt. “You’re just like your mother—a weak, quivering whore.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and her chestnut hair clung to her tear-streaked face as she stumbled backward, her slender frame trembling with what must have been a potent mix of fear, shame, lust, and anger.

I drank in the sight of her and a perverse satisfaction at the damage we had inflicted upon her swept through me. My cock was painfully hard, straining against my jeans.

She was ours now.

“Run along now,” I mocked, gesturing dismissively toward the empty hallway. “But remember this moment, little sister . No matter how far you run or where you hide, you’ll never escape us. We own you .”

Her breath hitched as she choked back a sob, unable to respond to my cruel taunts. She turned and fled down the corridor, her footsteps echoing through the silent, gloomy halls of Withermarsh.

The sight of Avril’s trembling form, retreating down the corridor like a wounded animal, sent an electric thrill through me. My brothers and I stood side by side, our desires for her burning in our eyes as we watched her flee from us.

I brought my hand to my lips and sucked Avril’s release from my fingers. It was almost impossible not to savor her taste on my tongue.

Dangerous. But the flavor was heavenly.

Fear, lust, hate—all of it.

Delicious.

Dark laughter echoed from the room behind us and the loud smack of my father’s hand as he struck his bride’s rounded ass echoed in the darkness.

“Let’s go,” I growled. Lucian wouldn’t let her rest for long before he took her again. “I’m not staying to watch. ”

We walked down the grand staircase together. I didn’t have to wonder what my brothers were thinking.

Their minds were focused on Avril. Just like mine was.

“Did you see how she shivered when she came, Titus?” Valen asked. Valen spoke with cruel amusement in his voice, but there was something else beneath it. “Like a frightened animal caught in a hunter’s snare.”

“And just like a trapped animal, she’ll only grow more desperate the more we tighten our grasp.”

“You can’t deny there’s something... enticing about her vulnerability,” Bastian said. He looked at me with an eyebrow raised. “What are your plans for her?”

Valen snorted. “He’s not going to tell us.”

I glanced at them both, noting the predatory gleam in their eyes. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Valen chuckled softly, and he glanced back at the spot where Avril had disappeared from view. “Maybe I don’t care. Maybe… I’m interested in a little competition.”

I paused at the bottom of the stairs and regarded him carefully. “What did you have in mind?”

“I can only guess that you want to punish our father by corrupting our new sister,” Valen said as he came to a stop beside me.

Bastian leaned against the bannister and a shadow crossed his deceptively angelic features. “She would be so much fun to corrupt…” he said. A tendril of black smoke rose from his palm and twined around his fingers. “She came apart so prettily in our hands…”

The dark smoke curled around Bastian’s wrist. He had a point; Avril’s vulnerability had been undeniably intoxicating—but I was no fool. Both Valen and Bastian had something to gain here—and I didn’t trust that they would step aside for me when the time came .

“And what would you propose?” I asked, my gaze shifting back to Valen. His enigmatic expression told me he had something up his sleeve.

His eyes glinted in the dim light as a mischievous smile danced on his lips. “Why not make it interesting? A little wager…” He mused, looking from me to Bastian.

“As in?” I pressed.

Valen crossed his arms over his chest. “The first one who can fully claim her...” He let the sentence hang in the air as he turned his gaze to Bastian and then back to me.

“Gets full control over her,” Bastian finished for him, flashing us both a wicked grin.

A low chuckle resonated deep from within my chest. “Sounds like fair game,” I mused. I could see the thrill gleaming in their eyes—the same spark that was igniting within my chest.

I wanted her. It was impossible to deny.

That pale spark—I wanted to hold it in my hands and then snuff it out.

The predatory intentions of my brothers were all too clear, and their desire for control over our new sister was unmistakable.

The idea of reducing Avril into nothing more than a puppet for our lust stirred something within me.

After a moment’s pause, I nodded. “Let’s make it interesting.”

It was a cruel and unforgiving wager that would see to the corruption of our new sister, and I was more than eager to begin.

Our father had ignored us for too long—and if he meant to replace us with this fragile girl, he would see how wrong he was.

As we parted ways and left the scene of Avril’s torment behind us, my thoughts lingered on the girl who had unwittingly become the object of our darkest desires.

She had completely fallen apart in our hands, but in the most beautiful way .

I could still smell her sweet scent on my clothes, enticing me to indulge and douse myself in her irresistible musk.

I shook off the sensation and reminded myself that she was just a means to an end.

But I wondered how long would it take for her to break beneath our relentless pursuit? And more importantly, which one of us would emerge victorious?

My hand tightened into a fist at the thought of one of my brothers being the one to claim her and I allowed my magic to curl around my wrist. The weight of it was comforting. The power was comforting.

I was going to claim her for myself, and then we would cast her aside.

It was too soon to act; I needed to let her breathe and let the fear fester and build before I made my move.

It would make her more pliable, more susceptible to our influence.

For now, I had other things to take care of.