Page 48 of The Devil After Dark

forty-seven

LIANA

I was so exhausted I fell asleep curled on the end of the bed.

Sleeping in the bed, under the covers, felt wrong when I had no idea what they were doing to Cassio.

When the door opened, I launched upright, wiping sleep from my eyes.

Remington stood in the doorway for far too long.

Finally, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind himself.

I watched his shadow cross the room, then he turned on a lamp. I winced and blinked at the light.

“I will give you a choice, baby girl,” Remington said as he walked towards where I sat on the bed. He stopped in front of me and his hand lifted my chin so I was looking up at him. “Me or Cass.”

“What?” I breathed. Was this seriously a choice? Remington was practically a stranger. I didn’t even know he existed until the night both of them were there. Then Remington disappeared. I had only just learned his name today.

“Stay with me and I will take care of you. Anything you want can be yours,” Remington paused, his thumb stroking my cheek. “Or pick Cassio and unless he cooperates, I will use you to break him. ”

I jerked my head away from his hand. Remington laughed and crouched down in front of me.

“I know how he treats you. You are a play thing for him. He would have never told you about me either. Is that the kind of man you want to put your life on the line for?” Remington was making some good points.

He was digging a knife into all of the concerns I had about Cassio.

I didn’t respond. “Do you know why we both ended up fucking you that night?” I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat.

Remington chuckled and gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

I recoiled from his touch. “Cassio was so fucking pissed at you for defying him that he was afraid of what he was going to do to you.”

Remington held my gaze and I tried as hard as I could to not let him see me questioning everything.

“Do you want to be with a man who is afraid he is going to hurt you? Do you want to be with someone who sends another man to punish you and fuck you?” I looked away from his eyes.

I was moving past that … wasn’t I? His hand on my chin turned my face back to his.

“The only reason he came in that night was because he was so jealous he couldn’t stand watching me fuck you. Is that the man you want?”

“I certainly don’t want you,” I quietly shot back, my voice barely above a whisper.

I didn’t miss the anger in Remington’s eyes. “I will treat you right, Liana.”

“You don’t even know me,” I breathed.

Remington bit his lip and his hands slid up my thighs. “I know more about you than you think.”

“I don’t know you,” I countered.

“But you think you know Cassio? Baby girl, I don’t want to hurt you.

Don’t throw away the opportunity for a good life,” Remington argued.

His reasoning was falling flat. I would always choose Cassio.

I had made myself believe I could never trust him, yet Cassio had stolen every piece of my heart. I belonged with Cassio.

“I choose Cassio,” I responded flatly.

Remington’s head dropped and he shook it slowly as if he were disappointed in me. Then he stood back up, towering over me. “After I break you, baby girl, I’m going to keep you.”

I clenched my jaw and glared up at him trying to show I was unbothered by his threats.

It lasted all of a moment before rippling golden light pulsed from his hands and bound my wrists and ankles.

I screamed and a band of light wrapped over my mouth.

It was magic. Remington had bound me with magic.

I writhed and struggled and Remington only chuckled as the light forced me to my feet in front of him.

The band of light around my head and mouth forced my face to turn up to his.

“If you have changed your mind, you can beg me to stop.” There was a dark smirk on his face and the band covering my mouth evaporated into the air. “Start begging.”

“Never,” I spat the word at him. Remington tossed me over his shoulder in a quick movement and headed for the bedroom door.

I yelled at him to let me go as I tried to kick and hit him, but the magic restraining me only started to burn my skin.

Crying out in pain, I stopped resisting.

The burning sensation ceased with my submission.

Remington hauled me down the stairs and into the kitchen.

It was still dark outside, but the kitchen lights were on.

Expletives spilled from my mouth as I thrashed more and Remington deposited me into a chair, binding me swiftly to it with rope.

Once I was secured, his magic dissipated from around my limbs.

“Last chance, baby girl,” Remington offered, his face level with mine.

My heart was pounding in my chest and I could hardly breathe.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I furiously blinked, trying to blink them away.

He was going to hurt me and make Cassio watch.

He was going to hurt me. “Alright then,” he said as he straightened.

Then he turned my chair to face the other way—to face Cassio’s limp body tied to a chair across from me.

Cassio was unconscious. His head hung forward and blood dripped off the tip of his nose. “Cassio!” I sobbed his name. Cassio didn’t stir.

Rome yanked Cassio’s head up by his hair and I saw the bruises on his face. Tears uncontrollably fell from my eyes. With a few slaps to his cheek Cassio came to. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, then they fell on me. “Angel?” he gasped out in panic.

“I’m okay! I’m okay,” I tried to reassure him. Remington’s hands on my shoulders and sliding around my neck to firmly grab my jaw caused me to let out an involuntary sob. He pulled back and my head cranked backwards until I was looking up at him.

“She is okay … for now, Cass,” Remington practically cooed.

“Let her go and I will sign it all over to you, Remi,” Cassio said through his teeth.

He couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t let him give up everything to this piece of scum because of me. “Don’t, Cassio. Don’t do it,” I begged him.

Remington’s laughter filled the kitchen.

Then his chin is on my shoulder and his warm breath on my neck sent a shiver through my body as he whispered, “So brave. How long will it really last?” Pain drew across my shoulder in a slow burn and I realized Remington was dragging a knife across my skin.

Blood dripped from the wound and I gasped as my heart pounded so hard I thought I might pass out.

Cassio was screaming. I didn’t even hear what Cassio was screaming as Remington used the knife to turn my chin to face him.

“I will make you beg him to sign everything over,” Remington promised.

I watched him stand and smirk down at me. Cassio was yelling profanity and threats and Remington just looked completely smug with himself. “You don’t even know how to make a woman orgasm. Why would I believe you could make me beg for anything?” I spit at him with as much venom as I could muster.

The smirk on Remington’s face turned to pure anger.

I saw stars as the back of his hand connected with my cheek.

The tears kept coming and I tasted blood.

Pain shot through my scalp as Remington grabbed a handful of hair and yanked my head back.

I squeezed my eyes closed. I could not look at him.

I was trying to be brave and I just couldn’t.

“I will fucking sign, Remi! Don’t fucking touch her! ” Cassio screamed.

My head jerked forward as Remington shoved away from me. I brought my eyes up to Cassio. “Just look at me, Angel,” Cassio urged. “You are going to be okay, just look at me.” Gods I wanted to believe him.

“You want her to look at you? I’ll let her look at you,” Remington seethed as he cut me free from the ropes binding me to the chair.

His strong hands grabbed me and lifted me with ease before slamming me onto my back on the kitchen table.

The scream that erupted from me was uncontrollable.

My head cracked against the table as Remington’s hand shoved my cheek into the wood so I was looking straight at Cassio.

I thrashed with all my might as I felt my clothes being ripped and torn.

“No!” Cassio was screaming just as loud as I was.

A gunshot echoed in the room and my body curled on itself involuntarily as another two in quick succession rang out.

A crushing weight landed on top of me and I scrambled to shove it away—to shove Remington’s dead body off me.

I was sobbing and screaming as I freed myself from his limp weight and rolled away, falling off the table.

My knees and wrists barked with pain at the impact of hitting the floor, but I pushed myself to my feet as quickly as I could.

Arms enveloped me, firmly encasing me against a hard warm body.

Then I felt warm metal press against my temple.