Page 18 of Unholy Vows

Layla

T he thrum of the bass pulsed through my body, and I raised my arms in the air as I swayed my hips in time with the beat. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck, and I lifted my hair, letting the slight breeze offer momentary relief.

I had hesitated to accept Margot’s invitation for a girls’ night out. My mind was a tangled mess. Malachai’s games and the twisted, obsessive pull he had over me had me completely turned around. But I needed a distraction. Something to drown out the noise of his ever-watchful presence.

Even if just for a few hours.

I pushed aside the unease that had settled inside me from the moment Malachai entered my life and allowed myself to be swept away, hoping the chaos outside would silence the darkness creeping in.

Large, masculine hands gripped my waist and guided my hips with slow, deliberate pressure.

I peeked over my shoulder and saw a gorgeous Adonis, tall, with striking blonde hair and a sinfully seductive smile.

His gaze locked onto mine, his ocean blue eyes gleaming with interest. His touch was possessive, firm, and every subtle move sent sparks dancing along my skin.

He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Hey, beautiful,” he said. “I’ve been watching you dance for the past half hour.”

I cocked a brow, and an amused grin tugged at my mouth.

Mr Adonis smiled sheepishly. “You can hardly blame me. You’re the sexiest fucking woman I have ever seen.”

Margot, who was dancing next to me, snorted a laugh. “Alright, Romeo, no need to lay it on so thick.”

Turning to me, she asked, “I’m heading to the bar, do you want another round?”

“No, I’m good,” I said, holding up my half-full bottle.

Margot nodded and started making her way through the mass of undulating bodies as she beelined for the counter.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” Mr Adonis asked as he pulled me into his rock-hard chest.

Oh yeah, this guy was definitely the gym type.

“What’s yours?”

Gym-bro smirked. “Vaughn.”

Vaughn .

It sounded like the type of name that belonged to a pretentious trust fund baby.

“Well, Vaughn… are you here to dance, or is the plan to charm me out of my clothes?”

He leaned in, his voice low and smooth. “Depends. Would you rather I take my time, or skip to the part where you forget your own name?”

When he pulled away, he had an infuriatingly confident smirk playing on his lips. And damn him, it made him look even sexier.

“Cocky, aren’t we?”

Without waiting for his reply, I turned back around and rolled my hips against his groin.

Vaughn may have all the confidence in the world, but the growing erection pressing into my lower back told me I held all the power.

His hands trailed up my sides until they grazed the underside of my breasts. I pushed my chest out, inviting him closer, as I leaned into the heat banking between us.

Vaughn growled low in his throat as he cupped me over my dress. His fingers traced the outline of my nipples, and they stiffened under his ministrations. We rocked back and forth, our bodies falling into sync as the air tightened around us.

Just as Vaughn’s lips settled on my shoulder, a sudden vibration buzzed against my thigh, startling me.

My phone buzzed again, and my hand moved to my pocket where it was concealed.

But then I paused. The timing was too perfect.

“Leave it,” Vaughn murmured against my throat.

But something cold seeped through my body, cutting through the heat like a knife. I stepped out of Vaughn’s grasp, ignoring his muttered protests, and pulled out my phone.

My screen lit up with a call from an unknown number.

I hesitated only a second before I answered it.

“Hello.”

There was no reply. I glanced down at the device, and for half a heartbeat, it was black.

Then it flickered.

There I stood in real time, peering down at my phone.

I spun around, my heart hammering, but I couldn’t see anyone holding a phone.

A low, dangerous chuckle echoed through the speaker, reclaiming my attention. The video feed zoomed in, and I realized I recognized the voice.

“Tsk, tsk, Little Sinner.”

Malachai’s words filtered through the speaker, caressing me softly.

“You should know better than to taunt the devil.”

Goosebumps erupted over my skin, and I cursed the slow pulse of arousal building in my core.

Emboldened by my frustration, I squared my shoulders and lifted the phone to my ear.

“If you don’t like what you see, Malachai, then look away.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Little Sinner. You won’t like what I do to those who touch my things.”

“Lucky for me, I don’t belong to you.”

With that, I ended the call and returned to an eager Vaughn, though the high from earlier had dulled.

He welcomed me with a smirk and opened his arms. His hands found my waist again, but my body moved on autopilot now.

Every sway of my hips felt like a performance.

Every breath, calculated.

Because I could still feel Malachai’s eyes on me, even if I couldn’t see him.

And that thrill, that twisted, terrifying rush, wasn’t for Vaughn anymore.

It was for him.

I kicked off my heels and rubbed the back of my neck as I headed for my bathroom.

Once Malachai had interrupted my brief reprieve, I’d lost all enthusiasm for my night out and made my excuses to leave.

Margot’s fake pout could not convince me to stay, and besides, she’d been curled up in the lap of a handsome stranger when I’d found her, so I was confident she would survive.

I let my mind empty of all thoughts of Malachai as I stepped beneath the hot spray of the shower. The warm water helped relax my muscles, and by the time I was done, I was ready to collapse into bed and sleep for a week.

Just as I was slipping under the covers, my phone dinged with a text. It was well past a reasonable hour for conversation, but I reached for it anyway.

An image flashed on my screen, and all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. My heart galloped inside my chest, and my fingers hovered above my phone.

Strapped to a chair, with a gag stuffed in his mouth and blood dripping down his face, was Vaughn.

Unknown: I told you not to taunt the devil, but you didn’t listen. Your actions have consequences, Little Sinner.

My breath caught in my throat, and the room suddenly felt too small.

What. The. Fuck.

Fear quickly gave way to fury, and I hit the call button.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

When the line connected, I didn’t give Malachai a chance to say anything.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Hello to you, too, Layla,” Malachai said, his amusement clear in his tone.

“Seriously, Malachai, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Teaching you a lesson.”

Teaching me a lesson…

“You could go to jail for this,” I hissed.

“Are you going to prattle on me, sweet Layla?”

“Do you think this is a joke?”

“No, Layla. This is your last fucking warning. Let another man touch what belongs to me and I‘ll deliver him to your doorstep, piece by fucking piece.”

“You can’t be serious?” I said, as my skin prickled, and bile threatened to make its way up my throat.

“Test me again, and you’ll find out.”

Malachai’s voice had lost all trace of teasing. Only cold detachment bled through.

“Don’t hurt him, Malachai,” I pleaded.

“Worried about your little boy toy?”

“I’m worried about you, you idiot!”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to claw them back and swallow them whole.

“My, my, Layla, keep talking like that and I might just get the wrong impression,” he teased. “I might think you actually care for me.”

Did I care for him?

The fuck if I knew. My head and my heart were currently not on talking terms.

“I’ll tell you what, Little Sinner,” Malachai said, breaking the silence. “I’ll free your friend here… if you ask me nicely.”

“Please.”

The single word sounded too loud in the quiet of my apartment.

“Please what?”

“Please let him go.”

Malachai smacked his lips together as though he were savoring my plea.

“I do like the sound of you begging, Little Sinner.” After a weighted pause, he added, “I’ll let him go, but Layla…”

My breathing stalled as I waited for his next words.

“I’ll be seeing you very soon.”