Deviant Soul (Damaged Devils Book 2), page 1
Deviant Soul
Damaged Devils #2
Charity Parkerson
Punk & Sissy Publications
Copyright
The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not take part in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Brief passages may be quoted for review purposes if credit is given to the copyright holder. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Any resemblances to person(s) living or dead, is completely coincidental. All items contained within this novel are products of the author’s imagination.
—Warning: This book is intended for readers over the age of 18. Some of my books contain allusions to past abuse and trauma.
Copyright © 2023 Charity Parkerson
Editor: BZ Hercules & Consultants
All rights reserved.
Contents
Introduction
Author Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Content
About the Author
Introduction
He was trained to kill. In the process, he lost his sanity and his soul. Onyx doesn’t see any of that when he looks at Seven.
Seven is one of countless boys who trained through an underground program to follow the worst of orders. He broke free a long time ago. Now he uses his skills on his terms, but his sanity can’t be recovered. No one knows him. He’s simply a shadow. A nightmare. Except there’s this one guy he can’t shake.
The way Seven slips in and out of his life drives Onyx crazy. He wants to hate him. Seven is too hard to resist. Just when he thinks he’s finally made some headway towards a real relationship, Seven’s secrets come crashing down on them. Now Onyx has a choice to make. He can believe the worst or follow his heart. Either way seems equally doomed.
Deviant Soul is the second book in Charity Parkerson’s Damaged Devils series. These are dark romance stories with crime lords, assassins, and sociopaths who find their hearts. They are best enjoyed when read in order.
Author Note
This is a dark romance series filled with possible triggers. If you need a list, you can skip to the content warning after the About the Author page or check my website: charityparkerson.com/damaged-devils
Chapter One
A tune hummed through Seven’s head as he skipped through the warehouse. He moved silently with each footfall by bouncing on his toes, exactly as he had been trained to do. It came as naturally as breathing. Nine bodies littered the area. According to his radar sweep, that should be everyone, but he didn’t want to get caught off guard. Seven bounced from room to room, checking everything. He didn’t make mistakes. Today would be no different.
Satisfied with his work, he returned to the bodies and sent proof of death to check the final box on his contract. It was a good day. The men were pieces of human shit. He had made an easy three million. Seven felt like ice cream. Cold and smooth. Damn. He really wanted some ice cream. Seven skipped out, turning out the lights as he went. He chuckled as he realized what he had done. Silly Seven. The place was set to blow in fifteen minutes. Whatever. Fifteen minutes of electricity saved.
Without looking back, he closed the door as he left. A truck he had bought under the table for five hundred bucks waited nearby. Seven climbed behind the wheel and headed for a motel room he had booked earlier. It was a by-the-hour establishment that only took cash and saw nothing. Seven headed inside and showered. He hurried, since he had gooey chocolate goodness on the brain and still so much stuff to do.
Cleaned of the blood, Seven hit the road again. He headed for a secluded area in the swamp. It was a place he knew well. Seven fit in with the silent killers that slithered and crawled through uninhabitable land. He, too, had survived in places where no human should have been. Seven readied the truck for disposal. He poured acid on the clothes he had worn, since fire would cause smoke. He tossed the dregs back in the truck before pushing the truck into the thick, unforgiving waters. Seven stood watch until the entire vehicle disappeared and the final bubble popped. When the water no longer stirred, he danced away, skipping and twirling. Music played inside his mind, reminding him that beauty existed in the world. Hidden nearby, he found the second truck he had bought, paying cash. Seven climbed inside and headed for a hotel near the airport. Fire trucks screamed past. Seven only heard the music in his head.
At the hotel, Seven parked where he knew no cameras could see and ditched the truck. He had already removed the tags and VIN. It would be days before anyone realized the truck was an abandoned vehicle. Then they would simply have it towed for scrap, since it was attached to nothing. Seven climbed onto the hotel’s airport shuttle bus as if he belonged. In minutes, he was at the airport. By hour three, his flight landed in Vegas. He easily got lost in the sea of faces before hitting the food court at the MGM for his much-deserved ice cream. Seven popped one earbud in and listened to this month’s favorite song on repeat while he walked the strip and ate. The music detracted from the screaming homeless, and the half-dressed women asking for money to have their picture taken. Vegas was always the same. Still, he had some time to kill before a private flight took him home. Seven also needed to check out of the hotel he had booked for the weekend in Vegas as a cover. He had left a credit card with a five-hundred-dollar limit at the bar a few hours before flying out under an alias. Someone had picked it up and made charges all over town while he was gone, just as he hoped, giving him an alibi. His rewards points were piling up in Vegas. It was the perfect town to disappear and reappear—like magic. Seven popped into the mall to make a quick purchase before wrapping things up in Vegas. Then it was only a quick hour-and-ten-minute flight to Tijuana.
From there, Seven headed to the place he always went when he made it home from a series of jobs, Black Heart Tattoos. A bell jingled above the door as he stepped inside. Onyx’s head turned his way. The music inside Seven’s head turned into a love song as a smile exploded across Onyx’s face.
“Whoa. It’s Seven. I thought you forgot about me. It’s been like six months.”
Seven skipped across the space between them and held out the rainbow-tailed unicorn he had bought Onyx in Vegas. “Sorry. I bought you this, though.”
The sexy way Onyx’s dark eyes moved over Seven before focusing on the unicorn made Seven purr inside. He reached for the unicorn. Seven fought the urge to leap over the counter and climb him like a tree. “This is cute. It reminds me of you.”
Seven fought a blush as Onyx put the stuffed animal on display on a shelf behind the counter.
Onyx spoke over his shoulder. “You getting more lines tonight?”
“Yes. Twelve, please.” Seven recounted in his head every life he had taken in the six months since he last saw Onyx. “Yeah. Twelve.”
With a sweeping motion, Onyx directed Seven to the tattoo room. Seven set his backpack aside and peeled off his shirt as he went. Shirtless, he climbed onto the table.
Onyx went to work, cleaning the spot next to all the other tiny lines on his back, tracking his kills like a man marking his cage walls with a rock. Seven needed the reminder. There were more than he wanted, even though none of it mattered. There wasn’t a single line on his back for anyone the world would miss. That mattered to Seven. Still, he held himself accountable.
Onyx waited until he etched the first line in Seven’s skin before he spoke again. “Are you going to tell me where you’ve been?”
A smile tugged at Seven’s lips. “And lose my mystery? You don’t want that.”
For a moment, only silence met his words. “Yeah, I do,” Onyx said finally. “I worried about you.”
Seven lost himself in the pain for a moment, savoring the scratching on his back. It numbed his mind. His loud brain was always there, reminding him he was crazy. Finally, Seven hummed. “Mhmm. Well, first I went to Massachusetts and then to New York. From there, I went to Mexico City for a while before heading to Spain for a wedding. Then I had to work in Vegas.” He skipped the swamp, but that was for the best. Onyx thought he was a travel nurse, and that was why he was always gone. Seven didn’t want to lie, but it wasn’t like he could tell the truth.
“Maybe one of these days, you’ll tell me what these lines represent.”
“Maybe it’s people I’ve killed. Maybe I’m not a very good nurse.”
Onyx chuckled. “Dark.” He squirted cold water on Seven’s back and then wiped it away before swiping something cool across the fresh lines. Then his mouth touched Seven’s shoulder. Seven bowed his head, giving Onyx better access to his nape. Onyx nibbled his skin, making Seven take a slow, deep breath. “What will you do when you run out of skin on your back?”
Seven scrambled to think straight. “I guess you’ll have to start on my front.”
Onyx’s tattooed hands squeezed Seven’s side, massaging. “I think you should let me ink something else on your ass.”
<
“A butterfly,” Onyx answered between kisses. “Definitely a bright, beautiful butterfly. Just like you. Fuck, Seven. You make me want to hate you sometimes. Why do you go away and then reappear like nothing happened? I’m stuck, sitting here waiting.”
Seven couldn’t think straight with Onyx’s lips on his skin. “Don’t pretend I’m the only one. You’re not waiting.”
“Would you believe me if I said I am? You’re the only one for me.”
Seven turned and drew Onyx between his thighs. He didn’t answer because Onyx didn’t want him. Not really. Onyx knew their moments together and nothing more. He didn’t recognize the crazy in Seven. Maybe that was why Seven couldn’t stay away. It was that and the way Onyx’s brown skin mesmerized him, taking away the ugliness inside his head. Seven lived for the short bursts of having Onyx’s hands on him, making him feel like he wasn’t a freak.
He slowly dragged Onyx’s shirt up and over his head.
Onyx let him have it. “I should lock the door.”
“Do that.”
In a flash, Onyx’s mouth covered his. Seven surrendered to the emotions stirring inside him. The way their tongues played always made him hot as hell. Onyx had a talented mouth, and he liked using it. Being with him was like controlling fire. It felt impossible, yet powerful. Suddenly, Onyx tore himself away and headed for the front room. Seven watched him go. Onyx was all sinewy muscle. Watching his body move made Seven’s brain fuzzy. He wanted to run his fingers through Onyx’s jet-black hair and ride that perfect body. In a matter of seconds, Onyx returned. He closed the door between the tattoo room and the front, giving them twice the privacy. Then he was back, sucking Seven’s tongue.
Seven went to work on Onyx’s jeans, setting the man’s erection free. When he dove his hand inside Onyx’s underwear, Onyx made a sound like he was in heaven and Seven swore it felt like Onyx’s accent vibrating around his tongue. Onyx was the only person on the planet who made Seven feel normal. It didn’t matter to him if Onyx fucked everyone else when Seven wasn’t around, as long as Onyx didn’t turn his back on him. Seven was fucked up like that. He needed the time they spent together. Otherwise, he might fade away.
Onyx hadn’t been just talking shit. He wanted to hate Seven. Sometimes, he thought he already did. Then Seven would turn up out of nowhere and Onyx was on him like a fly on shit. He didn’t think he could be blamed. Onyx had never met another damn soul who matched Seven. He was unique in every possible way. Each time Onyx thought he would give up on Seven, here he was, reminding Onyx of all the reasons he couldn’t say no. He wanted to tell Seven to get fucked. Onyx wanted to claim he didn’t want this. Instead, he found himself on his back on a tattoo table, condom in place, and Seven on his dick, proving how dumb he really was.
Seven was something else, though. He looked like the devil and tempted him just as hard. His dark green eyes always looked sweet, despite the long scar that ran down his cheek. That mark proved Seven had seen some stuff. He had other scars too that broke Onyx’s heart. In fact, a couple on his back looked like bullet wounds. But his body… goddamn. Perfection. Oddly, though, Onyx was fucking fascinated by Seven’s mind. He had never cared about that shit before. But Seven could be almost childlike one second and look deadly the next. He drove Onyx wild with curiosity. Seven just made him insane. End of story.
“So beautiful. I’ve missed you.” Onyx tried locking his back teeth so he wouldn’t say anything else. Seven felt like heaven on his cock. Desire made him weak. He lasted five seconds before his mouth got the best of him. “Tell me how to make you stay.”
Seven kissed him and set a pace that stole Onyx’s last brain cell. His asshole was so hot and tight. Fuck. It wasn’t fair. Seven held all the cards. Unexpectedly, Seven’s mouth moved to Onyx’s ear. His motions slowed. It wasn’t sex any longer. They made love as Seven whispered against his ear.
“You’re my unicorn. There isn’t anyone else, but you’ll hate me if I stay. I won’t be enough for you.”
Goddamn, Onyx’s chest hurt. They had been doing this shit for six years. Six goddamn years. Honestly, the first few he hadn’t taken things seriously. But for the last three and a half years, no one but Seven would do. He couldn’t stand for anyone else to touch him. Seven had Onyx tied up in fucking knots for six mother fucking years. The idea that Seven still thought Onyx could want anyone else was so goddamn ridiculous he didn’t know where to start. Onyx was angry and turned on, and fucking aggravated as shit. He didn’t know what to say or do to convince Seven to stay. Hell, Onyx didn’t even know where he went when he disappeared. Frustration welled inside him until he thought he would explode.
Onyx cupped Seven’s face and forced him to hold his stare. “Please.” He had never begged a single soul for anything in his life. Seven had him on the edge in every way. Onyx didn’t even know what he pled for at this point. Maybe just a fucking chance to try.
“I’m not going anywhere. Come for me.”
It hit Onyx. His orgasm was the only currency he held. Once he came, Seven would be gone. No matter what he said. Onyx had to get more reassurance. He snagged Seven’s waist and held on as he slid off the table. Onyx stood and turned, setting Seven on the table. Disappointment etched Seven’s features until Onyx peppered him with kisses. He kissed his way down Seven’s body.
“Tell me again you plan to stay.”
A ragged-sounding breath escaped Seven. “I do.”
Onyx bent and nuzzled Seven’s cock. “Not good enough. Tell me you’ll come home with me and go to breakfast with me in the morning.”
Seven ran his fingers through Onyx’s hair. “You don’t want that, sweetie. If you really knew me—”
Onyx straightened and moved away to grab his pants. He didn’t want to hear excuses. Onyx was done being Seven’s plaything, only to be tossed aside once he had his fun.
He made it two steps. “I’ll go home with you tonight.”
Onyx glanced over his shoulder with his eyebrow raised.
Seven swallowed. “And go to breakfast with you in the morning.”
He didn’t immediately give in. “Promise me.”
While looking pale and ridiculously innocent, Seven nodded. “I promise.”
That was good enough for Onyx. Seven had said the words now. Onyx knew himself. If Seven couldn’t or wouldn’t keep his word, then he would finally be done. Onyx didn’t mess with people whose word didn’t mean shit. He turned back and immediately went down on Seven. Seven’s hips left the table, chasing Onyx’s mouth. A cry reverberated from the walls. Onyx licked and sucked. He used every bit of talent he possessed to drive Seven wild. The moment Seven blew, Onyx swallowed the cum filling his mouth and dragged Seven to the edge of the table. He was buried inside Seven’s ass to the hilt before Seven stopped shaking. While holding Seven’s stare, Onyx thrust, taking what he wanted. He made sure Seven knew it was him while praying Seven saw how he felt. There was no one else. Seven had ruined him. He was so wild, crazy, and giving. How could anyone else compare? Onyx needed Seven to recognize his feelings and give him a fucking shot. His anger grew again. The sound of skin slapping skin filled the room as Onyx’s rage had him taking Seven harder and harder.
Seven stroked his chest. “I promise.” The whispered words sounded as loud as a gunshot. They set Onyx free. He blew. A gasp tore from his throat. He tried getting as deep as possible as he filled the condom with cum. Onyx wished it was Seven’s ass. He wanted to watch his juices drip from Seven. A wave of sadness washed over Onyx as the final wave of his orgasm passed. It would likely be a long time before he touched Seven again. Seven always broke his heart. He doubted tonight would be any different.
Chapter Two
Onyx lived in a tiny apartment not far from the shop. It was noisy. Seven felt overwhelmed by the competing sounds of cars, music, and yelling. He wanted to put in his earbuds to drown it all out, but he didn’t want to make Onyx feel ignored. Seven white-knuckled his backpack instead, trying to hide his anxiety. It was already painfully obvious Onyx was angry with him tonight. He didn’t want to make things worse and Seven got it. It had been six months since his last visit. He didn’t usually go so long, but he had been extra careful. It wasn’t that Seven hadn’t wanted to see Onyx. In fact, it had been hell staying away, but Seven’s life was dangerous. He had recently pissed off a powerful crime lord by purposely botching a job. Seven lived by his own rules, and no one owned him. If he didn’t feel right carrying out what was asked of him, then he didn’t do it. That simple. Unfortunately, Archer Woods didn’t see it that way. He had hired Seven to do a job. Archer had expected results. He didn’t like the path Seven had chosen. Oh well. A cackle rang out in Seven’s mind.
