Make Her Bleed (Bound By Blood Book 1), page 6
Suddenly, the pipe is knocked out of my hand and my body slams back into the wall, a strong grip wrapping around my throat.
I look up as I clutch at the hand and see Kai's blue eyes glaring down at me.
"If we wanted to hurt you, you would be hurting right now. You couldn't hit me with that pipe even if you really wanted to. Do you know why? Because you don't have it in you. So stop trying to act all tough when you're just a scared little girl, and we're trying to get you back to full health after the idiotic stunt you pulled. So lay your ass back down."
Then, he tosses me down on the bed and I just stare at him in shock.
I could hit him with that pipe, right? It did take me a lot of convincing to hit my dad but that's because he's my dad, right? He wanted me to hit him to protect myself.
This is for my own safety.
My adrenaline wanes, and my back feels stiff, painfully so. What the hell did he do to my back?
"Ow." I whimper, refusing to meet their gazes.
I'm surrounded by them and obviously I'm not as strong. Kai can easily manhandle me, and I'm powerless to stop it.
Feeling utterly powerless is the worst feeling in the world.
"Here, pretty girl," Knox says as he sits on the bed next to me. I unconsciously flinch from his closeness and he gives me a sympathetic look. "Aria, you need to eat. You've been out for two days."
My gaze drops to his hand that extends a plastic-wrapped sandwich.
Is this a real peace offering or did they poison it?
Maybe they drugged the sandwich and are going to rape me again if I eat it.
The thought has bile rising in my throat.
I quickly shake my head. "I'm not eating that," I say quickly.
"Yes, you are," Kai sneers. "Even if I have to shove it down your throat."
Shove it down my throat? My eyes shoot up to him. The serious look in his eyes is calculated, warning me to relinquish control over to him.
"What the fuck happened to you?" I growl. "I've known you my whole life, and out of nowhere, you flip some switch to be this manipulative, violent dickwad?"
His bright, psychotic eyes darken with anger like I've hit a nerve. I'm guessing my statement was a very bad idea.
"Give me the room," he grits out. For half a second, I think he's talking to me but then Knox sends me an empathetic look before him and Nico hesitantly walk out, gently shutting the door as they step out.
After the incident in the classroom, I'm petrified of being alone with Malakai Harris, and my flight response kicks into overdrive.
I charge for the door but as I'm about to reach the door handle, he grabs my hair and throws me across the room, banging my head against the bedside table.
"Fuck you!" I curse at him, gripping my throbbing scalp.
Kai, eyes black as night, grabs me by the throat and slams my body down on the bed, straddling my waist.
My breathing comes out ragged as he pulls a knife out of his pocket and presses it against my neck.
My body instantly stills, quelling the fight within me. If I move in the slightest bit, he'll cut me. The knife is sharp, and I feel it irritating my skin, scraping the flesh with each breath he takes.
"Don't fucking push me, Aria," he whispers, rage dripping into his words. "Don't think for one second that I won't slit your fucking throat and leave you to choke on your own blood. You're mine, and I will do whatever I please with you. There is nothing you can do to stop me. All resistance will just further piss me off."
His words are honest yet angry. He's mad at me for refusing him, for refusing to do what he wants. He needs control. That's the common denominator for any psychopath. If I strip away control from him, he loses it.
Maybe this can work to my benefit.
My body relaxes.
"I know," I whisper back, breathlessly. His eyes lighten slightly and desire leaks into his gaze as it dances between my eyes and my lips. "I'm not as strong as you," I admit, giving him a semblance of the control he desires. "You will do whatever you want to me, and I can't stop you no matter how much I fight. You already proved that. I ran away and you found me."
He lets out a jagged breath, giving me a taste of him. "Then, why aren't you afraid, little bug?"
This moment between us is toxic and deadly yet it seems unrealistically erotic. He holds a knife to my throat and yet my nipples are hard and my pussy is tightening at the thought of his closeness.
It's official. I've lost my mind.
"Because I see the truth in your eyes," I admit honestly. "You could easily kill me but you won't. You won't kill me because a part of you still sees the little girl you took to see the lights on Christmas Eve all those years ago."
I see the conflict in his eyes. His anger demands he cause me bodily harm but I've struck a nerve. I'm right.
"If I'm not right, prove it. Kill me. You obviously don't respect me since you raped and kidnapped me. It shouldn't be that hard. Just a flick of your wrist. After all, I'm just a slut for you to use, right? I don't mean anything."
His wrist starts to flinch back, showing the internal struggle.
He wants to hurt me but he can't. I'm reflecting his own doubts back at him. He may threaten me but I know he won't do it which makes him less scary. He might be willing to hurt me to get what he wants but he won't kill me for the same end.
"Go ahead, Kai. Do it."
It may not be much but this is a power over him I can control. This isn't a sexual power. It's a survival power. He won't kill me or let me die. That's why even though I feel his massive erection pressing against my stomach he won't rape me right now.
I was just in a horrible car accident. If I'm not at full health, something like rape could send my health down the hole and he won't let that happen.
That's why he's trying to force me to eat. He's not trying to poison me or drug me. He wants to get me healthy so he can hurt me later.
"Careful, Malakai. Your humanity is showing."
Then, he replaces the knife with his other hand and pressed me down into the bed, slipping his hips between my thighs. His hips grind against mine as his mouth presses against mine.
"Eat. Your. Fucking. Food." He demands before he pulls back, stands up, and rushes out of the room.
I hear the lock click as he leaves and I slowly sit up, my heart pounding out of my chest like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in full tune.
It was only a few seconds where he slipped between my thighs and pressed himself against me but it was enough that I wished he lost control.
For a fraction of a second, I hoped he would force himself on me. The whole exchange made me so hot and bothered, the way he looked at me, his volatile touch. The danger in that moment made me want to be fucked by him and that's a thought I never thought I'd have about one of the men who raped me. And I fucking hate myself for it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
KAI
She got inside my head. Aria fucking James got inside my fucking head, and now I can't get her out of there.
Once she said what she did about her being the little girl she used to be, I started seeing it. It wasn't a young woman beneath me but that little girl she used to be, looking up at me with terror in her eyes instead of the admiration that once reflected in them.
I remember the night she talked about. That little girl was so happy, her smile so big, her rosy cheeks almost matching her vibrant red hair.
It was the only holiday I ever enjoyed, and I spent it with a little girl and my friend who was sick as a dog.
That Christmas made me feel important which made it dangerous. I'm not important, and if anyone ever thinks I'm special to them, it's deadly.
Careful, Malakai. Your humanity is showing.
I don't have any fucking humanity. It all died long ago.
So why the fuck couldn't I do it? I wanted to. I wanted to kill her so bad. I wanted to slit her open and watch the blood pour out of the wound, soaking the sheets. I needed to quell the bloodlust but then, I saw the little girl in her eyes.
My little bug. My greatest triumph, my pride.
I jog out the back door of my house and rush over to the shack that's so decrepit it's unstable. The only reason I haven't bulldozed this building is for exactly this right here.
I need to destroy something. I need to snip away my fragile humanity.
Humanity is weakness.
Humanity is the most annoying part of being a living, breathing creature. Humanity is a weapon used against someone.
If you care, you can be exploited. If you care, you're a victim.
I pull my shirt over my head and toss it on the wet ground before charging into the shack.
As soon as I step inside, I start punching the wall between what was once the kitchen and the living room; I keep punching until blood starts spilling down my fingers, the wall becoming stained in red with each punch I deliver.
I'm not weak. I'm not human. I'm an unfeeling demon in a humanoid shell.
I slam my body into the wall and the plaster crumbles until I break through the other side and slump down on one knee, heaving breaths forcing through my clenched teeth.
That did it like it does every single time. It snipped the thread on my humanity. Now, I don't give a flying fuck about Aria James. If she were standing in front of me right now, I'd rip her heart out with a single swing of my fist without thinking twice. I wouldn't even fucking blink.
But, I have plans for her, and I need to stay on course.
Even with my little hostage chained up in her room with brand-new shackles, the world doesn't pause. I have a responsibility to the team I've created.
Not to mention, I have my little hostage's guardian to deal with. If he did let her go, I want to dangle the consequences of that in his face and make him hurt.
I don't bring up Aria for hours while we charge the guys up and down the field, running suicides.
"We found Aria," I start with a level voice, folding my clipboard under my arms.
I don't look at Tom but I see how he stiffens in my peripheral vision.
"You did, huh?"
"She didn't make it far before some asshole ran her off the road. Your car is totaled, for sure."
I look at him, gauging his reaction. He looks distraught but I can't tell if there is guilt mixed in there.
"Is she okay?" he asks, his voice mildly breaking.
Pesky little emotions.
"She'll live. My father took a look at her. Some bruising and a mild concussion. It could've been worse. She's fully recuperated now, but she ratted you out." I wait for a reaction, but he has none. "Why the fuck did you tell her about C-4?"
"What the hell was I supposed to do when I walked through the front door and found my daughter covered in bruises? You wouldn't understand. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You've made that abundantly clear. I'm not like that. I love my daughter. My only regret is that I didn't warn her beforehand, that I didn't tell her not to trust you. I know you well enough to figure it was you who put those bruises on her. Am I right?"
Does he really think I'll shy away from answering that just because we're talking about Aria? I've never been one for tact.
"Absolutely. Every last one of them," I say nonchalantly. "The only condolences I offer is I made sure she enjoyed the last leg of her experience thoroughly, whether she wanted to or not."
I'm quite proud of that bit. It wasn't hard at all to make Aria orgasm, and it felt so incredible when she did. Then, she submitted to me and stopped all fighting.
That was my ultimate pleasure. Making her submit through pleasure instead of pain.
I've never cared much for sex. I prefer to watch instead of participate but I needed to own her pleasure, make her submit to me. She can deny it all she wants but she loved being fucked by me, and she needed the orgasm I gave her as much as I did.
I have never had such an incredible release as I did when she made me come undone. Our history should’ve made me uncomfortable with it or at least unattracted to her, but it had no effect on my desires.
"You're fucking sick," he sneers in disgust. "She's not just some girl. She's my daughter, a girl you helped raise for a good bit of her childhood, and you had no problem raping her?"
He knows as well as I do that I didn’t just help raise Aria for a bit. "Nope. None at all. Don't fucking kid yourself, Tom. Aria isn't innocent. She's just like her mother in every fucking way. You can't be so blind as not to see the way she has looked at me or the guys since you both moved here. She doesn't have respect for the fact that you're the assistant coach of this team. She was screwing Blaine of all people. The eyes don't lie. She may not have wanted it right then or how we did it but Aria is a slut in her own way."
Tom can judge me for my choices all he wants but he's made similar decisions all on his own. He likes to think I'm a monster all because of who it concerns right now but he's done plenty of beastly things, even when Aria was at home studying or screwing Blaine.
The only difference between me and him is he actually cares about my little captive, and I just want her.
"But, you can trust me on this, brother. I may have sworn to keep her safe and meant every fucking word of it when you asked me to, but that changed really fucking quick as soon as I walked through your front door. Blaine just sped up the process. If you want to be pissed at someone about what your daughter is going through right now, be pissed at me. If you take your anger out on the guys or try to report what's happening, it will do you no good and will leave you without a job, along with a lengthy prison sentence. I don't even need to use your oath against you. You forget I can easily bring Lillian out of hiding and convince her to report what you did to her while she was pregnant with Aria," I threaten aggressively.
His eyes widen and he pales at my words. "You wouldn't. You can't."
"Oh, I can. You forget. I introduced you to her and she is my sister, after all." I sneer the words in disgust. I hate referring to that wretched woman as that, let alone in any familial terms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ARIA
I sleep through most of the day, knowing full well that I'll need all the rest I can because the guys are going to start torturing me sooner or later. There's no way of escaping, especially since Kai keeps me locked in a bedroom with only one window—and said window is equipped with bars on it. Even if there weren’t any bars, I'm not sure if I have the guts to jump out. Last time I ran, I had a car and he still found me. I have no idea where I am now.
And yet, some strange part of my brain is comfortable in captivity. I know they're going to hurt me but until they do, I'll catch up on my sleep and let them nurse me back to health.
"Wake up." A gravelly voice pulls me from my slumber, and I slowly open my eyes, feeling something cold and metallic against my cheek.
Kai is on top of me, holding a knife against my face. There’s a devious seriousness to his expression.
"Hi," I mumble nervously. As far as I know, I've done nothing to incur his wrath, and yet he seems angry.
"Are you scared now?" he asks, his breath washing over me. He tastes good, like a woodsy musk that I could drown in.
"Yes," I admit, completely taken back by his sudden hostility.
"Good. You should be."
His free palm runs across my bare stomach and I stiffen. Somehow, I'm completely naked, and I'm just now realizing it. He must've undressed me before waking me up.
"Are you going to kill me?" I press, afraid of speaking louder than a whisper.
"No," he answers quickly before slowly sliding the knife down my body, the blade scraping my skin. He mildly grazes my areola as the knife moves over my breast and my nipples harden, a shot of arousal racing through my body.
This shouldn't be as hot as it is. I should be crying for my life but no matter what he does to me, I'll stay strong. It's not like he's going to fuck me with the knife, right?
Right?
My heart races as the blade nicks my thigh and my breath hitches. The pain is mild but has the desired effect. I'm both horny and frightened.
"What are you going to do to me?" I ask, uncertain about what his immediate plan is. Is he going to threaten me and run off before doing anything like last time?
"Whatever I want, but you'll like that, won't you? Even though you should be completely petrified right now, I can see how wet your pussy is. You want me to fuck you, don't you, princess?" he asks, a cocky smirk across his face. "You loved it the last time I fucked you."
"You didn't fuck me," I object.
He cuts my leg again, more blood pouring out of the wound.
"Ow!" I react as he cups my pussy in his hand, an evil sneer on his face.
"You can't have forgotten how I made you come, how I stretched out your pussy," he hisses in my face.
An involuntary moan slips from my lips as his thumb lazily circles my clit. "You didn't fuck me. You raped me. The difference is my consent. I never said you could have my body."
"Oh, you didn't need to, princess," he mutters stubbornly. "Did you really think I missed how you would flirt with me shamelessly?"
Fuck. It wasn't intentional. I didn't even realize I was doing it until the day he raped me.
"Did you think I never caught you undressing me with your eyes? You're kidding yourself if you honestly believe you didn't want me to spread these sexy as fuck legs of yours and fill you with my cock. I even did you a favor by making sure you got a damn good orgasm out of it. Do you need a reminder of that?" He's teasing me. He knows it and I know it. It's made even worse by how his thumb picks up its pace.
I whimper. My hips have a mind of their own and buck against his touch, begging for more.
"Normally, I'd take that as a yes but you did mention consent. Say it. If you want it, tell me. Do you want to come? Do you want me to fuck you, princess?"
Goddamn it. He has me right on the edge. I'm about to orgasm when his hand leaves my aching pussy.
