The Foiled Plan (War of Sins Book 2)

Eloise didn’t seem to catch on the undertone of his voice, or if she did, she lacked self-preservation. Instead of feeling ashamed of being caught red-handedly, she undulated her body, seductively moving towards Michele.

‘She realized she didn’t fit in after all,’ she purred, the sound a cacophony to his ears as he stared at her unflinchingly. ‘Don’t worry, whatever she did for you, I can do better,’ she had the shamelessness to add.

And as she extended her dirty hand towards him, he recoiled, as if burned.

His eyes were pure fire.

‘I’ll only ask this one more time,’ he enunciated each word. ‘Where is she?’

‘Who knows? Maybe she found some entertainment somewhere else,’ she laughed. ‘Would someone like her refuse a hundred thousand dollars?’

The words did nothing to calm Michele down, especially as he knew how those old geezers had leered at her. And the thought of anyone other than him touching his pet was enough to make him mad.

His control snapped.

His gloved fingers curled around her neck, his hold so tight she whizzed, finally realizing the danger she was courting.

‘Where is she?’ He asked again, the words punctured. At the same time, he increased the pressure on her throat, squeezing so tight her neck almost broke.

And he would have killed her if his mind wasn’t already conjuring up scenarios—all of them ending with his pet harmed. He flung her away from him, a loud thud resounding in the room as her body made contact with the wall. She yelped in pain, but he didn’t linger to see the extent of her injuries.

He’d deal with her later.

After he found her.

He’d never known greater anger than when he realized he could not locate her.

He scoured the entire house, checking every single room. The more time he spent in his own head, thinking about the worst possible outcomes, the more chaotic and murderous his mood turned.

He neared the door of one bedroom, and hearing feminine moans and screams spurred him on, kicking the door open to find a couple fucking. But to his eternal relief, the woman was not his pet.

By the time he’d checked every room, he was becoming more unstable than ever, his hands itching for blood. Everyone was aware of the commotion and the ribald jokes didn’t take long to start. Ready to combust, he exited the house, going towards the direction of the maze and hoping she’d gotten lost there.

Because otherwise…

He didn’t need to step inside the maze though.

As soon as he was in the middle of the garden, he had a clear view of the top of the house, and the glass conservatory built on the roof. The light from the moon reflected against the crystals of her dress, the beams sending him a direct signal.

He stalked back to the house, his steps heavy and determined. Though he was one of the youngest men in attendance, everyone gave him a wide berth as they saw him walk back inside the house.

It took him less than a couple of minutes to reach the roof, and opening the door, he made sure to lock it behind him lest someone bothered them.

Taking one step, he finally spotted her.

She was inside the conservatory, on her haunches as she gazed lovingly at a red rose.

‘What are you doing here?’ he barked the moment he was behind her.

Startled, she jumped to her feet, her eyes wide as she took in his disheveled appearance and the fact that his shirt was undone.

‘I…’ she stammered, her eyes roving wildly all over his body.

‘I’m waiting,’ he tapped his foot impatiently at her.

‘I thought you didn’t need me tonight,’ she whispered, her eyes going to the floor.

Moving closer, he tipped her jaw, forcing her to look at him.

‘You thought?’ He asked with the arch of a brow. ‘And why would you think that?’

‘She… She said you only brought me here to make her jealous,’ his pet said dejectedly and he noted the dampness of unshed tears on her lashes.

‘And you believed her?’

‘I don’t belong here,’ she shook her head. ‘You saw…’

‘What? That you don’t know how to eat or talk? That you can’t read? Trust me, I saw,’ his harsh words made her blink rapidly, her eyes widening at him.

‘Is that why you brought me here? To laugh at me?’ She asked in a small voice, the first time she’d voiced something akin to an accusation.

‘Why do you think?’ He rolled his eyes at her. ‘I brought you here to fuck you. Was that not clear enough for you?’ He gritted out, annoyed that his pet would challenge him so—that she would doubt him.

‘Did you sleep with her?’ her small fists were clenched by her side, her gaze on his naked chest.

‘And if I did?’ He countered in a lazy tone. He didn’t like this line of questioning just as he didn’t like her disobedience.

‘I see,’ was all she said, her shoulders slumping down in disappointment. Yet she didn’t argue with him. She didn’t ask him to clarify.

Her indifference struck something inside of him. Something ugly and venomous, and he found himself wound so tight, the pressure was ready to explode. Before he could help himself, he shrugged his gloves off, carelessly throwing them to the ground. His hand found its way around her throat as he brought her to him, pushing her chin up so she would look him clearly in the eyes. Usually, he loved to see her bashful self and the way she would avoid his gaze. But now, it irked him. It bothered him on a level that he was not accustomed to, and he did not know how to react.

‘Is that all you have to say?’ He almost yelled at her.

Their breaths mingled, their lips one inch away from one another.

‘You don’t care if I fuck her, do you?’ He drawled, his nostrils flaring.

He wanted a reaction, damn it. He wanted her fists and her accusations. For the first time, he wanted her rebellion.

‘It’s your decision,’ she responded, her eyes on him.

Suddenly, he saw something different there.

A clarity he’d never spotted before. Something that made him both angry and happy. Something…

‘My decision,’ he laughed dryly. ‘Is that how you love me, pet? So much you’d let another woman touch me?’

Her eyes flashed at him, a sign this was affecting her. So he continued to twist the knife.

‘You’d let another kiss me,’ he brushed his lips against hers. ‘Fuck me?’

She didn’t answer, the emotion on her face increasingly more pronounced.

‘Is that how much you love me? That you could imagine me sinking my cock into any pussy?’

His cruel words finally got a reaction out of her. Her lips drawn into a determined line, she brought her palm to his cheek, the sound reverberating in the night. He felt the pain—the sweet yet biting sting of the slap.

His head to the side, he brought his thumb to his lip, noting a hint of blood.

His pet might have claws after all, and he didn’t know why the realization made him harder than he’d ever been.

‘I hate you,’ she raged at him. ‘I hate you but I love you,’ she cried out, struggling in his arms.

She brought her fists against his chest, banging them against his skin—touching him in a way that he hadn’t allowed anyone to touch him. Yet he didn’t feel repulsed. Oddly enough, he felt anything but the usual revulsion.

‘Really?’ He continued to provoke her. ‘Is that why you’re so calm thinking I fucked another woman?’

‘I’m not calm, damn it! Do you think I like this?’ she screamed, her hands wrapped around the material of his shirt. ‘Do you think I like knowing you can replace me at any moment? That I’m nothing but an embarrassment?’ She shook her head, her entire body trembling from the power of her emotions.

Michele swore.

A rush of power and lust unlike any other hit him, his cock hardening, not from her tears, but from her destructive emotions.

He wanted to consume them.

He wanted to consume her.

Never before had something like this happened to him, and he didn’t know what it meant—only that he needed more.

Addictive.

It was more addictive than anything he’d ever known.

‘I love you,’ she declared passionately—more so than she’d ever done before.

Gone was the meek little girl. Instead, he was staring at a wild cat—a savagery he’d always known she possessed suddenly peeking through the surface. And while she’d reined it in until now, he found that he didn’t want that.

He wanted to push her—get her to the brink.

Fuck.

He was done for. This was it, something that was so potent it made his blood boil.

‘Prove it,’ he dared her. ‘Prove that you love me.’

She stilled, her eyes wide.

‘How can I believe you when you’d so easily give me away?’ he murmured softly, using his charm on her. ‘I didn’t fuck her. I didn’t fucking touch her,’ he continued, noting the quickening of her pulse. ‘But do you even care?’ He shook his head, suddenly entering a new role—all in an effort to see how far he could push her.

‘Of course I care!’ she exclaimed. ‘Do you think it’s easy for me to know you’re always surrounded by women who are better, smarter, and more beautiful than me? Do you think I want that?’

‘Prove it,’ he uttered again, watching every play of emotion on her face as one would watch a gripping movie. He was scandalized. He was entranced. He was fucking gone.

‘Prove to me that you love me,’ he continued. ‘That you love me above all.’

‘But I do,’ she immediately burst out. ‘You know I love you more than life itself,’ she shouted her confession, and his heart sang in his chest.

Finally!

They were getting somewhere.

‘Prove it, my sweetness,’ he cooed, his palms suddenly on her cheeks as he held her tenderly to him. ‘Show me you love me more than life itself,’ he turned her words against her.

She didn’t react. Her stare unyielding, her emotions were visibly raging inside of her.

In her eyes, he saw everything he’d ever wanted. Everything that had always been within reach but forever out of grasp.

‘How?’ She asked the magic word, and he almost sighed at the pleasure of that one sound.

‘Would you die for me?’ he asked, his tone serious.

To prove a point, he let go of her, his hands back at his side as he stepped away.

She reeled back, confusion swathing her features as she looked bereft without his touch.

‘Die… for you?’ she repeated the words, her voice barely a whisper.

‘You know I’d die for you, pet,’ he told her, his voice holding such a mesmerizing quality to it she was instantly hypnotized by his words. ‘But would you die for me too?’

He stepped back. Slowly moving away until his back hit the edge of the roof, the implication clear.

She lifted her eyes to his, and as he gazed at her, he thought she’d never looked quite like this—so majestic and so enthralling.

He was the one playing her, but suddenly he felt played. Because she was awakening things inside of him he’d never thought possible.

He wasn’t…broken.

And it was all because of her.

‘Would you?’ he asked again.

A look of determination crossed her face. Pushing her chin up, she took a step towards him.

‘Yes,’ she said, conviction dripping from that one word. ‘I’d walk through fire for you. You know that,’ she continued, but he wasn’t satisfied.

Would he ever be?

She saw the doubt that stained his features, and before he could utter another challenge, she surprised him by taking off her heels and throwing them to the side.

‘I would die for you,’ she emphasized, placing her hands on the cold concrete as she pulled herself up on the edge of the roof.

He watched, entranced, as she bravely faced him.

She was on the edge of the precipice, looking at him for confirmation.

So he did what he’d been wanting to do from the beginning.

‘But would you die if I told you to?’ his voice was low, a hint of anguish hidden in his tone.

She blinked at him, but she didn’t seem surprised. If anything, she seemed even more resolute.

He stared at her.

Him, on the ground.

Her, on the edge.

His breathing was harsh. Hers was equally so.

Their eyes met, something passing between them.

He took half a step towards her. She spread her wings.

And jumped.

Time stood still as she braced herself for the fall. His words echoed in the air, her name on his lips a call for a divinity he’d disavowed.

But skin met skin.

He furled his hand over her arm, catching her just in time. And with one pull, they both fell down.

His back hit the cement. Her breasts hit his chest.

All the while, their eyes never broke their connection. He looked at her and she looked back, a spark coming to life from the abyss.

‘I died,’ she said.

‘You died,’ he repeated, half in wonder, half in satisfaction.

‘You saved me,’ she stated confidently.

‘I saved you,’ he nodded.

‘I knew you would,’ she added with unwavering conviction.

In that moment, the world opened up before him like never before.

‘You’re a devious little thing, aren’t you?’ he brought his hand to her face, a soft caress against her cheek before his fingers curled around her throat, his grip tight.

There was no fear in her eyes as she looked at him—none at all. She waited, and he could swear she’d welcome anything he would give her.

Soon.

A slow smile pulled at his lips. The more he looked at her, the more he found himself yearning for something…more.

‘Let’s go,’ he helped her to her feet, tugging her to his side. Her chest was flush against his as he snaked his hand around her waist. ‘I have a reward for you,’ he whispered against her hair, inhaling her sweet scent.

There was something different. He couldn’t pinpoint what, but something had fundamentally changed.

Trailing his mouth along her jaw, he found that the action was no longer a necessary evil, it was necessary.

Her lips parted, her breath was coming in short spurts, anticipation building inside of her. He teased her flesh with his lips, moving forward before retreating. The mere feel of her soft skin gained a new meaning—one that he’d have time to explore more in depth later.

Now, he wanted to feel.

He licked the seam of her lips with his tongue, and with a punctured sigh, she opened up, allowing him to kiss her like he’d never done before—like he’d never thought himself capable.

He kissed her because he wanted to, not because he had to. He took his time, leisurely exploring the depths of her mouth as if it was the first time he was tasting her. And as he leaned back, her pupils two huge black circles that had eclipsed her irises, he knew he had her at his mercy.

Just a little longer…

‘Come,’ he commanded in a hoarse voice, the kiss having an unexpected effect on him. He took her hand, leading her down the stairs until they both reached the landing.

There was a commotion in the hallway, some already deep in their cups as they were talking loudly about the recent events—about his pet.

If before his rage had been monstrous, now it knew no bounds.

Something hadn’t just shifted in the way he regarded his pet. No, something had shifted his entire reality and how he perceived everyone else in relation to his pet.

As he saw that everyone had gathered on the ground floor, a smile pulled at his lips.

It was showtime.

‘There she is,’ one of the men laughed. ‘It seems no one stole her after all,’ he joked, and the others joined in.

His grip tightened on his pet’s hand, but he didn’t let it interfere with his plans.

More started adding their useless two cents, making fun of his pet and asking why Michele was so pussy whipped with someone who was clearly beneath him in every area.

His pet stiffened at some of the insults, but she didn’t say a word, letting him guide her.

‘Gentlemen,’ his voice rang out. ‘I have a special announcement. If you could all follow me to the ballroom.’

Hushed voices started arguing, but eventually everyone acquiesced and headed for the ballroom.

He scanned the crowd, counting the heads and making sure everyone would be present for his pronouncement. In particular, he was looking for one person. And then he spotted her. She’d gotten dressed, and going by the ugly scowl on her face, she wasn’t at all pleased by the developments.

Entering the ballroom, he lowered his mouth to his pet’s ear, whispering something. Her eyes widened at his words, but she nodded, moving to the side.

Michele took the time to close the doors to the ballroom, making sure they were sealed. He did the same with the windows and the double doors that led to the garden.

Instead of presuming something nefarious would take place, everyone was amused. They continued to look at his pet and make jokes on her account, some suggesting he was going to teach her a lesson in front of everyone.

He let them believe that. In fact, his slow movements were deliberate, letting a sense of false security seep into them, making their hell that much sweeter when it descended upon them.

He sneaked a glance at his pet. By the sidelines, her hands were in front of her as she fidgeted, her eyes watching his every move.

He stopped.

She looked so beautiful, her hair flowing down her back, wild and untamed—just like her. That part of her that he wanted to reach.

Now that he’d witnessed its existence and what it did to him, he knew he could no longer ignore it.

He gave her a reassuring smile.

Without any warning, his hand shot out, his fingers in Eloise’s scalp as he wrenched her towards him. She gave a yelp, falling to her knees. Bringing her hands to her hair, she tried to get out of his hold.

But Michele didn’t react.

He merely dragged her towards the center of the room, right in front of his pet.

Everyone watched raptly, and to a certain degree, amused.

They thought it was all a joke—a game. They would be in for a rude awakening.

He tightened his hold on her hair.

‘What did she say to you, pet?’ He asked, his eyes on his pet. ‘Tell me everything.’

For a moment, he didn’t think his pet had it in her to participate. He already had the next bit planned out, but he wanted to give her the opportunity to dole out her own punishment.

His pet stepped forward, her gaze on Eloise.

If before she’d looked shy and timid, her eyes often downturned, now it was the opposite. There was a spark in her gaze, her back straight with confidence as she took another step.

‘She told me I was trash. That you would never willingly associate with trash, and that you only brought me here to make her jealous.’

‘Is that so?’ He asked Eloise, leaning down, his breath on her cheek.

She was trembling in his arms, but the bitch did not yet know terror. Oh, that would come.

‘No…I…’

‘She said I must have come from the gutter, because there’s no way someone like me would step foot in this house. She kicked me out of the bedroom and told me to find the man who offered to pay for me for the night,’ his pet continued, and his ire increased.

‘You kicked her out of my room, and told her to go sell herself?’ He asked in an angry voice, forcefully tugging on her hair until tears were flowing down her face.

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered, finally realizing the severity of the situation.

‘Her. You apologize to her,’ he pointed at his pet.

‘I’m sorry…’ Eloise cried out.

His pet nodded, taking a step back.

He could hear shushed voices all around him, and he knew those bastards were enjoying the show. After all, they were friendly with each other out of necessity and to fulfill social obligations. They didn’t care if something happened to one of them.

Bringing his heel to his hand, Michele removed a four inch retractable blade, swinging the sharp part around until it made contact with Eloise’s face.

She stilled.

Everyone stilled.

He wondered if they thought he was bluffing.

A sick smile formed on his face as he looked around, enjoying the fear that was seeping into their features.

‘You insulted my pet. Mine. That means you insulted me,’ he told Eloise in a cruel tone. And before she could voice out any objection, he brought the blade to her temple, cutting into her skin.

He held her scalp tightly in his fist, bringing the blade around her forehead and circling her head.

Her screams were echoing in the room, and everyone was watching flabbergasted how he was scalping the woman—yet none dared intervene.

He spared a glance to his pet, and realized that she was watching the procedure not scandalized, but entranced.

A chuckle escaped him. She wasn’t lost to him—she would never be.

Once the edges were off, the real work started. He brought his blade against the scalp, hitting between the skin and bone. Slowly, it started to become detached.

The screams, too, abated, her voice losing its volume.

The more he tortured her by prolonging her pain, the more her voice was losing strength, until it was nothing more than a wheeze.

One last hit, and the scalp came detached off her skull. Lifting it by the hair, he threw it to his pet’s feet.

‘It’s yours,’ he told her with a smirk. ‘Your justice.’

Eloise had fallen to the floor, her eyes red from sobbing, her throat working up and down in an effort to produce more sounds. What to any other person would have seemed like a painful sight, to Michele it signified victory.

The crowd was quietly watching from a corner, none daring to intervene.

He briefly wondered if any of them knew of his family’s history. But seeing that they were still not running around screaming, he guessed not.

‘You didn’t do your homework, gentlemen.’ He winked at them before gripping Eloise’s neck and turning her to face them.

She was still sobbing, her voice barely a whisper as she pled with the others to help her.

‘No one will,’ he told her matter of factly, holding tightly as he brought the blade to her neck.

From ear to ear, a gash slowly appeared, blood gushing out and flooding the floor. Her mouth remained open, frozen in a perpetual silent scream.

But the sight of the blood finally prompted all of the others to start panicking, some running for the doors, others for the windows.

His pet was still sitting by the side, observing. But she wasn’t devolving into a crying mess like he’d expected and that warmed his heart.

He gave his victims just a few seconds to warm up, then he gave chase.

One after another, he caught them and tore through their jugular, draining them of blood.

He went for the inconsequential people first. The ones he didn’t give a damn about. Still, they had laughed at his pet, and that required a punishment.

For last, however, he kept those that needed to be taught a lesson—those who had been directly cruel to her.

And as corpse after corpse fell, he was left with four men.

Four that had dared to mock his pet and offer money for her.

Four that would not meet an easy end.

The pudgy old fucks were barely a match for him, and with a couple of fists to their midsection, he fell them all.

They groaned in pain, and they could barely move as he grabbed on to them. The entire floor was a puddle of blood, and as he dragged their bodies towards his pet, they smeared even more of it around.

‘What did you say? A hundred thousand?’ He addressed the one who’d dared to insinuate his pet was for sale. ‘How about a hundred thousand cuts?’ he smiled, and before the man knew what was happening, Michele was on him with his knife, slashing and cutting indiscriminately.

The man tried to defend himself, but it was all in vain.

Michele cut an ear, then the next. He took his nose, before digging the knife deep into his eye socket and popping the eye out like it was child’s play.

And it was.

Because in his manic state, that was just the beginning.

‘What do you say, pet? His dick stays or goes?’ he asked her.

She was trembling slightly, her face pale, but she didn’t glance away. If anything, she forced herself to look at him—truly look at him.

‘G-goes,’ she whispered. Still, it was loud enough for Michele to hear it.

‘Your wish is my command,’ his lips pulled in a twisted smile.

The blade cut through the man’s pants, and soon his genitals were out in the open.

The screams were deafening, his attempts to free himself from Michele’s grasp useless. His foot on top of the man’s chest, he merely stooped down to grab the fat man’s penis. He didn’t cut it. He just pulled.

And with enough strength, the organ gave way.

Blood stuck to his palm, more oozing out of the man’s body.

Michele flung the dick aside, giving his pet a charming smile as he stuck his knife in the man’s heart.

‘Three more,’ he intoned in a singsong voice.

The others moaned in pain, unable to move away from him. The entire massacre happened just as Michele had pictured it, and as one after another the other three gave their last breaths, he finally felt like himself again.

‘Marvelous!’ he exclaimed, screaming at the top of his lungs and waiting for the sound to echo back.

He was full of blood.

His naked chest was painted red, his blood pendant swinging from side to side as he strode towards her. Splatters of scarlet marred his face, his sick smile showing his true nature and his lost humanity—if he ever had any.

And as he approached his pet, he was suddenly curious about her reaction.

She’d been a good sport so far, standing unmoving in the same spot, watching him kill indiscriminately without making a sound.

He prowled towards her, each step carefully measured to provide the perfect momentum for his arrival. His eyes were on her neck, that lovely column that housed her pulse point and that told him exactly what was brewing inside of her.

He was a few steps away. She swallowed hard.

Their eyes met.

His gaze was twisted and depraved. Hers was alert yet full of longing.

He held her stare as he put one foot in front of the other until he reached her side.

She stopped breathing, blinking rapidly as she took in his ragged appearance and the blood that kept trickling down his skin.