Chapter 27: twenty-seven

Cole

We crammed ourselves into the car, setting our course for a place ominously known as Hell. Not the fiery pits of the underworld, but a name bestowed by humans long ago. Waiting for us there, in the dank basement, was Adam.

Initially, I had planned to grant him a swift death, to make an example of him. He had dared to touch what was mine. But now, that plan was discarded. I would torture him, perhaps dismember him, but not necessarily kill him. Or maybe I would.

I couldn’t fathom the motive behind Olivia’s abduction. Was it jealousy? That seemed unlikely, given the number of people involved. Adam. Annabelle. Marcus. Possibly even Brayden.

Raven was seated in the back of the black SUV, nervously twiddling her fingers. I could tell she was blaming herself.

“Don’t beat yourself up. I need the real you back now,” I said, catching her glance. Her eyes narrowed at me.

I half-expected her to scream at me, or even to thrust a dagger into my neck, but she simply turned and stared out the window.

“I want answers,” Kaden demanded, his foot tapping impatiently against the floorboard.

“You referred to her as a ‘fae warrior,’” he gestured towards Raven in the backseat, “And I know Olivia isn’t just some pet you bought. You wouldn’t have summoned the Damned or gone on a murder spree for a pet.”

I waited for Raven to respond, but it was clear she was in no mood to explain anything.

“Well, our little Raven is a dryad. She hails from Rosewood forest,” I sighed before continuing. “Olivia is my fated. She was never my pet. That was all a façade.”

“Impossible! A human cannot be your fated, Cole,” he shouted, nearly rupturing my eardrum. My fangs instinctively extended.

“She’s not entirely human. Her mother was Queen Adelina,” Raven interjected quietly, her voice laced with pain.

“This can’t be right. Rosewood was burned down, no one survived.”

Raven opened her mouth, fury flashing in her eyes, but I slammed on the brakes as we arrived at the dilapidated building.

The building was small and in a state of disrepair. I couldn’t remember its original purpose. The exterior was crumbling, vines had overtaken the windows, and a few had even been boarded up.

My father had used this place to extract information from humans through torture. In the beginning, we needed such methods. Eventually, we didn’t.

I heard the car door slam and Raven’s footsteps approaching as I swung the doors open. A smile spread across my face as I saw the Damned soldiers standing guard in front of a massive iron door. The entrance to Hell.

“You two will stay here,” I instructed Kaden and Raven.

“Absolutely fucking not,” Raven yelled, attempting to dart past me.

I grabbed her forearm and pushed her back towards Kaden, who steadied her with his hands on her shoulders.

“I can’t have you down there with me. I need him to talk, and I need to hear his screams. You’ll only distract me.”

“I need to hear his screams too,” she huffed, and I smirked down at her.

“You will.”

***

I descended into the basement. Dirt, grime, and blood stained the stone walls. The stench would have any human retching. But I was no human, not for a very long time.

I could hear him, smell him. He reeked of fear. Good, he should be afraid.

I made my way to the end of the room, passing by iron cells occupied only by bones and rats.

There sat Adam, a silver chain wrapped around his ankles, wrists, and torso. Silver was pure and while it couldn’t kill us, it could wound us, burn us.

My shoes echoed against the floor as I approached him.

“Cole! What the fuck is going on?” He struggled against the chains, hissing as they tightened around him.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the collar he had ripped from my beautiful pet’s neck, tossing it onto the ground in front of him.

The room was dimly lit by torches along the walls, but I could still see his eyes widen before he tried to hide his shock.

“Cole… I…don’t…” I lunged at him, gripping his shoulder and pressing my extended claws into his flesh. Blood began to seep through his shirt.

“Don’t. Fucking. Lie. You snatched her going into my room, then you,” I pushed my claws deeper, scraping the bone, and he screamed, “you lifted her dress and sank your disgusting fangs into her,” I growled.

I retracted my claws and stepped back.

“I know Annabelle took her and I want you to tell me where she is. So, you’re going to tell me, and I’ll let you live,” I could see he was weighing his options.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know anything!”

I just smiled at him as I undid the button on my dress shirt cuffs and began rolling up the sleeves to my elbows. I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but I was prepared for anything.

I would love nothing more than to pull his limbs apart and paint the walls with his blood. They were needing a fresh coat after all. But I was pressed for time.

I picked up a pair of pliers from a nearby tray and stalked toward him.

“A location. That’s all I need. Is Annabelle’s cunt worth that much to you?” I laughed, and his eyes darkened.

“You leave her alone you sick fuck,” and without intending to, his fangs pushed out, which was all I needed.

I gripped his jaw with my hand and tilted his head back. I attached the pliers to his right fang and applied pressure.

He was shaking his head and trying to retract his fangs, but in one swift motion, I jerked my hand back. Blood spurted from where his fang had been, and he spat the blood out from his mouth.

I dropped the fang onto the dirty ground.

“One more to go, unless you’re willing to spill the beans,” I said, a smirk playing on my lips.

“Fuck. You.” He managed to choke out, blood still gushing from his mouth.

I knew that once I pulled the other fang, his death would be inevitable. Our fangs were our lifeline. I needed to switch gears.

I sauntered away, my gaze sweeping over the room, taking in the various cells.

“I hope they drain her. Her blood was so sweet, her skin so smooth. I bet Marcus is having a field day…”

I gripped one of the iron bars of a cage and yanked it off. My blood was boiling, heat radiating off my body, darkness threatening to take over. No. I had to find her.

I held onto the bar so tightly my knuckles turned white. It felt rough in my hand, slightly rusty, but the end was pointed. That would do the trick.

I hoisted it up in the air and brought it down on his leg. His screams echoed off the walls as I slowly pulled the bar out.

“Location,” I demanded. He was gasping for air, covered in blood, but he still shook his head.

I hummed, circling him like a predator stalking its prey. In a way, he was my prey. I stopped in front of him again, the bar still gripped in my hand as I pointed it toward his crotch.

“Do you think she’ll still want to fuck a one-fanged man with a mangled dick?” I pressed it firmly against him, slowly applying pressure. I sighed internally. I’d probably have to kill him.

“Wait.” He squealed, and I halted my movements, raising an eyebrow.

“Monmouth Tower. They took her there.” He was shaking, his eyes fixated on the rusty bar. I dropped it and he inhaled sharply.

I picked the pliers back up and quickly grabbed hold of his remaining fang.

“You…s-said…” he tried to protest against the pliers.

“You made me waste time. You touched her, you hurt my fated.”

His eyes widened at the revelation, but I pulled with all my strength. He screamed as blood filled his mouth and splattered on my shirt and arm.

I dropped the pliers and started to leave. It would be hours before he finally died. This was nothing compared to what I had planned for the Caines.

~Hold on, little dove.~ I thought to myself. ~I’m coming for you, even if I have to burn this world to the ground.~