Retribution Read online

  Our lips collided in a moment of utter weakness, my blood was thrumming through my system and it only grew worse when she started to moan.

  Her hands drifted down my back until she stroked her way past my hips and slipped her hands underneath my top.

  Her hands teased their way up to my chest, tangling in the hair and tugging, before she dragged her nails all the way down to the waistband of my jeans, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

  I had to pull away, albeit reluctantly. I wanted to feel her hands and mouth owning my body, as I used my own to worship hers. We were both breathing raggedly but instead of talking about what had just happened, her eyes locked on something behind me and she set off in a run.

  7

  Unya

  That kiss blew my mind, my lips were swollen and I could still taste him, it was intoxicating.

  If that was just a kiss, I couldn’t wait to see what else he could do with his mouth. I could do a lot worse than to marry him, not that Adiran would agree.

  It took me a few moments to recover from it, when my eyes landed on Yana being surrounded by some low life, bottom dwellers. I knew she could handle them herself, but I wasn’t going to just stand there and give them the chance to overwhelm her.

  Her head shot up as I neared, but I lost sight of her when the circle of shifters drew in tighter, blocking her from my view.

  “Oi shifters, back the hell up don’t make me tell you twice.”

  “Oh look boys, it’s the chosen one.”

  That comment got a few snickers, but all I did was arch my eyebrows daring him to say something else.

  “Don’t worry about her brothers, haven’t you heard, she’s defective. She’s nothing to fear, the most she could do to us is give us a migraine for a few hours.

  This self-assured cocky git was getting on my nerves, but when some of the other shifters started to restrain me, I lost my cool.

  The problem was, I was so busy teaching those worthless sods a lesson, I missed the moment he impaled Yana.

  My head shot up as she groaned in pain, that’s right, my little psycho doesn’t scream or cry.

  In that moment I lost control, it seemed as though I would explode. My skin began to heat and it felt as though my blood was boiling. My head grew a little fuzzy as a shooting pain shot through it, causing me to throw my hands up on either side of my forehead.

  I let out a scream as I thrust my arms out and a stream of fire shot out from my palms. My eyes widened in shock, how did I not know I could do this?

  The problem was, I couldn’t control it. Yana had come off unscathed by my personal inferno, but the shifters weren’t so lucky.

  Some had changed into their animal form and the fire ate through their fur, causing them to howl in pain.

  None of the shifters escaped, except for their little ring leader. He made me so angry, that a trail of fire left me and arched out towards him.

  He tried to outrun it but he just wasn’t fast enough. The fire engulfed his body and feasted on his flesh until nothing remained of him or any of the shifters, except from their charred remains.

  It didn’t take Malachi long to approach me once the shifter was dead, I didn’t think a lot of him in that matter, why didn’t he try to help. I didn’t need any help, but it didn’t bode well for our future marriage.

  “You took your sweet time Malachi, was this little excursion beneath you or something?”

  “You didn’t give me a lot of time and I had to incapacitate a few daemons just to get to you. If you’re hoping for an apology, then it will be a long time coming.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, but all his did was soften. He had a weak smile plastered on his lips and his forehead was furrowed.

  “Unya, you just killed a man!”

  It’s strange that it didn’t twig until that exact moment that Malachi was right. I took a life and it wasn’t quick, painless and merciful. I had made him suffer, not just him but everyone that had stood alongside him.

  I knew I had lost control and hadn’t intended to take his life, but to be honest, I loved it.

  It made me feel powerful and exhilarated, I took control of his destiny and wiped him from our plane of existence. Not just that, but I was buzzing, adrenaline was coursing through my body and my blood was pumping hard and fast. I was excited almost deliriously, I was also horny as fuck and all I wanted to do was take Malachi on the floor right there and then. I didn’t care who was around, I just wanted this high to continue.

  Malachi took my hand in his and led me back to my room, I was excited, thinking I knew where it would end up between us. But instead of coming in with me, he kissed me on my forehead and then walked away.

  I threw myself down upon my bed in utter frustration, I could not understand why he wouldn’t stay. Did he find me repulsive? No, I knew that wasn’t the reason. The bulge in his trousers couldn’t lie, especially when it was growing harder against my stomach for the entire time our lips collided.

  “You are frustrated dearie, but also thrilled. Would you care to explain what has caused this within you?”

  I turned my head to look at Adiran, what was I supposed to say to him or it? Whatever title I was supposed to associate with the shadow man.

  “I killed someone, I can’t get it out of my head. I roasted him like it was a BBQ and he would become my favourite meal. It feels like I should be horrified by taking a life, but I can’t, I enjoyed it Adiran and I want to do it again.”

  8

  Malachi

  I did it again, I ignored her for two weeks. I knew why I did it, and it was because I knew I wouldn’t have been able to hold myself back from the temptation that is Unya. It had been disturbing what she did to that Shifter, she looked as though she had gotten off on it. If anyone could understand it would be me, but she wasn’t supposed to be like this.

  Sure she had always been the girl who would punch first and ask questions later, if she didn’t skip the last step. The person who would look after her friends or die trying. Even though she was numb, she still went to great lengths to make sure the people in her life were happy. It hadn’t worked out for myself and Addy, but she had never set out to hurt either of us. She would never have idly taken a life, she would have tried to find another way.

  I realised yesterday that I couldn’t keep hiding from her though, so that decision led me outside of her door. A lot of creatures had gone missing and no one could work out what the pattern could be.

  I knocked and tried to keep my impatience at bay, but when she hadn’t answered after a few minutes I took it upon myself to let myself in.

  That isn’t something I would do, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

  My eyes opened wide in shock and a little fear, once I stepped over the threshold and laid eyes on her room, it was the definition of a bloodbath.

  The male creature I had sent in that first time was pinned to the wall, by what looked to be dinner knives. I couldn’t wrap my head around the strength it would have taken to force blunted knives through his hands and the wall. His intestines were hanging out of his body and dangling towards the floor, dripping into just one of the pools of blood that were present. The eyes had been carved out of his skull and were dangling around his neck, like some sick handmade necklace.

  His feet had been twisted around, so that his toes were pressing against the wall and his heels were facing the same direction as his face. The same had was done so his elbows now faced outwards, and his left hand had been removed and sat perched upon his right shoulder with his heart resting in the palm of his hand.

  I couldn’t fathom what would have driven her to do something like that, but as I glanced further around the room I quickly solved the other disappearances.

  There must have been at least five bodies, jumbled together as some sort of macabre puzzle. The only things missing were the heads, brains and hearts, what can I say? It was graphic enough to know the hearts were the only organs that were not being displayed in t
hat way.

  As I walked closer to the remains I could not ignore the smell of decaying flesh, it made me want to wretch, but somehow I found the strength to stop myself.

  I placed my hands upon my knees, bending forward, as I took a few deep breaths before righting myself.

  I moved further inwards, towards the closet and bathroom door. She had left the closet door wide open and inside were two heads. Their skulls had been removed, as had their jaws. Teeth had found a new home within their empty skull, along with their popped eyes. Even their brains were spread out around them, in the shape of a heart, of all the things she could have chosen, she had decided on that.

  I hurried away from the door, not wanting to see anymore as I made my way towards the closed bathroom.

  “It’s okay, I only wanted to play a game,” said Unya, as her voice travelled through the wood.

  “Shh, there is no need to cry pet, this game will be so much fun. Now that our other friends have gone quiet, their noises had grown so tiresome.”

  The strange thing about that sentence, was there were no other noises or voices coming from the room. There was only Unya’s.

  I had debated what I should do, but bit the bullet and opened the door.

  Two heads met me, with their mouths wide open in perpetual agony. She had perched the last and final head on the side of the bath, with Unya speaking as though it was communicating with her.

  I cleared my throat, a weird thing to do to get her attention I’ll admit, but I was in shock.

  She turned her head towards me and her face broke out into a wide smile, spreading from cheek to cheek.

  “There’s my loving fiancé, you have been gone for such a long time.”

  “Unya, what happened in here?” I asked, astounded by her reaction.

  I saw something shift within her eyes, almost like unbridled anger but that wouldn’t fit with the Unya I used to know. Not unless her emotions had returned to her, the day her full potential was released.

  “I got bored Malachi, you just kept sending these pitiful creatures to me with your food. The boy had seemed fun but he stirred nothing within me, so I tried to sate my boredom another way. His screams were so much fun, but they ended too quickly. But more just kept coming and I prolonged the experience, it got messy so I thought I should clean up in time for the next one.”

  She sounded so matter of fact about it all, it was strange and difficult to hear her talk about these atrocities like that.

  “Love, I heard you speaking a moment ago, who were you talking to?”

  “Don’t be silly, when you experience something like that with another being you become acquainted on a very personal level. We are such good friends now Malachi, can’t you hear them laughing. They keep talking about the stars and how dark it gets at night, up on the earth, it sounds wonderful,” She stated, sounding almost wistful.

  “I’m sure it does love, I’m sure it does.”

  She hurried over to me and her palm connected with my face, as her nails bit into my cheek and then dragged further down. I could feel the sting as she broke through flesh, drawing blood almost instantly.

  “Do not call me that, you can’t just abandon me for weeks on end and then stroll in here like nothing is wrong. I have no idea who or what I am, but you just carry on pretending like nothing has changed,” she screamed at me, as her fists pummelled into my chest.

  Seizing her wrists within my hands, I stilled her movements. I knew she could have pulled away and done a lot more damage to me, but she stopped moving and just stared up at me.

  “Do you think this is easy for me Unya, I can’t stop remembering the person you were. I tried and almost kidded myself you hadn’t changed, but the Unya that I knew would never have done something so sickening towards another person. You have no idea what it is like being around someone who does not understand who you are or what they meant to you.”

  “I have no idea, I’m the one who can’t remember anything. I am the one who hears and sees strange things that make little sense, and you left me alone. You abandoned me to face all of this by myself, I have no idea who I used to be but instead of helping you just disappeared,” she sounded so defeated as she spoke that the guilt ate away at me.

  “Unya I’m sorry, I just couldn’t cope with it. I know that isn’t fair to you, but I’m not a saint. I can’t just push my feelings aside and I can’t stop hoping you will return to the girl that I once knew.”

  “Well that’s the thing Malachi, I don’t know that girl. This is who I am now and if you can’t deal with that, then we can no longer be together. Hades gave me an out you know, offered to fix me up with someone else. I declined, reasoning that, although I may not know you, at least you cared for me. I was wrong, so maybe I should go back to him.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, how could Hades make an offer like that behind my back. I knew I hadn’t been willing, but he knew I would have done anything to offer a haven of sorts to Unya.

  “Please Unya don’t do that, I know I should have been here for you and I promise I will not abandon you again. Let me get to know this new you and then you can get to know me.”

  She nodded her agreement and I led her out of the bathroom, she looked around the room and asked me what would happen to her ‘friends.

  “Someone will come and clean this up and replace your items, but if you can hear them then I am sure they will still be here even after they have removed their remains.”

  I had spoken hesitantly in my reply, unsure if anything I could have said would set her off. But my words seemed to appease her but before she would follow me she just stood in place for a few moments, if I hadn’t have been watching her so closely, I don’t think I would have seen her staring at the same corner as before and nodding her head.

  Funny thing was, that corner was the only part of the room that had been left unscathed.

  9

  Unya

  After myself and Malachi had that little showdown, he had been true to his word. He came to me every day and escorted me to dinner every evening, we were getting to know one another but it had been easy to see he was comparing me to the girl I used to be.

  It aggravated me, but I let out my anger, once he left me alone, on any unsuspecting servant that dropped by.

  Whispering had started about me, but the fools knew better than to defy me, otherwise they would have to face Hades’ wrath. He seemed pleased by my new pastime, something about removing the weak from service to go towards a greater good. I had never chosen to question him on what he meant, it just hadn’t seemed relevant to me. As long as I could practice my skills and shut up the angry voices inside my head, then I was a happy girl. And trust me, everyone preferred the happy version of me, over any of the others.

  The only one who didn’t seem too impressed was Adiran, it was a confusing state of affairs, seeing as he had been so encouraging in the beginning.

  “Cheer up Adiran, your brooding is pissing me off. Besides you were the one who taught me how to blow off steam in this way,” I exclaimed, as he continued to sulk and ignore me.

  “You stupid girl, do you think that is what this is about. I am proud of the creature you are becoming, I can feel the darkness within you is spreading all around. It is intoxicating, I am very proud of you dearie.”

  “Then why do you seem so disappointed and annoyed with me, I don’t understand.”

  “The incubus, he is why I am feeling so aggravated. He would never support the path you are travelling down, he will only continue to hold you back. The fact you cannot see that for yourself, only shows me how much you have left to learn.”

  I started to pace, but then I whirled around to face this shadowy being.

  “I have taken in everything you have taught me, you have created a powerful ally for yourself Adiran. But I will not allow you to tell me who I can and cannot spend my time with. Malachi is a part of my past and just because I cannot recall it does not mean I will brush him aside. He may have s
tarted off slow, but he has become someone I can rely and count on. If you have a problem with that then you can find yourself a more willing puppet to control.”

  “No of course not my girl, let’s not be too hasty. You know I only ever wished for us to be a united team dearie, I was just concerned about what influence he may have held over you. But I now see my worries were unfounded, enjoy your time with the incubus.”

  I was sure his words were hollow but I turned away and got ready for when Malachi would arrive, it’s clear to me now that Adiran was only manipulating me but I still had a lot to learn before I could come to that realisation. I also had to travel down an even darker path that could destroy me forever.

  When Malachi arrived he seemed happy to see me, minus any blood covering the floor and any dismembered body parts. I could still hear the voices in my head, but they weren’t shouting for attention, so it was a lot easier to ignore.

  As usual I tucked my arm in the nook of his elbow as he led me to a demon only bar, it was the first time I would have ventured outside of Hades castle and it filled me with trepidation and excitement.

  I hadn’t known what I was expecting but a place filled with creatures stemming from cyclops to empusa’s was not it. There were creatures feeding off of one another, others were torturing their victims for the amusement of the revellers and some were just conversing with one another.

  A few hungry eyes had fallen upon Malachi the moment we had entered the place and those looks of hunger, soon turned to jealousy and rage once they were directed at me.

  Malachi chose a booth for us to sit in and he seemed hesitant to leave me alone so he could fetch the drinks, but I wasted no time in putting his mind at ease as I reminded him of what he had walked into after his long absence.