Almost took me… from her?
“Ah. Yeah. I can see it now under all the gore,” I mused, stepping closer and resting my good hand on her shoulder.
She leaned into the touch instantly, her body fitting against mine like she’d been waiting for it. I lowered my head, whispering against her ear, “Are you going to kill him for me?”
Her muscles tensed, just for a second, before she nodded. A razor-sharp sparkle lit up her emerald eyes. She turned to face me.
“Do you want to help, or would you rather watch?”
“I’ll admire from afar.” I traced a finger across her lips. “Show me what you can do, Petal.” Damn, I needed to control myself, or I’d end up with a boner.
Lina left the room and reappeared in front of the man who’d almost killed me. Honestly? Didn’t give a fuck about him. It wasn’t the first time someone had tried. Wouldn’t be the last. Except this time had been close, besides my father.
She was doing all this for me. All I wanted to do now was watch her cruelty.
This felt right.
She ripped the tape off the guy’s mouth. Shockingly, he didn’t start screaming. Idiot must’ve thought he had a bargaining chip hidden somewhere, because he went straight into smart-ass mode.
“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded, blood dripping from his mouth.
Lina didn’t even acknowledge him. She focused on her blade instead, running the steel along a whetstone with calm, effortless strokes.
That was my dagger. My beautiful thief. My little menace. It was evident she had no interest in extracting information from him. This was all purely for the kill.
He kept going, “What the fuck do you want from me, you stupid fucking bitch?!”
Without looking up, Lina snapped back, “What makes you think I want anything you have?” Her voice was almost bored.
“Just fucking tell me what you want,” he blurted.
“Will you give it to me if I tell you?” She drew closer with the blade.
“Seriously—just… what do you want?” The restraints clanked as he pulled against them.
Lina stopped right in front of him and leaned in close. Her smile stretched into something sinister. “What if I said I wantedyour life?” The guy turned pale and thrashed harder, metal screeching under his frantic movements.
For the next hour, she let loose every ounce of brutality. I had a front-row seat—and complimentary popcorn—to the most beautiful torture I’d ever witnessed. Watching her work felt like watching art being created. Violent, intimate, deliberate art. She had a way with how she hurt people.
I knew her touch well—what it felt like, what it could do—and it still stunned me how gentle she could be with me, considering the kind of destruction she created with those same hands.
She’d put in earbuds, blocking out his screams entirely. I wondered why she didn’t just tape his mouth shut again. Maybe she wanted him to hear the sound of his own voice break. Maybe she liked knowing he could beg all he wanted, and it still wouldn’t change anything.
Every so often, she’d speak to him, regardless of whether he answered or choked.
“These are the hands that tried to take,” she told him as she poured acid across his skin, watching it bubble and melt. “It’s my turn now.”
Holy fuck, I was in love.
Lina turned her head toward the door—one of her men must’ve signaled something. She began gathering her tools.
Well… except for my blade. The one with the rose carved into the handle. She kept that out like a trophy.
After removing her earbuds and tucking them away, she clicked her tongue. “Unfortunately, I’ve got somewhere to be. So, this ends here. I don’t have time to play any longer.”
The man rocked so hard the bolts rattled. His begging turned frantic, grotesque. Lina stepped behind him, knife in hand, watching him unravel like she was studying a painting.
She tilted her head—that slow, eerie tilt she did when she was two seconds from carnage.
