You're a Monster

I was dreaming. I could tell because everything felt vague and factual at the same time.

I was running amid a thick darkness, an unseen force pressing down on my limbs, its weight pushing me further to the ground. Fear wrapped around me like a second skin, penetrating deep into my bones. Every breath I took was a struggle, and the heat from the monster chasing after me licked my skin like flames.

 

I looked behind me and saw the monster, but it wasn’t a beast with horns and bloodied fangs. It was a man, and that man was my father.

 

I jolted awake, gasping for breath as I tried to get my anxiety under control. My vision adjusted as I looked around me. I was lying on a queen-sized bed, and the room didn't look familiar.

“Where am I?” I groaned as I rubbed my temple, feeling a slight headache.

 

Suddenly, images flooded my mind, like pieces of a puzzle.

The secret room, the auction, the gun to Darla’s head… and the last image that did hit the nail on the head was the devil; Vincenzo.

 

My instincts immediately kicked in and I quickly got out of bed. The moment my feet hit the ground, I almost lost my balance as a wave of dizziness washed over me. The chloroform still lingered in my system, making me feel lightheaded.

 

But I couldn't give up.

 

A cold breeze brushed my skin, and only then did I realize I was naked. I grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around my body. I walked towards the window behind me and looked outside.

The sun was just starting to rise, painting the sky in streaks of gold. How long had I been knocked out?

 

I headed to the door, my resilience pushing me forward. I gripped the doorknob and twisted it open. Locked.

I yanked harder but it didn't budge.

“Fuck!” I hissed.

 

Panic coupled with frustration clawed at my insides as I tried to think of something—anything at all.

My gaze fixated on the window.

 

I moved quickly, regaining control of my limbs as I reached the ledge. Peering out, my gut twisted with anxiety. The ground was quite far from up here, but if landed right, I might not break any bones.

 

Without thinking if this was a bad idea or not, I gripped the window frame with shaky hands and pushed my body through.

 

Now hanging on the frame, I braced myself to jump. Large arms suddenly seized me, yanking me back inside with force that I crashed onto the floor, my body landing on theirs.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Hot breath brushed my ear as a deep voice rumbled against my skin.

Panic seared through me. Vincenzo.

 

I trashed around, flailing my limbs to free myself, but his iron grip deemed my struggles useless.

 

“Let me go!” I shrieked, feeling my throat closing in from the terror crashing down on me. He got us off the ground, his grip still tight while I struggled relentlessly.

His hand clamped over my mouth, but I sank my teeth into his fingers without hesitation. He hissed, moving back just enough for me to break free. I ran for the wide open door, exhilarated that my freedom was just at my fingertips.

But my hopes were crushed in an instant as Vincenzo caught up to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back, knocking me into his hard chest. His arms circled my waist, pressing down so hard that I feared my ribs would crush.

“Stay,” he growled, his voice lethal, “Or I’ll break you in two.”

A shudder ran through me and I obeyed, because I knew he meant his words.

 

“Good,” he murmured and released my waist. He held both my wrists in one hand and pulled out something from his pocket. I didn't see it but the unmistakable clank of mental sent ice through my veins.

He bound my wrists together, as I winced from the cold sensation of the metal biting into my skin. He tugged at the chains, causing me to fall on the floor.

 

Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

How did it come to this? How had I fallen into his hands so easily?

 

“Look at me.

Despite every instinct in me telling me to defy him, I obeyed. I had no choice. I was at his mercy.

 

I lifted my head and our eyes met.

An unsettling feeling pooled in my chest. It was the first time we’d truly looked at each other. The first time we got this close.

 

He was devilishly handsome—I wouldn’t point it out if it wasn’t so blinding. His eyes were a piercing gray, with flecks of silver in them. Thick dark brows knotted in distaste, and a scar cut sharply along his nose, adding to the flare of danger that clung to him.

He towered over me, his presence suffocating. He was a foot taller, his broad frame casting a shadow that wrapped around me. Every inch of his body was carved from solid muscle, undeniable even beneath his fitted shirt which stretched over his built chest and arms.

My palms itched to trace every ridge of his body, to know if he felt as rigid as he looked.

Everything about this man screamed menacing, ruthlessness… a predator who never lost its prey, and it scared me to the bones.

I’d heard stories of his cruelty—I experienced it first-hand. He killed my brother.

Fear coiled in my gut, but it paled in comparison to the hatred burning through me.

I wasn't a killer— I couldn't even hurt an ant, but if I was ever given the chance with him, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

“Just kill me, like you did to my brother,” I bit out, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

 

His gaze darkened, disgust flickering in his eyes. “I wouldn't want my money to waste,” his voice was low and dark rumble.

 

He leaned in, fingers clamping around my jaw. I tried to turn my head away, but his grip tightened as his fingers pressed painfully into my jaw. He forced me to meet his gaze.

 

“I own you, Aurelia.” The way he said my name made my blood run cold. “You’re my slave, and I’ll do whatever I please with you.”

His words were a promise of terrible things he’d do to me, and it terrified me.

“Why?” the question slipped from my lips. If I was going to get tortured, I deserved to know the reason.

 

His fingers trailed my jaw, leaving my skin burning wherever he touched.

“Your father took something precious from me,” his eyes darkened, “now I have something precious to him.”

 

“I have nothing to do with my father,” I cried out, my voice breaking. “Just let me go, or kill me. I’m of no use to you alive.”

 

“I don't grant easy deaths.”

He leaned back and pulled the chain, forcing me towards the bed. He pushed me and I landed on my back, then held my hands above my head. My heart thudded violently against my chest.

“What are you doing!” I cried out, alarmed as I tried to free my arms from his grasp.

“Don't want you making any stupid moves.”

He fastened the chains to the headboard, keeping my arms stuck above my head. He grabbed my chin first, then his fingers slid down my neck until it settled on my chest where my heart was beating like a drum.

His touch ignited a wild feeling in my core—a feeling I didn't want to name.

 

His body was so dangerously close to mine, that I couldn't think straight.

His hand slid up and his fingers roughly enclosed around my neck.

“I’ll break you, you’d wish you were dead,” a satisfied look flickered in his eyes when a tear slid down my cheek. “And when your father comes to save you, I’ll kill you both.”

 

A shiver racked my body. Being Vincenzo’s slave or going back to my father— I didn't know which terrified me more.

“You’re a monster,” I whispered, my voice shaky with fear and defeat.

 

His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. “I’m much more worse than that.”

 

The chains rattled as he tightened it. My wrists ached from the pressure as he stepped back.

He watched me for a second before he turned his back and walked towards the door.

“Vincenzo!” I screamed his name, my throat almost ripping out. But he didn't turn as he shut the door.

The click of the lock echoed, followed by silence.

I let out a broken cry as frustration and fear twisted inside my gut. I yanked at the chains, the metal burning my wrists. I pulled harder, struggling until the warmth of my blood slicked down my wrists.

 

I didn’t stop until I passed out from exhaustion.