King of Me

  Of course, I needed to be on my guard. Not that King would ever welsh on our deal, but King was still King, which meant he always had some other agenda.

  Getting into your pants, maybe? I smiled to myself. Probably.

  An hour later, the helicopter set down in a field or something—I couldn’t see—nestled in complete darkness. From the lack of lights, I knew we weren’t near any cities or towns. The engine quieted and the pilot emerged from his cabin. “Right this way, Miss Turner.” He opened the door and hopped out, waiting to help me down the small steps.

  Standing in the doorway, the moist ocean air immediately hit me. “Where are we?” I asked. “Where is King?”

  The pilot held out his hand, and I hesitantly took it. Complete darkness surrounded the helicopter’s illuminated perimeter. The sound of waves crashing far off in the distance swept over me with a gentle breeze.

  “King instructed me to bring you here,” he said.

  My heart started to pound. I didn’t know where “here” was. “You are not dumping me in some dark field in the middle of goddamned—”

  “Mia, I am here with you.” I felt King’s hot breath in my ear and his warm palm press against the small of my back. “There is nothing to fear.”

  I turned to find King towering over me. Even in my six-inch heels, I still felt meek compared to his size.

  “He cannot see or hear me,” King explained in that deep, confident voice which told me I was behaving like a child, “and I did not want to frighten the man. By the way, you’re late for dinner.”

  Ugh. King and his punctuality.

  I turned toward the pilot. “Thanks for the ride. See you later.”

  The pilot dipped his head and disappeared inside the helicopter.

  “So now can you tell me where we are?” I asked.

  King smiled and reached out, placing his large hand on my cheek. “You look beautiful tonight, Mia.” He then rubbed his thumb across my lower lip, staring with intensity at my mouth. “I cannot wait to show you what I have planned for us.”

  His devilish smile almost brought me to my knees, half in fear, half due to the excitement I felt when he touched me. It was a rush. A drug. A sick addiction.

  King took my hand and led me away from the field. It was difficult to see anything, but I tried my best to make out the hard texture of the ground to avoid falling in my heels.

  “My apologies for the rustic accommodations,” he said, “but cement has no place here.” He pulled me along, and I heard the helicopter’s engine start. A strong gust of wind whipped at my hair, blowing a few clumps loose.

  “He’s leaving?” I asked.

  “He’s needed elsewhere but will return shortly,” King said. The wind whipped violently around us.

  There goes the hair.

  “I prefer your hair down, anyway,” he commented.

  My blonde locks generally resembled a wildebeest’s chin unless I took care to trim it regularly and use anti-wildebeest products, but there’d been little time for any of that, so I’d worn it up.

  “Just don’t complain when it attacks you.” I slipped the pin from my hair and let the rest fall loose.

  King let out a deep chuckle, and I had to admit, it made my toes tingle. There was nothing like it in the world—sensual, unapologetically male, and completely seductive.

  “Wait here one moment,” he said.

  Before I could protest, a torch burst with flames in his hand. “There. Now that the helicopter has departed, we can have light. Right this way.”

  He held out the torch, and I saw a long, narrow, sandy walkway ahead and a set of stone steps leading up. Up to what, I didn’t know.

  “This is my private island,” King said. “I’ve had it since I was born. Handed down from my father.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “I spent many summers here with my family. It brings good memories.”

  I followed him up the steps, and along the way, he lit various torches staked into the ground. “How did you keep it all this time?”

  “It helps that it doesn’t appear on any maps. And I have quite the security system.”

  “Dogs?” I asked.

  “No. Any strangers who come near it spontaneously combust.”

  “That’s a bit severe, don’t you think?”

  He laughed. “All right, they do not explode into flames, but they cannot enter. They then forget they ever saw it. As I said, the island is private, and I intend to keep it that way—hidden from the world.”

  I just hoped never to become shipwrecked in a place like this. It would make being rescued a bit…

  Fuck.

  I jerked my hand from his and stopped in my tracks, my stomach falling into my knees. I didn’t speak, but I didn’t have to; King knew exactly what was going through my head.

  “Calm yourself, Miss Turner. Panicking at this point will not save you.”

  I sucked in a breath. I’d been hoping for some sort of reassurance that his intent was not to imprison me here. What I got instead was a confirmation.

  “Why?” I asked.

  King held the torch between us, allowing me to see the sinister glow in his eyes, eyes filled with red lights—pain; horrible, excruciating pain. “Because I know what you want, Mia. And I am going to give it to you.” He smiled, and deep lines formed to the sides of his mouth.

  “Wha-what is it you think I want?”

  He leaned in a bit. “To scream as I break you.”

  ~~~

  I savor the delightful sound of Mia’s terror-filled cry and the exquisite horror in her blue eyes as she realizes the truth. Oh yes, her mind is working hard now, putting together those tiny, unsavory pieces, allowing her to finally see me for who I am: a monster who takes what he desires.

  And I desire her.

  I have never wanted to fuck a woman more than I want Mia. Her sweet little ass and plump tits make my cock harder than a slab of granite merely thinking of them. I keep a flock of Mia lookalikes—wavy golden hair, tight asses, luscious lips meant for sucking—on call simply to keep my uncivilized urges at bay. But my wait is now over, and I will have it all: my life returned to me; my revenge; Mia’s soft lips wrapped around my shaft, begging me to come in her mouth.

  She has no fucking clue what lies ahead—the darkness, the pleasure.

  She turns to run, but there is nowhere to hide on this island. Oh, yes, fight, little Mia, fight. It will make tonight so much more exhilarating. After I’m done with her—breaking her, hurting her, fucking her—she will realize how I have only given her what she truly desires, what she truly needs from me, but is too afraid to ask for. Yes, I am her king, and it is my blackened soul she longs for.

  “Don’t fucking touch her.”

  I laugh. It pleases me when the king’s feathers ruffle. “I bet she’ll enjoy the whip, too. I know you do.”

  The king says nothing at first. He is realizing he cannot win.

  “If you do this, there is no going back. And the outcome will not be in your favor. Best to cut your losses and let her go.”

  “Let her go? And deny myself the pleasure I’ve waited so long for?” Yes, she wants me to tear away her clothes, to make her scream, to claim her.

  “For fuck’s sake, you are goddamned sick. Which is why your plan will not work.”

  He’s doing it again. Trying to undermine me, make me doubt myself. But I will not fall for his tricks. I am the stronger one, the smarter one.

  “Let her be, and end this. It is time for our suffering to be over. Time for us to move on.”

  I think it over. Part of me shares the old king’s desire to stop our pain. But I want what I want. I want to finally take what’s mine. I want to fuck her and hurt her and break her. I know she will love it.

  And when the time comes, she will choose me.

  “It will never work.”

  “Shut the fuck up. No one is asking you.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Red. I saw nothing
but red light in King’s eyes. And I knew without a doubt that he intended to harm me.

  I screamed, struggling in his iron grip while we moved up the hill with a speed my brain could not process. When he stopped, he threw me to the ground, and I landed with a thump in the darkness onto a hard wooden surface.

  Torches burst to life around us, and I quickly saw we were underneath some sort of large circular thatched roof structure. In the middle was an enormous bed with restraints. I sat up staring at it, my mind buzzing with adrenaline. “Why are you doing this, King?”

  He stood next to the bed and began removing his white shirt, one leisurely button at a time. “I know you’ve dreamed of this, Mia. Of me fucking you like a savage, of me taking you hard. And I plan to make all of your dreams come true tonight.”

  “Those were my nightmares.”

  He walked over and crouched in front of me, the fire dancing in his eyes and the red light of his evil soul swirling all around him. “Come, come now, my sweet Miss Turner; there is no reason to hide the truth from me.”

  “What’s happened to you, King?” I whispered, desperately trying not to think about the things Mack had said. Because he had been right: this was not the King we knew. This was not that same disciplined and calculating man. This King was out of control. Vicious. And he had the right aura to prove it.

  No, I must keep my thoughts to myself.

  He laughed. “There are no secrets between us, Mia. I can crawl inside your mind and take what you won’t give me. Just as I can take from your body.”

  King’s handsome face looked almost demonic.

  “Did the 10 Club do something to you?” I whispered. “Did they put some sort of spell on you?” It was the only explanation I could think of.

  “The 10 Club?” He roared with laughter. “I own those fucking clowns. They can’t touch me!”

  Was he serious?

  He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to the bed. I kicked and screamed, but it only seemed to amuse him, make him laugh.

  He threw me onto the bed, face down, and I felt him harnessing my ankle and then the other. I looked up at my wrist and caught sight of the gleaming silver cuff. I only had a moment before he tied my arms. I slid the cuff over to my left wrist to cover my “K” tattoo and shut my eyes, hoping something might happen—him suddenly unable to see me or…something.

  Instead, I felt my right wrist being bound. “King, please stop! Please, I don’t want this. I won’t ever love you if you do this.” He tightened the restraint over my left wrist, and knowing that there was nothing I could do now, I started to pray for my life.

  “You won’t be needing this.” He slid the diamond ring from my finger.

  Oh fuck. He’s going to kill me.

  “Not yet.” He laughed. I felt him rip my dress down the back and whip it from my body. “Oh yes, look at that fucking ass.” He palmed my flesh and slapped it hard.

  I sucked in a sharp breath from the pain and tried not to cry, because it only made him more excited.

  No, must remain calm. Try to talk to him, make him see this is wrong.

  “King, please stop,” I said. “I know there’s something inside you that understands what you’re doing isn’t right. I know a part of you cares.” I just don’t know where it went. But please come back to me. Please.

  His sharp teeth bit into my back as he stripped away my panties and strapless bra, leaving me completely bare and face down. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. I don’t want this.

  He slid his hand between my legs from behind and stroked me hard.

  I cried out.

  “Yes. Scream, just like that, my little Seer bitch. Just like that.”

  I held my breath, bracing for what I knew would come next: a horrible nightmare coming to life.

  Where had he gone? The King who’d saved my mother, who’d save me once, too. I thought of that man, and of how Mack tried to warn me. “Run, Mia. Fucking run.” Why hadn’t I listened this time?

  The tears of desperation poured from my eyes as I felt King lay over my unwilling body, prodding me with his erection through his black jeans.

  “This is what you want, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “No.” Dear God, no.

  “Yes, it is. That’s the good little girl speaking. But I’m not giving you your prize just yet.” He backed off, reaching for something. “First, a little foreplay. Then I will fuck you until that boring bitch is purged from your body.” He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “We’ll be together, Mia. You, me, and that black little heart of yours. Because I know you love me…I know I am what you really want.” He straddled me, and from the corner of my eye, I saw his hand lift high into the air. In it he held a whip with multiple arms and knots on the ends, the kind that looked like it could take the skin clean off.

  My heart isn’t black. I’ll never love you.

  He roared with laughter. “Says the woman who slit a man’s throat today and enjoyed it; just as I’d hoped. Now try not to move. This will only hurt a little,” he said with a sinister tone that clearly meant it would hurt a lot.

  My mind, perhaps to protect me from the horror, instantly focused on a place that was safe, a place where King couldn’t go: my heart. He could never touch it. I would be safe there.

  I felt a sharp pain and heard my cries fade into the distance.

  ~~~

  The gentle sound of waves caressed my mind in a peaceful dream, a dream where my body lay resting on powdery sand, the warm sun cocooning me in a blanket woven from clouds and tropical air. I couldn’t recall ever feeling so at peace or so comfortable. Was I dead? Was I somewhere inside my mind, hiding from King?

  I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up to take in the long stretch of sand and deep green forest skirting the pristine beach. The sun was high in the sky, about noonish, and I wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.

  No clothes. I winced and then closed my eyes, pushing away the dark images of King, of that horrible island. If this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake. Not ever. I would rather die naked in a strange place than return to that nightmare.

  How could he do that to me? How? It didn’t make sense. Not when King needed me to free him from his torment.

  Mack had been right, that’s how. That had been a monster back on the island. And that monster wanted me to fall into some dark, delusional state where I’d learn to love him. After he’d beaten and raped me.

  No. I shook my head slowly. That had to be another one of those strange visions like I’d had in Vaughn’s cell, or like the time of Justin’s death when my mind had been there but my body hadn’t.

  Maybe I’m having a vision now.

  But as I surveyed my body, the burn marks on my wrists and ankles, which were red and raw, certainly felt real.

  I blew out a heartbroken breath that hurt just as badly as my wounds. I suddenly felt the bile creep from my stomach and launch over my naked chest. “Oh God.” I flipped over and heaved.

  After a minute or so, the pain subsided. I stood and stumbled my way to the water. Dream or not, I didn’t want to be covered in my own sick.

  The warm ocean water simultaneously stung my fresh wounds but felt soothing on my trembling body. I walked out as far as I could and then dove head first into a cresting wave. Yes, the water felt real. The salt in my mouth tasted real, too. But how did I get here? This couldn’t be right.

  Another of King’s tricks? After all, the man had powers I couldn’t begin to comprehend, one of which was the ability to crawl inside my body and show me his memories. He’d done it once before.

  Yes. That had to be what was happening. The only issue was that this felt real, not like a memory or watching a movie.

  My head pounded and my stomach began to cramp again, but I held it together. And that’s when it hit me. My nausea and headaches only came when my mind didn’t want to accept reality. It’d happened on the day I’d learned about being a Seer and I’d felt my two conflicting realities collide.
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  Christ. It just happened when Mack tried to warn you about King.

  But this can’t be real. I felt my face turn hot and more bile creep up.

  There was my proof: more resistance, more nausea.

  I dove underneath the waves, allowing the ocean to pacify my angry, frayed nerves. When I brought my head up for a breath, I spotted a young woman with dark hair and skin, wearing a white dress, standing on the beach and staring at me.

  I stared back but didn’t speak. Besides, what would I say? “Hey! I’m naked. Got any idea where I am and how I got here?” Instead, I waded in the water for several moments and then hesitantly lifted my shaky hand to wave.

  A look of surprise overtook her face, and she sprinted away, disappearing into the forest.

  At that moment, something sharp jabbed my toe as I bounced along the bottom. “Shit!” The pain seared its way up my leg, and I paddled back to the shore where I crawled from the water.

  “Oh no.” Blood seeped from a small puncture wound. My vision blurred, and I tried to blink it away, but the burn traveled quickly into my chest, cramping every muscle I had.

  I fell onto my back. Real. Not a dream. Real, Mia.

  ~~~

  Sharp-toned words, spoken in a loud hiss, were what woke me this second time around. I couldn’t understand a single damned thing, but a woman and man argued over something.

  Cautiously, I popped open one eye and found myself lying on a wooden table. The home looked to have three rooms without any doors. The walls were made of smooth white plaster and a thatched roof with wooden beams. Wherever we were, these were very simple people who lived without electricity or running water.

  I slowly began to move the rest of my body, surveying the damage. Someone had draped a flimsy piece of fabric, too small to be called a sheet, over most of my torso. My leg throbbed, too, but my foot burned like a sonofabitch. Both had been bandaged.

  Shit. What happened? I wasn’t sure what to do or say because the situation had zero explanation. Not only that, but I didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten there. I only knew I didn’t ever want to go back to the hell I’d run from. There would be no saving myself in that place, which meant there’d be no redemption for that evil bastard I’d trusted like a fool, which meant there’d be no saving Justin. What would happen to my poor parents now?