xvii

J O L I E N

Even though I knew he was capable of carrying out his threat, my feet didn't budge an inch.

In all probability, in a few seconds he would rip the entire door off its hinges and face me with a devilish grin. Still, even that realization didn't make me move.

It was a few more minutes before I forced myself to calm down. The knocking grew louder and I took a deep breath before clambering awkwardly to the bedroom door. It took a lot for me not to trip over my own feet or panic.

With trembling hands I gripped the silver key in the keyhole and the doorknob.

After mentally encouraging myself, I turned the key to allow entry for the devil himself.

I slowly opened the door and my heart sank as I recognized the sharp jawline with the perfectly contoured beard lines of Mr. Dakarias.

He wore the same crooked grin that his son mastered perfectly. The only difference was that it didn't have the same calming effect on me, in fact the opposite - I shifted my feet nervously and avoided his gaze.

"Jolien dear. How are you?" he greeted me with a mock friendliness as he swept past me and unnecessarily looked around the room. I hadn't changed any of the furnishings, nor could he expect to find his son there. After all, he was himself who gave Malio his orders.

"Mr. Daka-" "Please call me Samael. Now that we're kind of a family, we should be on first-name terms." The uneasiness that this man triggered in me grew with every second he stood in this room and I didn't know how much longer I could endure it.

"Fine, Samael. What can I do for you?", I almost shuddered to imagine how this question must sound to outsiders, because for me it was already peppered with a bitter aftertaste.

I quickly swallowed the uncomfortable, furry sensation that those words left on my tongue and averted my gaze, my heart pounding as I waited for his reply.

"I want to show you something." He replied promisingly and I felt his piercing gaze on me.

I knew I should look at him - even if it was the last thing I wanted to do. For fear that the man had turned into what he really was. A soulless demon that seemed to feed on my fear, which was now oozing from my pores.

Despite protests, I turned my head and his cold gaze met mine. "You want to show me something?" I repeated his words, and even though he'd offered me , his dark demeanor still made me use his address.

I imagined that address continued to keep him at a distance. And I wanted to know this man miles away.

He nodded, took a step towards me and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind my ear.

With that gesture, he not only invaded my personal space - with that gesture, he also snuffed out the "No, thank you" that was on the tip of my tongue.

Fighting the urge to back down, I managed to choke out an "_Okay_." instead, even as the menace of this man lashed out at me with a neon sign screaming to drag me to hell with him.

He walked past me with a grin and said: "Very nice. Follow me." Gritting my teeth, I obeyed and followed him in silence to the elevators, whose doors opened as soon as he pressed the button. I watched in amazement as he pressed the -_basement_- button.

Malio had forbidden me to enter the basement without him, Rash, or Ivan, which only added to my uneasiness, but I didn't dare tell Mr. Dakarias about it.

I even tried not to let him see my fear, even though I was sure that's what made him smile. Maybe he could smell fear. Or it was the thought of what awaited me in the depths of the basement that seemed to make him so happy.

The doors opened with a soft beep and my heart beat a little faster as he headed for a certain room.

Ivan had casually told me about him. He affectionately called it, _the great torture room. _

According to him, it was his favorite room. I'd never asked what it was that made it his favorite room, because the little torture chamber they used to do to Lynn was burned into my brain and I didn't even want to know what they did in the other room drifted

The fact that Mr. Dakarias was heading for this very door made the uneasiness inside me even greater.

The sound of a door opening pulled me back to the present. I stared straight into a black void, but it wasn't what caused an iron hand to grip my heart.

It was his voice that came out of that darkness. Malio's voice.

"Go in," Mr. Dakarias demanded close to my ear, all friendliness drained from his voice.

After I made no move to move, he pushed me roughly into the darkness. My thoughts raced as I saw what was happening inside the dimly lit room.

Soela sat on a chair with her wrists tied to the back of the chair and her ankles to the chair legs.

Her otherwise impeccable makeup was smudged and I noticed the light lines on her cheeks caused by the tears running down her cheeks.

Single strands of her shiny, dark hair had come loose from her bun and now hung tangled over her forehead.

She made noises that ranged in definition from whimpering to pleading.

"Malio please," I heard her trembling voice. I took a step toward the center of the room, unsure of what I was doing, but Dakaria-san's hand closed on my wrist, pulling me back into the shadows.

"Just look at it," his voice invaded my ear. I swallowed and tugged at my arm, but Dakarias-san didn't seem to think about releasing it.

My eyes fell on Soela again, who was tossing her head in desperation and calling for help. "I haven't done anything!" she screamed with all her might and once again sought Malio's gaze.

He was leaning against a table right next to her, on which was a carafe of clear liquid.

"Malio, please. At least listen to what she has to say. Please." Only now did I notice that there were other people in the room.

Enrico was standing against the wall behind Soela. His eyes, in which there was a silent plea, wandered alternately to his sister and Malio.

Although he was chained to the wall, Ivan and Rash stood on either side of him, each with an additional arm pressed onto his chest to hold him in place.

Malio gave Enrico a quick but withering look without responding to his request. Instead, he turned back to Soela.

In a flash he had pushed himself off the table and while his left hand roughly grasped her chin, he leaned closer to her face and growled dangerously: "Aren't you going to finally tell me the truth? Why did you do that?"

She tried desperately to free herself from his grip, but I knew that the attempt was in vain - she was physically inferior to him.

"I don't know what you mean.", she screamed and some tears rolled down her face, but they didn't seem to have any effect on Malio - at least not in the way Soela hoped.

Because instead of feeling sorry for her, the sight of her tears only seemed to make him angrier. He squeezed her cheeks brutally, making her cry out loudly. He blindly grabbed the carafe and passed it over Soela's face.

"Please, Malio, I don't know what you mean. I haven't done anything. I beg you. We're going, we'll leave you alone, but please, spare me." His cold laughter echoed off the stone walls of the basement and the hair on the back of my neck stood up at the sound.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I couldn't look away.

"Does he scare you?" Mr. Dakarias whispered so close to my ear that I shuddered again.

I didn't know who scared me more at that moment. Mr. Dakarias, who stepped so close his breath brushed my skin, or Malio, who looked more like his father than I would have liked.

It was the warning in Mr. Dakaria's voice that sounded so dangerous I didn't dare utter a sound. And it was the hatred in Malio's eyes that was so ominous that I wondered if I'd ever really known him. At that moment, they were so alike that I not only felt the darkness of the two, but also saw it clearly.

My heart was racing and panic was choking my throat. I wanted to say something, stop Malio, but I couldn't.

Fear coursing through my veins like lava prevented me from even thinking clearly.

“That is Malio's very nature. his soul. His true nature. You should think about loving a monster like that, Jolien." Mr. Dakaria's whispered words made me shiver and I tried to look away, but his fingers only gripped my chin tighter.

His iron grip made me have to keep following the spectacle in front of me, whether I wanted to or not.

"Don't you close your eyes for even a second, Jolien," he threatened me.

"Please, don't," I begged, but he kept his fingers tight around my chin, forcing me to watch as Malio poured the clear liquid into Soela's mouth.

I looked spellbound at Soela and waited for a reaction. With each breath, the walls of the basement seemed to get closer, and Mr. Dakaria's voice, which kept ringing in my ear like the telltale hiss of a snake, died down to an unintelligible hiss.

Soela was apparently struggling not to swallow the liquid that Malio kept pouring down her throat. But he just laughed and leaned closer to her face: "You're going to swallow it."

Tears ran down her cheeks and she closed her eyes. Malio sighed, put the carafe back on the table and pinched her nose with his free hand.

Shocked, she opened her eyes again to stare at him in panic. A torrent of new tears ran down her face and I noticed her swallowing in slow motion.

There was an agonized silence for a moment. Long and oppressive, until a gurgle filled the air.

"Does your own medicine taste good?" Malio growled before reaching for the carafe again to pour the rest of the liquid into her mouth as well.

Soela had given up all resistance. She sobbed loudly and no longer tried to defend herself against the swallowing reflex.

The rattling, gasping and choking that came out of her throat filled the room, but that didn't stop Malio from pouring the last drop of the clear liquid into her mouth. The excess ran down the corners of her mouth and spread over her black dress.

"What's that?" I asked softly, unsure if I even wanted to know because her reaction was so violent that I jerked my head to the side, loosening Dakaria-san's grip on my chin for a moment.

Soela screamed and gasped for air. But all that remained was a desperate attempt to fill their lungs with the air they needed to survive. Because the harder she tried, the more pain she seemed to be in.

Mr. Dakarias turned my head back towards her and I noticed her hands gripping the back of the chair so tightly her knuckles were white.

I took a step forward, hesitant, but Dakarias-san tightened his grip again to stop me. His fingers dug into my skin while he grabbed my waist with the other.

I gasped for air and writhed like an eel to escape his grasp.

His proximity was driving me nuts - and not in the good way, more in the way that made you think about banging your head against the nearest wall because you couldn't take it anymore.

"Let go of me!" I ground out through clenched teeth as I struggled against his grip, but the attempt only seemed to amuse him.

With a jerk he pulled my head back: "Sweet, how you defend yourself. He's definitely into this game when he fucks you." His warm breath caressed my cheek and for a moment I doubted that Soela was the only tortured person in the room.

The tone of his voice became more serious as he paused and leaned closer to me, "I said you'd just watch."

A loud, bloodcurdling scream made me wince and immediately my gaze flew back to the middle of the room.

Soela's head hung limp and a trickle of saliva flowed from her mouth.

"What was that? I asked in shock. "Acid." Dakarias-san replied indifferently, obviously enjoying the current situation more and more by the second.

"What?" I looked at him in bewilderment. It wasn't that I liked Soela that much, but no one in the world deserved that.

"Stop it," I begged him, knowing the only person who could stop Malio now was his father. Intervening myself would only make him angrier.

"I'm not even thinking about it, Jolien. You'll see what he's capable of. And believe me when I tell you, that's just a fraction of what he's really capable of."

"You're a monster!" "So is he. Look." His grip on my chin tightened again and he pushed it back into the corner without much effort, allowing me to see none of the spectacle.

I swallowed hard, my mind working overtime, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see any way out other than to endure it.

Malio pulled her limp head back by the hair. "You're getting tired already?" he asked amused, while an indefinable sound escaped from Soela's mouth.

It sounded like a plea, but surely she also knew that it wouldn't make him stop. Nothing could stop him anymore. I saw it in his cold, empty eyes. Her fate was sealed.

As if wanting to heed her desperate pleas, Malio freed her from her bonds. Soela's hands immediately went around her throat to make it clear to him that she couldn't breathe anymore.

He laughed again before roughly pulling her head back on the loose bun so she had to look at him.

Her eyes were half closed and more and more saliva was coming out of her mouth. A chemical burn reaction. She had to go to the hospital urgently, otherwise she would die here.

"Look at you, Soela. You disgusting little thing. You look so disgusting with your drool running out of your face." Malio said in disgust.

His gaze rested on her face for a second, then he pressed her cheeks together again to slip two fingers into her mouth.

Heart pounding, I looked away while Soela threw up loudly. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that Malio was making sure that the caustic substance went up her esophagus one more time.

"If I see you around Jolien again, you'll wish this had killed you." I heard his voice and although I didn't have the strength to take any more, I turned my head back into his Direction.

Malio's face was expressionless and focused on Soela. As if he didn't care at all that the person in front of him was fighting for his life.

My heartbeat quickened again as I noticed the red thread of saliva running out of Soela's mouth. The second burn must have done real damage.

More and more red saliva dripped from her mouth as I just stood there listening to my own blood pounding in my ears.

"Don't." My voice was a hoarse whisper, and even if the room had been dead quiet, it was doubtful anyone would have heard.

For Soela's screams echoed unusually loud from the walls. In the meantime, she gasped so loudly for air that uncomfortable goosebumps spread over my body.

"Do you understand me?" Malio asked, roughly shaking her head.

Her eyes opened slightly. I wasn't even sure if she was still able to follow his words.

She nodded almost imperceptibly, which was answer enough for him. He let go of her hair, causing her head to drop back onto her chest immediately.

"Get the hell out of my town, you filthy whore." He growled angrily and in the next second kicked Soela off the chair with full force.

Mr. Dakaria's hand went over my mouth to muffle my sudden yelp. But in the ensuing tumult he would have perished anyway.

Enrico screamed and fought Ivan and Rash with all his might. Malio spat in disgust at Soela, who was curled up on the floor and clutching her neck in panic. She gave Malio a pleading look and gasped hard: "Please..ee. Please."

His lips curled into a grin as he swung out for another kick.

With the last of my strength, I freed myself from Mr. Dakaria's grasp. "No, don't," I yelled as loud as I could, finally catching Malio's attention.

Mr. Dakarias laughed softly and was leaning against the wall behind us, arms crossed over his chest.

Hope flickered in Enrico's eyes, but it was Malio's look that brought tears to my eyes. They were so full of darkness and for a moment I wasn't sure if I was going to get through to him at all.

"Do not do that. Don't get lost in this anger." I begged through tears in my voice.

"What are you doing here?" "What are _you_ doing here?" I answered his question with a question in return.

"You shouldn't have been here!" He glared at his father, but Mr. Dakarias raised his arms apologetically and replied, "She wanted it. I couldn't stop her."

"Excuse me?" I snorted, wiping the tears from my cheeks and putting all my hatred into a withering look.

He raised an eyebrow and licked his lips, half grinning, but it wasn't the gesture that made me storm out of the room, it was his look.

A look that made my blood run cold. I didn't want to be in that basement room a second longer. Not another second in this house with the devil under one roof.

I would rather endure another attack by the Chinese.

Before I even got to the elevator, Malio caught up with me.

His hand grabbed my shoulder and maneuvered me against the stone wall of the old basement hallway with ease.

"I told you to stop!" he said angrily, never taking his eyes off my face.

"I can't take this," I replied, not even trying to hide the tremor in my voice - it wasn't possible anyway.

"She deserves it," he countered, and the evil in his eyes was still there, still present, albeit not as strong as it was a few minutes ago.

"It's not about whether someone deserves it or not. It's about the fact that you did it without batting an eyelid." "Jolien-" "No, Malio." I put my index finger to his lips and he raised an eyebrow in question.

I didn't want to blame him for what he was or how he ran things in his world, because I already knew what he was capable of. I just didn't want to be there.

Not having to watch him mutate into a monster and seem to lose every last ounce of humanity. Even if this sight didn't change anything about the feelings towards him.

I loved him. I always would. Even if every corner of his soul was filled with an insurmountable darkness, I would still love this man to me.

With everything I had With everything I was With every fiber of my body.

"Don't look at me like that." I laughed, still barely able to think straight.

I cupped his face in both hands and rested my forehead against his for a moment.

"I never wanted you to see anything like that." "I know." "You must be scared of me." "Not really," I admitted.

Our eyes met and the blue of his eyes seemed wild and uncontrolled, like the waves of a raging ocean whose currents constantly threatened to drown one.

"I am sorry. I don't want it to be like this." He stammered and I recognized his inner conflict.

On the one hand, he wanted to regret it, wanted to feel guilty for what he had done. He longed for humanity. But on the other hand, he was completely at ease with his every action.

"Don't do that, Malio," I whispered. "What?" His hands rested on my hips, and for a moment I lost myself in the warmth of that touch.

Maybe Malio would drag me to hell with him, but no matter how hard the fall, I'd perish happily.

"Try not to feel guilty because you can't feel guilty. Just because you don't feel sorry for her doesn't make you a bad person. you grew up like this You live in a family where violence is commonplace."

I kissed him briefly on the lips before continuing, "And I'm not fucking going. But please don't ever let me see that side of you again. This hatred and the darkness in which you lost yourself completely. Always remind yourself that you are not like that. You're a good person at heart who just grew up in a terrible family."

"Why does that make you so sure?" He averted his eyes and I turned his head back to keep my eyes on him.

"I saw what you did for me. You saved me more than once and I saw what you did for Rash and Chantal. You saved them both and you are there for them. They would die for you, Malio. You are special, and while you've been through bad things, and you've certainly done bad things, I know that you're a good person at heart."

A smile curled his lips and his hands dug into my skin tighter. "But tell me Jolien, does a good person want to fuck you here now?" "Do a good girl want to be fucked by you here now?"

His eyebrow rose a little again and he bit his bottom lip, grinning. "Don't provoke me Jolien. they will hear you They'll hear you scream when I take what's mine."

I had to admit that the thought of Dakarias-san hearing Malio shagging me just a few feet away was intoxicating. That would wipe that stupid and overbearing grin off his face.

Sure, he'd hoped that seeing him tormenting Soela would intimidate me enough to break up with Malio, but he'd underestimated how fucked up I already was.

How dark my own soul seemed to be, for although the sight had shaken me, there was another part too. A small, quiet part of me that kept whispering that she deserved it. I tried not to admit it to myself, but he was there. Loud and clear.

Dakarias-san's action had only made me aware of that voice inside me. She tacitly acknowledged and thereby also accepted Malio and his dark self.

It was almost funny that trying to break up with Malio had only made me feel even closer to him.

"Jolien, I'm serious, don't provoke me," he admonished. "I'm not provoking you. If I were to provoke you, I would certainly do something like that." I ran my hands from his face down his neck to his chest.

"I have to go back," he said to himself rather than me. I cocked my head slightly and brushed my lips over the skin of his neck. A low growl escaped his throat as I sucked in the skin and finally licked the reddened spot.

"You really want to go back?" I breathed softly while blowing on his throbbing artery.

His hands wandered around my hips, sliding under my butt to lift me up a bit. "You're playing with fire, Chesterfield." "Then punish me for it, Dakarias."

I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and felt his hard erection pressing against my throbbing core as he pressed his lips to my mouth, swallowing any further provocation from me.

With a single thrust, his tongue shoved vigorously into my mouth, eliciting a soft moan from me.

My hands slipped into his hair while I not only returned the passionate kiss, but also intensified it.

We were just a breath away from doing it here and now. In the middle of the dark, narrow corridor, only a few steps away from the room where a young woman was still fighting for her life.

A thought that was actually supposed to make me stop, instead I wanted it more than ever - but maybe that's exactly why the thought didn't hold me back, but rather it became weaker from second to second until it completely disappeared.

"Stop it." Malio had broken the kiss and leaned away from me, breathing heavily. "With what?" I put on an innocent expression, although I already knew what he meant.

“Stop making me want to fuck you here. I don't want to have to spank everyone in this room for knowing how you sound when you cum. This privilege belongs only to me. Every sound you make when I fuck you is mine. You belong to me, and only to me. Now go to our room and wait for me."

"Are you going to take long?" I nagged as my midsection tightened in anticipation.

"You'll wish I'd been down here longer when I'm done with you." A smile played around Malio's lips, "You like the idea, don't you? To be fucked by me all night?"

I looked away so he couldn't see the telltale glint in my eyes.

His laughter filled the dimly lit hallway before cupping my chin and whispering, "Does the thought make you wet?" "Check it out," I challenged.

He pressed his lips to mine again and smashed into the kiss, "Go damn girl. Go!"