Page 79 of Tarnished Embers
First up we have Lord Alaric Blackthorn, a charming and influential aristocrat who hosts lavish parties in his grand estate. On the surface, his parties are all just fun for the rich and famous of the world, however, there is a darkness that rarely gets seen. It’s not just the copious amounts of drugs and alcohol that are on offer, guests can indulge in all of their darkest fantasies, and consent is not something that is required. Behind closed doors, Lord Blackthorn is also involved in dark occult practices, including human sacrifice, and trades in forbidden and stolen artefacts. His never-ending pursuit of power and pleasure comes at a high cost, as he’s willing to sacrifice anyone who stands in his way.
Then there’s Benedict Caldwell, a revered banker and philanthropist. Caldwell is the face of many charitable foundations, however, his wealth has been amassed through deceitful schemes, extortion, and trafficking. Beneath his gentlemanly demeanour lies a man who sees people as mere commodities, using them for his pleasure and then discarding them. He uses the charities to find his victims, preying on the most vulnerable of society and often helping source entertainment for Lord Blackthorn’s parties.
Next up is Judge William Sterling. Respected in legal circles and feared by criminals. Judge Sterling is known for his harsh verdicts and unwavering attention to justice being served, but by night, he runs an underground network of vice dens, indulging in his and his friend’s darkest desires. He has no morals, often using his connections in the criminal underworld to buy his victims.
Finally, we have Dr Benjamin Vale, a celebrated surgeon and academician. Dr Vale is hailed for his revolutionary medical research, but unknown to many, he conducts forbidden experiments on unwilling subjects in his private lab, and we can assume as he’s friends with the other three, his tastes run just as dark and depraved.
How Odette found such monsters is beyond me, but she chose well, and it’s no wonder they took to their role as my abusers with gusto. The one thing I’m certain of after we discovered all of their secrets is that these monsters deserve to die, and there is no doubt in my mind that my part in their deaths is doing society a favour.
I’m getting dressed on the night of what I’m calling the reckoning when Prince enters my room. Like me, he’s head to toe in black, though that’s not unusual attire for him. He looks devastating, like a dark angel seeking vengeance, and I pause in zipping my black leather boots just to admire him.
“How are you doing, Sugar?” he asks, stopping in front of me as I sit on the bed before going to his knees and taking over zipping my boot up.
I take a shaky inhale, not entirely sure what to say. “On the one hand, I’m terrified, shitting myself about what’s to happen tonight,” I confess, giving him my other foot when he demands it.
“And on the other hand?” he asks softly, zipping up the boot, then resting his fingers on my calf as he looks up at me.
“Excited?” I whisper, my cheeks flushing with the confession. “Which is all kinds of fucked up.”
He squeezes my leg, then still kneeling, he shuffles between my thighs, taking my face in his hands.
“It’s not fucked up, my love,” he tells me, his thumb stroking my cheek. “It’s perfectly normal to be excited about hurting those who hurt you. About finally standing up to them and showing them they were wrong.”
“Wrong?” My brows dip as the word sits between us, and I watch as his lips quirk up in a half smile.
“They were wrong that you were a victim and not the strongest woman they’ve ever met.” He places a light kiss against my lips before pulling back again to look at me. “Wrong that the only way they would ever get a scrap of attention from you was to take it, because you are a motherfucking queen and they are not fit to lick the ground that you walk on. Wrong that you were ever alone, that they would never have to face the wrath of not only the men who love you but wrong that you were incapable of making them pay.”
Tears fill my eyes, trailing down my cheeks in hot rivulets as he speaks, and he brushes each one aside.
“Wrong that they would ever see a sunrise that we didn’t allow them to, that you didn’t allow them to, Ember. Now let’s show them the error of their ways.” He leans in and fuses his lips to mine, kissing me with such passion that I can feel it scorching across all my nerve endings, lending me a fire that I’ll need to get through tonight.
All too soon he pulls away, giving me a devilish smile that leaves my core clenching. Standing up, he holds a hand out to me and I take it, sliding my palm into his warm one and letting him help me up.
Tonight I will get my revenge, and not just for me but for all the other countless victims that didn’t have the support of four beautiful, broken men at their backs. Tonight we will serve justice and then bask in its fiery glow.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
“BLOOD // WATER” BY GRANDSON
EMBER
While I was at Serene Haven Mental Health Centre, the guys all took a week-long crash course in driving and passed their tests, so we take a black Land Rover Discovery they bought and head to the old house. Kit and Oct met with Hunter, Roman, and Rowan, the leaders of The Shadowmen and apparently Iris’s boyfriends. Called it. I didn’t realise that they’d met, but apparently they hit it off when they were visiting me and the Shadows were visiting Iris.
The Shadowmen have some experience in this sort of thing, according to Prince, and as they’d offered to help make my tormentors pay, we brought them in as we’re complete novices. Just thinking this has a nervous chuckle trying to escape my lips.Who casually thinks about murder like this?
Hunter assured us that taking these monsters off the face of the earth also ensured that no one who came under the protection of the gang would be at risk in the future. The ones they protected were often vulnerable people who all too easily could succumb to the lure of money or who wouldn’t be much missed if they disappeared.
The night sky is full of stars as we head to the city, the twinkling lights getting less as we draw nearer to the Big Smoke, aka London. Light pollution prevents all but the strongest being seen, and I snuggle into Prince in the back of the car the closer we get to where I used to live.
My heartbeat picks up as we turn into the driveway, the gates closing behind us as we make our way in the dark, the only light the beam of our headlights. No lights can be seen inside once we pull up, all the curtains are drawn shut, though I see several cars parked, only one of which is the other black Land Rover that belongs to us, Kit and Oct having gone ahead.
“The Shadowmen will take care of any other cars, Cinders,” Cas assures me, not for the first time as he takes in my puckered brows as I stare at the vehicles. “They have connections and a clean-up crew.”
“I know,” I say before purposefully taking a deep inhale and a slow exhale to calm my racing heart as I sit here, Prince quiet next to me. It doesn’t help much because I’m too keyed up to be calm.
“We have all the bases covered, Sugar. This will not come back on us.” Prince gives me a squeeze, placing a light kiss on my head before letting me go, opening the door and stepping out. The warm, summer night air filters into the air con-filled space, and I breathe in again, my chest feeling tight at the familiar scent of roses from the garden.
Time to pull your big girl panties up, Ember.