Page 4 of Memories of the Dark
Greenwood hated everything about his husband, from his big, innocent eyes and shy smile to the sound of his voice. He couldn’t stand the discreet scent of the cologne Fergus used or the way he dressed. Last but not least, Greenwood utterly despised his husband’s submissive nature, his willingness to serve him and eagerness to please.
All the physical, sexual and mental abuse Fergus had suffered at the hands of his husband served one purpose only—to make the man lose his sanity and push him over the edge, driving him to suicide. However, to Greenwood’s immense surprise and frustration, the bloody wimp found a way to cope with all the horrors he’d put him through, by inventing Everly, that creation of hell who had given him so many headaches over the last seventeen years.
At first, Greenwood thought the bastard was nothing more than a sort of imaginary friend Fergus created out of boredom, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Everly was as real as any other flesh-and-blood person and scared the hell out of Greenwood. He was daring, commanding, competent, very strong physically, a presence Fergus’s husband came to fear.
Everly only appeared when Greenwood crossed the limits in punishing the pathetic form of life he was married to, always fighting him off and managing to save the wimp. For a while, the bastard took control over the body he and Fergus shared, then, when the things calmed down, he disappeared in some dark corner of the other one’s mind.
The most frustrating part was that Greenwood couldn’t use Everly’s existence to his advantage because it would have meant calling his husband crazy, a thing he couldn’t afford. According to his husband’s detestable father’s will, if Fergus became mentally incapacitated, he would have been committed to a deluxe sanatorium, offered the best treatment with the family’s lawyers taking control over the estate.
Greenwood noticed that it was Fergus, the weakling, who controlled Everly and not the other way around. That had given him an idea about how to take revenge on his husband for surviving the hellish treatment he’d subjected him to. He was going to bring Everly into his power, have his way with him and make Fergus watch.
An ugly rictus of satisfaction appeared on Greenwood’s face at the thought of the mental pain the worthless worm he was married to would experience seeing his protector subjected to all kinds of depravities. His cock twitched in anticipation, bulging in his underwear, just when a discreet knock on the door announced Fergus’s presence. Making great efforts to look excited about the visit, Greenwood opened the door.
“Please, come inside. Long time, no see or speak to you.” The man gestured inside the crammed office, speaking in a honey-coated voice. “You look better than I remember, more... mature.” He tried to caress Fergus’s cheek, without success, as Everly intervened, rejecting him.
“I thought you wanted to talk to your husband, not try to get him into your bed. You better not try my patience, or...” The man left the sentence unfinished, his jaw clenched, eyes narrowed threateningly.
“Why are you always such a party pooper? Since when am I not allowed to touch the one I’m married to? Anyway, you don’t have to worry, Fergus is safe with me. I just want to show him the humble beginnings of what will be one of these days a very prosperous company. Love, would you care for a glass of water?”
“Yes, please. I would like one, especially since it’s a little hot in here. Please excuse Everly. You know how protective he is of me.” Smiling shyly, Fergus accepted the glass Greenwood poured from a half-empty bottle.
“Please, accept my humblest apologies. I don’t have anything else to offer you right now as every penny in my name has gone into the company I’ve established. Come, let me show you what it’s about!” Greenwood took the younger man by the hand, guiding him to a door that separated the office from the warehouse. “Here it is, what do you think of it?”
“What exactly is going to be here? All I can see is an empty warehouse, no equipment, no...” A wave of nausea hit Fergus, making him abruptly stop. “I’m not feeling very well. I think I’m going to go home. Everly is kind of dizzy, too.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. The poor guy spends so much time looking after you, no one takes care of his needs. He’s a virgin, isn’t he?” There was something very disturbing in the tone of Greenwood’s voice, but his husband was fighting a second wave of nausea and missed it. “Come, take a seat. Let’s wait for a few minutes, maybe this indisposition will pass.”
He guided a visibly weakened Fergus to an old couch in the furthest, darkest corner of the warehouse and started to undress him, meeting no opposition. The younger man was inert, like a rag doll, and only half aware of his surroundings, unable to react to Greenwood’s actions much to the man’s evil satisfaction. He dragged his husband to the ratty mattress next to the couch, cuffed his hands together and started to undress himself.
Slowly, the fog that took over Fergus’s brain started to dissipate, and he registered the cold air pricking at his bare skin, giving him goosebumps. For some reason, Everly was very distressed, which was a rare occurrence and alarmed Fergus, so he turned around to identify the cause of that behaviour, the sight of Greenwood, naked, brutally spreading his ass cheeks making his blood freeze.
“Welcome to the party, pathetic, worthless whiner. Today is the day I’ll finally break the chains tying me to you. The day I remove the obstacle standing between me and Papa Trevellyan’s billions.”
“Blair, what—please, let me go! Or is this some kind of role play? You used to enact your fantasies like that... it’s just a game, right?” Fergus tried to fight off the panic taking over him, but Everly’s distress prevented him from doing so. Eventually, he managed a small smile, wiped off by Greenwood, who backhanded him hard, splitting his lip.
“You disgust me. This fucking lovesick puppy look, the stupid innocence in those eyes of yours, that face... I hate everything about you, I always did. The way you talk, dress, eat—I hate everything about you. I want to wipe your existence from the face of the earth.” Greenwood backhanded his husband again, but the man was too shocked to feel the pain.
“Why did you marry me? Why did you stay for so long? You could have asked for divorce, and I would have set you free. I love you, Blair.” Fergus closed his eyes, letting the tears stream down his face. “I would have given you everything in exchange for those three words.”
“I wanted you to fucking die and leave me to live the life of a filthy-rich man, but instead, you invented that Everly fucker and gave me enough headaches for ten lifetimes. Guess what, baby boy? Payday is finally here.”
Fergus closed his eyes and fell silent, understanding that any attempt of resisting the monster was doomed to fail. With the last remnants of his strength, he tried to reach to Everly and protect him from the horrendous assault, but his efforts were in vain, as Greenwood got there first. Soon, the unbearable pain tearing through his body became the only reality Fergus perceived. To block it somehow, the man’s mind plunged into the darkness of forgetfulness, letting itself be surrounded by it.
CHAPTER 4
“What happened, Mister Hansen? I got a message from Mister Bloom telling me Ardan is here and he needs my presence. Can you, please, take me to my husband?” Alasdair stormed into Fabian’s mansion, his voice raised but pleading.
“Sit down and relax. There is no way I’m letting you see Ardan in this state. He will sense your agitation and wake up. We don’t need that, not right now, so please wait until I get my fiancé. The two of you have to talk first.” Lance’s voice, although soft, had an edge of firmness Alasdair instantly detected.
“Very well. I’ll wait here, but can you please tell me what happened? Is Ardan hurt, and if yes, how badly? I need to know, I...”
“Fabian will be here in a couple of minutes. He’ll tell you everything you need to know and more. If you stop barking up the wrong tree, that is.” Lance cast a slightly amused look in the redhead’s direction, shaking his head as he left the room.
“Hello, Alasdair. I’m happy you didn’t drive recklessly and arrived here in one piece. I need you to stay that way for Ardan’s sake, so no foolish actions, okay?” Fabian started to talk as soon as he stepped into the living room, concern and affection mixed in his apparently stern voice. “Today, your husband’s world fell apart, and the two of us have to team up and help him build it back.”
“It was that snake, Godfrey, am I right? I knew he was going to harm my Ardan one way or another, and I should have convinced him not to go. I’ll make the bastard wish he’d never been born. I’ll skin him alive and leave his flesh to rot, then I’ll...”
“No, you won’t. More, you’ll never speak ill of Godfrey because he’s your husband’s father, whether we like it or not. As soon as you calm down, I’m going to take you to Ardan’s room. You’ll strip and slide under the covers, next to the one you love. He’ll feel your breath against his skin, and the first thing he’ll see in the morning will be your smile, awake or sleeping.”