Venomous King (Venom #2)

11. Diego

Chapter eleven

Diego

Revenge... is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill,will return upon him with a greater violence,and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion.

Jeremy Taylor

I wipe my bloody hands on the sides of my pants, as I release my hold on one of the men who tried to impede my way, and his body crumples to the ground. His sightless eyes stare up at the cloudless sky, and I wonder if his last thoughts, before I slit his throat from ear to ear, were of mercy and a God that, even in this holy place, could not stop the devil from entering.

The sound of music playing is muffled behind the church’s dark walnut doors before me. I can hear the muted noises of the remainder of Stella’s men, who were stationed outside of the building, dying at the hands of my mine behind me, their blood coating the ground before this holy place and staining it red. Death and destruction follow me wherever I go; today will be no different. My body vibrates with lethal intent to murder everyone in my path. I might even skin them alive, and use them as fucking flags outside of my home, in warning to those who think it wise to cross me. Today, I will take as many lives as possible, to soothe the rage that lives within me. Rage for what was taken from me. My prize, my heart’s desire, my fucking destiny.

A malevolent smirk lifts at the corner of my mouth, pulling on my scar. Fucking Stella . Did she really think a few measly guards would stop me from reaching my greatest prize? The old bitch has grown lax in her vigilance. Not even a fucking army would be able to prevent what’s coming. I am death and destruction, I am the apocalypse coming to cleanse the earth for the sins she’s committed against me. No matter, I plan to take my Princesa back to where she belongs, by my fucking side, and if I have to put a bullet between her grandmother’s eyes to do so, so fucking be it. No one will be stopping me from having Issy. I am all the family Issy will ever need.

I nod to Santiago, and he sets the charge for the explosives strapped to the door handles, as we take a few steps back. I plan to create chaos, and disorient everyone in this church, as I reclaim what is mine. They should all tremble in fear. I have no mercy for anyone who has hidden Issy from me all these years. I pull my Glock from its harness, tightening my grip until my knuckles are white; whoever this Kai fucker is, who thought that he could dare to marry my Issy, will be dead and residing in hell shortly. I’m going to make her watch as I blow his fucking brains out; that way, she has a reminder of what happens when she tries to evade her destiny. Me. The thought allows a calmness to wash over me, pushing out all the noises in my mind with my goal.

Mine . Issy Stratford belongs to me, and no one else will ever get to have her. She will pay me back in pain, blood, and her pretty screams, for ever daring to leave my side, and hide from me for four years.

The explosion rocks the small church, and delicious screams fill my ears. I don’t bother to wait for the smoke to dissipate, striding inside with determination. As the smoke begins to clear, frightened faces meet my gaze, but none of them are the ones I seek. I raise my hand and fire, ending the life of one of the security guards heading in my direction that I spot out of the corner of my eye. My eyes return to the center, searching for my goal; the church’s altar where she will be, like a sacrificial lamb waiting for the slaughter. The need to run, snatch her up, and flee from this space, mixes with the anticipation of witnessing her fear when she realizes she will not be able to escape me.

A swash of white silk barely visible on the ground, and hidden underneath a large body, is the prize I seek. The blond-haired giant is doing his best to protect her from all the shards of glass that have shattered from the windows. Blood trickles from the various cuts along his exposed skin, and yet he makes no attempt to stop the flow. I can feel a muscle spasming in my jaw as my rage rises further with the scene before me.

Mine. He’s touching what belongs to me, protecting her from me. He will die a painful death at my hands. Every inch of him that has come in contact with her porcelain skin will be flayed off until there is nothing left. I’ll make her watch, until she finally understands that she will never be able to leave me again, until she comprehends that she is, and will always be mine, and unlike her sister’s men, I don’t fucking share.

I get within a few feet of them and point my gun at his head, never taking my eyes off of him. “Hello, Princesa , or should I call you Annabell now?”

The sound of her frightened gasp at the sound of my voice causes a shiver of pleasure to race down my spine. I’ve missed that fucking sound, and I want more of it. I want to see her tears cascading down her beautiful doll face, and those large blue eyes filled with fear and regret. Regret that she ever tried to leave me.

“This is a house of God, you demon! Leave here immediately!” The pastor comes forward, holding the crucifix around his neck high in the air in his trembling hands, as if that piece of metal could somehow repel me. It won’t. I don’t bow to anyone, especially some unseen man of God, who would have married my Princesa to another man. I don’t even bother to move, raising my arm and shooting him in the head, before returning my glance to my waiting prize.

“Get the fuck away from my sister, you psychopath!” A blonde in a dark green dress rushes at me, and tries to dislodge my hold on my weapon. My hand strikes out, my fingers wrapping around her delicate throat and squeezing, even as she attempts to strike at my face.

“Mia, as always, you’re a little vicious bitch . This is not about you, little reina (queen) . Your sister belongs to me, and I’ve come to collect what is mine.“ I squeeze tighter and tighter, as her face turns a beautiful shade of crimson. Mia’s nails sink into my neck and arm, as she attempts to scratch at my face in her frantic endeavor to dislodge my hold. With one more harsh squeeze, I could end her life, the life of one of the people who have hidden my Princesa from me all these years.

“Release her, Diego, or I will fucking end you!” A furious shout greets me, before a dark blond-haired demon with furious, frightening, husky blue-gray eyes meets my glare. Carter Pemberton. My eyes take him in; he’s aged a bit in the years we haven’t seen each other, a maturity present that he lacked before. The fury and violence in his posture are nothing new; however, he was always an unhinged, violent psycho, and some things don’t change.

My eyes leave him, and I take in the rest of Mia’s harem. How one little, violent woman managed to get four alpha assholes to agree to share her still confuses my mind. It’s not that she’s not beautiful, she is. She’s just not Issy. No one in this godforsaken world is, and that’s always been the problem, since the moment I laid eyes on her in that hospital room.

My eyes narrow on my cousin Mateo, who has a small boy clutched in his arms, using his body to protect him from the noise and violence surrounding us. “Hello, primo (cousin) . I see you have been reduced to a nursemaid for your bitch of a queen.”

“Fuck you, Diego, this is my son. You need to stop this shit and leave here. You’re not wanted or welcome.” The frightened boy peeks out around Mateo’s arm, and blue-gray eyes meet mine, with tears cascading down his innocent, round face. Pity. It looks like only Carter seems to be procreating, and the world definitely doesn’t need more of his craziness.

“Take your hands off of Mia, fucking now, or I’ll break every bone in your miserable psychotic body.” Theo pushes forward, his sizable six-foot-two body radiating with fury and madness, and a gun clutched firmly in his grip, pointed at my head. In the depths of his midnight blue eyes, I witness the same turmoil that resides in mine. The same chaos and insanity that prevents me from functioning the way I did before I met Issy. Mia Stratford is his everything, and there is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect her, and keep her safe. I’m intimate with the same feelings, because I share them for her sister.

“I see no one has managed to put a bullet between your cunt eyes, Theo. Perhaps I should remedy that.”

“Momma!! Momma!” A terrified little boy rips out of Finn’s grasp and darts forward, wrapping himself around Mia’s legs as she trembles in my hold, and her breath stutters. I release my grip, allowing her to take a needed breath, and she immediately tries to push the child toward safety. My eyes skate over another little mini Carter, and a shudder races through me. Two identical mini Carters, the world can’t even handle the original. Jesus fucking Christ .

“LEAVE MY MOMMA ALONE!” The little heathen screams, as he tries his best to kick me in the shins.

“Alexander! Come to Papa right now!” Theo demands in a firm, steady voice, and the small boy instantly obeys after one last kick. Little fucker.

“Release... me... Diego. You... will... never leave... here... alive.” Mia’s raspy breath skates across my skin, and regret fills me momentarily. I’ve never wanted to hurt her. In fact, there was a time when I wanted her to be mine. My queen to rule by my side, but that all ended when I laid eyes on her pitiful and weak sister. The woman who torments all my waking and sleeping thoughts, Isabella fucking Stratford.

She’s not as weak as you thought, is she? She managed to escape that jungle, survive, and leave you behind. She’s been hiding from you for years, going on with her life, falling in love with someone else, while you remained obsessed, broken, and searching for her. Who is truly the weak one here?

I lean forward, so that my words are only for Mia’s ears, “If I die here, you will all die with me. Are you ready to see your sons’ lifeless bodies before you, for them to succumb to the darkness, little reina ?“ I rub my chin against the top of her head and lay a chaste kiss on her hair, my eyes firmly on Carter and Theo. I know I shouldn’t provoke them, but I can’t help myself. They knew Issy was alive this whole time, the fuckers. They knew I have spent years at war with her grandmother, thinking that she was the cause of Issy’s death. They should get to feel even a small amount of the torture I have felt.

“If you want someone to blame for how I found you, little reina (queen) , you should speak to your lover, Carter.“ Her body goes rigid in my hold, and her head turns as far as my grip will allow on her neck, to stare at Carter with complete, unabashed fury. A snort escapes me; it looks like Carter Pemberton is a dead man, regardless of whether he leaves here or not. I should feel guilty for selling him out, but I fucking don’t. He had years to tell me where my Princesa was hiding, but he kept quiet.

“ Diego Cabano! You release my granddaughter immediately, you unhinged heathen! How dare you come in here and attack us! I will have your beating heart ripped from your chest! You will die here today by my hand.“ Armed men part and a small, age-lined, beautiful face appears, with identical arctic blue eyes that I’m obsessed with. She stands tall and regal in her petite stature, her dark blue dress is wrinkled and unruly, but she’s utterly without fear, and filled with wrathful fury: Stella Stratford , the Ice Queen of Manhattan, and my worthy adversary over the last few years. Glee instantly fills me, and the desire to wrap my bare hands around her swan neck and snap it, is all-encompassing. I could end this blood feud between us here and now.

I release Mia, shoving her backward toward her men, and Carter instantly pulls her behind his body, using it as a shield, as the rest of them close in around her. My focus returns to the dangerous viper in front of me, with too much of my men’s blood on her hands. Her hands are as blood-stained as mine are.

“You’ve been trying to kill me for four years, Stella,” I allow a menacing smile to break across my face, the scarred skin on my jaw pulling taut, and I raise my arms wide to show her that I don’t fear her in the slightest. “And yet, here I am, still standing and breathing, and about to take back what is mine.” Instead of fazing Stella, it seems to enrage her more, and she darts forward out of the protection of her men, until only a foot or two divides us.

Fearless, powerful, queen; these words slide through my mind instantly, and I wish Issy were more like her grandmother. With her by my side, I could rule the world. “I will succeed this time,” her hand strikes forward, taking me by surprise, and slapping against my face with a loud clap. My head slides harshly with the impact, and instant heat fills the spot where her fingers made contact. Fucking psycho bitch.

I raise my hand, halting my men as I feel them moving closer behind me, and just waiting for the signal to murder everyone in this church. If Stella Stratford is going to die, it will be me pulling the fucking trigger, and watching as her life drains from her body. I want her to go to the devil, knowing it was me that sent her.

“I don’t recommend you attempting that a second time, Stella. I have very little restraint where you are concerned, and have no qualms about killing my future wife’s abuela (grandmother) .“ I point my gun right between her eyes, and she doesn’t even flinch.

“You are not worthy of my granddaughter, Diego Cabano, you never have been. If I have to meet my maker, so be it, but you will be coming to death’s door with me.” She grits her teeth, a look of rage and disdain across her elegant face. In the depths of her frigid blue eyes, I witness a certainty that she will try to end my life, even if it ultimately costs her hers.

“Grandmother, please! Oh my god, please stop! Diego! I... I am here. I am what you want; please don’t hurt her, don’t hurt anyone else.” Her voice is shrill and frightened, but even so, is still a siren song to me. I lose all interest in her grandmother, as I finally get my first look at my Princesa in over four years.

She crawls from underneath the giant, who is still trying his best to shield her. Her beautiful pixie and doll-like features meet my gaze, and I take her in. She’s chopped off all her gorgeous, long, dark hair, and now has a short platinum-blonde bob. I want to immediately hate it, as I loved wrapping my fingers in her long tresses, but somehow, this new look also suits her, and makes her even more beautiful. The blue eyes I loved to stare into are now mud brown, somehow making her look more mature, and older. My mouth goes dry as I take in her perfection.

She’s still tiny, but her body and curves have filled out, and become more womanly over the years we have been apart. She looks less like the scared and frail Issy of my past before me, and more like a grown woman, ready to protect those she loves. All the oxygen leaves my lungs, and my heart pounds in my ears like a war drum, calling me to her side, needing to touch her and feel her in my arms. My Princesa, my doll, mine.

“Issy...” It’s the only word that escapes my lips in a harsh whisper, as I feast on her appearance before me. Was she always this beautiful? A part of me wants to argue that she wasn’t, that something in her has changed and bloomed, and that it was due to being away from me. I want to reject that thought immediately. I wanted her to have suffered from my absence, like I suffered from hers.

She pulls from the blond’s embrace, even as he tries to haul her back behind him. “Isabella, NO!” The sound of his voice instantly grates on my nerves, and the desire to cut out his tongue, and that hand that touched her, is all-consuming.

“I’m... here, Diego. Please don’t hurt anyone.” Her chocolate eyes meet mine, as crystal tears slide one after the other down her face. A host of emotions race across her features: terror, fear, and then I see it; acceptance . She always knew this day would come, that I would find her, that I would never stop searching for her, and that she would always be mine.

“Come to me, Princesa , and I will spare them, even fucking Stella, who has spent years hiding you from me. Everyone but him . He will fucking die for touching what is mine.”

“I will not fight you, Diego. If you release all of them without injury, I will come with you, and promise never to leave you again. Please, if you have ever loved me, let them all go, and I will be yours. Only yours .“ Why is she giving in so easily? Unease slithers down my back. Issy has always been weak, but even for her, it seems she’s too quickly agreeing to my demands. Especially since her sister, and cunt of a grandmother, are ready to wage war right here in this church to prevent me from having her.

“MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY, NO!” A shrill scream sounds in the air, and then a tiny, dark-haired elf races in front of me, in a pretty dress with green ribbons in her hair. She stops right before me, between her mother’s trembling body and mine, and raises her fists, ready to pummel me. “I won’t let you hurt my mommy!”

Mommy? My eyes dart to Issy’s, and I see the terror in their depths, as she tries to grab onto the defiant little girl. She had a child? What the fuck? I search the little girl’s features, and my stomach drops, and the floor feels like it’s about to open up beneath my feet. My world feels like it’s instantly crumbling around me. This kid has to be between three and four, even though she’s so small. If that wasn’t the most disturbing part, the eyes that stare back with defiance at me are distinctly the color of the ones I see every day in the mirror. What. The. Fuck.

She’s mine ; those are my green eyes and dark features. Isabella Stratford not only escaped me, she took my unborn child with her. She took my daughter away from me, one that I would have never known existed if I hadn’t found her. “She’s mine?” The words feel like shards of glass as they leave my lips, and a part of my soul feels scorched and devastated. How could she have kept my child from me all these years?

“No, she’s my daughter, regardless of whose DNA she has, and you will not take either of them from me!” The blond giant rushes at me, ready to take me down to the ground. A shot sounds loud in the air, followed by screams, and I watch as my daughter rushes toward him and farther away from me.

“No!” I reach out to grab her, and that’s when Stella strikes, swinging a hidden blade towards my abdomen, and manages to catch me in the side.

Fuck.