Venomous King (Venom #2)

37. Issy

Chapter thirty-seven

Issy

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

Mahatma Gandhi (All Men Are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections)

N o, this can’t be fucking happening to me, not again. I let out a yelp, turn on my heels, and run farther into the house in a blind panic. I need to get out of here right now. Somehow, I have to get back to the car.

“Run, broken doll, run!” Diego shouts, and my throat threatens to close up with terror at the sound of his voice. How could this have happened? Did he follow me here, or was he lying in wait? Everywhere I look for a possible weapon to use, all I find is empty room after empty room, and nothing that will help me fight off the psycho. I race down the opposite hallway, and become trapped between the entrance to a library filled with empty wooden bookcases and large gorgeous windows, and his rapidly approaching form. “Stay away from me, asshole!” In my frustration, I rip off both of my shoes and throw one of my heeled ankle boots at him, hitting him in the chest. He stops, the shoe falling to the ground at his feet, and raises his eyebrow sarcastically as if I didn’t hurt him, and he thinks I am annoying. Fucker.

“Why would I do that, Issy? You’ve been a naughty girl, hiding from us.” Us? What the fuck does he mean by us? Is Kai here too? I get my answer as he comes up behind Diego, and I get my first glimpse of him in months. Jesus Christ, he looks like death. He’s so pale, his face has thinned out dramatically with all the weight he has lost, and the dark shadows below his eyes are so prominent that if I didn’t know better, I would think he had a terminal disease. What have I done? Look at how much this is hurting him.

They hurt you too , my mind supplies.

I push back the guilt that is attempting to swarm me. No, fight, Issy, refuse to lay down and die. If I get my hands on a weapon, both of them are going to receive a thrashing from me for ambushing me. Where the hell is my sister’s realtor? Have these two done something to them?

“Where is the realtor, you psychos? Have you hurt them?” I keep backing up, until I’m almost pressed against the wall next to the bank of windows. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the sky has darkened considerably since I entered the house, and thick snowflakes are coming down heavily. Fucking great, just what I need, another obstacle to getting back to safety. My eyes track both their movements as they enter the room, closing in on me like lions ready to devour their dinner. Shit, shit, shit. I raise my remaining boot before me with the heel pointed towards them. I’m outnumbered, and all I have to defend myself is this as a weapon. How is my life always such a devastating mess? Seriously, someone up there likes to mess with me.

Don’t fall apart, don’t give in, be fucking strong, we are getting out of here.

The corner of Diego’s mouth lifts in a deadly smirk. “What realtor? There was never a realtor; your sister helped us get you here with some far-fetched story of buying this house.” His words are bullets that hit me so hard that I flinch with their impact. No, that’s not possible, Mia wouldn’t help them. She hates Diego, there is no way she would have helped them trap me here, would she? “Ah, I see you’re questioning my words, so ask Kai. He won’t lie to you, Princesa. ”

My eyes turn towards Kai, and I glimpse a look of regret across his features. He wipes it off his face when he sees me scrutinizing him and takes another step towards me. What the hell is this now? Are these two working together against me? “It’s true, little rose, she helped us get you here. It was Diego’s idea, however, to use the house as a lure. In fairness, your sister wanted no part of this, but was persuaded when that asshole put a gun to Mateo’s head.”

I immediately turn back towards Diego, my eyes widening at Kai’s confession. “You held a gun to your own cousin’s head? What the hell is the matter with you, Diego? How could you do that?” He stalks forward, coming so close that I can smell his spicy scent, as it overpowers my senses, and tries to convince me that I don’t want to run from him. Nope, fuck you, pheromones; he’s dangerous, and we want no part of that.

Even as I try to convince myself, I drink in his features. His olive-green eyes glare into mine, and I can see the insanity, the need to possess me, to get his hands around me and force me to obey him, in their depths. There’s a tic starting in his jaw as he clenches it tightly, the scar pulling on his caramel skin, and the five-o’clock shadow giving him a sinister look. He cracks his neck from one side to the other, in a frightening display that has my stomach clenching in fear. He’s going to hurt me, the minute he manages to get his hands on me, he’ll make it hurt. Fuck, I’ll be lucky if I survive him this time.

“How could I use anything at my disposal to get back what’s mine? Have you learned nothing, Princesa ? I would burn this whole fucking world down, and murder every single person, if it meant I got to keep you and Julia safe!“ He roars.

“Hey, prick, what about me?” Kai takes his eyes off of me and stares at Diego with irritation, his jaw tightening and eyes narrowing. Diego rolls his eyes, but never takes his glance away from me. “Fine, you can stay alive too, Boy Scout , but only until you really piss me off. Then I’ll fucking bury you somewhere.”

Kai nods his head in acceptance of Diego’s words, and returns to staring at me, and shit, I’m positive that I have entered some alternate universe. Not only are the two of them working together in whatever this fucked up trap is, but Kai is not even fazed by Diego’s threats.

“Whose... whose house is this?” I question, suspicion rising within my mind, as I slowly inch along the wall, back in the direction of the room’s opening. If I can just make it out of this room, I might have a chance. They both mimic my movements, giving me space to breathe, but it won’t be long before they take even that away from me. I’m running out of time here. One of them is going to grab me, and then I’ll have to try to fight both of them physically, and there is no way I am winning if that happens.

“Yours, Isabella. Ours. This is our home. The one we plan to share together with Julia. The minute you stop this insanity of thinking you can stay away from us.“ Kai’s shoulders droop, and a look of sheer devastation skates across his face. “How could you have left me like that? After all that we had been through, everything that we survived, you discarded me like I meant nothing to you.”

I want to deny his words. I want to reassure him that I never wanted to leave him, that doing so crushed my heart, and that I have been living a miserable existence ever since, but I can’t. I have to stay strong. A life with them is not what I need anymore. I can’t allow them to hold me hostage in the name of keeping me safe. I have to be able to stand on my own two feet, and make decisions for my future. Mine and Julia’s. I need my little girl to grow up and have a life different from mine. She needs to be free and able to make her own choices.

The reality is that neither of them are the type of men to allow that. They want to own me, have me ready and waiting, for when they need me. I am a pretty jewel they can bring out and display, shine up and make sparkle, and then put back in a velvet box, protected. I won’t agree to that life anymore, not with them, and not with my Grandmother Stella. Freedom is all that I crave now, the right to my own autonomy.

I’ve already killed three men, one back in the jungle, and two here since I’ve been back. They should understand that I’ve changed now. I am not the same Isabella Stratford I was. I will not bow down at their feet, and I have no intention of fucking crawling. Kai slips forward, his hand rising as if to brush at my face, but I smack it away with the hand not holding the boot. “Don’t touch me, Kai. I didn’t discard you; I chose myself for once, and I am going to keep choosing myself.”

I kick out my shoeless foot and nail Kai in the shin, and his leg buckles. At the same time, I wham the boot at Diego’s face. The sound of leather and the chunky boot heel smacking harshly against his face, and his cry of surprise, fuel me to shoulder past him and run for the entrance. I’m almost out of the room when Diego manages to grasp onto the hood of my jacket, trying to yank me backward and into his arms, and I’m forced to strip out of it. No, I refuse to be trapped here with them.

I leave the jacket behind in his grasp, and my socked feet slide along the hardwood floor as I make my way toward the kitchen area. Fuck, I need something, anything to use against them. There’s nothing, literally nothing, in this house; it’s just an empty shell. Panic claws at me, forcing my breaths to leave me in loud pants. I can hear both of them rapidly approaching behind me. It won’t take long before they both overpower me. My eyes meet the glass patio doors, and in a split-second decision, I open the door and race out into the snow, and my feet are instantly drenched by the accumulating flurries. I don’t have time to think my decision through. If I can get around the side of the house, I can get back into the car and out of here.

“STOP FUCKING RUNNING, ISSY!” Diego shouts behind me, but I refuse to turn around to see how close he is. I make it off the wooden deck and down a few steps, until I’m sliding across the wet grass, and almost at the corner of the house. Fuck, move faster , I beg my legs. I can hear the sounds of their heavy footsteps pounding behind me, the sound mixing with the thundering of my blood rushing in my ears. I’m not going to make it, I can feel how close they are behind me. The cold air on my face, and the wind blowing through my short hair, feels amazing on my overheated skin. I need to slow them down somehow, but the question is how.

My eyes land on a circular flower bed up against the corner of the house, and surrounded by landscaper blocks. Fuck it, if I am going to be retaken, I’m going down, but causing them as much damage as possible. I slam to a halt next to the flower bed, and all of the bushes are already sprinkled with snow. The bite of the cold skates across my fingertips as I reach down quickly, grasp hold of one of the blocks, and lift it in my arms. It feels like it weighs at least five pounds, and is made of some sort of concrete. Here goes nothing... I whip around and throw the first block, not bothering to wait to see how it lands, before I grab another one. The grunt of pain lets me know that I’ve hit one of them, and I want to almost crow with joy. “I refuse to be your prisoner!” I shout and launch another one. This one goes wide and doesn’t hit either of them, but I won’t be deterred, instantly grabbing another one and throwing it.

“Isabella, stop this insanity! You’re going to hurt yourself and get sick!” Kai growls, and I see him out of the corner of my eye, trying to approach from the side while Diego comes at me from the front. “I’m not weak! Stop fucking treating me like some fragile glass doll. I’ve survived hell and the two of you!“ I launch this one at Kai, and it bounces off his shoulder. Bullseye, motherfucker!

“Jesus fuck, Diego, do something! She’s going to hurt herself, or take one of our heads off with those!” Diego’s head turns to look at Kai with annoyance, and I don’t hesitate; I whip another block, this one at his head, and take off running again toward my car. I can almost spy the bumper as I make it around the corner of the house. My chest fills with hope that I might actually make it. A heavy weight lands on me, forcing me to the ground, and all the air whooshes out of my lungs. Before I can even endeavor to get to my knees, a large palm slaps my asscheek hard. The impact is jarring, forcing a scream to leave my lips.

“Go ahead and scream, Issy. There is no one for miles to hear you.” Slap. “You’ve done enough running from me for a fucking lifetime.” Slap. “It’s time to admit defeat, Princesa. ” Slap.

“NEVER! I will never admit defeat, or surrender!” I shout as I try to buck him off of me. He grabs a fistful of my blouse and yanks it forcefully, until the collar is strangling me, before I hear a tearing noise. “You want to act like a spoiled bitch, running through the snow away from the men that love you, then I’ll punish you like one.” Diego’s hand slides up the back of my neck, and he pushes my face into the snow-covered grass, until all I’m inhaling is snow and dirt. “Tear her pants off. Now, Kai,” he growls, and the sound has my body locking up tight. No, no fuck, no, I can’t allow this to happen.

Kai hesitates, and Diego finally allows my head to lift a few inches off the ground, until I’m sucking in huge gulps of air, before he pushes it right back down. Fucking asshole! “Now, pretty boy! If you want to fucking reclaim her, and knock some goddamn sense into her, this is the only way.”

“NO!” I try to shout into the ground, but it comes out all garbled. “Diego, fuck, this is not right.” I hear Kai’s concerned words through the rapid pounding of my heart. “Fucking Boy Scout ,“ Diego grumbles, but releases his hold on the back of my head and grips my hair, forcing a scream from my lips, and my body to flip over until I’m now looking up at the sky, and spitting out clumps of frozen grass. My chest heaves, and my lungs constrict painfully, as I try to relearn how to breathe.

“Listen to me, Princesa . You’re fighting a losing battle. I will never let you go, not while you are still breathing. You can choose to keep this shit up, and convince yourself that you don’t want us, but it will never work.“ He releases his grip on my hair, only to replace it with his fingers on my neck, as he slowly tightens them in warning.

“Right now, if I slip my fingers down your pants. I know that I will find your pussy soaked. You want to be manhandled and treated like a slut. It gets you off.” I want to deny his words, they’re crass, and he’s an ass, but the truth is I’m completely drenched. The chase through the house, and then out here fighting them both off, it’s done things to me. Things I didn’t think I would be capable of after I was kidnapped. The fear I’m experiencing has become a bit of an aphrodisiac, and a part of me wants more. “Shall we find out?” He places one of his knees on my stomach, forcing me to stay still, as he gives my neck a squeeze. “Take her fucking pants off, Kai. Look at how turned on she is, her eyes are practically rolling into the back of her head.”

I try to thrash my head, but Diego tightens his grip and holds me down on the ground. “Stop lying to yourself, Issy. You want us just as much as we want you.” Is he right? Do I want this, do I want them still? A part of me craves the idea of them reclaiming me, and banishing the memory of the monster who took so much from me. Kai lowers himself beside me, his crystal blue eyes meeting mine. I see the pain that he’s trying to hide. I’m hurting him; I’m hurting both of them, when I never desired to do that. I love both of them, have always loved them, and yet there is this wall now between us. A wall placed there metaphorically, brick by brick, by my own hands, and it’s so tall now that I can no longer see over the top of it to my original intentions.

Kai reaches forward, gripping my pants and popping my button. His eyes never leave mine as he lowers my zipper and pulls them off, until the frigid air caresses my legs, and goosebumps erupt all over my exposed flesh. “Damn, Isabella. Look at how beautiful you are. Our own perfect snow princess.” His fingers stroke against my panty-covered pussy, and he releases a groan. I know what he feels, I can feel my wetness down the crack of my ass. “Soaked. Our beautiful girl is just aching to be filled, aren’t you, my sweet rose?”

He leans forward until his mouth is mere inches away from my throbbing pussy, and uses his teeth to pull my underwear to the side. He looks up at me, never taking his eyes off of me, as his tongue darts out and licks my pussy lips. The contrast between his warm tongue, my wetness, and the cold air, has me writhing and groaning. I plant both my feet in the snow and part my legs wider, encouraging him to consume more of me.

Diego’s other hand slips down my gaping top and underneath my bra, until he has one of my breasts cradled in his palm, and his deft fingers are pulling on my hardened nipple. He rolls it between two fingers before pinching and pulling, the bite of pain adding another element to the madness rising within me. This is crazy, I should be trying to fight them off rather than allowing them to take from me. They are not taking, they are giving, my mind supplies, and as that realization washes over me, like the cold snow still falling from the sky and coating all three of us, I realize that it’s true.

My hands reach up, and rather than clawing at Diego to force him to release me, I grab onto the sides of his face and yank him down to me, until his lips meet mine, and I push my tongue into his mouth. It’s as if the pin from a grenade has been released. For a brief moment, he holds back, his lips not moving as his bright green eyes meet mine, then the explosion takes over, and his mouth ravishes mine, robbing me of what little oxygen I had, as he sucks on my tongue. His teeth bite down on my bottom lip at the exact moment that Kai sucks on my clit. Fuck, fuck, fuck. It feels so good, and I’ve missed them so much.

Diego consumes my mouth with blistering kisses, as Kai positions his body between my legs, using his shoulders to force my legs wide, before wrapping them around his head and licking and sucking my pussy lips and clit, until I’m losing all control of myself. My limbs tighten, and the cold no longer even registers, as an inferno of heat rises inside of me. My stomach clenches, and I bear down, but my core feels painfully empty. Shit, I need one of them to fill me up, to force all the shadows, and the darkness that now haunts me, away. Only they can do it. I’ve tried all these months to move past it, to not allow what happened to me to drown me in the depths of despair, but here, right now, is the first moment since I left that compound where I feel truly alive.

I need them, and I have been so bloody stubborn and foolish. Right now, I can’t even remember why I pushed them away, and I have gone months without them. Kai slips a finger through my slit and stops with the tip just grazing my tight hole. I attempt to lift my hips to try to force him inside of me, but Diego’s knee is still holding me down. I push against Diego’s chest and face, trying to get him to release my lips. He moves back and stares down at me, his full lips swollen and glistening from my mouth. The hold he has on my neck loosens, as I drag air inside of my lungs. “Ple... ase,” I moan, as Kai’s finger thrusts forward and fills me.

“What do you need, Princesa ?“ Diego’s voice is deep and sultry, and causes a shiver to race through my body. His fingers pinch my nipple hard, and my eyes nearly cross from the combined pleasure, as Kai slips a second finger inside of my pussy. “More...” I whisper and try to arch my body again. Diego pulls his knee off of me and releases my throat. His hand tears at my shirt, and yanks down the cups of my bra, as my peaks meet the cold air. Fuck! His head dips down, and he takes my nipple in his mouth, laving it over and over with his tongue, before grazing his teeth against the sensitive tip.

“Fuck!” I shout into the snowy sky, as I feel the orgasm rising within me, and my pussy clenching on Kai’s thick fingers. Kai pulls his mouth away, leaning over Diego’s head as the latter continues to suck on my nipple, and his mouth meets mine. “Taste yourself, baby. You’re delicious, the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

I feel a second hand slide down my abdomen, until warm fingers are rubbing against my throbbing clit as I suck on Kai’s mouth, tasting the combination of myself and him on my tongue. I moan as another finger slips inside of me, but from a different angle, and thrusts with Kai’s. The stretch has me gasping into Kai’s lips, as the feeling of overfullness fills me. It’s almost too much. Just as I try to pull away from Kai’s mouth, another finger slips inside of me, and I scream into his mouth as he swallows all the sounds. Diego pries his mouth away from my nipple, biting down on the fleshy mound of my breast. “That’s it, baby, look at how your pussy stretched to take both our fingers. You’ll take our cocks too.”

Kai pulls back, a grin on his lips, as he watches me lose my mind as the two of them pick up speed, thrusting inside of my pussy in tandem, and Diego’s palm applies pressure to my needy clit. “That’s it, Issy, let go,” Diego commands, and my body gives one last spasm, as the orgasm that was threatening to unravel me proceeds to do just that. All of my limbs tighten, and heat soars through them, as my core spasms and my breath hitches, my mouth opening in a silent scream. I feel the gush of wetness leaving me and coating their fingers, my inner thighs, and the ground below me.

“Fuck, little rose , I need inside of you now.”