Within His Reach

Chapter 25

BRIAR POV

Blood is a nightmare to clean, it was going to take hours to clean up the floor. It needed to be soaked up with a mop (several times) and only then could you even begin to start the proper clean up. It had to be mocked again- this time with soapy water. And then of course the bleaching. Lots, and lots of bleach. You needed to get right into the crevices of any texture floor to ensure all the blood was scraped out before it dried and became harder to clean. Before it stuck and wouldn't wash away easily. Before it had the chance to crust over and taint its surface forever.

My hands had blood on them.

So did my clothes.

I think it was in my hair.

And my face too.

It was everywhere in fact.

Theo had only gotten more and more creative with his violent torture as the night went on. He'd killed both of the family's guards, drawing out their deaths until my ears rang with trauma of their own- haunted by piercing screams.

The images in my mind of severed body parts, soiled torture tools and exposed guts had all blurred into one big messy, bloody painting. Theo should've considered painting his dungeons with blood- it would sure save on the cleaning up afterwards.

My stomach flipped at the memory of the grotesque crimes committed here. Yet when the thoughts of my own family flooded my mind, oddly enough no tears came. I knew that this was what Theo was trying to do. He wanted me numb to this world. Like a doll, that would stand and look pretty for him yet never crack a frown or tear.

I never thought this could happen to me- that I'd become numb and unfazed yet things were already changing so quickly. Perhaps Theo was right about me and his plans weren't as absurd as I'd once expected. This was going to be my life whether I liked it or not. By getting used to it now I'd only be making it easier on myself. I couldn't be in this amount of pain forever- wandering about these people's lives before and who or what they were leaving behind. I couldn't stay fixated on the sticky blood that would taint my hands and mind every time Theo turned to a blade. And most of all, I couldn't reminisce about what I could have been. My family was dead and this was my life now.

There was no use in denying that.

This was my reality and I had to accept it or else I'd be consumed by a deeper, angrier misery.

I had to let go now.

THEO POV

That was two down, four to go. And the more exciting four at that. I had taken care of the Nevretti's closest guards and had left the family to rot in separate cells.

I would never get used to the rush that came with brutally torturing enemies. Whoever created the gun must've been a far more sane man than I, for I couldn't think of anything better than hearing their screams ring through the air, feeling their blood on my bare hands and watching terror melt onto their faces. I loved causing that kind of pain. Briar on the other hand.... not so much.

I'd left her to clean the blood. Or at least, attempt to. No way was she going to be able to clean up that mess with a bucket of soapy water and a few cleaning tools. I'd practically painted that room crimson by the time I'd pulled teeth, hacked off limbs, drilled holes and simply beaten the shit out of those two men. Briar had a front row ticket to it all. Though Jona practically had to hold her eyes open to keep her watching as I'd wanted. She shook, wailed and clawed to get away from it all but I didn't budge.