Venom [manxman]

Prologue | Vanish

I fucking hated it.

Trapped in the spider's web, again, I sat tied in silk restraints while Maddox Kardy devoured each piece of me in the worst possible way. Taking everything for himself, violating every right I had as a person, and degrading me until the only shards left were the bitter, furious ones that wanted nothing more than to eviscerate him.

I got what I wanted. One way or another, I'd see Maddox's head on a silver platter. However long it took, whatever I had to do, it'd happen. I promised that much to myself. It was one of the promises I refused to break, like crying while he went through his sick little ritual, screaming for help that'd never come, or daring to feel anything close to pity for myself.

Pity wouldn't get me out of this mess. Neither would tears, but that didn't stop them from coming the second Maddox left me in a bloody heap on the floor.

"Fuck, Navy," he groaned, spilling across my chest.

I gritted my teeth as he smirked, tilting my head up to face him with a thumb under my chin.

"You're so sexy like this." Maddox admired his work. "Acting like you hate it when I can see the bulge in your briefs."

Unable to stop myself, I spat at him. That earned me a hard backhand on the right side of my face. His white gold and ruby ring surely left a print. My cheek stung, and tears swelled in my eyes. They wouldn't fall. I'd endured worse, and unfortunately, I would continue to do so. As long as my father kept me betrothed to Maddox, I'd be his plaything. Prince of 13Bravo or not, Maddox treated me like dirt beneath his boots. He'd seized his moment to become part of the leading duo of my family's gang, except he wanted the power for himself. Sharing with me was out of the question.

What infuriated me the most was that my family allowed it to happen. Then again, I didn't think they believed me. Or maybe they didn't want to believe me. Maddox, for all his faults, was a charming motherfucker. He'd say we played a little too rough when I showed up to meetings with bruises, or he'd blame my limp on training gone wrong. When I tried to correct him, my family brushed it off. My father especially didn't want to hear anything of Maddox being less than a perfect fiance.

None of that stopped me from screaming about it. I hoped the more I spoke about it, the more likely someone was to believe me.

"We were having such a good time. Why'd you have to do that?" Maddox asked, wiping the spit off his cheek with a grimace. "You always do some stupid shit."

"I'm not having a good time," I said. "I hate this. I hate you, and the moment you're least expecting it, I'm finally going to fucking gut you."

Maddox's eyes darkened as he towered over me, a hand propped on my shoulder. "Just try it, baby. I'll have you six feet under before you so much as touch the knife to do it."

"Wanna bet?"

He grinned as he leaned down, lips brushing mine as I hit the chair backing as far away from him as I could. "Oh, absolutely." The cool metal of a blade kissed my abdomen. Maddox traced clover-leaf patterns along my stomach and chest, digging just deep enough to split my skin, creating shallow scratches. "Go ahead and try."

"If you were half the man you pretend to be, you'd let me out of these restraints and say that again."

The knife dug a little deeper. "And let you forget your place?"

"My place? My only place is at the head of 13Bravo, but for some reason, no one seems to remember that."

Maddox brought the knife up to my face and let the blade rest on my cheek. "Oh, I remember. I like to think about it every time I'm fucking you. I love the fact that I'm the one who gets to see dear Prince Navy on his knees, covered in cum, and crying for more. One of these days, I'm going to get a couple of your guards to come watch me take you apart."

I stamped down the blush that threatened to rise up the column of my throat. "I'll kill you. I swear to god, I will."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself." Maddox stepped back and ruffled my hair like he would to a small child, and then tucked the knife back into his suit jacket. After zipping himself up, he moved around behind me, replacing the ropes around my wrists with metal cuffs. Pulling up, I rose from the chair and followed him to the bed where he chained me to the headboard. "Get some sleep. We have meetings tomorrow, and then we have to approve our wedding venue." Maddox left, turning off the light and plunging me into darkness.

I jerked at the chains, pissed off that it'd all happened again. That I allowed it to happen again. And the metal bracket connecting the chains to the headboard fell into my lap. I blinked through the dark, my eyes gradually adjusting to the blackness, and saw the bracket made a clean break.

Rising from the bed, I gathered the chains in my arms and walked a few feet away, ensuring nothing else tethered me to the headboard. When I made it, I swallowed a sigh of relief. It wasn't over yet. I had to get out of there. As much as I wanted to murder Maddox right then, I wasn't ready. I needed him alone, needed more people on my side. Until I was ready, I needed to run, get out of there, have a chance to regroup and figure out a plan.

Darting to the cellar door, I unlocked and opened it. I stepped out to the empty courtyard. Glancing back at the house, I found most of the lights off. I wondered if Maddox had already gone to my room to sleep, where he'd pretend we both slept soundly, together, like a proper engaged couple would. In the morning, when he snuck down to the cellar before sunrise to bring me upstairs and make me presentable, he'd lose it when he found an empty bed.

I grinned at the thought. I finally achieved freedom.

I took off running through the grass. Cutting through the trees, I vanished from sight of the house. The forest surrounding my home swallowed me up. I kept moving until I hit the road. Once there, I walked along the treeline to the city. It took about two hours, but I finally made it. In the city, I could really disappear.

From that point on, Navy Collins was dead to anyone concerned. 13Bravo no longer had an heir. Once I decided to gun for Maddox, I'd bring the whole gang down with him. Fuck them. Every last one of them.