God of Strength (Light of Obsession #1)

Chapter 24

Alicia

     I wake up tied to a chair, it's secured in a tight knot digging into my skin and leaving no room for shifting.

      I feel a slap across my face. "Shut the fuck up and stop screaming."

     I was screaming? I hadn't even noticed. I can vaguely register the tears falling down my face as I look up, my vision blurry.

     As I blink back tears in an attempt to clear my vision, the man in front of me crosses his arms, a demonic smile on his face.

     "Well, good morning, doll." He says, tilting his head. His black hair is a mess on his head, with a ragged scar from his chin to his forehead.

     I swallow hard, tasting the metallic tang of fear on my tongue. The dim light filtering through the grimy windows makes it hard to see anything clearly, but the imposing figure before me is unmistakable. My heart races, a frantic drumbeat in my chest as I try to get a handle on the situation.

     "What do you want...?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. "Money?" He barks out a laugh.

     "Oh, no, doll. I don't money. Do you think I'm after you because you're a King?" He says through laughter.

     "Who are you?" I manage to ask, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound defiant.

     He laughs—a low, sinister sound that makes my skin crawl. "How quaint," he replies, stepping closer, the weight of his presence suffocating me. "You don't even know? I figured Vaughn would have mentioned me." He paces around me, his leather boots creaking against the floorboards. "But I suppose he's too busy playing the big man to worry about the little people he tramples on."

     Vaughn. Just thinking about him sends a jolt through me, and I force down the wave of panic urging me to scream and beg for help. He didn't take me because of last name, he took me because of Vaughn.

     I glance up at my captor, trying to glean any information from his demeanor. "What do you want?" I repeat, tightening my fists against the chair.

     "I want to see him suffer," he murmurs, his smile widening as he comes to a stop in front of me. "You're his soft spot, aren't you? With you in my possession, he'll be a puppet on my strings, dancing to my tune."

     A cold shiver races down my spine. I remember Vaughn's loving gaze, how he had held me tightly, like I was the very air he breathed. This man had no idea what he was playing with. Vaughn was fierce and relentless.

     "Let me go," I plead, my voice wavering. "You don't know him. You can't hurt him like this."

     "Oh, but I can," he says, bending down to meet my gaze, his green eyes dangerous and gleaming with malice. "And I will. Just you wait." He straightens up and walks away, the sound of his boots echoing ominously in the silence.

     Adrenaline surges through me as I process what he just said. "You don't have to do this!" I almost shout, trying to infuse my voice with strength. "You'll never get away with it! Forget Vaughn- my family, they love me and will find me!"

     His laughter rings sharp in the air, cutting me deeper than the ropes binding my wrists. "Love?" He reels back as if he's been struck by the absurdity of it. "You think that matters in my world? Love doesn't save you, doll. It's a weakness. And I'm going to exploit that weakness until it destroys him."

     Despair threatens to envelop me, but I cling to the thought of my loved ones. I can't let this man twist my mind into believing I'm worthless—nothing more than a pawn.

     "You will regret this," I say, my voice steadier now, clenching my jaw. "Vaughn won't let you get away with this."

     He shrugs, unfazed, and begins pacing again. "We'll see about that. But until then, you'll sit pretty and watch his world unravel."

      I stay quiet, my breath shallow but determined. I might be bound in this chair, but I won't let darkness take me. Vaughn is a force—a storm in human form—and if he cares about me as much as I believe he does, he'll find me. He won't let me be a victim.

     And when he does, this monster—this coward who feels powerful only when I'm helpless—will wish he had never dared to touch me. Because there's a fire inside Vaughn that nothing can snuff out, and that fire is coming for him.

     I hear the slice of knife in the air and my heartbeat accelerates.

     "Make sure you scream prettily for your boyfriend, hm?" The captor taunts, a camera in his hand, before pressing the knife into my skin and watching me scream.

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A/N:
This chapter was a bit more depressing than intended lol, soo what did y'all think? Did my foreshadowing in the authors notes live up to the hype? ;)
Thank you so much for the support!
Don't forget to vote and comment <33