Sin of Fury Read online

  It was hard to understand what was happening. Talon knew that he had no clue what was going on, could remember nothing, and didn’t even know where he was.

  “He’s awake,” came a soft whisper. Those two words made his stomach churn.

  “Ah, he is, isn’t he, dear brother?” The pleasant voice was veiled with malice. Turning his head away from them, Talon opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, knowing that playing dead was useless. The walls were damp and the air was filled with a metallic taste that made his mouth dry.

  So much blood, he thought, the glaring light calming enough in his vision that he could see around him. The walls were thick stone, grime, dirt and blood covering everywhere but the two frail creatures that stood over him.

  Red eyes gleamed in the dimness. Talon felt his body stiffen, unbelieving. Their white hair was slicked back, thin enough that he could see the gleaming baldness of their scalps. The two men looked exactly the same.

  The only thing that Talon knew about them was their names.

  Auro and Lyne. Twins of darkness, bearers of pain, and the only—and last—people that would ever make him feel pain.

  “I cannot wait to begin,” said Auro, his voice sleek yet scratchy.

  “I was supposed to go first!” Lyne exclaimed from beside him, eyes flashing. “It was I that found him, so I should have the right to go first.”

  Lyne’s hand dropped to his leg, the nails digging into his flesh. As if to prove his claim of Talon, his nails scored him, leaving a deep gash that broke through his dark jeans. Talon gasped, struggling against the shackles at the pain.

  In the back of his mind, a feeling of deja vu warned him that this had all happened before, that he knew more than he thought he did about the men who loomed over him. His eyes strained to understand while his mind followed suit.

  What did they want with him? He fought against the shackles, fear sliding down his spine. This wasn’t right, wasn’t sane…the thoughts in his head weren’t his own. He could feel what they wanted to do to him, could hear every nasty thought the bastards were thinking.

  The fear he felt when Auro brought his hand down to his arm, nails tearing up his skin, blood trickling down his arm and leg, was overwhelming. The brothers—there was no doubt in his mind that they were otherwise—smiled likely, wrenching their hands.

  Shocked, pained, Talon cried out, back bowing as he tried to pull away from them. It was foolish to do so; the movement only proved to make the pain worse. They laughed, snickered, and brought up their second hand in unison. The brother’s red eyes connected, and they leered at each other.

  “Together, brother,” Auro said, his hand seeming to be the handle to the puppet as Lyne brought his hand down at the same time.

  “Together,” Lyne murmured, a soft smile of adoration coming over his face as his gaze connected with Auro’s, a second before the twin set of nails scored his skin. He jerked, hands flexing, imagining the flow of their blood between his hands as his body arched from the pain.

  A soundless gasp left his lips—he was ashamed. To show these monsters what he felt, that he was scared…It would be a shame to any man. The cool liquid of his blood caused shivers to run along his arms and legs, the sadistic pleasure the men were taking only causing to make the pain that much more unbearable.

  His body drew taut as they sighed with pleasure. Auro took his hand away and brought it to his lips, his eyes gleaming. Talon tried to look away, but the sight was too gruesome for him not to.

  He shuddered with agony, the pain in his leg and arm growing so numb that he gagged. Fighting harder against the restraints, he kicked out and shouted. Talon stared Auro right in the eye, and Lyne reached over and yanked his head to the side by his hair.

  “You will respect him,” Lyne snarled, his other hand still embedded in Talon’s flesh. The howl of the wind and his ragged breathing clouded his ears. Flakes of snow drifted into the room. His skin prickled.

  “I respect no man, especially you,” he said hoarsely, breath coming out in a rush as pain rushed into his arms and legs with renewed force.

  In retaliation, Lyne dragged his hand up Talon’s leg, pulling the tanned flesh apart. Talon shouted, head slamming back as the pain drove him senseless. “After this, you won’t have a choice,” Auro whispered, his bloodied hand meeting Lyne’s pale lips. The twin licked Talon’s blood from Auro’s decrepit hand.

  Bile rose in Talon’s throat.

  “My brother and I believe that we will have quite fun with our new pet. You please us well,” Auro murmured, taking the hand that Lyne had licked and putting it on Talon’s chest. His black T-shirt disappeared.

  Fear held him immobile.

  No… God, no…

  His mind shouted at him to escape as Auro forced his thumb into Talon’s mouth. He turned his head, and when Auro still would not let him go, Talon bit down. When there should have been blood, there…wasn’t any.

  Talon’s eyes opened wide. Auro cursed, and Lyne fisted Talon’s muscle, the action bringing a tortured scream from Talon’s mouth. With his mouth gaping, Auro took the chance to wrench his jaw forward. Pain exploded in not only his head this time, but behind his eyes.

  White light surrounded him as Auro poured something into his mouth. With the inside of his leg held in a vise grip, his jaw yanked forward, thick liquid filled his mouth. Talon struggled to spit it out. Lyne’s hand latched onto his face, forcing his mouth open wider.

  The light around him become glaring, his head throbbing as badly as his leg and arm. Fighting, struggling, Talon gave a gurgled shout before the liquid finally flowed down his throat.

  “Forever ours…” Lyne whispered, and through the pain-filled haze, Talon could feel a moist hand stroking his cheek.

  Auro’s and Lyne’s eyes met, twisted smiles on both of their faces. “Forever ours,” Auro repeated in a murmur.

  He gasped, eyes opening wide. His heart was racing, his arm and leg numb with the remembrance of pain and a deep, long-ingrained hatred. Talon held his head tightly in his hands, forcing himself to breathe through the tightness of his chest.

  He hadn’t spoken since then.

  Hated words fell on indifferent ears. Talon could never bring himself to speak to them. If he did, he would only attack. The urge to kill them almost overcame him. Revulsion clouded his mind, the rough sound of his growl echoing through the room.

  His hand tightened around his neck, the tense muscles so taut that they felt as if they were going to snap, he forced himself to calm, and to also forget the past. It was nothing, he told himself. It was just a memory, and it was over.

  Talon’s head dropped low, knowing that that was a lie. The memory had become his life.

  His head turned to the door, then to the center of the room. The table that they manifested was gone now. Auro only bothered to make one when Lyne was present. The cold slab of stone had become Talon’s bane of existence.

  The only nice thing he could say was that it was the only clean place in the hell hole he knew as prison. When Auro visited him for sessions, the table would be cleaned and, if Auro was in a good mood, the toys that he liked to use on Talon would be absent.

  Shaking his head, growling in discomfort, he shifted his position to look out the window. Soft sunlight was streaming in, the whiteness only brighter as it reflected off of the snowy hills. Bare trees were scattered around, the fresh greenness of the leaves absent. The chirp of birds, the skitter of squirrels and other creatures were long gone, the cold of the winter driving them away.

  He felt an ache in his chest as pink hues strewed across his dark cave. While the animals were free to leave, the trees free to rest in their dead sleep, Talon was forced to stay.

  Turning his head from the sight, he moved lower against the wall, not allowing himself to feel the warmth of the sun. He didn’t deserve to feel warmth, it made him remember what he no longer had. Tucked in the back corner of the room, it was only mid afternoon by the time the rays hit his feet. Jerking back
, he hissed as if they burned him.

  In truth, it had felt wonderful, yet it had still seared him—with pain and longing. Ashamed, Talon turned his head into his arms and waited for Auro.

  Talon knew that he would barely get a helping today, not even enough food to drag himself across the room. Stomach clenching, he felt as if his stomach was eating itself. His mouth was parched from his shouting, and his arm was numbed with an ache.

  It was a routine. He would stay awake till food was brought to him. If he could force himself enough, he would eat it. If not, he would throw it out of the window. Starvation was the one thing he hadn’t given up on, and it hurt to eat. The loss of food was not that great—but the gift he wished it would bring was a painful reach.

  Auro knew that he meant to kill himself, had explained numerous times that it was useless, that he was going to live whether he liked it or not. The more energy he lost, the closer he came to death, and the more he remembered. It was a great treat for such a small loss.

  Soon enough, the food appeared. The dirty plate was an obvious diss to Talon. The dried steak was barely an ounce, the blood that seeped from the sides long crested, and the water that was on the plate looked…brown. The rim of the cup had been used; grime and dried saliva was visible. He grunted, taking the plate and considering. Dropping his eyes, he threw the plate and cup out of the window.

  They wouldn’t miss it, and he didn’t mind feeding birds that weren’t there. Returning to his corner, he bowed his head and waited.

  Just like he had done for the last six months.

  Chapter 2

  Auro gave Talon his meal for the day and waited to hear what would happen. He stood on the other side of the door, listening silently. There was a rough groan, and then the soft scrape of plates against the ground.

  He knew what would happen before Talon did it. In less than a second, the cup and plate clattered outside of the building. Auro pursed his lips in disappointment. He wouldn’t mind feeding the thing more often, but his strength had many cons—one of which was Auro’s possible downfall.

  Silently, he left Talon to his thoughts. The pain in his arm was enough to appease Auro, and Talon would surely try harder to kill him if he tortured him anymore for the time being. The thought left a smile on his lips. He almost initiated the collar, thinking of Talon’s cries ringing behind him.

  Almost.

  Lazy, he strolled down the dark halls of his house. More a mansion than a house, the windows were draped with dark maroon curtains. The floor was covered in thick black, stainless carpets. It was one of his greatest prides, the immaculate house he lived in. Auro hated to have such a wonderful dwelling dirtied, and would kill anyone who thought to make a mess of it.

  As the modern language would say, he was a spazz. Auro’s forehead wrinkled, his feet carrying him to a short pedestal. On it sat the head of his previous master. The gray marble was smooth and shiny. His frown stayed in place as he studied the bust, trying to understand what was wrong with it.

  He could hear Lyne down the hall, in the kitchen. While they had no need to cook for themselves, or even eat at all, Lyne took pleasure in creating things. Auro was not so enthusiastic. He only ate what his brother gave him if it didn’t have worms festering inside it.

  One of Lyne’s favorites was baked scorpion drizzled in seasoned blood with a splash of lemon.

  Auro almost gagged, then finally found what was wrong with the bust. Affronted, he stared at the hairline crack that ran from the widows peak to the left ear. It was so thin that Auro might have missed it if it wasn’t for his exceptional eyesight. Sighing with agitation, hating that things aged, he made the bust disappear and replaced it with a replica. He looked around himself, pleased.

  Everything was in order.

  He continued down the hall, away from the kitchen. He feared that if he entered the horrendous room, he would be forced to try Lyne’s newest experiment. He thought, for a rueful moment, that if they were humans, this taste deficiency would not be a problem.

  Then he shrugged, throwing the thought over his shoulder. To be human was to be weak, and to be weak is to be an abomination. Auro was greater than that, and would not bother himself with human problems.

  The open window at the end of the hall was dark, covered with a billowing curtain. The harsh wind and cold weather didn’t bother him in the least. Talon, he knew, was affected deeply. Sometimes he would peak into the room, and the man’s normally dark skin would be blue. A smile would grace his lips and he would leave, pleased with mother nature.

  The hall came to an end. Going left would take him to his room, going right would take him to Lyne’s. Knowing that his brother was busy cooking, the choice to go right urged him forward until he was in front of Lyne’s door.

  Auro was not known for snooping. He didn’t know what drove him, but as he opened the door, he shook the blood that he had forgotten about off his fingers. The act was done in less than a second, and the door was opened immediately after. He covered his presence, lest Lyne be suspicious or wary enough to notice it.

  With a wave of his hands, candles took flame and lit the dark interior of the room. The bed was grand, a king size of pure down. A deep violet duvet covered the massive space, with several pillows of the same design placed immaculately against the head board. There wasn’t a thread out of place, not a wrinkle to be seen.

  He smiled at how alike they were. Feeling mildly curious, Auro stepped further into the room. It was only a second before he was drawn to the dresser. The curtains over the window were pure black. The satiny curtains reached the floor and rustled as they fluttered in a chilly breeze.He made them stop, unsettled by the sound.

  Auro felt as if he were snooping. He felt as if he was defying his brother, or maybe betraying him. Whatever it was, it was uncomfortable and he hated it, yet he couldn’t stop his hand from opening the top drawer. His senses were starting to override. His heart, dead inside of his chest, would have been bursting with trepidation.

  The wood creaked as he pulled it open slowly. Looking inside, he had no clue what he would find, didn’t even know if he was trying to find anything. It was empty. For some odd reason, the pressure in his chest eased.

  He closed it—then froze, eyes drawing downward. There were more drawers, he told himself. He didn’t want to do it, he really didn’t…but he did. His pale bony fingers wrapped around the second handle.

  The haunting flicker of the candle light made it all the more suspenseful. He told himself not to worry, that his brother was busy and he was being foolish for thinking that Lyne would dare hide something from him. A soft rasping sound had his eyes snapping to the curtain. He hissed softly, forcing it to be still with a slash of his hand.

  When he turned his eyes back to the drawer, it had already opened.

  His heart pounding, seeing the picture frame face down, hiding what he knew would not please him. A trembling, thin hand turned it over.

  Auro hissed angrily, eyes flashing to a bright bloody red. The betrayer! his mind screeched, hand jerking back as if he had been burnt. The drawer slammed closed. The face in the picture stared at him, their eyes burning into his skull as he whipped around.

  He did not see his brother. He saw the traitor.

  Lyne walked in calmly, his face, so alike to Auro’s, expressionless. His hand landed on the bed post, watching Auro calmly. “Brother,” he said cordially.

  Auro could not return the endearment. His chest was tight, the image seared into his mind’s eye. He moved from the dresser, making to walk past Lyne. He wasn’t about to admit that he had been looking through Lyne’s belongings, wasn’t about to admit that he was so hurt and traumatized by what he had found.

  “You should have known,” Lyne started, putting up a hand as Auro made to leave.

  “Known what?” He stopped, wanting to exit but not wanting to touch Lyne.

  “That,” he said, gesturing to the dresser. “You should have known. I don’t understand why you look and think as
if I have betrayed you.”

  Auro turned cold, bloody eyes to Lyne. “After all this time, Lyne?” he asked bitterly, turning from him. The draping curtain was once again scraping against the ground, the sound grating on his nerves.

  Lyne’s pale face turned cold. “One does not easily forget the tragedy of losing a loved one.”

  “She was a whore,” Auro spat, crossing himself even though he was a creature of the devil. “She used us, betrayed us. Betrayed you!”

  “It does not matter!” Lyne shouted hoarsely, his anguish filling the room. “I loved her!”

  “She loved another man,” Auro hissed, disgusted with his brother. “I knew from the start that she was not what she seemed. I warned you—you failed to heed my warning and look what happened! The whore went to that bastard. Is this the reason you wish to keep him here?” Auro demanded.

  Lyne shook his head, bloodied tears threatening to fall from his pale face. “Brother, you know that is not the only…”

  “But it is one of the reasons, is it not?”

  He stayed silent.

  Auro hissed, pale hand slashing through the air. “Destroy that picture—it’s holding you to the past. If you must, take your anger out on him, but do not recall her when you are with me,” he snarled, his thin voice rising with anger. “It is an insult not only to me, but everything that I have done for us.”

  Lyne stared at him. He wanted so badly to tell Auro what he thought of his highhanded remarks, what he thought of his rules and what he had done. He wanted to shout back, but knew that it would only earn him a cold shoulder and a long night alone.

  His gaze dropped, and Auro stormed out of the room without another word.

  Lyne moved to the dresser, opening the second drawer. Within, the picture of his Amena lay. The old frame was worn, the gold paint chipping. The glass was clouded, and the drawn picture that he had spent several years on was faded. He held it gently in his hands, feeling his chest tighten with emotion.