Devil’s Sinner: Fallen Dynasty Book 3 Read online

  I reached for a light switch and was met with the same result. Everything had been turned off. I stumbled to the sink and a prayer left my lips as I twisted the knob. The rush of water was almost enough to make me squeal with excitement. The vineyard probably had a well, so that was the one thing that didn’t get shut off. I drank from the faucet until my stomach felt like it was swollen, and started trying to clean my wounds.

  The realization set in that my only way of escape from Cabot Vineyard was by foot. I was naked and miles from civilization. I didn’t know if my legs could handle the walk, but collapsing in the forest nearby sounded a lot better than waiting for Connor to return. I searched the house for clothes, but all I found was an old blanket. It still smelled like the grapes that used to grow in the vineyard. I wrapped it around my body and walked to the door.

  My freedom was mine to earn. I started walking towards the wooded area. That seemed safer than trying to follow the road. The grass was overgrown and I didn’t even want to think about what I could be stepping in. My feet weren’t used to the terrain, but I did my best to ignore the pain--it was still a slow trek--and I regretted not pushing my limits when I heard a car.

  “Fuck. That has to be Connor!” I pushed my protesting muscles to move faster.

  I tried to run, but I simply couldn’t support that kind of effort. My system was too weak. The water had given me a hint of nourishment, but not nearly enough. The car veered from the road and started plowing through the overgrown grass. Connor had spotted me. I refused to give up and begged for more adrenaline as I broke through the edge of the wooded area.

  The car stopped. I didn’t. I heard Connor’s voice behind me--shouting--profanities--they didn’t stop me either. I just kept moving as fast as my weary legs could carry me. The blanket did it’s best to protect my skin, but a few jagged pieces of the bushes I waded through still dug into my flesh. I heard stomping behind me and I dared to glance over my shoulder when I saw a shadow--a split second before Connor tackled me to the ground.

  “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Connor flipped me over and jerked the blanket away.

  “Anywhere but here!” I writhed and fought--I slung my arms wildly and one of my jagged nails caught Connor underneath his eye.

  “Fuck! Bitch!” Connor’s hand went to his face and I squirmed free.

  I scrambled back to my feet and started running again--but in a different direction--towards the idling car behind us. Connor didn’t turn kill the engine, which meant the keys were still in the ignition. If I could get to it, then I was free.

  I burst through the edge of the wooded area and hope began to surge through my body again--but it was short lived. Connor hit me from behind with what felt like his shoulder and I left my feet as I went flying through the air and crashed into the ground. The impact was enough to leave me stunned. Connor was on top of me before I had a chance to recover.

  “At least you’ve still got some fight left.” He wrapped his hand around my throat. “Good!”

  Connor lifted up and yanked me to my feet. He quickly grabbed my injured wrist and I screamed as the agony shot through my arm. I made him bleed, but it wasn’t enough to hurt him--probably not even enough to scar. My chance of escape had been snuffed out and I barely grazed my tormentor.

  “I’ll make sure the fucking ropes are extra tight this time, dear Violet.” Connor pulled me forward.

  “Then I’ll fight harder to escape!” I lunged at Connor--at his eyes with my fingernails--but he caught my other arm before I could hit him.

  “I hope you fight this hard the first time I fuck you.” He squeezed my wrists. “I’ll enjoy it.”

  “That’s never going to happen!” I twisted and turned in his grip, but it was no use. The pain in my wrist made me want to scream and I refused to give him that satisfaction again.

  “We’ll see…” Connor’s lip slowly spread into a grin. “This little escape attempt will give me enough satisfaction for one day--especially since it gives me all the permission I need to punish you.”

  “Permission?” I blinked in confusion.

  “It’s complicated, but nothing for you to worry about, dear Violet.” He jerked me towards the wooded area. “You’re going to be too busy suffering to worry about it.”

  Connor let go of my injured wrist when we got to the wooded area and I tried to slam my hand into him, but he easily dodged my attempts. He reached out and ripped a long, slender branch free before he started dragging me back towards the shed where I had previously been tied up.

  I dug my heels in and did my best to resist, but I wasn’t able to put up much of a fight. The adrenaline had nearly exhausted what limited supply I had and he was way too strong for me. The second that we got to the shed, he slung me forward so hard that I stumbled and landed on the floor. I looked up at him with every ounce of hatred and contempt I could muster.

  “Maybe if your father would have done less sparing the rod and spoiling the child, you would know your fucking place, dear Violet.” Connor started plucking the leaves off the branch and throwing them on the ground.

  “I do know my place.” I tried to push myself up to my feet, but Connor walked over and put his foot on my injured wrist. “Ow, fuck!”

  “Obviously not, which is why you’re going to be punished.” Connor locked his eyes on mine and continued plucking the leaves until the branch was bare--then he swung it in the air a couple of times before pointing to a dusty table in the corner of the room. “I’m going to remove my foot from your wrist and you’re going to bend over that table for your whipping.”

  “Like hell I am…” I glared at him and grimaced as he twisted his foot on my wrist.

  “You will, dear Violet--otherwise, I’m going to whip you right here on the floor until you can’t fucking move.” His lips twisted into the sickest smile I had ever seen him wear and he lifted the branch. “Maybe I’ll break your wrist first--as punishment for hitting me.”

  Connor started grinding his shoe against my wrist and I realized he was serious--he would actually do it. “Okay!” I squealed and tears dampened my eyes.

  The water I drank replenished me enough to cry. What a sadistic twist of fate. I needed whatever strength I could muster if I was going to try and escape again. I couldn’t let Connor break my wrist.

  “What will it be, dear Violet?” Connor narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to take your whipping and show me that you still remember how to be a good little girl?”

  “I’ll…” I let out another squeal. “...Yes.”

  I was defeated. I fought with everything I had and it wasn’t enough. Connor slowly pulled his foot away from my wrist and I rubbed it as I rose to my feet. He kept his distance, but he stayed between me and the door. He wasn’t going to give me another chance to run.

  The branch was as thick as his thumb on the bottom where he gripped it and slender on the tip--he swung it a couple of times in the air and I winced. It was going to hurt--probably more than Devlin’s whip. Devlin didn’t swing his whip with malice. I doubted Connor was going to use his switch with any semblance of mercy.

  “Get over the table. Now!” Connor pointed with the switch.

  I didn’t move as fast Connor would have liked. The switch landed across the back of my thighs as soon as I was facing the table. It stung and caused me to jump--but it was barely a taste of what he had planned for me. The table was dusty and disgusting, but I bent across it until my nipples were pressed against the wood.

  “When you defy me, dear Violet…” Connor walked up behind me and tapped my ass with the switch. “I have to punish you.”

  The switch made a swish noise in the air as he brought it down on my ass and I heard the sound of it cracking against my skin a split second before the pain registered.

  SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK

  Connor didn’t even give me a second to catch my breath before the switch stung my skin again. He was relentless and hungry for my suffe
ring. I kept my jaw tight through every tremble and every primal need to scream. I refused to give him the satisfaction of an audible response, even when my eyes betrayed me and tears flowed down my face like rain.

  “You’ll learn to obey!” He practically yelled and the switch never stopped coming as he spoke. “You’ll beg to call me Master!”

  Never.

  SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK

  “You’ll swallow my cock and every hole will ache for it!” Connor’s ferocity reached the point where he was just spitting his words.

  Never.

  SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK

  “You will forget the name Devlin Windsor. I will be the only Master you know!”

  Never.

  SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK

  My whole body shook with torment but my defiance held on. My lips stayed sealed. Connor could punish me. He could hurt me. He would never own me. He would never have the satisfaction of watching me break.

  “Say please and this will stop, dear Violet!” Connor made the switch land with as much malice as he could muster.

  Never.

  SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK, SWISH-CRACK

  Connor whipped me until my ass and the back of my thighs were on fire, but I held my tongue--until one final lash caused the wood to splinter. He threw the broken switch down on the table and grabbed me from behind. I still didn’t know why he was so determined not to take what he wanted until I gave it to him, but that point of resistance was all I could hold on to. The whipping didn’t erase the hope--I escaped once. I would do it again.

  “Fine, have it your way.” He pulled me towards the ropes. “I’m not even going to give you a chance to sign my fucking contract today--you haven’t earned it.”

  Was he afraid of another rejection? Had my defiance wounded him? I prayed that was the case. If my suffering could bruise his ego and damage his pride, then every swing of that switch was worth the agony. I was too weak to stand when Connor got me to the ropes--too weak to fight, even if it would have helped. All I could do was let him tie me up again and wait until I had the strength to battle the ropes one more time.

  “Lights out, dear Violet.” He tied the blindfold across my eyes so tight I couldn’t even see the shimmer of light around it. “The next time you see the sun, you will be mine.”

  Never.

  Seven

  Devlin

  The next day was spent reaching out to contact after contact.

  I named a prize for Violet's safe return, an unimaginable sum of fifty million dollars that made even my head spin. As I called business associate after business associate, they tried to laugh my offer out the door, but I could feel their greed seeping through my phone when I mentioned the hefty prize money. They were salivating at the thought of getting even more filthy rich, and probably got off knowing I'd be fifty mil poorer if they gave me some useful information that would bring Violet back.

  By that evening, I was offering double the money if Violet was returned unharmed. I didn't give a shit. It was just paper. All I wanted was my princess back safe and sound. Nobody got to hurt Violet Cabot but me.

  Jasper came into my office just as I was finishing another phone call.

  "That's right," I said into the phone's speaker, motioning for my associate to join me in my office. Jasper walked in, standing to the side, his expression impassive. "A hundred million for her to return, unharmed. That's right. Yes. Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon."

  I cut the call and sighed, rubbing my temples as I put the phone down.

  "A hundred million?"

  I looked up into Jasper's worried face.

  "What of it?"

  "Well, we both know what that means, Sir," he said, shrugging apologetically. The man knew his place, but he wasn't afraid of warning me against making something he considered a mistake. "If somebody actually claims that bounty... you'll have to sell some of your personal stock to cover the cost."

  I remained stubbornly quiet, but Jasper wasn't done just yet, and he paced the room as he went on.

  "You've already burned through a substantial chunk of your liquid assets with the purchase of Cabot Estate, Sir. And that amount doesn't even begin to touch on the hundreds of thousands you've spent trying to get Hubo Cabot out of prison."

  Once again, the red mist descended before my eyes. I couldn't stand being told what to do, couldn't imagine anyone not understanding how much my plaything's safe return meant to me. I took a step toward Jasper, eyes raging with silent fire as they met his.

  "Do I fucking look like I care?" I asked him, and we glared at one another for a few long seconds before Jasper finally looked away, giving me a curt nod.

  "Right you are, Sir. I'll be on my way."

  He left the office, and I finally relaxed my stiff shoulders. Jasper didn't mean to upset me, of course - he was just looking out for me, like a good employee should be. Still, his warnings had upset me. I knew deep down I'd blow it all - my fortune, my reputation, my name - just to get Violet Cabot back in my arms safe and sound. And it looked like the rest of the world was starting to realize that, too.

  I sat down in my office chair with a heavy sigh.

  She really is fucking gone.

  It was as if the truth was finally hitting me, Violet's absence more painfully obvious than ever before. It was making my head spin, thinking of her so far away from me, wherever the hell she was. Probably hidden in some cellar in Peterson's house like some kind of animal. My hands formed fists on the desk and I cursed out loud. That fucking bastard wasn't going to get away with this.

  For the rest of the night, I couldn't stop thinking about her. My princess, my plaything, my slave, my Violet. I'd only been victorious for a little while before she was taken from me yet again. But even in those short few weeks, I'd learned an important lesson.

  When I first took her, made her sign her name on the dotted line, all that mattered was her submission.

  Breaking her, hurting her, shaping the girl into my perfect submissive by any means necessary. It was all a means to an end - a way of turning the girl I'd always wanted into a willing submissive for me. But as time went on, I realized just how much I missed her. What a hole her disappearance had left in my life.

  Maybe I took things too far.

  The thought hit me like a freight train, making me groan out loud and rub my temples yet again.

  Maybe I was the one who pushed her away.

  The first thought had been a prelude. Now, I was being bombarded with more and more ideas, clues, as to why Violet had left me. I never should have tried to break her so soon. Having her as my possession was so much more important than her submission. And now... now it was too fucking late.

  The last time we were together, I broke her.

  Had I misconstrued everything?

  Had I mistaken her breaking for me as becoming mine, when actually, her breaking point didn't give her what I'd expected... She wasn't free from her own oppressive mind when she submitted to me. I wanted to make the worry, the rules, all the things she'd been taught to believe, to fall away, leaving her raw and vulnerable for me.

  But now, I wondered whether breaking her had done something else.

  I wondered if it gave her the strength to walk away from me.

  Maybe that son of a bitch Peterson is actually telling the truth. Maybe she just wanted to get the hell away from me.

  Disgust at myself, at my own actions, made my fingers shake as I reached for my silent phone. I did my best to ignore it.

  No calls. No news on Violet. No more fucking hope.

  She really was gone...

  I allowed the phone to slip through my fingers, burying my head in my hands.

  Gone. Fucking gone.

  I slammed my fist against the oak desk, making everything on it rattle. The staff had barely cleaned the mess I'd made during my outburst last time,
and here I was, ready to wreck the place again.

  My phone started ringing on my desk, snapping me out of my thoughts. Hope filled me with every ring that sounded through the deathly silent room, and I allowed myself to believe this call would bring good news.

  I reached for the phone, glancing at the unknown number and furrowing my brows. Normally, I would've ignored the call, but with Violet's disappearance, I just had to take it.

  "Devlin Windsor," I answered the phone. "How can I help you?"

  "The question, Devlin Windsor, is how I can help you." The voice on the other side was robotic, masked beyond recognition. I glared at the number again, but it was blocked. "I heard you were offering money for Violet Cabot's safe return."

  "What do you know?" I barked into the phone, making the voice laugh robotically.

  "More than you," the voice said cryptically. "A hundred million, was it?"

  "Only if she's unharmed," I hissed in response.

  "Oh, she's unharmed," the unrecognizable voice went on. "Unharmed, unscathed and comfortable. Happy, even."

  "Cut the shit." I could barely hold my anger back anymore, my words dripping with venom as I shot them out, like stabs to the stomach, the knife going in and out and tearing the flesh. "I know it's you, Peterson."

  Just then, the door to my study opened, and Jasper appeared in the doorframe, frantically shaking his head at me. I'd had a tracer put on all incoming phone calls, and Jasper was signaling me now, trying to say the voice wasn't who I thought it was. I glared at him, and he muttered, "It's not Peterson. I've got the signal he was calling from, and this ain't the same place."

  Knitting my brows together, I returned my attention to the phone.

  "Well, finally you're listening," the voice said. "I made you a deal, Windsor. Are you going to take it or not?"

  I had no reason to trust this person. I didn't even know who it was. But the thought of Violet imprisoned, hurting, being subjected to torture that wasn't a direct order from me, made me fucking crazy. I grit my teeth together and tried not to think of the insane amount of money I was giving up in exchange for her safe return.