《In Pieces (BL)》Chapter 12: Death by a thousand cuts.
Advertisement
Kai couldn't believe the nerve of that man! Out of all the places, he randomly insisted on going to this dinky brothel, and it seemed that he didn't care what Kai – the heir to the Empire - thought about it at all. He ordered copious amounts of the nastiest drink the Prince had ever had the misfortune to try and within mere moments he was drunk as a skunk. Yet he kept chugging the stuff down like it was water.
The girls were all over him, of course – offering the handsome General more drinks and shamelessly flirting. Kai couldn't look at this anymore! And the way Minn was talking to them! Suddenly so nice, courteous, and sweet. While all the Prince had ever seen from him before was either barely masked ridicule or complete indifference.
Unable to bear this harmonious scene any longer, Kai asked mockingly:
"So, do you fancy any of them?"
"Who would be able to resist such gorgeous ladies, Your Highness?" Adnan Minn smiled, his cheeks slightly flushed. Even drunk, he exuded calm strength and the kind of charm that made people drown in it.
This answer made Kai almost explode from rage. Gorgeous ladies, he called them! If only he knew...
Maliciously, the Prince leaned closer to the General and whispered into his ear:
"Do you know why all these ladies look so very similar to each other?" he pointed at the women who all had several features in common – long black curly hair, green eyes and even a beauty mark above the upper lip.
Adnan Minn just absentmindedly shook his head. He was obviously more interested in getting another refill than listening to what the Prince had to say. This didn't prevent Kai from speaking, though.
"Long time ago my uncle commissioned a very special portrait of... let's say, a very special lady. It was all done in secret, of course. But, as you know, people talk. And the artist was a chatty fellow. So very soon a rumor started going around that this was Reo Atarian's ideal woman. And then every single brothel began procuring little harlots that had the required looks. They are in high demand – there's not a single man in the Empire who wouldn't want to fuck a woman my uncle deems worthy. He's somewhat of an authority in these kinds of things, if you know what I mean."
"And what did the Regent have to say about all that?" asked General Minn. Surprisingly there was no disgust and no anger in his eyes. He continued smiling warmly at the ladies around him, as if he hadn't heard anything that Kai had just said.
"Obviously he still hasn't found out," Kai said coldly, carefully examining Minn's face. "If he knew, there would have been several instances of bloody slaughter, I assume."
Adnan laughed heartily:
"Yes, your uncle is that kind of man, isn't he?" he was about to take another sip of the drink when his hand suddenly stopped mid-air.
"Wait a minute," Minn furrowed his brow. "What about the original woman? Is she all right? Or did the Regent do something awful to her?"
Alas, Kai himself had no idea. He would have paid a high price to find out who and where that mysterious woman from the portrait was. The Prince had a hunch that she would have been a valuable piece in a play against his uncle. Some time ago he even asked Niki to perform a very powerful search spell which made the poor guy bedridden for weeks, yet yielded no results.
Advertisement
"Nobody knows," the Prince responded to Adnan, feeling frustrated with the absence of expected reaction. But Minn never seemed to take any bait that Kai would so carefully set up for him. He arranged for Adnan to come on this trip for the whole reason of getting closer to him, finding out his weaknesses, his fears, his triggers – anything that he could use to bind him at his side. Kai had even offered Minn his help and the ultimate protection from the Regent – any other person in the Empire would have been at his feet by now, eating out of his hand. But not Adnan Minn. Oh no. He seemed to be unmoved and unimpressed.
Instead of feeling honored to accompany the Emperor-in-Waiting on a secret private mission, Minn acted like it was some kind of inconvenience he had to endure. Not even the Regent's threats could penetrate through his thick skin.
Also, the way he insisted on still referring to him as "Your Highness" even after Kai specifically asked him to call him by his name made the Prince so mad he could hardly breathe.
"General, please don't forget that we have to leave early tomorrow," said Kai, barely controlling anger in his voice. He felt that if he had to endure another minute of watching Minn court these low-class women, he would start breaking stuff.
Adnan seemed to be completely oblivious to Kai's frustration and just nodded tipsily, as if he didn't care one way or another.
"Well, ladies, it has been a pleasure," he said, swaying slightly from one side to another.
"Oh no, please don't go! The night is still young," one of the girls fluttered her eyelashes at Minn.
"Turns out you're a general!" another girl chimed in, licking her lips. "We should have known sooner that you're a military man, judging by your manly and muscular posture!"
The girl extended her hand, obviously intending to place it on Adnan's upper arm. As Kai was about to tear the girl to pieces, Minn suddenly recoiled, avoiding the girl's touch. His silly grin disappeared, and it looked as if he had instantly sobered up.
"We indeed need to turn in for the night. Do you have two rooms available for us?" Adnan asked.
Before the madam of the House managed to say something, Kai interjected:
"We'll have one room."
Adnan gave Kai a quizzical look:
"If your uncle didn't give you enough money to get two rooms, then I'll gladly pay for myself."
"Don't you see, this place is full? They only have one room left," Kai fibbed without blinking an eye.
"That's not..." the madam tried to say something, yet Kai just glared at her and thankfully she immediately shut her mouth.
Adnan shrugged without voicing anymore complaints, and for the first time during this evening Kai thanked the Heavens that the man was pumped full of that murky drink.
They walked into a tiny room, and Kai immediately wrinkled his nose in disgust. If not for Adnan and his shenanigans he would have never stayed at such a rundown place. He didn't even want to think what kind of stains were most likely covering every inch of this room.
Advertisement
Adnan didn't seem to care about it at all, as he immediately kicked off his boots and fell into the bed, without even bothering to undress. Kai slowly stretched right next to him and turned his face towards Minn. The General had his eyes already closed, while his mouth was slightly ajar. Unexpectedly Kai actually felt a stirring of desire.
Without thinking too much, the Prince put his finger on Adnan's full upper lip and traced it down. Minn immediately stirred and jerked away from his hand.
"Don't touch me, please," he said, frowning, yet his eyes were still closed.
Kai moved away, dejected.
"Just how much do you dislike me?" he asked quietly.
The answer to that was just Adnan Minn's steady breathing. Kai sighed and turned around – he was suddenly very tired.
They left the brothel the next morning with the first rays of sunlight. Kai was in a bad mood, not only because of the events of last evening but also because of the trial he had to withstand today. He was looking forward to getting his spiritual powers back, yet he knew that the price he had to pay for that was pretty high.
Adnan didn't seem to mind the silence and just followed Kai without saying or asking anything.
As they were almost out of the village, a little beggar girl in soiled clothing approached them with a broken wooden bowl in her hands. Kai was just about to shoo her away, when Adnan suddenly got off his horse, opened his saddle bag and after rummaging in it for a while handed the girl half a loaf of bread and a couple of silver coins. The girl looked at him with big eyes, full of fear and then bolted away without saying anything, as if afraid that the big man would take it all away again.
"What are you doing?" Kai spat out.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Your Highness?" Adnan gave him an apathetic look. "I'm feeding a homeless child."
"Why?" Kai really couldn't understand this weird man. He was rumored to be a strict ascetic, yet he drank himself into oblivion in brothels. He was rumored to be callous and cruel, yet he just saw him take pity on some street rat.
"To give people less reasons to be unhappy with your family," Minn responded with a sad smile. "Everything I do is obviously for the good of the Empire, Your Highness."
Kai rolled his eyes, annoyed by this apparent non-answer.
"Why would the people be unhappy with my family?" he asked.
"Yes, I wonder why," said Adnan in response. "Their lives seem to be great, Your Highness."
His tone was very polite and there was even a smile on his face, yet Kai felt that Minn was for some reason disappointed in him. The worst of it all was that the Prince couldn't understand why he even cared what some General thought of him.
At midday sharp they reached the sacrificial battle grove. It looked quiet and peaceful, just like the last time when Kai was here. But now he knew for a fact that the tranquility of this place was only an illusion. He looked at the stone arch, carved with intricate patterns - it was already slightly shimmering and emitting black fog. Kai checked the position of the sun – just as he suspected, there wasn't much time left till the gates would open and let the restless vengeful souls through. At least they weren't late.
Adnan Minn stood behind him, squinting his eyes at the sun .
"It's nice here, Your Highness," he said.
"For now," Kai responded. "See that arch? In a couple minutes the spirits of people who died in horrible agony will start coming out of it. And I will be greeting them."
"And what should I do?" Minn asked.
"You stand away from the arch and do not interrupt the ritual whatever happens," Kai responded.
"So you brought me here just to stand around, Your Highness?" Adnan gave Kai a pointed look.
The Prince was about to respond to this unbearable insolence when it suddenly got really dark and freezing cold. Whispers and moans started coming out of the arch, and the wind gradually became so strong it was impossible to remain standing.
So it had begun.
Kai went down on his knees and bowed his head. The first spirit passed through the arch, and the Prince felt a sickening taste of blood in his mouth.
One after the other the spirits started coming up to him, raising their weapons and slashing into Kai's flesh. Every cut left a bleeding wound which would immediately be filled to the brim with the spiritual power of this cursed place. This felt like having salt rubbed right on top of a festering injury.
Second, third, fourth, fifth...
After the tenth spirit Kai lost count. It seemed like the horrible pain would never end, so there was no point of keeping track of the wounds.
He had gone through the ritual once before – but he only had to endure three cuts at that time. Even those were bad enough for him to almost lose consciousness but what had happened then couldn't even compare to what he was going through right now.
He clenched his teeth and pressed the amulet Niki gave him tighter to his chest. But as soon as the next cut came, the amulet suddenly turned into ashes. At that exact moment, Kai couldn't stand the agony anymore. He felt he was going insane.
"Heavens, I've sinned. I've sinned and I'm being punished," he screamed on top of his lungs.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Just make it stop.
And right as he felt that he was about to die, the pain suddenly went away. There was a warm hand on his shoulder and a familiar voice said:
"It's going to be all right, sunshine."
Advertisement
The Doctor And The CEO
Rachel, CEO of a big conglomerate woke up after being in a coma for 3 months. She ran away from her home and running away didn't do her any good and she ended up getting entangled with a few dangerous people, she thought her life would end but surprisingly she was alive and was being cared by a handsome doctor, Daniel.
8 2643Loving Marcello
After having her heart broken by the boy she'd been in love with her whole life, Brimmy Somell decides to take a little...vacation. Little does she know, it turns out to be much more permanent than she had originally thought. After meeting tall, sexy, and mysterious Marcello Pietro, Brimmy finds herself having to make a life-changing decision and putting herself in a dangerous position she'd never imagined to be in.°•°●°•°●°•°●°•°"I love you." He says with no hesitation.It takes a moment for my hazy mind to catch up. I'm still in a daze, mesmerized by his perfections, and the deep dimple set in his cheek.I blink, "What?""Don't make me say it again." He says, sounding frustrated, but I catch the hint of embarassment in his voice as he runs his hand through his hair and takes a step back.I grab a hold of the neckline to his shirt and yank him back within close proximity of me. "What if I want you to say it again?" I ask, studying his eyes."Isn't it enough that I said it once?" He scowls, trying to pull back, but I restrain him from doing so."Nope. Just say it one more time and I'll be satisfied." I state bravely, feeling a boost of confidence I didn't have earlier.He glances down, then looks back up into my eyes, allowing me to spot the vulnerability and uncertainty he feels."I love you." He says, putting more strength in his voice than he looks to have.I grin, pulling him in for a kiss, but right before I do, I say the one phrase that will seal my fate, "I love you too, big, bad mafia boss."•••••The story may be rough but the comment section makes up for it.•••••Word count: 51,173 •••••Written and published 2018-2019
8 123Stuck With Mr. Billionaire
"Curiosity killed the kitty Miss Adams." My body stiffened. Slowly I turned around just to see Mr. Parker standing in front of me with hands in his trouser pockets. I bit my lip. I thought he would be angry but when I looked at him. His face showed no emotion. He then started walking towards me I moved back. This continued until my back hit the door. Then he placed his one hand on my side, leaning forward, close to me."What was rule number three Miss Adams." His face was extremely close to mine my breath got hitched. I couldn't answer his question why? Because I was more focused in the distance between us."I asked you something Miss Adams." He said again."T-That t-there a-are prohibited areas i-in the house where I shouldn't g-go.""It seems like you remember the rules. This room is one of those prohibited areas. So, from next time think before you put yourself into trouble."I just stared at his eyes. I was lost in those pair of sea-coloured eyes. No other guy has ever affected me this much as Mr. Parker. I get nervous around him. I don't know what this feeling is but this feeling is different. A feeling that I have never felt for anyone."Understood?" he said again.I nodded. "Yes Mr. Parker."*****************Liam Parker, 25 year old billionaire. Arrogant, handsome, ruthless, the only thing matters to him is his son and his work.Bella Adams, 24 year old simple and bubbly girl, who lives with her Nanny in an orphanage. What will happen when Bella comes as a babysitter of Liam's son? Let's find out in the story.....
8 627a b a n d o n e d - Slashers x reader
A lonely girl befriends a bunch of killers. But what happens when they want more? ⚠️TW⚠️: there will definitely be gore, cussing, and maybe other things but I will give warnings at the beginning of each chapter. Read at your own risk#6 in horror - March 31, 2022
8 88Tendou's Ship (Ushijima Wakatoshi x Male!Reader)
Being a manager at Shiratorizawa isn't an easy task. But after finding out a little secret, a certain red head will do everything it takes to make sure that his ship between the captain and the manager sails.
8 180Divinity ✔
[Completed] Corrine Adara has a secret so vital that if anyone were to find out, her and her entire family would be executed immediately. As a result, she lives in hiding among her family until one fateful night, she meets the Mad Prince of Daemons.Nikolas Veil is known as the Mad Prince for good reason. One could say he holds two spirits in his body; their personalities so different that they go by different names. Niko is responsible, sweet, and gentlemanly. Kol is violent, devious, and dangerous. Neither can agree on a single thing until they meet Corrine.When Corrine's secret is revealed to the Prince of the Daemons, she's certain her and her family will be executed. Instead, in a surprising turn of events, Prince Nikolas demands her to marry him. And Corrine, unfortunately, has no choice but to accept.Excerpt:"Look at me," He growled, releasing his grip to grasp my face in his claws dangerously. He forcefully turned me to face him, but I just as firmly held my eyes closed tight. "Let me go," I demanded breathlessly."Look at me or I'll rip your eyes out right now," Kol demanded in turn. His grip tightened and his other hand lifted, reaching with those sharp claws no doubt to pluck my eyes from my skull. My eyes flew open and I gasped in panic, looking at those hovering fingertips.He froze above me, stunned. Tears stung at my eyes as I realized they were fully bright, molten gold before a Daemon; meaning I was doomed regardless. Daemons had wiped out all Seraph already. They wouldn't allow me to live and they would punish my father for hiding me."Don't hurt my family," I pleaded abruptly, a sob escaping my throat as I began to tremble under him."You can hide your eyes?" Kol asked with great interest. I choked on a response, but nodded quickly in fear. "Don't rip my eyes out," I requested tearfully."I would never."
8 180