Chapter 28

When he found her in the dining area on the way back to her room ‘The King’ “You disappoint me, mi amor.” His voice made Makayla cringe.

He expelled a loud breath as he stood before her, two guards behind him. “I gave you a chance to free yourself, but The Fire in you has extinguished…” His eyes bore into hers. “I did not want you to die here like the others, but now you leave me choice less.”

He grabbed her arm, but she swung out of his grip and thrust her palm into the bridge of his nose. He kept his composure, his head jerking back only to return in a grin. As Makayla tried to run, his foot connected with the back of her knee and she lost her balance, grabbing onto the table and knocking everything from it. She turned on her back, rolled out of the way of his slamming fist, and kicked out into his ribs. But this only made him more excited, and he snatched up her hair as she tried to make a run for it once more. As her head jerked back, the feeling of piercing needles threaded through her skull. She grabbed onto something on the next table close to her, and as he spun her around, she smashed him with it. A loud thump. Skin splitting. The spray of blood followed by a horrid growling sound escaping from her attacker’s throat. When a gun shot went off, the sound rang in her ears, and she froze.

Straitening up, she looked to see his fisted hand at his side and no gun. Then she felt the hot barrel singe into the skin of her temple.

‘The King’ waved the gunman off. “Enough,” he said, licking at the blood covering his lips.

His gold tooth glimmered as he smiled down at her. Makayla winced as the barrel was lifted, taking with it some of her skin. She was shoved so hard that she fell onto the couch before him. She looked up to see the guard standing beside ‘The King’ whose black eyes gleamed with a sense of glory. His strong muscles bulged, and the massive tattoo of the burning heart in a cage almost appeared as if it were morphing into something creature-like when he leaned over. Both his arms extended to grasp the couch on either side of her head. Leaning down he took a whiff of her hair, his hand went up her blue dress, gliding over her thigh. Makayla head-butted him and knocked his hand away, which caused him to recoil with laughter, keeping his stance over her. His legs pinned her to the couch.

“That heart, as fierce and wild as a lion.” He grinned. “Maybe I was wrong about your fire a moment ago.” Then a frown pinched his face. “You are like a caged animal. I need you calm for the sacrifice.”

She huffed. “I know what you are. I know who you are.”

He sat down on the couch across from her, wiped at his bloody mouth with a white silk cloth his guard handed to him. ‘The King’ crossed his legs, folding his arms over his chest he said, “Oh please, do enlighten us.”

With a dark gleam in his eyes, a smirk so full he seemed to think he was untouchable. She opened her mouth to say something when she caught sight of a portrait pinned to the far back wall, her eyes reverted back to his very quickly.

The colors of government… He might just be unbeatable. Makayla Makenzie, for the first time ever, felt a wave of defeat as she realized what the portrait meant. But she wouldn’t let him know what she had discovered just yet.

“That image on your chest, I’ve seen something like it before. The flowers you have been using…”

Her eyes flashed to over the portrait one more time, adjusting her seating position to draw attention away from her gaze. The colors of the sash of the man in the portrait where the colors of his government. Higher up perhaps, dignitary. The image was of the man before her. His hair was much longer now, his face almost appeared different but, that could just be the way he carried himself in that portrait. She knew without a doubt as all the information sunk in. The girls were being groomed to be organ donors, and he was choosing his next victim or rather sacrifice from his ‘treasures’, -her.

‘The King’ was consuming the hearts of young vibrant woman just as Valmer did with Lorel. The flowers used erasing their temporary memory so they would be compliant. Then she thought of the operation in its entirety. Of the case they’d been assigned to. How it had been so well planned or rather covered up, and why Valmer might have confessed to being The Devil’s breath Killer, when clearly he perhaps was just a follower. Only someone with ties and influence could be so well protected, have such great influence.

“You’re the Devil’s Breath Killer!” she finally said.

He tilted his head back in laugher, sounding like the shrill of a vulture and clapped his hands together. “Oh, this is too precious.” He seemed as delighted as a child amused by a puppet show.

“The Devil’s Breath Killer was murdered by your partner’s father. The priest. How can it possibly be me?”

“Cut the bull shit!” she hissed. “You are going to kill me, let my last request be the damned truth.”

“You think it’s a coincidence you are here?” He cocked his head to the side to study her. “I saw you coming. What a magnificent spirit you will give me. Curios, fierce, always in pursuit of justice.” His smile fell from his smug face. “You are right.” He paused and stood contemplating if he should tell her the truth. “I am going to kill you.”