Johnathan growls. “Let me help you cut him open. For Beth and Charlie.”
At the sound of their names, my heart begins to break. Beth and Charlie… Amanda and me…
We were saved.
Saved by the very men surrounding me...
But we still paid a price.
Fuck, Amanda isn’t the same. None of us are the same.
Trent knew. He fucking knew about us and Charlie. My sweet, sweet Charlie. Charlie who would have endured the unthinkable if Johnathan hadn’t saved him.
Tears of pure fucking rage start to sting my eyes as that realization finally overcomes the initial shock of violence.
I no longer feel any remorse for what James is doing to Trent or Jacob. They deserve far, far worse than this. God willing, they’ll suffer in the afterlife too.
James snickers. “I’ll let you do even more than that. I’ll let you deglove his penis for me.”
“Shit,” Johnathan says. “I’ve never degloved a penis before. Usually, I just cut ‘em off and shove ‘em in their mouth or throw it away…”
“You’ll do fine. If you cut a little too deep, well, who the fuck cares? He won’t be using it again anyway.”
“True.” Johnathan grunts. “Alright, you talked me into it. Let’s do this shit.”
“Let me give him some of Simon’s go-go juice first, so he doesn’t pass out on us,” James says, and I just know from the way he says it he has a grin on his face.
“Dude… do I need to be a part of this whole penis degloving thing?” Uriel asks.
“I need someone to help keep him from bucking around too much,” James says.
A deep, gravelly voice speaks up.
“I’ll keep the Russian fuckboy still,” Gabriel offers, and I hear something popping. Probably his knuckles.
“Alright, man, my place is all yours,” Uriel says.
“I ain’t saying you’re a pussy,” Johnathan chuckles. “But I ain’t saying you’re not one either.”
“Fuck you, man,” Uriel says, but he doesn’t sound angry. “I like cock way too much to watch one get degloved. I’m hoping to get laid tonight.”
“Ah, I guess you’ve got a good point,” Johnathan says. “Sorry, my bad.”
“No problem,” Uriel says. “I’m gonna go check on Simon and see if there’s anything he needs.”
“Maybe you should take Sophia with you,” James says. “She doesn’t need to see this shit either.”
I jerk my head in his direction and immediately regret it as a flash of pain sears from my neck straight up to my brain.
Uriel looks at me then back to James and shifts on his feet uncomfortably. “If that’s what you want…”
James nods sharply.
I have no choice but to shake my head as Uriel takes a step toward me.
“Sophia, go with Uriel,” James says firmly, trying to order me.
It fucking hurts, but I shake my head again. I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying to see this through.
James meets my eyes, his softening and pleading. “Baby, you don’t want to see this. Trust me. Go with Uriel.”
Tears hit my cheeks as I shake my head once more, the pain close to being unbearable.
I’m not leaving, dammit.
I’m staying right here with him, where I’m safe.
Where I can see him and know he’s safe too.
“Sophia, please,” James nearly begs. “I don’t want you to see this shit. I don’t want you to see…”
He trails off, but I finish his sentence in my head.
He doesn’t want me to see him, the real James.
I’ve already seen him though and I’m not afraid.
When I just stare at him, I see that calm he’s kept cracking in his eyes. “Sophia, go with Uriel now!”
Lucifer places a hand on my shoulder and speaks up for me. “She wants to stay, James, so she should stay.”
James turns his attention to Lucifer and that black rage flickers across his face. “It’s not your choice, Matthew.”
Lucifer just grins at James, as if he finds him cute or amusing. “It’s not your choice either. It’s hers.”
“Um, I’m just gonna go to the car…” Uriel says and starts to back away.
Lucifer nods at him, giving him permission.
“Matthew,” James growls. “If she sees this…”
“I think you’re not giving Sophia enough credit, James,” Lucifer says and flicks an imaginary piece of lint off his pants. “And you’re wasting time. That older one you crucified could go from a heart attack at any second. Wouldn’t that be disappointing? Surely Sophia deserves to see him suffer a bit more…”
James continues to glare at Lucifer, his eyes growing darker and darker. “She’s already been through enough. She almost died!”
Lucifer’s grin stretches wider. “Andrew is right here if she needs assistance or medical attention. He’s been beside her the entire time. Plus, she’s got me.”
Lucifer motions at my Hello Kitty Band-Aids. “As you can see, my sister’s health and well-being are both a top priority for me.”
Sister?
I look at Lucifer in confusion. Wondering if he’s mistaken because I’m an only child, and I’d totally remember if he was my brother.