ARAWN
“I gave her something to calm down. She is sleeping peacefully now.”
Taking a deep breath, I listen to my housekeeper’s words as she fills me in on Nerthus’ state.
I was anxious about leaving after what she told me as I was sure that leaving her behind like this was the most wrong move I could have pulled.
But after already collecting her bastard cousin from the strip clubs in Paris, the itch in my fingertips got worse.
And after hearing her story, there was no way I could hold back even a second longer.
“Such a nice girl. She has already asked for you. Maybe it will do her some good, finding you next to her, when she wakes up.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I say, wanting to reassure her, but there’s no way they can keep her sleeping for this long.
“Of course. Oh, such a sweet girl. I’m sorry if I’m getting emotional but it’s just so nice you found each other,” she gushes further, losing herself in her own thoughts.
A smile spreads on my lips thinking of how I like my name coming out of her beautiful lips. “Don’t worry. Thank you very much.”
“Very well. We have all settled here. Don’t worry about us.”
I disconnect the call and stare into the dark room again.
“Back to us two,” I growl, getting a groan of pain in response.
The old man fights against his restrictions, his panic growing as he realizes he is tied to a chair. “What… What do you want? If you want money… We have a safe. I can open it for you but there is not much in it. All our money is in the bank.”
“Do I look like I need your money, Hendricks?” I cross my hands as I lean forward, watching him struggle to make sense of the situation.
“What… What do you want then?” He asks again, and I grin at him.
“Don’t you worry about where your wife is?” I ask him, but I guess he is just one poor excuse of a man, who is just interested in himself.
He starts crying again, making me sigh, and I decide that I’m done playing as it isn’t fun anymore.
“I’m just here to inform you about the death of your son,” I say coldly, making him stop whining to look at me wide-eyed.
“What?” he breathes out, distorting his face pathetically. “Francis is dead?”
I stand up and look down at him with a frown. I’m already feeling sick to my stomach just being in the same room as him, and it makes my blood boil at thinking how Nerthus must have felt, being forced to live under the same roof with him.
“Yeah, but don’t worry. You will be able to ask him about everything that happened soon enough,” I chuckle, rolling back the sleeves of my shirt.
“But I need some information from you first. So, be a good boy, and I’ll keep my desire to torture you at a bare minimum.”
“Wha- What information?” he stutters and I click my tongue, lifting a bag filled with sand onto the table.
“There was a girl living with you a few years ago. The daughter of your… sister?” I look at him, and he nods repeatedly.
“Yes, but my niece moved out years ago! We didn’t hear anything from her. She has always been a troublemaker, we had so many issues with her because her mother failed to educate her the right way. And her father was never in the picture either. If she stole from you, we can’t help you find her. I swear to God!”
Scoffing, I continue to open the bag, before turning towards him, crossing my arms over my chest. “That’s a lot of words for an incestuous and pedophile bastard.”
“Wha-” he breathes out but doesn’t get to finish his stuttering as I punch him straight in the face.
Crying out, he lets himself hang in his constraints while I pull out a chair to sit in front of him. I drag him back to sit properly in his seat by his hair before I snarl into his face. “Watch your words when you talk about her.”
He whimpers, blood dripping from his chin as it continues to spill from his mouth.
“I don’t have time for your useless opinion. I am here to find out what you know about her father. As long as you have to tell me something in this matter, you will have the pleasure of my company. Otherwise, you are totally useless to me, and you will die.” I grin at him as fear takes over his features completely. “Even if not right away. Of course, we are going to have a bit of fun first.”
His lips shake as he opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, looking as if he just realized that Karma got him. “I don’t know anything.”
“Don’t worry,” I murmur, putting my hands into my pockets. “We will have enough time to find out how true that is.”
I can feel his desperation growing as he sobs pathetically, lowering his head.
“I just want to know how much your parents told you about your niece’s father.”
“I knew that he was sketchy, but I don’t know anything about him. Please, please, just let me go,” he says pleadingly, sobbing even louder.
“See?!” I chuckle, turning around to pull a knife out of a thin bag. “There is no one in this world who ever knows nothing.”
“No! Please! That’s all I know. That he was involved in illegal stuff, but nothing more,” he screeches, pulling at the ropes tying him to the chair he will die on. “Also, why would it matter? Who are you?”
“Ah, and here it is. Another detail.” I grin as I turn the knife in my hand before ramming it into his leg, right above his knee. He screams out in pain, and I lean down to him, wrapping my hands around his wrists, making him stop thrashing with another sob.
“I’m Arawn,” I say, my grin growing. “Nerthus is my everything. And you will pay for everything you did to her.”
He looks at me shocked, causing a great sense of satisfaction stream through me.
“Yes, pastor,” I chuckle, tilting my head. “If you ever asked yourself what the devil looks like, here is your answer because I’m here to collect your soul and drag it straight to hell.”