Chapter 23
23 - Final Punishment
**Aurora POV**
I ran through that final doorway, and I collapsed on my knees on the floor in relief. I am still heavily panting, and I feel drenched in sweat. My arms and torso burn with a pulse beneath my skin.
I noticed in the corner of my eye that Kai followed shortly after me and then he sat down next to me.
"Nice job sweetheart. You did it" he commended. I just nodded in acknowledgement, still focused on breathing. He whips out his whistle and blows it suddenly. The loud piercing sound makes me flinch as it hits my eardrums.
He did a four long whistle toots and then the same low horn at the beginning of this nightmare blasted.
We remained quiet until I could hear lots of manly voices booming behind me. I turned my head to watch all the men, including Jason, Ben, and Charlie come out of the entry doors. The last two guards came out and between them was an unconscious Brianna being dragged without care.
I quickly got to my feet and tried to run to her, but Ben stepped in front of me and held my bruised torso firmly. I tried to struggle in his grasp, but he like a tank.
Jason, Charlie, and Kai soon came to me as well and surrounded me, boxing me in so that if I was somehow lucky enough to get out of Ben's grasp, the others would be able to grab me instantly.
Brianna's body was thrown on the ground not too far from us and to my relief she groaned, trying to move her battered body. Her crusted wounds were open and new red blotches were covering her already purple skin. The red paint she had on was chipped and smeared from sweat and blood. Her hair was wet and sticking to the sides of her face like she was placed in a shower.
My heart was breaking for her. She didn't deserve this.
'Please," I whispered out. 'Please, let her go. She didn't deserve this." I begin to cry and continue to beg for them to stop hurting her.
"Well, Princess, you made it out of the maze without being caught." Jason said with a proud smile on his face.
Before I could make any comment, Kai speaks up, taking his calloused hand and rubbing my cheek softly. "Only because she figured out the secret to the maze."
Charlie, Ben, and most importantly Jason all looked at me with a mix of emotions on their faces. I was getting whiplash looking at all their faces.
'So you cheated?" Charlie asked, a smirk.
Excuse me? That got me mad.
'How is that even remotely okay? I only did the same thing all of you assholes did! I realized after the walls started moving that this is a fucking death trap. You had no intention of letting us leave that maze alive. I got lucky and saw Kai do it and put the pieces together. I fucking won your challenge so back the fuck off! If I cheated, so did all of you!" I screamed and then more under my breath, I huffed out "Fucking assholes!"
*Language!* All four Dons snapped out and I feel a sharp sting on both my ass cheeks.
"Ow!" I scream out as Ben and Kai kiss my forehead. Ben's arm is still secure on my torso.
Brianna begins to groan again, and my attention falls back to her. I watch as she struggles to turn herself on her back, another tear streaks down my face.
Jason turns to face me, taking my face in his rough hands and holds it tight, his beautiful eyes burning a hole in my soul. "This was your punishment, sweetheart. You ran away from us. Now since the events at the house didn't deter you from making the same damn mistake, we decided that having you watch us take out our anger on Brianna here would be a much better punishment for you. You ran away even though we told you not to. You and your little friend here were quite resourceful and smart. But not smart enough! We want YOU. We own YOU. YOU belong to US, and we will burn down this mother fucking world for you. understood?" He asks calmly. His calm is the scariest I have ever seen though. I can handle mean angry Jason, but this very calm, cool angry Jason makes the shivers down my spine tingle and the hairs on my skin rise, and not in a good way.
I nod quickly only to earn another harsh slap on both my ass cheeks and all four Dons snap out 'Words!"
I wince at the pain and with a trembling voice say "y-yes."
Jason cocks his head slightly, raises his eyebrow and spits out 'yes what?"
Oh fuck me. This asshole just can't get over his ego, but I am so scared right now so I decide to appease him.
"Y-yes Sir?" It comes out more like a question than a response, but he nods and smiles slightly before leaning down to my ear and whispering, "I prefer Master, but for now Sir is fine. Another shiver runs down my spine causing my body to spasm. I hear Jason's dark chuckle by my ear, clearly he saw my reaction to him. He kissed the exposed skin of my neck under my ear lightly before pulling away.
"Now my dear," Jason starts up again. "I believe we did promise you a prize if you won. Normally the prize is your life, but since you know we aren't going to kill you and you know we aren't going to let you go, I will give you a choice." He walks over to Brianna and slowly begins to circle her like a Great White Shark around his lunch.
*Brianna here was captured which means she lost. You can choose her fate my love. She can be taken to the pit where she will spend the next 5 days at the mercy of my men, she can go to the cell and have another private session with Draco and Kai, or you can set her free." 'Set her free!" I scream. I didn't have to think. I knew there was no escape for me, but Brianna didn't deserve this. "Let her go! Please! Please don't hurt her anymore, please!" I beg.
I catch Brianna's eyes and they are filled with relief and pain.
"No, Rory" she chokes out, it is barely a whisper before she begins to cough, and the cough turns to blood pooling out of her mouth.
*Please Bri. You don't deserve this." I said to her and then I looked up to Jason and said it again: "Set. Her. Free."
Jason then cocks his head to the side and nods like he happy with the choice I made.
He walks back over to me and before I can even think, captures my lips in a passionate kiss. I remain motionless as his warm and surprisingly soft lips press firm against my own, moving slightly as his tongue tries to poke my mouth to open to give him entrance, which I deny. "Kiss back" he mumbles, and I feel rough hands all over my body giving me tight squeezes as a warning not to piss them off further. So I give in. I begin to move my mouth and open my lips slightly. Jason wastes no time in devouring every inch of my mouth with his tongue. Our lips doing the tango, his dominance winning the race.
We break away, breathing hard. Next Ben turns my head to face him and does the same thing. His kiss is definitely softer but just as controlling. I moan into his mouth as we continue to exchange saliva. He tugs my bottom lip slightly in his teeth as he pulls away. Kai pulls my hair, so I am looking up, his large frame towering over me. He bends down and claims my lips. He was rough and forceful. Charlie followed and was a mix. My lips feel swollen, my face feels all hot and flushed, and my legs feel like rubber. For some murdering psychotic assholes, damn can they kiss.
"You are ours." Jason says again. It was a final statement, not a question.
He snapped his fingers and two guards picked up Brianna. She screamed in agony as they helped her off the floor. They brought her to Jason's feet and pushed her down in front of him on her knees.
Then I see it. Jason pulls out a pearl grip revolver from behind his waistband and points it straight at Brianna.
I begin to struggle and scream, the world around me blurry. The pain in my body is no longer there. "NO!" I scream as Jason pulls the trigger and Brianna's head falls back with a snap, red droplets sprayed out as she falls back.
*YOU LIAR! YOU SAID YOU WOULD SET HER FREE!" I kept screaming. I began to struggle in the arms of my captors, but they just continued to hold me tight. My vision is still blurry but from salty tears.
Charlie spoke up next to me as I continued to gasp for air. "He did set her free sweetheart. He just set her free from life.'
All the men around the room started to chuckle as I continued to grieve for my childhood friend.
"Why?" I ask softly, still sobbing.
"You had to learn your lesson. It was your final punishment. Ben said in my ear and with those final words, I felt darkness begin to consume my body and I welcomed it.