Emperor of Mayhem

t w e n t y - t w o

Mikhail's POV

"Divine,"

I gulped greedily like a starved wolf sighting its prey when I beheld the delicate beauty in my arms, hearing her heart pound loudly against her chest like a hummingbird's wings. Keeping in chains, the beast in me whose unquenchable desire was to feast on her all night long, I worked the remaining buttons of her dress shirt, trying my best not to be rough with her.

I must handle my baby with care, you see.

She was my fragile doll, my little lady; so tiny I wanted to hide her in my pocket, close to my heart, away from any man who would desire to steal her from me. No one was allowed to take her away from me. Because she was so precious she made gold and diamonds worthless in my eyes.

She was my priceless jewel.

I wondered how loud I could shout it to the world. And I wondered more how many would believe me when I declared that Azania was my all.

I bet no one would believe me if I told them I would set the world on fire if she asked me to, and yet not let a drop of flame kiss her delicate skin. I had been so crafty in hiding my desires for her for so long. No one would believe me if I told them how much I needed her.

All I had been doing was following her around in the shadows, counting her every step and wondering when her feet would willingly lead her to me. I was simply taking my time, needing her to be mature enough to handle this reality.

It was so sad how she only saw herself as a captive under the watchful eye of a dark emperor, not knowing she had the said emperor wrapped around her little finger. Only if she knew I would go on my knees and worship the very floor she walked upon if she asked me to.

Though it was sad that as much as I wanted to own her in ways no man had ever owned a woman before, I must tread with diligence. Azania was a delicate doll with a sensitive soul. She must not find out that I had been lying to her all along. That I didn't send her father away to find some stupid gold; tons of gold which were locked away in my basement by the way, and the supposed theft of the gold bars was probably somewhere between paradise and purgatory. Yes, I sent Viktor Kuzmin on a hopeless journey just so I could have his precious daughter. But they must never know, especially her. She must never know.

I was the worst. I really was. Raised in a bloody mafia with a gun in hand and a dagger to kill anyone who dared to disagree with me, I had probably taken enough lives to end a nation's population. People like me were the bringer of doom and nightmares, the monster that lived under your beds. We weren't meant to be happy or sleep peacefully like a baby with no worries. We were never supposed to even dare to find love, for we didn't have the heart to love another soul. But maybe I was an exceptional devil, for the moment I casted my greedy eyes on the young daughter of my soldier, I grew a dark desire for her, needing and wanting her at all cost even though she was much younger that I was.

Yet I could never really tell what that feeling I had harboured for this dark heiress was, and how it had managed to last for three years, increasing every passing day. Was it lust? Obsession? Or quite unlikely, love? Whatever it was, it ran deep in my soul, charged through my veins like drugs for ecstasy, and coloured my eyes red every time I would see another man show interest in her.

As for that little kid she'd had a crush on for ages, the only thing that saved him from me was his sexual preference. He had been a major distraction. But finding out he had no interest in women was a huge relief because I was going to have to end him no matter what. My only restriction or hesitation would have been that my angel would have hurt greatly. And I would rather drive a dagger through my heart than watch her crumble in pain that I caused.