Iniquity (Dahlia Saga Book 5) Read online

  INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  NATALIE BENNETT

  Copyright

  INIQUITY by Natalie Bennett

  © 2019 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where the publisher or author specifically grant permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. K109

  Cover Design: Jay Aheer

  Editing by: Pinpoint Editing

  Dedication

  Here’s to not being afraid of all the things that can go wrong and taking a risk for all the things that can go right.

  XOXO—Natalie Bennett

  Author’s Note

  The Dahlia Saga contains extremely dark themes and is not intended for the faint of heart. If you are uncomfortable with twisted, dark erotica, this story will not appeal to you.

  This is a story about one wonderfully strange girl and two very warped men.

  There will be ménage, and explicitly gruesome, often detailed scenes of horror/torture.

  Iniquity is a companion to Depravity.

  Recommended Reading Order

  Macabre

  Obscene

  Depravity

  Malevolence

  Iniquity

  Debauchery

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Playlist

  Synopsis

  Prelude

  Part One

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Part Two

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilouge

  DEBAUCHERY

  Opaque Melodies

  CHAPTER ONE

  Other Books

  KEEP IN TOUCH

  Playlist

  (Spotify)

  Beartooth—Afterall

  Of Monsters & Men—Wild Roses

  Icon For Hire—Get Well

  Three Days Grace—The High Road

  Too Close To Touch—Before I Cave In

  Daughter—Medicine

  NF—Wait

  Meg Myers—Tourniquet

  Sophie Simmons—Burn Me Down

  Witt Lowry—Crash

  Gabbie Hanna—Monster

  Kaleo—Break My Baby

  Lauren Duski—Costume Party

  10 Years—Fix Me

  Billie Eillish—Copycat

  Ingrid Michaelson—Stay Where You Are

  Synopsis

  I was born with a sickness that can't be cured, and I've been getting better at slowly getting worse.

  I’m no longer single, no longer all alone.

  I have a family now.

  They're not afraid of what I am.

  They nurture my sickness, cultivate and help me control it.

  For a short time, things were close to perfect.

  Now, someone wants to ruin us.

  They want to take them away.

  I'll fix everything they dare to try and break.

  I'll make them perfect in the throes of decay.

  *companion to Depravity. *

  Prelude

  I was born sick.

  Not with cancer, a blood disease, or a life-threatening infection.

  I wasn’t contagious.

  There was no cure.

  My sickness could not be placated by old wives’ tales, biblical scriptures, or home remedies.

  Mother forced me to hide it.

  She made me feel ashamed.

  In a dark neglected corner of my mind, a seed of depravity grew with not an ounce of sunlight. The roots manifested without nourishment. As I got older they sank deeper, becoming something sinister.

  I could blame her for my perpetual state of being.

  Instead, I forgive her.

  She didn’t know the sickness she spent so much time berating me for would be the very thing that fixed her when she broke.

  She didn’t want to face the truth.

  We’re all a little sick.

  And there’s nothing anyone can do to change that.

  Part One

  “There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand.”

  ―Mary W. Shelley

  Chapter One

  Helena

  Morning brings the start of a new day, but also carries over all the weighted burdens from the previous.

  I never put much stock in these tumultuous thoughts until I was fully alone. On a Tuesday, before rays of sunlight had a chance to touch the sky, I was roused from slumber by smooth lips skimming over my naked shoulder. I shifted slightly, and a hand wrapped gently around my throat.

  The warmth of two masculine bodies engulfed me. One at my front, another holding me from behind.

  A second set of lips, these ones slightly plumper than the other pressed to mine. The pressure behind them seeking entrance. I opened my eyes the same time I did my mouth. Inky darkness surrounded me, but I didn’t need the light to know who had their hands on my body. They’d spent weeks ensuring I recognized their touch whether it be individually or like this, when the three of us tangled together.

  Like a well-rehearsed dance, fingers took their time travelling across my upper thigh, making a clear-cut path to a place already aching for attention. Declan’s digits did the same, slipping between my ass cheeks to probe. I released a sigh of appreciation, languid between the two men I’d grown to love, more comfortable than I’d ever been in the center of our bed.

  Ethan eased one finger inside me, and then added another, readying my pussy to take his cock.

  It prompted me to return his kiss with a fervor that told him I wanted more, going as far as nipping his lower lip. He drew back with a breathy laugh, but it was Declan who made sure I got what I wanted.

  His fingers left my ass to grip my thigh, lifting it so that I was spread wide open. With his cock wedged between my cheeks, he began to tease me. Pushing forward and easing back as Ethan ran his dick up and down my slit, heightening my arousal.

  “Always so responsive,” Declan murmured, his smooth voice overshadowing the sound of my lightly labored breathing.

  “You ready?” Ethan asked.

  I didn’t hear the response.

  Groaning with impatience as they continued to tease me, crying out when I was double penetrated. My ass and pussy both clenched from the sudden entry, a pleasurable sting making me wetter.

  “Damn, this never gets old,” Ethan groaned. Curling my fingers around his shoulders, I held on, moaning without shame as they began moving inside me, trembling with pleasure when they found a steady rhythm.

  Declan’s fingers tightened around my throat, his grip on my thigh turned bruising. Pinned in place, they forced me to take every solid inch of them. One cock withdrew, another thrust in. Their pace picking up, our gratified sighs and moans grew in volume.

  We'd done this so many times, yet each was somehow better than the last. Being thoroughly used by them was one of my newfound addic
tions. And they always gave much more than they took, making sure I came first, and last.

  By the time they finished, their cocks emptying inside me, I was ready to curl up in a ball and go back to sleep.

  On sheets saturated in us and their come lingering between my thighs, I did just that.

  I rolled onto my side and stared at the familiar wall of pretty damask. Soreness plagued me now that ecstasy had faded. A good kind, though. It was nothing like the kind Daddy once left behind.

  With Declan and Ethan having slipped away, going off to attend their work at the chateau, the house was silent and still. An eerie sort of tranquility cloaked it. When I’d first arrived here, they refused to leave me alone, now they both worked long hours.

  I didn’t mind much. If things were the same as they’d been a mere few months ago, I would be down in an old basement or wandering the fields. Anything to avoid Mother and Buddy.

  I hadn’t seen either in a while. They should be better now though.

  I’d fixed them, after all.

  A small sneeze came from the foot of the bed, followed by a faint thud as Hannibal climbed down. Declan wasn’t a fan of him being on the furniture, but every morning after he and Ethan left Hannibal made sure he found his way in here.

  Pushing the duvet down, I sat up and reached for the skull I kept on the nightstand, skimming my fingers over the smooth bone. I’d seen on television that some people had good luck charms and when they touched them fortune would land on their side. The concept had seemed rather simple, so I made this mine.

  This skull was one of the first things anyone had ever given me without asking for something in return. The moth habitat Declan had placed beside it was now empty, their lifespan long since passed.

  I found it strange something so fascinating was given only weeks to live. I hoped he did butterflies next. Those were pretty.

  As if to remind me he was here, Hannibal loped over and rested his large head on my thigh, staring up at me with his expressive brown eyes. He’d been so small when Declan and Ethan first gave him to me. He wasn’t small anymore. That was okay, though. I’d always wanted it to be the three of us a dog, and Hannibal was perfect. He made our family whole.

  “Outside?”

  He wriggled his entire body in response, thrusting his damp nose into my hand. I gave him a minute of attention, and then gently pushed him away.

  “One second.” Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I scooted to the edge and then stood up. Hannibal immediately came back in for more pets.

  I once again eased the large dog out of the way.

  The silver antique mirror affixed to the far wall reflected my actions as I vanished into the closet. I was certain every time I came in here there were more clothes in my section than before, but Declan and Ethan refused to admit it. I grabbed a simple outfit then went about my usual routine.

  Showering. Brushing. Putting the pieces of me together as best I could, staring at myself once I was finished. Ethan had been requesting that I look in the mirror and give myself three compliments every morning. He said this would build up self-esteem. I disagreed and found the task rather…difficult.

  Emotions—feelings, they were still things I was trying to master. I struggled expressing and understanding them. Though, admittedly, I was much better at this than I’d been previously.

  I knew I loved Declan and Ethan. No one had told me that’s what this feeling was inside my chest. I just knew.

  When Declan looked at me, his eyes always seeing things no one else could, my breath was taken from my lungs. Every time our lips met it felt like the whole world stopped just for us.

  When Ethan held me, I knew he would hold me for eternity if I wished it. He made me feel safe.

  I’d grown accustomed to the three of us being one. The very notion of being without either of them couldn’t be entertained. Declan and Ethan were my moon and sun. My world wouldn’t make sense without one or the other.

  That wasn’t to say things had been easy since this all of this came about. There were many days I felt as if I’d been living in a dreamland half my life.

  Before them, everything had always been black and white. They brought color to my life, but sometimes it could be overwhelming.

  Declan and Ethan said I had to be patient with myself, that everything would work out just the way it was meant to, eventually. They wouldn’t clarify how long it would take. I knew that wasn’t possible, though. Time was like rain--shapeless and unpredictable. They said it had the ability to heal, but I never got better. I got worse.

  The baleful roots of depravity lodged somewhere deep within me were stronger than ever before. I was doing my best to keep the sickness under control like I had been told, but I was beginning to doubt the point of it all.

  No matter what I did or which day of the week it was, I was still the same Helena Gardener. Though now I had a certain level of awareness.

  As the reality of a world I’d been sheltered from needled beneath my skin, I’d become acutely aware of how incompetent I was. I lacked the basic knowledge of how to live like a regular human being. All I knew how to be was this peculiar version of me.

  So, I never had compliments, only factual perusals that I could never express to Ethan. His lips would turn down at the corners and he would find some way to lay blame on himself.

  Closing my eyes to the girl staring back at me, I breathed in and out. Sometimes that was all we needed, to pause and take a breath. At least, that’s what Katie said. I always took her advice into consideration. Like Hannibal, she was my friend.

  I left the bathroom and made my way downstairs, Hannibal faithfully following at my side. I contemplated what I was going to do all day.

  Ethan and Declan would be preoccupied with the Dahlia until dinner time. There were changes happening within its walls. I didn’t have the details, but Declan claimed it was all for the better.

  Going to the back door, I let Hannibal out, closing it the second his furry tail cleared the threshold. With that done, I took a moment to look around the main floor of the house. The black and chrome look had grown on me. It was pretty.

  There were no dishes in the sink. The countertops and end tables lacked clutter. The garbage wasn’t overflowing with cans of beer or reeking from rotting meat. The hardwood floors were polished and shiny. Everything was always clean here.

  Occasionally I would need to load or unload the dishwasher, sometimes sweep.

  Often, I didn’t have any tasks at all leaving the days empty and my thoughts free to float down various paths.

  I wandered over to the fridge, examining the magnetic calendar Declan had recently added to it. He always marked down important things. Tomorrow evening for instance, I had a show.

  I could fix something.

  A tingle of energy ran through me, easing a bit of the ever-growing weight I couldn’t seem to shake from my shoulders. The urge to fix had never been this persistent before. It had become another of my addictions, one I kept to myself.

  Seeing I had gone to Tonya’s a little over two weeks ago, I suppose I could go there today. I hadn’t worked at the bakery in some time, but I liked the old woman. I went to the house phone and lifted the receiver, tapping the button with a faded number three.

  It immediately began to dial out. Declan answered before the second ring finished.

  "I was wondering when you'd call."

  "How did you know I was going to do that?"

  "Because I know you."

  My lips twitched in response. "I want to go to Tonya."

  "Bored?” His voice took on the tone it always did when he teased me.

  “I think so.”

  He laughed quietly. "I’ll have Toby drive you but come see me first. I have something to give you.”

  "Okay." I hung up the phone, and then went to check on Hannibal. He wasn’t anywhere that I could see but that was nothing to be concerned about. The Dahlia was fenced all the way around. Not that he would run away if give
n the chance. He usually never strayed too far from me.

  I got myself ready to go out, grabbing my tote bag that was loaded with all the things I’d need away from the Dahlia.

  There was a sewing kit, a pin-cushion dolly, and a wallet Ethan had given me. I’d never used anything Hannibal’s red vest was the last thing I retrieved.

  By the time I was done he was whining at the back door. I let him inside then waited patiently for him to drink some water and turn his nose up at his food dish before securing him in his harness.

  “Come on,” I commanded softly.

  Outside, the sky was washed with grey. Streams of sunlight fought to make their way through the fog-like clouds. I’d never spent Spring in Riverview before.

  When I’d arrived with Daddy, winter was but a few weeks away, allowing me to discover how cold it could get here.

  Most of the time the heat made me want to remain indoors with the coolness of the air conditioner.

  Today, even with a lack of sunshine the temperature was perfect.

  Hannibal and I made the trek down the long private drive that led to and from our home. Eventually it would break off and merge with the Dahlias’.

  It was much quicker to get to the chateau by car, but I hadn’t gotten a license yet and Declan wouldn’t let me drive.

  When the large ivory structure came into view there was no one around. The driveway split in two, a large fountain in its center. I guided Hannibal to the left, going inside without bothering to knock. Julian didn’t like when I did that.

  The closing of the large doors had a dull echo resounding through the air. Just like outside no one was around, not even the housekeeper.

  Due to the weather, the glass cupola lacked its usual flair, leaving the foyer absent of natural lighting. Bypassing the drawing room on the right, I led Hannibal straight ahead.

  When we reached the staircase, I released my hold on his harness as we began to ascend a sweeping staircase.

  He obediently stayed by my side. I navigated the square shaped upper level with ease, passing all the various baroque doors that led to a different room.