Savage Gods (Reign & Ruin Book 2) Read online

  DEDICATION

  It’s only right to dedicate this one to you, Danny. You are loved and missed beyond words.

  COPYRIGHT

  Savage Gods by Natalie Bennett

  © 2021 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without the 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 permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  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.

  Editing By: Pinpoint Editing

  Cover Designer: Maria Spada

  REIGN & RUIN NOTE

  Lawless Kingdom

  Savage Gods

  Vicious Dynasty

  Lawless Kingdom and Savage Gods tell two halves of Judas and Rhia’s back story. LK brought them together and SG shows what unfolded before Vicious Dynasty. These two will grow with their choices playing heavily into who they later become as adults.

  VD is substantially darker than the first two books in this trilogy so if you wish to see it through till the end, please be advised that the third book contains various explicit content/subject matter some may find objective. Judas will never be a hero.

  HEA is subjective, but all questions will be answered!

  I hope you enjoy it!

  BLURB

  A queen is said to be the most powerful piece on the board, but no one ever mentions that she’s maneuvered by the king.

  I gave myself to a monster to save the ones who betrayed me.

  I let myself be crowned queen of a world I didn’t understand, making me not only a prisoner but the perfect pawn.

  Judas Barron is even more lethal than I could have ever imagined.

  A savage god in a league of his own.

  I thought he could grow to love me.

  I thought wrong.

  There’s mutual hatred between us and it grows stronger by the day. As does the sickeningly toxic need we have for one another.

  He’s taken me away from everything I’ve ever known.

  He wants me to shatter so he can collect all the pieces.

  He thinks he can tear my world apart without consequence.

  But what if the queen were to kill the king, and take his empire for herself?

  PLAYLIST

  (Spotify)

  Drake—Teenage Fever

  Willow—Transparent Soul

  Khelani—Toxic

  Jessie Reyez—Same Side

  Ali Gatie—What If I Told You

  Tink—Motives

  NF—Drifting

  Sia—Midnight Decisions

  Tink—Hopeless Romantic

  Billie Eilish—lovely

  Jessie Murph—When I’m Not Around

  Billie Eilish—Lost Cause

  Journey Montana—Forget Me

  X Ambassadors—Confidence

  Billie Eilish—Everything I Wanted

  Gracie Ambrams—I miss you, I’m Sorry

  12AM—Can’t Love

  Tate McRae—Slower

  Blackbear—u love u

  Queen Naijia—Trial and Error

  Ashe—When I’m Older

  J Cole--Power Trip

  Sam Smith—Diamonds

  Lil Wayne/Mansuy—Count On You

  NBA Youngboy—Cross Roads

  Juice Wrld—Rich & Blind

  Mulatto—Blame Me

  Paloma Ford—All For Nothing

  Juice Wrld--Legends

  Ashe—Not How It’s Supposed To Go

  Jessie Reyez—Same Side

  Lana Del Rey—Happiness is a butterfly

  Jorja Smith—Teenage Fantasy

  Rod Wave--Poison

  Meg Myers—Hope You Cry

  Breaking Benjamin—What Lies Beneath

  Anna Clendening—If I’m Being Honest

  DeathbyRomy—Kiss Me Goodbye

  Banks—Judas

  Emma Steinbakken—Never Forgiving

  Jordan Hush—Leave Me Alone

  EPIGRAPH

  There is so much hurt in this game of searching for a mate, of testing, trying. And you realize suddenly that you forgot it was a game, and turn away in tears.

  ~Sylvia Plath~

  CHAPTER ONE

  A meaningless life is an easily forgotten one. I’d seen this proven too many times to count and it was happening again right now. I stood beside Gavin watching everything that remained of Daxton disappear along with the runner’s taillights into the night.

  His body had been broken into pieces, simplifying the process of taking him away in compressed nondescript boxes that would soon be burned and then scattered miles outside of Crudele. The stench of sawdust, body fluids, blood, and severed flesh still lingered inside my garage.

  It would need to be fumigated again before I could go back to Rhiannon.

  “Does this seem anti-climactic? Is it just me?” Gavin asked.

  “This is how it had to be.”

  His lack of response said he knew that too. I wasn’t any more satisfied with this outcome than him. I would have preferred that each piece of Dax be flushed down the toilet like the meaningless piece of shit he was.

  Daxton had been a cousin through marriage, a fragment of a twig on the Barron famiglia tree. He’d proven to be a disloyal snake years ago and that’s what led to him becoming a pawn. Now that he'd been used to his full extent, he had to be disposed of. It was the natural cycle of life for those who weren’t worth the air they breathed.

  He'd still managed to grant himself one of his final wishes—getting out of Crudele permanently.

  I couldn’t wait to do the same. All I wanted to see of this insignificant town was it fading away in my rearview mirror. Shame I couldn’t burn the whole place to the ground, but it still had a purpose to serve once I was long gone.

  Unlike my recently departed cousin, my name wouldn’t be reduced to a mere echo in the halls of a prestigious high school, fading a little more every day until it was all but forgotten. It would continue to be spoken just as I would go on to become more prominent.

  Crudele was my timestamp of sorts, a place I could bring up on a GPS and say I was here once if ever asked of my whereabouts. It held no sentimental value whatsoever. I didn’t understand how the people here settled for such mediocracy.

  When I saw the guys my age, the way they lived, and having a vague idea of what their futures would be like, it wasn’t envy that burned through my gut, but pity.

  Maybe it was due to the way I was raised. We shared little to no common interests. I didn’t care for the variety of pussy, the parties, or the never-ending popularity contest.

  I was meant for far greater things than playing king of a fucking classroom and presiding over a local ice-cream shop. There was no real power in that. I simply did what I had to in order to blend with society. No matter how badly I preferred to remain in a small circle of contacts, connections would always be far more important.

  I couldn’t be a social pariah and get to where I wanted to be. I’d have to do this shit for the rest of my life, like every other Barron before and after me had and all my children would.

  “Time?”

  Gavin pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. “Five forty-two.”

  “You should try and get some sleep. I’ll meet you at Pesadilla in a few hours.”

  “What about you?”

  I shru
gged his question off and turned back towards the house.

  I’d already slept the few hours I normally would while he, Owen, and Bri finished with Dax. My mind was too full, my bed too occupied for me to entertain the idea of sleeping any more than that.

  There wasn’t much time left before we finished with what we came here to do and before we left, I needed to make sure we wrapped things up smoothly. This went deeper than revenge.

  It was far bigger than a simple feud between two families. Those were merely key pieces on an ancient gameboard.

  Each served a purpose, just like the girl in my bed. The difference being she was far more important than any of the others.

  I almost regretted that she wouldn’t know this anytime soon and when she did it would be a trivial confession at best. I couldn’t put everything and everyone at risk because of my emotional attachments.

  Hearts were always broken in a rise to power. There was no way around that. I’d go as far as to say it was tradition. It was a test of determination and devotion. You break the heart of the person you love and then safeguard the bloodied pieces until they could be forced together again.

  I hated Rhiannon was part of such a timeless formality, but this would make her even more capable when all was said and done. She’d finally get a glimpse of the life I was dragging her into.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I almost forgot whose bed I was in.

  Subtle hints seeped into my subconsciousness. The likeness of a cloud cradled my half-naked body. That was the first reminder because my mattress wasn’t nearly as soft. Cheek to pillow, I breathed in the lingering scent of jasmine and spice. A solid body pressed against my back, giving my brain the final shock, it needed for clarity to take hold.

  “Are you awake?” his husky voice sounded heavier than usual.

  “No,” I mumbled, snuggling deeper beneath the comforter and closer to him.

  A rumble of a laugh sent cool breath skating across my skin, causing goosebumps to spread in its wake. Gently, he pulled my hair to the side, so it was out of his way, and then placed his sensual lips on that perfect spot between my shoulder and the side of my neck.

  “Mm,” I hummed, exhaling contentedly.

  “You smell good,” he murmured, “You smell like me.”

  That was because I’d been using his body wash. I angled my head, so he had better access. Teeth nibbled with an innocence that betrayed them leaving a stinging sensation after each nip. The tip of his tongue darted across the erogenous hotspot to soothe every sting. His palm flattened against my outer thigh and gradually traveled up to my hip.

  With a firm, slightly painful grip I was rolled onto my back. He settled between my legs, careful not to crush me with his weight. The room was dark, no sign of sunlight to give away the hour but that alone told me neither of us had slept very long.

  Realizing he was in clothes again, my curious gaze traveled from his sweats to eyes of silver, breath catching in my throat when I saw the intensity within them. That look encompassed who Judas was. Everything he did and had done was always with that one sole emotion.

  “You’re not going to scream for me to get off you?”

  “If I did, would you?”

  “No.”

  I reached up, smiling. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine. Our lips pressed together, his hands found their way to my upper thighs again, stroking and massaging naked skin.

  He kissed me lightly once and then again, twice. Every brush of his soft, full lips was a little firmer. When they pressed against mine a fourth time, he used the tip of his tongue to tease along the seam until I opened for him.

  He took complete control of the kiss, with a slow and calculated intensity. He grasped my hips and pulled me closer, causing my pussy to rub against the hard bulge straining against his sweats. Each little moan was caught and swallowed by him.

  Keeping one arm wrapped around his neck, I spread my legs wider and reached down to hook my fingers in the waistband of his pants. I tugged and pushed until his cock was free. Judas immediately drew back, his breathing completely normal while I struggled to portray the same.

  “Touch me,” he commanded, lowering his mouth back to the sensitive spot on my neck.

  It was a simple thing to do, I responded automatically. I wrapped my fingers around his dick, smiling to myself when he slightly tensed and exhaled. It was nice to know he wasn’t unaffected. Smooth, long, and thick--three simple words to describe how he felt in my hand. I ran the pad of my thumb over his tip, forming a fist around his length.

  I worked him for only two minutes or so while he rained kisses all over me, nipping and licking until I thought I would come from his teasing alone. He cut my playtime short and made a gradual decent downward that I couldn’t follow with my hand. Another kiss and a gentle caress over my breasts later, my thighs were placed over his broad shoulders.

  “Damn,” he murmured as soon as his head dipped to fill the space his body had just occupied. I knew the quiet remark was more for himself than me. I was unashamedly and ridiculously wet.

  The way he petted and stroked my naked skin only heightened the craziness his kisses instilled. Judas wasn’t some naïve, clueless boy. He knew exactly what he did to me without needing to lay a hand on my body. Him knowing how and where to touch was the bonus.

  A breath of cool air fanned across my pussy a split second before he began to drag his tongue down my slit, softly, barely touching, further teasing me with each stroke of his tongue. I tried to wiggle, needing more but he was quicker than me, grabbing my thighs and pinning me in place.

  He focused on my outer lips, moving slowly to toy with the inner. His tongue was maddeningly soft.

  “Judas,” I groaned in frustration, raising my hips as much as I could.

  He shoved me back down and buried his face between my legs, finally adding pressure and giving my clit attention.

  I clenched my teeth in an attempt to silence the endless barrage of moans coming from my chest. It didn’t take him long to get me close, and right when I was at the edge he stopped and moved away, leaving a ball of tension wound too tightly.

  “Judas,” I growled at him this time.

  He laughed and positioned himself back between my legs. “You need to learn to be patient, bella. I’ll always give you what you need.”

  I wish I had a snappy retort ready to fly but when he ran the head of his dick through my arousal, it didn’t matter what he had to say anymore. I no longer wanted to hear him speak I just needed him to fuck me.

  It was more than the physical. Mentally I was a mess and hadn’t come close to fully processing everything that occurred in the last forty-eight hours but when it came to Judas and sex, I needed it to happen.

  It didn’t matter that I was sore from everything we’d done in this very bad a short time ago.

  “Shirt,” I rasped.

  It was gone within the next second, sailing across the room and landing somewhere on his floor. I couldn’t see him clearly because of the lack of light, but it was nearly impossible to miss the outline of his incredible body.

  He took hold of his dick and aligned himself with where he needed to be before spreading me so wide it hurt, hooking my legs over his forearms. I felt him move, pushing inside me with one roll of his hips. I shut my eyes, expelling a breathy moan at the delicious stinging sensation, how he felt too big to fit.

  “Open your eyes,” he stilled and demanded.

  I didn’t know how he could tell they were closed.

  I immediately did as he said, finding him staring down at me. He withdrew and thrust back in, harder, forcing his dick deeper, stealing a gasp from my lungs.

  “You always feel so good,” he stated with a contented sigh.

  My pussy clenched, barely adjusting before he began to do exactly what I needed him to. It took less than four pumps before the tension he’d created burst. I cried out as pleasure went coursing through my entire body.

  Judas ma
de a sound between a grunt and a growl, fucking me through the orgasm, hard and relentlessly. His thrusts and tempo never changed but it felt like he was going deeper and deeper, hitting every sweet spot I had. A squelching sound accompanied the slapping of skin that served as background noises to the sounds coming from my mouth.

  I could feel my juices soaking him, running down his dick and balls, making a mess of the sheets.

  My hands felt all over the parts of him that I could reach, captivated by the way his muscles flexed and the dampness of his soft, warm skin.

  He felt so good.

  My body began to tense, my lower stomach dipping as my breathing grew choppy.

  I was going to come.

  “Judas,” I whimpered, digging my nails into his wrists. “Harder.”

  He stopped only long enough to reposition himself and grab hold of my throat. His thrusts were rougher, but no less calculated. He was so deep inside me it felt as if we could meld together. I came with a strangled cry of his name on my lips, shuddering as I reached a higher climax than the one before.

  He didn’t slow, fucking me through my pleasure to find his release. My pussy was still contracting around his dick when he buried himself to the hilt and came inside me with a soft curse and guttural groan. His fingers flexed around my throat so hard that I winced.

  Unable to suppress another moan from the array of sensations my hands found a way to his face, and then into his head of thick, silky hair. I pulled his mouth back to mine. He let go of my throat but stayed inside me, returning the kiss with a carnal edge I couldn’t get enough of.

  Hours could have gone by with us entangled like this. I was consumed in everything Judas, blocking out the world and my problems until I had no choice but to face them. I hated that one of them was the beautiful boy I was underneath right now. The same boy that my hands were back to freely roaming over.

  When he finally pulled away it was with heavy a sigh. That was a rarity for the notoriously impassive Judas Barron. I wondered if like me, he didn’t want to go face the world. I wasn’t going to ask, and he would never explain.