God of Pain by Rina Kent Summary, Characters and Themes
God of Pain by Rina Kent is a dark, intense mafia romance that explores the power struggle between love and destruction.
The story follows Annika Volkov, a headstrong mafia princess, and Creighton King, a brooding, emotionally detached enigma. Their worlds collide in a dangerous game of obsession, pain, and passion. Annika is determined to carve her own path despite the expectations placed upon her, while Creighton fights the darkness that threatens to consume him. As secrets unravel and betrayals mount, they must decide whether their love is strong enough to survive the brutal world they belong to—or if it will destroy them both.
Summary
Annika Volkov has always lived under the shadow of her family’s influence. As a mafia princess, she knows that her future has already been decided for her, but she refuses to be just another pawn in a game of power.
Sheltered by her overprotective brother, Jeremy, Annika yearns for independence. When she crosses paths with Creighton King, a mysterious and emotionally detached man, she is instantly drawn to him despite the warning signs.
Creighton, known for his brooding nature and dangerous aura, is not the type to entertain attachments. He thrives in pain, both inflicting and enduring it, a result of a dark past filled with trauma.
When he sneaks into Annika’s room one night, it sets off a chain of events that neither of them can control. Despite his efforts to keep his distance, Creighton finds himself increasingly obsessed with Annika, while she is determined to unravel the mystery surrounding him.
A fire breaks out at the Heathens’ mansion, and Creighton becomes a prime suspect. Annika starts piecing together clues but refuses to believe that he is responsible. Their interactions become a dangerous game of push and pull—Creighton tries to keep her at bay, warning her of his violent tendencies, but Annika refuses to be intimidated.
Instead, she pushes him further, testing his limits and forcing him to confront emotions he has long buried.
As their connection intensifies, Annika proposes an arrangement—an hour together each day. Creighton, reluctant yet intrigued, agrees.
During these moments, Annika learns more about his past, including the abuse and brutality he endured as a child. She begins to see beyond his cold, domineering exterior, realizing that his need for control stems from deep-rooted fears and self-loathing.
Meanwhile, her family pressures her into an arranged marriage for strategic alliances, but Annika is unwilling to let anyone dictate her fate.
Jeremy, fiercely protective of his sister, warns Creighton to stay away from her, but it’s already too late—he and Annika are entangled in a web of forbidden attraction and unspoken longing.
When a rival mafia group targets Annika as leverage, Creighton’s restraint snaps. He unleashes his rage, proving just how dangerous he can be.
Annika, rather than being frightened, sees his darkness as a reflection of her own untamed spirit. They give in to their passion, their relationship teetering between love and destruction.
But Creighton’s demons won’t let him rest. Fearing that his love will ruin Annika, he pushes her away with brutal force. Annika, however, refuses to let him decide her fate. She fights for him, refusing to be another casualty of his self-loathing.
Their world is further shaken when a betrayal from within Creighton’s circle nearly costs him his life.
Wounded and vulnerable, he finds Annika by his side, proving her loyalty in ways he never expected. Jeremy, despite his hatred for Creighton, realizes that his sister is no longer the fragile girl he once protected—she has chosen her path, and that path leads to Creighton.
In the final moments, Creighton faces his past and comes to terms with his feelings. He accepts that Annika is not just a fleeting obsession but his salvation. He allows himself to love her, not as a possession, but as his equal.
Together, they embrace their darkness, forging a love that defies expectations and the violence of their world.
The epilogues provide closure from both Annika’s and Creighton’s perspectives. Annika gains the independence she has always craved, while Creighton reflects on how she has healed parts of him he thought were beyond saving. They are not a perfect couple, but they don’t need to be—because their love thrives in the chaos, unbreakable and raw.
Characters
Annika Volkov
Annika Volkov is not your typical mafia princess. She is a woman yearning for agency in a world that seeks to control her.
Sheltered by her overprotective brother, Jeremy, Annika is expected to follow the rules of their violent, power-driven world. However, her spirit refuses to be shackled by tradition or duty.
Her fascination with Creighton King is more than just a forbidden romance—it is a declaration of her independence. From the moment she meets Creighton, she is drawn to his darkness, not as a passive observer but as someone who refuses to be intimidated.
She is a challenge, a force of nature who does not cower before his coldness. Her resilience is tested when she is pushed into the brutal politics of the mafia, yet she stands firm, refusing to be reduced to a pawn.
Even when faced with Creighton’s possessiveness and internal demons, she does not waver. Her arc is not just about love—it is about power, control, and the right to carve her own destiny.
Creighton King
Creighton King is a man sculpted by torment. A figure of contradictions, he is both feared and desired, dangerous yet magnetic.
His existence is defined by pain—inflicting it, receiving it, and, most significantly, drowning in it. Emotionally detached, he refuses to allow anyone into the abyss he has built around himself, yet Annika’s presence unsettles him.
She is a temptation he cannot afford, an intrusion he never invited. His struggles with trauma, violence, and self-loathing make him a complex character—one who believes love is beyond his reach.
His journey is not about transformation in the conventional sense. He does not become a gentle lover, nor does he shed his darkness. Instead, he learns to coexist with it.
His relationship with Annika does not “fix” him, but it does force him to confront the parts of himself he has buried. His possessiveness is not romanticized—it is raw, primal, and deeply rooted in his fear of loss.
What makes Creighton’s arc compelling is not that he becomes a better man, but that he learns to accept that he can love without destruction.
Jeremy Volkov
Jeremy Volkov is a man who embodies control. As Annika’s brother and protector, he is willing to wield power with an iron fist to keep her safe.
His character is driven by an unrelenting need to shield her from the world he thrives in. He believes that his dominance is the only thing standing between her and ruin.
His hatred for Creighton is not just about rivalry—it is about fear. He sees Creighton as a mirror of the very world he wants Annika to escape.
His arc is deeply intertwined with the realization that control is not the same as protection. When he sees Annika standing beside Creighton, defying his authority, he is forced to question his own beliefs.
His journey is not one of surrender but of acceptance. He does not become less powerful, nor does he abandon his overbearing nature.
Instead, he understands that love is not about ownership. His role in Annika’s life is not to dictate but to stand beside her when she needs him.
Landon King
Landon King is a force of pure, unfiltered destruction. Unlike Creighton, whose darkness is rooted in pain, Landon thrives on disorder.
He is not a man seeking redemption or solace—he is a storm in human form, unpredictable and relentless. His presence in the story is that of a wild card, a character whose motives remain shrouded in mystery.
While Creighton battles his demons, Landon embraces his, making him both a fascinating and terrifying figure. His role is not that of a traditional villain but of an enigma—someone who exists in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
His interactions with the main characters serve as a reminder that not all darkness can be tamed.
Remington King
Remington King is the light in the storm, the man who walks the line between humor and chaos. While his cousins Creighton and Landon are steeped in shadows, Remington provides levity.
Yet his charm is not to be mistaken for weakness. He understands the game better than most and plays it with a smile.
His role in the narrative is crucial—not just as comic relief but as a counterpoint to the unrelenting intensity of Creighton and Landon. He sees the cracks in their armor, and though he does not always intervene, he understands more than he lets on.
Themes
Love as a Battlefield
In God of Pain, love is not a gentle force—it is a war. Annika and Creighton’s relationship is not built on soft words or tender moments but on fire, destruction, and defiance.
Their love is a battle of wills, a collision of two powerful personalities who refuse to bow to each other. It is not a story of submission but of confrontation.
The novel challenges the idea that love should be easy or kind. Instead, it presents love as something that must be fought for, something that bruises and bleeds before it heals.
Their dynamic is not about one person taming the other—it is about two people willing to walk through fire to stand beside each other.
The Weight of Inherited Violence
Every character in this novel is chained to their lineage. Annika, as a mafia princess, is expected to marry strategically, not love freely.
Creighton, molded by a past soaked in blood, cannot escape the violence ingrained in him. Jeremy carries the weight of his family’s legacy, believing that control equals survival.
The novel explores how much of who we are is dictated by the past, by the choices made long before we were born. Can one escape the destiny carved out for them? Or is the only way forward to embrace it?
Through Annika and Creighton’s struggle, the novel questions whether blood determines fate or if the individual can carve their own path, even in a world that tells them otherwise.
Pain as Identity
Creighton’s relationship with pain is not just physical—it is his identity. He has been shaped by trauma, by violence, by a world that taught him that pain is the only certainty.
His self-destructive tendencies are not simply for dramatic effect. They are intrinsic to who he is.
The novel does not offer an easy resolution to his struggles. Annika does not “heal” him in the traditional sense. Instead, she forces him to confront whether pain is all he will ever be or if he can be something more.
His journey is not about erasing his darkness but about finding a way to exist within it without losing himself completely.
The Illusion of Control
Every major character in God of Pain is obsessed with control—over themselves, over others, over fate. Creighton wields power to keep himself from feeling.
Annika fights for agency in a world that seeks to control her. Jeremy believes his strength is the only thing keeping his sister safe.
Yet, throughout the novel, the illusion of control is shattered again and again. Love, betrayal, and violence—none of it can be contained.
Creighton cannot stop himself from falling for Annika. Jeremy cannot keep her locked away forever.
The novel forces its characters to realize that true strength is not about control. It is about the willingness to embrace chaos when it inevitably arrives.
A Love Story That Thrives in the Shadows
Unlike traditional romance narratives where love “fixes” a broken hero, God of Pain refuses to conform to that trope. Creighton does not suddenly become a kind, gentle man.
Annika does not lose herself in his darkness. Instead, they find a way to exist in it together.
Their love does not erase their pain—it simply proves that even the most fractured souls can find someone who understands them.
The novel suggests that love is not about redemption but about acceptance. Some wounds never heal, some darkness never fades, and that is okay.
Love does not have to be a beacon of light—it can exist in the night and still be just as powerful.