by Dani René
He stalks from the room, leaving me reeling from what just happened. My knees hurt, my body aches, and my soul has darkened to the point that I no longer recognize who I am. Pushing from the floor, I rise onto wobbly legs and make my way to the small chair at the window. The curtains are drawn, and I don’t open them. I don’t want to see what’s out there, what I can no longer have.
Thanos won’t be happy about what happened. I’m meant to please the partners. To ensure they sign with him. And the man who just walked out didn’t seem like he was happy. Tears stream down my face when I think about what my life has become.
The door opens, and my owner saunters in. His eyes burning through me with rage and hatred. I don’t know why he doesn’t just kill me. When he reaches me, his hand grips my hair, tugging me from the chair.
“Do you want me to hurt you?” Curiosity and confusion lace his words. “Do you want it like that, fuck-toy? Tell me.”
I want to answer him, but bile rises in my throat again, causing me to swallow deeply. I’ve been conditioned to want to be hurt. The images that still play in my mind on a constant loop are evidence that I need the darkness to feel pleasure. But there’s only one man I want to give it to me — Drake Savage.
“No, sir,” I say before he retaliates with force.
“Go to your room. You’re not allowed food today, and perhaps even tomorrow. You’ve disappointed me, toy.” His voice is rough, almost raspy, and I wonder if he was thinking about fucking me. It’s the only time he comes near me. When he releases his hold on me, I skitter away before he changes his mind.
I can’t walk properly, but I make my way to my room safely without seeing anyone else in the hallways. The other doors are all locked, and I know they hide girls behind them. I curl up on the bed and sob. I allow all the pain from tonight to ebb away. But I know it’s not the end. Not yet anyway.
When I open my eyes, Drake is staring at me with barely controlled rage. His body is vibrating as if he’s about to explode. The danger that emanates from him is stifling. But he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t say a word.
I want to walk away, but when I shift from his desk, he holds me still. Leaning in, he plants a soft kiss on my thigh, then mimics the action on my other leg. Again, and again. Gently, he moves up to my core, and his lips press against my bare pussy, causing me to whimper with need.
“Never again” — he whispers over the slick flesh — “will you be hurt. You belong to me now. And nothing will ever change that.”
And that’s how I know I’m never leaving Drake Savage again.
21
Drake
A week has passed since I found her. Since I stole her from the man who took her from me. Tonight, we’ll enter a lion’s den, and I can’t promise that I’ll save her from this. I’ve never been a nervous person, but this is something that scares me. Knowing all those men could kill us with merely a flick of their wrists because they’re guarded by trained security.
Dangerous. Violent. Ruthless.
I’ve stayed strong over the past few days for Caia, not allowing her to see how I feel. I’ve never been one to show emotion. Instead, I keep the war waging through me deep inside. My father taught me to never let your adversary see your weakness, but tonight, I’ll be walking alongside her — Caia, my weakness — into that house.
The mansion is silent as I make my way into the basement. It’s cold tonight, and I wonder if it’s a sign. Perhaps we should stop this charade. Maybe we should pack up and move to London, where I know we’ll be far from this shit.
As much as I’d rather do that to keep Caia and River safe, I know it’s not the answer. Running is a fool’s errand; staying to fight to the end is what I need to do.
As I enter the hallway to find the cells, I recall the first time I walked down here with my father. He was so proud to show me the legacy that would fall on my shoulders one day. It was in that moment I considered running away. Taking my brother and my best friend and leaving this place.
I wonder each day if the girls ever survived once they’d been sent to their prospective owners. Shoving the office door open, I settle in the chair to see Rayne on the bed, curled up. We’ve made sure the room is as normal as we could make it. She’s calmed down somewhat, but there’s still a rabidity that explodes when she’s angry.
Pulling the cigarette from the packet on the desk, I light one and pull in a deep lungful of smoke. The screen crackles, and I watch the girl roll over. She must be in pain because there’s a wince on her face every time she moves.
Closing my eyes, I recall a memory of the moment I broke, just like Rayne is broken. Just like every child that passed through these walls had done.
“Drake.” My father’s voice comes from behind me. I’ve only just turned fourteen, and he’s been bringing me down here every day. I’ve watched things that would make anyone have nightmares for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, he hasn’t brought Dante down here.
I wonder if he remembers being a good person. It’s as if someone else has taken over his body and my father is gone. It’s only been a few short months since the first day he made sure I knew what he did and why the Savage name is so well respected. Men, women, all those in power pay my father a stupid amount of money to do things. Ugly things.
“I think it’s time you and River help me down here,” he tells me, causing my heart to leap into my throat. I wish it would kill me. I pray for death, but it never comes. “Bring him down here. We’ll have a session where you’ll get firsthand experience of the trade.”
“Yes, Father.” I nod, knowing I cannot deny him. If I do, I’ll be whipped. Turning to the door, I race up the stairs to find my best friend in my bedroom. His big green eyes meet mine.
“Hey.” He smiles, and my heart thuds happily. I love when he smiles. I don’t understand why, but sometimes I think about him. Not like a friend, but more than that. And sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. But he’s not a girl, so I will never find out.
“My dad wants us in the dungeon,” I tell him, not giving him a smile in return.
His face falls, and I know he’s as afraid as I am. He sighs, nods, then rises from my bed. When he nears me, he catches my face in his hands, holding me steady. “We’ll be okay,” he affirms.
“I know,” I tell him confidently. I know he can see past the lie. River can see everything. He’s known me for years, and he can always call me out on my bullshit.
“Let’s go.”
We make our way silently to the dungeon to find my father and one of his men in white coats. They both look like doctors. I know what’s going to happen. I’ve seen this before, but River hasn’t. As much as I wanted to shield him, I knew it was only a matter of time.
“The boys.” Dad smiles, gesturing for us to enter. When we do, I notice a girl in the room lit with low, yellow light. There are two small bedrooms set up alongside the main area, and I know what happens in there. The bed she’s sitting on is covered in a white sheet. “Today, you both will experience what it’s like to be men,” my father announces.
He shoves us into the room and shuts the door behind him. Settling himself on a small, two-seater sofa, he unbuckles his belt, watching the girl on the bed. My body is cold, rigid, I can’t move, but when he crooks a finger at River, I step forward, shielding my best friend from my father.
“Don’t fuck this up, son,” he says in a gruff tone.
River places a hand on my shoulder. The touch calms me, but I know it’s not going to last long. My father reaches for my best friend, shoving him to his knees before pointing in my direction.
“I want to see if you’re a man yet,” he chuckles darkly, then points to the girl on the bed. I have to do something. I know I have to move, but my feet no longer know how because I’m rooted to the spot. “If you don’t fucking move now, I’ll make you move.”
His threat jolts me into action, and I turn to the shivering girl. She’s pretty. With dark hair, and big blue eyes filled wi
th innocence I know shines in my own. I step forward only to have her cower, scooting backward on the bed away from me. She’s shivering, her skin almost blue, and her straggly hair is matted to her head.
“Get the fuck up,” my father bites out.
I’m angry that she’s so scared. If she would fight, perhaps he wouldn’t hurt her, but I wouldn’t put anything past Malcolm Savage. She doesn’t move, merely trembles like a dog that’s been kicked. Anger courses through me as I stalk toward her. As soon as my hand grips her thin, waiflike arm, I tug her up onto her bare feet.
“I’ve taught you how to handle the toys, Drake. Make me proud.” The threat is thick in my father’s voice. If I don’t turn into him, into a monster, he’ll hurt River.
Glancing over my shoulder, I notice my dad’s hand in River’s golden-brown hair, fisting it painfully, and my best friend winces. I have to choose — the boy I love or a girl I don’t know.
“Please, don’t hurt me,” she mumbles, and I’m ready to rip into her until she lifts her gaze to mine. Soft blue eyes, the color of the sky on a spring morning, almost pastel in shade, peek up at me.
“I said get up. When I speak, you obey me. Am I understood?”
She tips her head up and down in agreement, and her fat bottom lip wobbles as she blinks back tears.
“You’ll do what I want.”
“Open your legs, toy,” Malcolm grunts from behind me, and I don’t want to see what he’s doing. The image is burned into my mind. I’ve seen him do things with other captives in here, and it makes me ill. So, I focus on the girl who does as he asks and opens her legs. There’s dark hair there, but I see the pink of her private place.
I swallow the lump in my throat, willing myself not to react to her, but my body betrays me, and I feel my cock throbbing.
“That’s it. Use your fingers and show my son your cunt.” Malcolm utters the word that makes my skin crawl. She doesn’t deserve this. But neither do I. And neither does my best friend. The girl moves, opening herself to three of us who watch her intently. I don’t want to look, but I can’t turn away.
That’s when she fights. When her fire burns, and she screams bloody fucking murder. My father is on his feet in seconds, his hand gripping her tiny throat as he pulls her body from the bed and drags it over to the sofa.
“Get on the bed,” he orders River who quickly moves beside me. “Sit. Both of you.”
We’re both seated, unsure of what is about to happen, but still knowing exactly what my father will do to her. She’s still trying to scream, but her voice is raspy because of Malcolm’s hold on her. He pulls out his cock. It’s thick, hard, and I don’t know how he’s going to get it inside her.
I don’t have to wonder for too long, because suddenly, his hips lift, and the horrific scene of her body opening is all I can see.
“Touch him,” Malcolm utters hoarsely, his free hand pointing at River, gesturing to me. “Do it, or I’ll fuck you all till you’re bleeding.” My best friend is crying. Tears run down his cheeks as he reaches for me. “Pull his dick out and stroke him. Both of you.”
I want to close my eyes, but I know if I do, we’ll be in trouble. Once my hand is around River’s cock, and his is fisting mine, my father continues his assault on the blue-eyed toy who's screaming so loud my ears ring. I don’t want to get hard, I don’t want to be turned on, but the way River’s hand feels is too good, and I can’t stop myself.
There’s blood dripping from her body, and I watch it in awe wondering if my father really did break her. I realize then my father is Satan. He is the devil, and soon, he’ll want me to be just like him.
Shaking my head, I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. “I’m a monster.” It’s mumbled to myself, but deep down, I know he’s listening. The man who is using the beautiful girl for his pleasure. He’s the one who breaks them.
He’s no longer a father.
He’s a monster.
And I wonder how long it will take for him to finally break me.
22
River
Since we were young, we fell down a sordid path of self-destruction. It’s not something we chose. It was forced upon us, and there was no way out. We waded through the darkest depths of depravity, and we basked in it. We found pleasure in the desires that kept us hooked on each other. Like a drug, he was my fix. And like a cure, I was his medication. Until I fell. The moment I looked into my best friend’s eyes, I knew I loved him.
I see the depravity in his eyes — the yearning he exudes. Drake was shattered when he learned the truth about his family, but the moment it hurt him the most was the day his father broke me. When we had no choice but to allow Malcolm to play his games.
From then to now, nothing’s changed. Outwardly. However, the person I knew is no longer who I’m looking at now. I watch Drake while he’s busy in the office. He knows I can see him. The cameras around the house are set up to allow one person to see everything happening in any room.
His father used to sit here and watch us. I know he did; that’s how he found out about my relationship with his eldest son. The emotion I held for Drake was clear in my actions, in my words, and I was stupid enough to allow Malcolm to see it.
Sighing, I head down the hallway toward the staircase that will take me down to the cells. I need to try to talk to Rayne. My sister is a stranger to me. Sadly, she doesn’t even remember who I am. Not that I blame her.
When I reach her cell, I watch her for a moment. Her small body is curled into a ball. A twenty-one-year-old woman, but she looks so much younger, and it hurts my heart.
Rayne glances up when I tap the bar. Her wide eyes meet mine. Hers shimmer with tears, and mine, they’re cold and hardened by years of pain. I don’t feel anything anymore. A boy broken. And a girl shattered.
“Who are you?” she questions in a raspy tone. “Let me out of here. They’ll find me and hurt me. I need to run.” My chest aches as she speaks. Her voice, so much like my mothers, from what I can remember. The woman who gave up her children.
Hatred coils in my veins, a sleeping serpent slowly waking from its slumber. Rayne rises from the bed, stalking closer to the bars. She smirks, attempting to seduce me with a sway in her hips. She lifts the tank top she’s wearing, baring her tits to me.
She’s transformed into the dark temptress right before me. Nothing like the delicate version of her that only moments ago begged to be set free. She seems almost virginal. I say almost because this woman is far from an angel. They’ve turned her into something vile.
“Let me out, big boy,” she coos, running her fingertips over mine.
My white-knuckle grip on the bars only tighten at her touch. I want to slap her for being so stupid, for trying to use sex to get something.
“Rayne Steele,” I utter her name.
Her lips part, in shock or something else, but she watches me with wide eyes. “How do you know my name?”
“My name is River Steele,” I tell her. Her brows furrow in confusion at my admission. “Our mother, she was a bad person.”
“I don’t have a mother. She died when I was born.” Her fiery confidence in what she’s saying has been solidified by years of lies.
“How old are you?” I question.
She sighs, lowering her gaze to our hands. “I’m twenty-one.” She’s right. I worked out the years that have passed since I last laid eyes on her. My sister hasn’t lived a normal life since she was too young to even remember our mother.
A ghost.
I allowed myself to believe she didn’t truly exist.
I convinced myself I’d imagined her.
When Drake’s father took me in as his own, I let my life become part of his game. He turned me into a pawn. He tortured me. Not with violence. No. He wasn’t that type of monster. He broke my mind. My will to live was shattered, and if it wasn’t for Drake, I wouldn’t have made it through.
Years I spent in love with a man who is so cold he can’t even show affection. But now that he has
Caia and me, I hope that will thaw him. That he’ll once more be the Drake I recall from our younger years, before the darkness consumed him.
“You were taken, a long time ago, Rayne.”
She nods. She knows this. “They said I was special. That I would be made into the perfect toy. He kept telling me I was worth more than any of the others.”
“If I let you out of here, will you allow me and my friends to help you?” Perhaps I shouldn’t trust her, maybe I should leave her in here to simmer away in her fury and rage.
“Yes.”
“Promise me, little sister,” I implore her. Silence is thick in the air as I wait for her to vow that she’ll allow us to help. To do something to ensure she can attempt having a normal life. To live in the sunshine and not the dark.
“I do. Please, River,” she whispers, her big green eyes that match mine lift, and I’m certain she’s in pain. Not physical, but emotional. There’s nothing inside her anymore, and I can’t blame her for shutting it out. I did, too, for a long time.
She looks at me for a moment, offers me a smile, but I see it — the brokenness. Brought forth over so many years. It dances in her eyes, it tugs and pulls at her like a war which rages within her. I understand her. She’s just like me. A shell.
Fishing the key from my pocket, I unlock the cage we’ve kept her in and open the door. She steps tentatively over the threshold and falls into my arms. The softness of her body, the tremble that races through her makes me wrap my arms around her, holding her so close it’s as if she’s going to climb into me.
Her hair is matted, her sobs wrack through her, and I close my eyes to keep from tearing through the city on a wild rampage to kill every motherfucker in my path. Tonight though, tonight we’ll take them all down.
“River.” Dante’s voice comes from behind me. Dragging my gaze over to him, I take in his expression, and I know immediately something is wrong.
