Unmasked

by Shannon Youngblood

  Unable to keep my head up any more, I laid it back onto the table and shut my eyes. A sense of betrayal ran through me as I internally applauded Zander for standing up to Wayne. I had twenty-one years of good memories with my father, and it was all destroyed in one night, but I still felt bad for his humiliation. I laid there for seconds, or minutes, I wasn’t sure, but when I opened my eyes, Zander and the other Masters were gone, and Gwen was standing next to me.

  “I’ve come to clean you up and prepare you for your journey home,” she told me, freeing my wrists from their restraints and then my ankles.

  “Thank you, Gwen,” I whispered, unsure if she had heard me.

  “I don’t mean to be so presumptuous,” she looked at me, taking a warm cloth to my body and cleaning away my father's semen. “But have you decided who you will take with you?”

  I looked at her, more confused than ever.

  She lightly chuckled. “You must have been sleeping Miss Phoenix. As a wedding gift, you are allowed to take one slave from this place to become your handmaid.”

  Her cheeks blushed as she wiped the cloth over my nipple, cleaning the last of the mess on me.

  “Can I choose you?” I asked, knowing I didn’t want anyone else but this poor frightened girl in front of me.

  She nodded vigorously as a smile formed on her face. “I promise I will be the best handmaid you’ve ever had. I’ll be quiet and good and obedient Miss Phoenix.”

  I stopped her with a finger to her lips. “I know you will, sweet Gwen. I know.” Part of me was happy that I could pull this girl from this miserable place and hopefully give her a better life than she would find within these walls. The other part of me feared for her safety just as much as my own.

  There was a kindness in Zander, of that I knew, but there was also something else. Instead of a demon and an angel resting on his shoulders, they hid behind his eyes. I didn’t know which one typically won out in the war on his mind, but I had a feeling the little white winged beauty rarely came in first.

  After I had been cleaned up and draped with a simple cloth robe, I helped some of the other girls clean up my friends and get them dressed. Most of them couldn’t even look me in the face when I helped them into their own robes. Gwen told me we were to wait here for the Masters to return, and then we would be going home with them. All of the belongings we would need were already at our new place of residence.

  While we waited, I kept myself busy. I knew if I sat down and processed everything that had just happened, I wouldn’t be able to walk myself out, and right now, my only goal was to keep my head high until I could be safely alone with my thoughts and feelings.

  Gwen stayed by my side and never left as I picked up discarded cups, napkins, and bits of party food. While the other thirty five girls huddled together reliving the night’s nightmare over and over, I found bleach and excess rags, and wiped away all remnants of our abuse from every table. I may not have had the right words to say to each and every girl there, but I could, at minimum, get rid of the stench of sex and depravity that lingered over our heads.

  As I finished the last table, the doors to the ballroom opened with a flourish and the auctioneer and all the new Masters waltzed inside.

  “Well, well, well. Master Zander, it looks like you picked a good one,” he laughed as all the Masters groaned at the compliment being made to him.

  “Yes, it seems I have,” he replied flatly.

  Turning back to the slaves, the man addressed us, “Well, normally this is the time we would make you all clean up from your task, but it looks like an overzealous slave has done all the work for you. Go home,” he instructed, “and we shall see you all again, very soon.”

  I didn’t like the evil and sadistic way he said we would see each other again, but there was far too much on my mind to give it another thought. Grabbing Gwen by the hand, I walked towards Zander, desperate to be free of this night.

  When he saw us approaching he looked at Gwen and nodded before turning on his heel for us to follow him out. We walked quickly to keep up with him, both eager to leave.

  “Do you have anything you need to bring with you?” I asked her as we walked.

  “No, Miss Phoenix. I have nothing but the clothes I am wearing.”

  I nodded. It seemed we would need to find her some suitable attire. I would need to ask Zander about that, but it could wait until tomorrow.

  The breeze in the air slapped me in the face when the front doors opened. I didn’t remember it being so cold when I had arrived, but I had also been wearing much more in the way of clothing.

  Gwen and I kept a slight distance behind Zander as we walked towards his limo, and when it arrived, a very tall woman jumped out of the driver’s seat before rushing around to open the car doors. She beckoned us in and then shut the door behind us, leaving Zander outside. I looked out the black tinted window and watched Zander say something to the woman and she replied a note of concern on her face. She finally nodded and walked back around to the drivers side, as Zander walked away.

  When the door was shut and we started to pull away, I couldn’t keep my questions to myself.

  “Is he not coming with us?” I asked.

  The woman looked in the rearview mirror and shook her head. “Master Zander has asked me to let you know he will see you both in the morning.”

  I flopped back in my seat feeling like a petulant child. My first night in a bed that wasn’t my own, in a home I had never been in before, and he couldn’t even be bothered to be there. I didn’t know why it bothered me as much as it did. I should have been grateful. I wouldn’t need to see that man for twelve plus hours. After what he had done to me, I shouldn’t want to see him ever again, but for some strange reason I did. Laying my head back against the seat, I drifted off into a fitful slumber filled with emerald eyes and black demons.

  Chapter 9

  Zander

  I watched as the limo pulled away, the exhaust fumes hitting me square in the face. I should have been in that car, but if I had gotten in, if I had been anywhere near that girl, the feral beast I had just contained would have come roaring to life when I looked into her perfectly stormy eyes. She was dangerous, and now she was mine. Even at a respectable distance behind me, with an air full of cleaning bleach, I could smell her as we walked out of the ballroom.

  I pulled at the tie around my neck, loosening it and unsnapping the few buttons on my shirt. It was cool outside, but the fire in my body refused to be tamed. Tonight had technically gone exactly to plan, but I feared I had gotten much more than I had bargained for with Phoenix. She was headstrong and fierce, not to mention beautiful and courageous. Only once during the entire evening had she broken down. I could still hear her scream, followed by the slap her father gave her.

  Remembering the way he touched her made my blood boil hotter. It shouldn’t have mattered to me. I didn’t even know Phoenix and this was her own father, but it did. She was my property now, and even though many of the Masters in The Faith enjoyed sharing their slaves with others, I was not one of them. I would protect what was mine, and that included protecting her from Wayne Ainsworth. I only wish I hadn’t made such a big spectacle of it.

  After everything was said and done and the Masters had left the ballroom, I knew I would be accosted for my outburst. It seemed as if every man in attendance had either come up to me to either congratulate me for picking a worthy slave or had asked me when I intended to take my rightful place as the High Master.

  I wanted to tell them never. I had no desire to run The Faith as my father had and his father before him. Instead I just smiled and shook their hand giving them an all-knowing smirk. My silence wouldn’t last long though. I knew, now that I had participated in the auction, that the council would call on me to rule, and getting out of that would be damn near impossible. If I didn’t take the throne as High Master, it would go to the highest council member in line, Wayne, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to have that asshole running The Faith. It was a pr
oblem I was going to need to solve fast, but it wasn’t a problem for tonight.

  As soon as the limo was out of view, I started walking. Claire was not happy that I wouldn’t be joining them in the car ride home, but there was no way I could be around Phoenix right now, and I didn’t want to explain it to Claire.

  “Just tell them I will see them in the morning and take them the fuck home, Claire,” I whispered.

  “You need to be there, Zander. She needs you.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what she needs, now go!” My patience was running out and she knew it.

  “Yes, Sir. Master Cunningham.”

  Claire rarely called me that. She knew I despised being called Master, and she had said it just to show her displeasure. She didn’t need to make it known, I already knew, but I just couldn’t bring myself to get in the car.

  The ride from the community center to home was about ten minutes, but walking would take me over an hour. I didn’t mind though, it would give me time to think and time to decompress. It was time I sorely needed.

  After the wedding and consummation, I made my way through the crowd of well-wishers and nosey Masters and I went back to visit my resting sister. She couldn’t sit up, but at least this time, she was awake and talking to me.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked her, placing the back of my hand on her forehead.

  “I’m ok, Zander, really. You should be with your new wife,” she chuckled, followed by a cough.

  “You know that’s now how that works. She’s getting cleaned up and will have to help clean up the ballroom once she’s able.”

  She nodded. “Will you tell me about her?”

  “She’s strong, sister. Stronger than I am, I’m afraid.”

  “Then you are in for one hell of a ride aren’t you?” She laughed again.

  I didn’t answer her because deep down I knew she was right. I was in for a ride, as was Phoenix, and I hoped she could keep up without breaking.

  “Will you tell me what happened?” I asked her.

  She shook her head at me. “I can’t, at least not right now, Zander. But I’m going to be ok. I promise.”

  I wanted to push. I needed to know what Tyler did to her, but not at the cost of upsetting my sister.

  “Please be good,” I told her, kissing her forehead.

  “You too,” she laughed and closed her eyes again.

  The blue room was one of the worst torturous rooms there was to be locked in. I had heard stories from my father of slaves that had been water boarded in that room, slaves that had been beaten within an inch of their lives and slaves who had been used so violently by so many men they weren’t able to sit or walk for weeks.

  I couldn’t think about her in there, not when I was up to my neck in my own slave drama. I had between now and tomorrow morning to figure out what I was going to do with Phoenix. I had stipulations I had to complete in order to gain my inheritance and leave this place, so I had to play the part. What worried me was the beast inside of me and its demand for a pound of flesh. The line I had to walk was thin. Be the controlling Master the heritage demanded of me without letting free the horribleness inside of me. If the beast was freed around Phoenix, I would never be able to lock him back up, and that would be the end of me, and of her.

  An hour later, I strolled up the front path to my large two story brick home. It was extravagant, far more than I needed, but my father had wanted people to know the people who lived here had power and money. The entry was grand with a large chandelier hanging from the high ceilings. To the left was the west wing which housed the kitchen, the living and dining area and the servant’s quarters. To the right my father’s study and library, complete with a fireplace, and a large wood oak table for holding gatherings with the High Council.

  Upstairs, on the left, were six bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, and the Master Suite on the right. Mildred had already made up rooms for both my new slave and her handmaid and I hoped they were both settled for the night. I had no desire to see anyone in my current state.

  Taking a right, I walked into the study and straight to the bar to pour myself a drink. I normally wasn’t much of a drinker, but my nerves were shot and I needed something to calm myself and the devil within. I pulled my masquerade mask out of my back pocket and threw it into the hearth, watching the fire gobble it up and crackle its thanks. Never again would I be at another auction. Never again would I subject myself to the screams and cries of fragile young girls as they were spread open and mutilated by their own fathers.

  I poured another drink and sat down on the couch in front of the fire. I could feel my body start to relax as I closed my eyes and listened to the silence around me. For the first time that day, I felt slightly at peace.

  It didn’t last long as the sound of bare feet prodded down the stairs just outside the door. I got up and quietly went to the door to peek out.

  A nightgown clad Phoenix crept silently down the last remaining stair and looked around, lost in her new surroundings.

  “If you intend on escaping, might I recommend a heavier garment. It’s quite cold out there.” I said, startling her. I watched in appreciation as fear entered her eyes and exited just as quickly.

  “Gwen didn’t eat today. I was trying to find the kitchen,” her back straightened and her chin went up, defiance radiating off of her body.

  “Who the fuck is Gwen?” I asked, coming out of the study and walking towards her.

  “Um, 8S3. The slave. I named her Gwen,” she stammered, taking a few steps back.

  I watched as her heel hit the bottom stair and she started to fall backwards. Quicker than I knew was possible, I reached out to her and caught her in my arms before she could fall. On instinct, I wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her into my chest.

  She was tense. I didn’t know if it was fear from being in my arms, or from almost falling, but she clearly didn’t like where she had ended up. She put both of her hands on my shoulders and pushed, trying to get me to release her.

  “You know I could have your hands cut off for that,” I growled.

  “Re-really?” she sputtered, clearly surprised at just how much power I had over her.

  “Yes really,” I said, chuckling inside.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she said, pushing at me again.

  “If you keep pushing me away, I might consider it,” I snapped.

  She immediately stopped, and I turned and released her, letting her safely take a few steps back. “The kitchen is that way,” I said, pointing behind her towards the kitchen. “Try not to make a mess or Mildred will have my head.”

  She nodded and backed away, clearly scared to turn her back on me. She was right to be scared. Right now I had my faculties in check, but the next time she found her perfectly ripe tits pressed up against my chest and legs grazing my cock, she wouldn’t be leaving my arms so quickly.

  Chapter 10

  Phoenix

  I turned and rushed towards the kitchen as soon as Zander’s back was to me. Fear crawled up my back and infiltrated every fiber of my being. I wasn’t scared of Zander, far from it. I was scared of the way my body reacted to his touch. I had known the man less than six hours, but he had already been inside of me both physically and mentally.

  I didn’t think he had gotten home yet, because I had listened for the front door, but when Gwen’s stomach rumbled for the fiftieth time since we had arrived, I knew I needed to take my chances and get her something to eat. If I was being honest, I was hungry as well. I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, before my entire life had changed.

  His voice was like a bucket of icy cold water being thrown at me, and somehow, within seconds, I was in his arms. The electricity of his touch scorched me and I tried to push him away, but he wasn’t having it, and frankly, I didn’t really want him to let me go.

  What in the actual fuck was wrong with me? Was I damaged in some way? The man had more or less raped me just a few hours before, and now I wanted him to h
old me?

  “BAH!” I shouted as soon as the door to the kitchen closed. I was losing it. The only reason I felt the way I did was because of the strenuous night I had just had. I was delusional and emotional. That was it and nothing more.

  The kitchen was massive, as was the entire house. A giant stainless steel island took up a large chunk of the floor space, but you could probably still fit fifty people in just the kitchen alone. I walked over to the double door refrigerator and opened it up. The cool air from the inside helped soothe the burn in my body that Zander had left.

  I hunted around for something easy to take upstairs and something that wouldn’t leave a mess. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off the old bird, Mildred who seemed to be the one who ran the house. We had met her when Claire, the driver, had dropped us off, and although she seemed genuinely friendly, she didn’t seem very keen on having new house guests to manage.

  I reached in and grabbed a Tupperware with something that looked like potato salad in it. I shrugged thinking this would have to do until morning. Now, where was the forks, I thought.

  Looking around, I opened random drawers in search of the utensils Gwen and I would need to fill our tummies, and once again, his voice caught me off guard.

  “That was my mother recipe. I sure hope you enjoy it,” he laughed, his eyes glazed over, clearly drunk.

  “I’m sure I will,” I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes.

  “Did you just-- did you just roll your eyes at me?” He stuttered, closing the kitchen door behind him.

  I chose not to answer, instead opening the last drawer the forks could be in.

  “I believe I asked you a question, girl,” he stammered, walking up to the island right across from me.

  “My name is Phoenix,” I responded, “And yes. I did.”

  I didn’t know where the bravery was coming from, but I imagined it wasn’t something Zander was used to.