by Winter Fox
“I’m in.” I smiled brightly as I spoke.
“What’s your name?”
I only hesitated for a moment, knowing that I couldn’t be Cara Westenra any longer.
“Daisy…Daisy Harper.”
“Well, Daisy Harper, I’m Erin, and I’m taking a chance on you. You better not make me regret it.” Erin reached out to shake my hand as she spoke.
I couldn’t believe that my fortunes could be so changed in such a short space of time. Erin obviously already knew that I was homeless, and she offered me a room above the bar. Which I took. In the space of one conversation, I had regained control of my own destiny for the first time in eleven years.
I wondered if I would have given up completely, if I had known then that my freedom was never going to last.
Chapter Seventeen
I woke feeling refreshed, despite dreams of my miserable past haunting me for the whole night. As I opened my eyes, I rolled onto my side, and caught sight of a handwritten note on the table next to my bed. I picked it up and read it with a frown.
Come to the playroom at one. You will be washed, dressed, and you will kneel in nadu when you arrive. Don’t disappoint me, slave.
“Asshole,” I informed the empty room.
I tossed the paper onto the floor, and climbed out of bed. I was surprised by how late I had slept. The clock on the wall read eleven-forty. As tempting as it was, there was no sense in defying Adonis; I was pretty sure he’d come to my room and drag me there if that was the only choice that I left him with.
I showered quickly, and dressed myself in another ridiculously non-existent outfit. Not wanting to call any trouble down on myself, I snatched a pair of black heels from the walk-in. They perfectly matched the all black teddy I had chosen to wear today.
At five to one, I tried my door, and was a little surprised to find it unlocked. I stepped into the hallway and hesitated; trying to remember the exact route to the playroom, but also contemplating whether or not I should bolt in the opposite direction.
Before I had completely decided either way, Esther appeared around the corner of the hallway, headed in the direction of the playroom. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
“You’re to be trusted out of your room alone already, are you? I can escort you to the playroom.” The second sentence wasn’t a question.
I fell into step next to the older woman, and I cursed my indecision. I should have at least tried to run.
When we reached the playroom, Esther reached out and gave a sharp rap of her knuckles against the door; before continuing along the hallway. This gave me no more time for indecision.
Bitch. I thought.
The door opened, and I stepped into the room; before quickly dropping into my instructed position. As soon as Adonis closed the door behind me, I realized that we weren’t alone in the room.
I knew that I should have been looking at the floor, but my eyes wandered, unchecked, across the room to try and find the strange presence that I sensed.
A man was standing next to the same table which I had been bent over yesterday. He was tall, broad and blond-haired. He had very dark, cruel eyes, and I recognized him instantly. It was Thomas, the man who had been determined to abuse me when I was in the orphanage.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled.
Adonis’ jaw looked like it was about to hit the floor, but Thomas only laughed darkly in response to my shock.
“Nice to see you again too, Cara. Are you ready to keep your mouth shut this time?”
Adonis finally seemed to find his tongue. “Erebus, how do you know this slave? Why did you call her Cara?”
Thomas, or Erebus, walked slowly across the room until he was standing in front of me. I refused to look at the floor; instead I held his gaze defiantly. I had last seen this man ten years ago, and he hadn’t aged a day.
Another incubus.
Thomas reached down, and slowly wrapped his fingers around my chin; squeezing hard. The dark cruelty which I had recognized in his eyes all those years ago, still lingered there. I knew in that moment that he was going to take what I had denied him in the past, no matter the consequences.
Every muscle in my body tensed in expectation; if nothing else, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. As Thomas’s fingers gripped my chin even tighter, I clenched my fist, closing my eyes in anticipation of the trouble that I knew I was going to be in when I hit him.
“Erebus, get your goddam hands off my slave.” Adonis’ voice was filled with such low menace that Erebus blinked in surprise; before dropping his hand to his side, and stepping away from me.
Adonis’ defense of me restored my confidence a little, and I started to speak.
Before I got to the second word, my captor raised his hand, and cut me off.
“I don’t want to hear another fucking word, eighty-eight. Stay where you are.”
I scowled at Adonis, but remained on my knees; waiting to see what would happen next. When suddenly, a whimpering sound caught my attention. I scanned the room until my eyes came to rest on a cream-colored wooden box. I heard the sound again, and I lifted my head interestedly.
Seeming to notice my attention on the box, Adonis reached inside, and lifted out a fluffy brown and white puppy. My eyes widened in delight as he set the tiny beast down on the floor, and let it gambol across the room to where I knelt.
I was so absorbed with petting the pup, and running my fingers through his thick fur, that I didn’t notice the other two babies which Adonis had released until they came galloping over to join their brother.
I looked up at Adonis in surprise.
“For you,” he murmured, before turning to face Erebus.
The newcomer nearly hit the roof. “What the actual fuck, Adonis? You’re giving my dogs to a slave?”
Keeping my eyes focused entirely on the puppies, I shifted slightly. Erebus had used Adonis’ name—meaning I no longer needed to worry about keeping Emma’s secret.
Adonis growled quietly, before grabbing the other man by his arm, and dragging him further away from me—although not out of earshot.
“A slave who isn’t supposed to know her trainer’s name, Erebus. And, I bought the dogs from you, so they aren’t yours any longer.”
The blond-haired incubus snarled. “Do you think she’ll be able to take them with her when you sell her on? It’s a fucking waste of three good hounds.”
Meanwhile, I had fallen head over heels in love with the puppies—they were the best thing that had happened to me since I arrived here. I mentally allocated each pup a name; somehow believing that they couldn’t be taken back if I had named them. Making them truly mine.
The first puppy, was a little boy who had one brown and one white ear. He was definitely the bravest, and most adventurous of the three siblings. I named him Bear.
The other two puppies were both girls, and were a little more nervous than their brother. The larger of the two sisters had a mainly brown head, with a star-shaped burst of white fur in the center. She would be called Star, I decided.
The second sister was much smaller than the other two dogs. The runt. She was quieter, and less pushy than the other two. She was mostly white, with only a couple of small patches of brown on her coat. I decided that, because of her pure white coat, this little one would be called Angel.
“I’m not having this conversation now, Erebus.” Adonis’ voice was pitchy, and I could tell that he was furious. “I’ll talk to you after I’m done here.”
Erebus suddenly looked toward me, and a sly smile slowly broke on his lips. “I’m not going anywhere. My new price for those puppies, is to participate in today’s session with your special, little slave.”
“Absolutely not. My methods don’t run to your taste, as I recall.” Adonis spoke in a warning tone.
I absentmindedly stroked the puppies as I watched the argument unfold before me. I was firmly on Adonis’ side; there was no way in hell I was going to let Erebus touch me.
“Think
of it as my way of trying to teach you what you’re doing wrong, cousin.” Erebus continued to smirk in dark delight.
“My track record, and my income tell of a greater success story than yours, Erebus. I might have been your trainee once, but I am master here.” The aggressiveness had faded from Adonis’ voice slightly.
With a sudden jolt of fear, I realized that he was coming around to the idea of letting his cousin join us.
“No,” I murmured softly.
Both men looked toward me. They had clearly heard my small protest, but it was Erebus who spoke.
“I honestly don’t know how you have the reputation you do, Adonis. Your slave is defiant, and displeasing. She could do with a lesson from a more hands-on master.”
“She’s been here days, Erebus. Her training hasn’t even really begun yet.” Adonis fired me a warning look, as he spoke. He was telling me to shut up, and behave myself.
Not trusting what Erebus might do if I didn’t behave, I stayed silent and still.
Erebus shrugged, and folded his arms over his broad chest. It was a gesture that clearly stated, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“All slaves have to experience at least one threesome before they’re sold on to the houses. Since I’m here, I might as well help you to get the slave trained up for her new role.”
I had to choke back the words of protest which found their way into my mouth. I would kick, scream, shout, and fight until I had nothing left to give. Over my dead body was this going to happen.
I am not having a threesome. Especially not with him.
Adonis looked from me, to Erebus, and back to me again; absently tapping two fingers against his full lips, as he seemed to consider the other man’s offer. I bit my lower lip frantically as I waited to hear his decision.
“All right, you can stay. But my word is law in here, cousin.”
You horrible bastard.
One triumphant look from Erebus, was all it took for me to leap to my feet; kicking off the high-heeled shoes, I ran for the door in the hopes that it somehow hadn’t closed properly earlier.
I desperately tugged at the handle, a low whine of despair rising in my throat. The handle held firm. I was trapped in here with not one, but two monsters.
“Slave, calm yourself,” Adonis warned me.
Completely ignoring him, I ran to the wall of torture implements, and retrieved a long, black cane. There was no chance of me going down without a fight. I would rather fight to the death, than let that evil bastard within arms-reach of me. I turned to face them both, and snarled.
“Stay the fuck away from me, or I will hurt you.”
Erebus snorted in apparent disbelief. “Are you going to put up with this shit?” This to Adonis. Then turning to me. “Cocky, little bitch. I’m gonna teach you a lesson that you should have learned on day one, whore.”
“Erebus, wait.” Adonis spoke softly, but the air of command coated his words.
Erebus was clearly unused to being told what to do. He took a step closer to me, and I lifted the cane threateningly in response.
“I cannot believe your balls, slave. See, Adonis, this is what happens when you don’t start training a slave properly from the start.”
“You are not going to lay a single finger on her, unless we’re fucking her.” Adonis’ words made my skin crawl.
“That is not going to happen,” I hissed.
Taking a step toward me, Adonis held the palms of his hands up to me in a calming gesture.
“Listen to me, Daisy.”
He was using my name to try and calm me down.
“Whether you like it or not, I have made a decision, and because you belong to me, there is nothing you can do about it. You will comply with my command, and you will fuck whoever I tell you to fuck.”
Adonis had stepped slowly closer to me as he spoke, and as I judged the distance between us, I suddenly realized that my position was hopeless. I could hold them off for so long, but they would get a hold of me eventually, and then they would make me pay—at least Erebus would.
I finally reached a state of mind that I had never permitted myself to give in to before—even in the very worst moments of my life.
I gave up.
Turning to the table behind me, I smashed the cane down so hard it splintered apart in the middle. I took just a fraction of a second to study the jagged end of the wood; before I pressed it against the throbbing vein in the side of my neck.
I glared at Adonis as I started to apply real pressure against my neck; feeling the exact moment that the pale skin broke beneath the point of the wood.
“Stop this, slave. You’ll only get one warning.” Adonis actually took a step back as he spoke. I could tell that he was completely bewildered by the sudden flip in my behavior.
I pressed the piece of wood harder against my skin; determined to go through with it. There was no point to staying alive, when my short future looked so fucking bleak anyway.
Suddenly, Adonis darted forward and snatched one of the puppies up from the floor. At first, I wondered what he was doing. Then when he started to wrap his hands around little Angel’s neck, I realized his intentions.
“No,” I begged.
“Then drop the weapon,” he replied, calmly.
My hesitation was only brief, but that was all it took. In one sharp, jerk, Adonis twisted the tiny creature’s neck until with a small pop, it snapped, and Angel was gone.
Chapter Eighteen
I wasn’t sure if Adonis knew exactly how animal crazy I was, but I was starting to suspect that maybe he’d had some idea. I stood and stared at the tiny, broken body in his hands, and my eyes blurred with tears.
“You’re not as soft as I thought you were, cousin,” Erebus crowed, delightedly.
Adonis ignored the other man; instead taking a step toward me. “Drop the weapon, or I’ll do it again, slave.”
I didn’t need to ask him what he meant. I looked over at the two other puppies. They cowered in the corner of the room; both seeming to sense that something was tragically wrong. I unpeeled my fingers from the wood, allowing the broken cane to fall to the floor with a clatter.
“Good girl,” Adonis murmured as he leaned down to pick up the cane, with the free hand that wasn’t holding the dead puppy.
I stared at him silently, I could feel my rage filling the room like a tangible thing.
“Erebus, take the puppies to Emma. Eighty-eight and I need to talk.” The lack of any compassion, or remorse in his voice only served to infuriate me even further.
Erebus collected the two cowering puppies in one hand, then he took the tiny corpse of Angel from Adonis; before heading out into the hallway. My tearful eyes followed every movement, as I desperately wondered what was going to happen to Bear and Star.
“I’ll be back soon,” Erebus said, before the door clicked shut.
As soon as the door closed behind Erebus, Adonis spoke. “The other two will be safe, as long as you do what you’re told.”
I turned my furious eyes on him, my lip curled in complete disgust. “You are the most hideous monster I’ve ever met in my life, and there have been a few.”
He crossed his thick arms over his muscled chest, and quirked an eyebrow at me. “I am guessing by your earlier reaction, that you somehow already know my cousin.”
My eyes widened a little as I thought I heard a note of what sounded like jealousy in his voice.
If he noticed my surprise, he didn’t show it. “If you have met Erebus before, then you’ll know that he’s not like I am. He’s evil, and he would rather kill you than tolerate your disrespect.”
I gestured to his murderous hands. “So, you taught me a lesson by killing an innocent animal?”
“I saved you from at the best a beating, at the worst, death. You should be grateful,” he countered.
“Grateful,” I howled. “You’re sick in the head. You’re broken, Adonis.” I spat his name in disgust.
He raised a hand, and I actuall
y took a step back in fear. He shook his head, almost sadly, I thought. “You have much less to fear from me, than you have to fear from my cousin, and the other incubi.”
I glared at him, but didn’t speak.
“Under the circumstances of the last few minutes, I will forgive your use of my name, slave. But from now on you will only ever refer to me as master.”
“Yes, master,” I snapped. My voice was laced with sarcasm.
Adonis closed the gap between us in two quick strides. He placed one hand on each of my shoulders, and stared into my eyes. Although I returned his gaze steadily, the fire that burned within the deep, blue depths of his irises made me desperately want to look away.
“Consider this less of a warning, and more like some brutal advice, eighty-eight. My cousin has been a trainer for a lot longer than I have; if he doesn’t think a slave can make it, then he’ll cut her loose without a backward glance.”
He paused for a moment, and squeezed my shoulders as though making sure I was paying attention.
“I told you that untrainable slaves are killed, and it’s the truth. If Erebus reports back to our superiors that you are disobedient, and unruly; they may choose to have you put to death, or they may send you to Erebus, for a firmer hand. I don’t think you want either of those things to happen to you.”
Sensing his honesty, and hearing the urgency in his words, I believed there was truth in what he was telling me. But that still didn’t mean that I was able to bring myself to let Erebus near me.
“I don’t think I can do what you want me to do,” I whispered.
“You will, because if you don’t, then you might end up finishing your training out, living on his estate. Living by his rules. I don’t want him to have you, slave. I think one or two hours with us both, will be a small price to pay for keeping you out of his bed permanently. Just like the puppy was a small price to pay, to prevent him from hurting you today.”
I startled at the memory of the puppy. “You bought me those dogs as leverage, didn’t you?”
He didn’t even try and deny it; instead he nodded once.
