by Ally Vance
He flips to another photo and then another, all of them showcasing my dead husband.
And all I can do is blink.
The proof of Warren’s death is plain and simple. But to believe it proves too dangerous for me to accept.
Because then… then I may smile.
His death equates to my freedom. Except, Master Kaiden just said that he’s inherited everything Warren owned.
Including me, I realize, reading between the lines.
Because I’m not an equal. I’m property. A purchased bride.
And I’m barren.
Which means…
I swallow, lifting my gaze to Master Kaiden. “What will you do with me?” I ask on a breath. “Where am I to go?”
Chapter Five
Kaiden
This is why my Camilla is so perfect. She doesn’t waste time with platitudes or requests. She merely acknowledges her place and asks me for my subsequent command. And damn if that doesn’t make me want to send her to her knees.
I turn off my phone and return it to my pocket, then give her my complete focus. I asked her before if she understood what Warren’s death meant. I can see it in her eyes now that she does.
She’s mine.
I own her.
My inherited bride.
And I intend to indulge in everything she has to offer.
But there are a few items we need to see to first.
“Doctor Charleston is waiting for you down the hall. You’ll meet with him for a full examination. Then we’ll discuss next steps afterward.” I don’t bother adding that this isn’t a negotiable requirement. Warren and his friends were a bit too rough with her last night. Doctor Charleston will ensure her readiness for my bed and also prescribe any medication she may require to heal.
One thing he will not be doing is administering another birth control shot. She’s due for it this week, but it’s no longer needed.
Camilla’s cheeks redden as she nods, accepting her fate. “If the physician finds me infertile, will I be sent to the Elite Maiden program? Or somewhere else?”
I arch a brow. “You’re not infertile, Camilla.”
“Warren says—”
“My brother’s ineptitude no longer applies,” I interject, leaning into her. “You should be much more interested in what I intend to do with you after your appointment, Camilla. Not in the results of his tests.”
Her slender throat bobs as she swallows, her hands clasping tightly together in her lap. She’s wearing a fitted dress that flirts with her thighs and a pair of impressive heels that hook around her dainty ankles.
Always perfect.
Always beautiful.
I lean closer, inhaling her floral scent and loving the way it permeates the air around us. It’s from her shampoo—a brand I chose and have stocked in her bathroom regularly.
She has no idea how much of her life here has been beneath my supervision and orchestration. As if Warren ever knew how to properly care for her.
“You’ll do with me as you see fit,” she whispers after a moment, her breath a minty kiss to my senses.
“Yes, I will,” I agree softly, pressing my lips to her cheek. “Quinn will stand guard during your appointment to ensure no one interrupts. Then I’ll return for you.”
She nods, displaying her understanding and acceptance. I tell her to trust Quinn, and she does. Or perhaps she realizes it’s futile to fight me on it.
Regardless, he’ll prove an admirable protector for her. Which is why I’ve offered him a job as head of her security detail. He’s already accepted but hasn’t provided notice to his employer yet. Staying on the force will allow him some insight into my brother’s investigation. It also provides us with a suitable backstory for my recruitment of him.
He just did such a fantastic job with handling my brother’s death that I decided to offer him a job.
No one will question it.
Except those who know about our longstanding friendship. However, money can buy anything, including silence.
And with my family assets, I have a lot of money at my disposal.
I stand and hold out my hand for Camilla. She accepts the gesture without a word, rising to her feet with only a slight wobble. Her eyes no longer hold mine, but that’s all right. We’ll go through the rules after we wrap up everything today.
Her steps are measured as she walks alongside me in silence, allowing me to take charge and guide her wherever I want. She’s so well trained in that regard. And yet, I look forward to provoking a little disobedience from her.
We’ll make a perfect pair in the end.
We just have a few hurdles to jump over first.
I guide her into the makeshift examination room that Doctor Charleston has set up in one of the back rooms. Quinn is waiting inside, his mouth closing on whatever he was saying as we enter. The doctor falls quiet as well, both males looking at my now trembling bride-to-be.
“Take care of her,” I say to them both before capturing Camilla’s chin to force her gaze up to mine. “If you need me, I’ll be in Warren’s former office. Don’t be afraid to interrupt.” I kiss her cheek again, then release her without waiting for a confirmation. She’s in good hands. And in a short time, she’ll be exclusively in mine.
Just as soon as I finish cleaning up the mess my brother left behind.
Chapter Six
Camilla
Doctor Charleston finally says we’re done after an intense round of questions and a thorough examination of every inch of my body.
I flinch as I draw my legs together.
“The pain will pass,” he assures me, handing me a glass of water and a pill. “Take this. It’ll help.”
I want to say no, but I know better than to fight him. So I accept the medicine without question and swallow it.
“There’s some minor tearing in your anus, so I’m going to send you back to Kaiden with a cream. I’ll make sure he knows that anal isn’t recommended until you’re healed.” He bends to review his charts, then keys something into the laptop on the table beside me.
It’s a good thing he’s preoccupied because I’m having a hard time controlling my expression.
I’ll make sure he knows that anal isn’t recommend until you’re healed.
Why did he say that? No, more importantly, why would Master Kaiden need to know that? Did he intend to put me to work right away? If I’m infertile—something the doctor has neither confirmed nor denied—then it’s possible he’ll want to lend me to his friends. Perhaps that’s what he intends to do with me after this appointment.
You should be much more interested in what I intend to do with you after your appointment, Camilla.
I shiver. Interested isn’t the right term so much as concerned.
“There. I believe we’re all set.” He nods to my clothes. “Feel free to get dressed, Mrs. Graves.”
Those are words men never say to me, but Doctor Charleston has been the epitome of professionalism. He did a few things that hurt a little, including taking a sample of my cervix—or that was how it felt, anyway—however, he never once did anything inappropriate.
I pull on my dress and shoes, then fix my hair with my fingers while waiting for him to tell me what to do next. Instead, he walks to the door and tells Quinn it’s okay to enter. “I’m just going to have a quick word with Kaiden,” the doctor adds, his words for me before he steps into the hallway and leaves me alone with Quinn.
I take a step back, uncertain of what to expect from the officer. If he notices, he doesn’t comment on it, instead going to the cooler to pull out two bottles of water. He keeps one for himself and hands me the other. “When we’re done, I’ll get you some food,” he says.
“I thought you had questions for me.”
He snorts. “I just said that to get Gray to fuck off. He was acting like a damn vulture sniffing around his former master’s remains.”
I grimace at the visual of essentially being compared to roadkill.
Quin
n takes another swig of his water, then sits in one of the chairs on the side of the room, falling quiet. I don’t follow suit, instead remaining by the wall, and take small sips from my bottle.
I really need to eat something. At the same time, I’m not quite sure if that’s a good idea. If Master Kaiden intends to sell my body tonight, then less food is a better idea.
The last thing I want to do is accidentally vomit all over his friends or business partners.
That happened once with Warren.
It wasn’t a good experience.
I start counting the minutes, the time functioning as a countdown to my fate. Whatever it entails.
Once upon a time, I considered running. I vaguely entertain that notion now, but I know it’s futile. I’ve seen what happens to elite females who run. They either die tragically or disappear. The latter is worse. It implies servitude somewhere within the circuit. At least as an Elite Bride, I remain a member of respected society.
That would be impossible now, though.
Doctor Charleston confirmed I wasn’t pregnant, which meant I would never bear an heir.
Which, I assume, was the purpose of all this—to confirm my continued infertility. Master Kaiden can’t sell a female pregnant with his brother’s heir. But a barren twenty-four-year-old woman skilled in the art of pleasure? Yeah, he can sell that.
My stomach sours at the thought.
Deep breaths, I tell myself, my mind venturing back to my wedding day, when I experienced a similar sensation of panic. I coached myself then, too. And look where I ended up.
No sense in reliving the past or dreading my future. I learned long ago that I have no control here. The elite men rule my world. They always have and always will.
I pull my shoulders back and stare at the door, waiting.
The only part I control here is my dignity. I won’t let Master Kaiden or anyone else take that away from me.
More minutes pass.
More silence.
Then finally the doctor returns, and Master Kaiden steps into the room behind him. His dark green eyes meet and hold mine for a beat, his lips curling at the edges at whatever resolve he reads from my face. Then he takes the medical files from Doctor Charleston and hooks them under his arm. “Time to go, Camilla,” Master Kaiden says. He glances at Quinn. “Claude says he can handle it from here.”
Quinn dips his head in a nod. “You know where I’ll be.”
Master Kaiden smirks. “Yes, I do.” He holds out his hand for me. “Now, Camilla.”
I swallow and step forward, doing my best to maintain my regal posture, and press my palm to his.
Warren would have squeezed my hand for hesitating. Master Kaiden merely runs his thumb across my skin in a tender caress and threads his fingers through mine. A strange sort of energy hums along my skin, warming the chill there.
Several staff members watch our departure, their tension and pity a palpable presence in the air. I refuse to let it suffocate me, instead keeping my head high as Master Kaiden leads me out the front door and down the brick stairs to the black car with tinted windows waiting at the curb. A male with salt-and-pepper hair meets us at the back door, opening it upon our arrival.
Master Kaiden hands him the files he carried in the hand not holding mine, then gestures to the back seat. “Ladies first.”
I unthread my fingers from his to comply.
A second later, he joins me in the back seat, his legs sprawling in a way that seems to take up two-thirds of the space.
The other male closes the door and walks around the car to take the driver’s seat. “Where to, K?” he asks as he sets the files on the floor of the passenger side.
“Home,” Master Kaiden replies as his palm settles on my thigh.
The driver nods, and the engine roars to life.
Master Kaiden’s thumb draws a circle against my leg, sending more of that delicious warmth through my veins. It’s been so long since someone elicited such a reaction from me. All Warren and his friends ever did was make me feel ill. But this touch evokes a subtle ache inside me that longs to be fulfilled.
It’s a cruel trick.
One I know he’s going to exploit later.
But for the moment, I allow him to lull me into a false sense of comfort. A fantasy in my mind that no one can truly take from me. A memory to dwell on later during my darker hours.
I close my eyes, pretending we’re somewhere else. On our first date. On our way to a show. Maybe the opera. Or a theater for some sort of musical. My stomach is tight with butterflies, my mind alight with ideas for later. I imagine him trying to seduce those sordid thoughts from my mouth with his tongue. But I don’t give in to him, never wanting this to end.
It’s a silly dream.
One I release with a sigh as I open my eyes to look outside at the palm trees passing us by.
I’ve never been to Master Kaiden’s estate, but I’m familiar with his beachfront property. Some of Warren’s staff mentioned the windows and airiness of the home, how it felt warmer and lighter than the audacious mansion Warren maintained.
My throat goes a little dry at the prospect of something new.
Then the palm on my thigh inches a little higher, drawing me back to his possessive touch. I glance over to find him watching me intently, his green eyes flaring with his usual intensity.
My heart skips a beat at the familiarity of his scent—the woodsy cologne that I swear haunts my suite.
I feel so connected to him, as though I belong to him. Which I suppose I do now. He said he inherited everything. So what will he do with me? Who am I to him? Does he feel this surreal pull between us, too?
His palm squeezes my thigh, not harshly but in a reassuring manner.
I’m not sure how to interpret that.
I’m not sure how to interpret him.
His gaze drops to my mouth, and I lick my lips on instinct. He follows the motion with a smoldering look, then abruptly turns his focus to the window.
I frown, wondering what I did wrong.
But his palm remains against my thigh, burning through the fabric of my dress and searing the skin below.
I’m entirely his in this moment. Or perhaps I’ve always belonged to him.
“What will you do with me?” I ask, unable to handle the agony of not knowing.
His jaw ticks. “Everything,” he replies, his attention still on the outside world and not me. “I’m going to do everything to you.”
My pulse races as I try to decipher the meaning of his words.
Everything is too broad.
Does he intend to share me with everyone? Make me please all his associates like Warren threatened to do to me?
As an Elite Bride, Warren kept me as a prize only for his closest friends. But as the months passed and my fertility continued to prove problematic, he started to threaten other uses for my body. Saying he had plenty of business acquaintances who would enjoy a taste of “elite pussy.”
My throat works as I swallow, my skin suddenly clammy and cool rather than warm and aroused.
Then Master Kaiden faces me once more, and the heated look he unleashes upon me causes adrenaline to surge through my system.
This male is a conundrum.
A walking riddle.
Silence personified.
And the most profound being in existence.
“What do you want from me?” I breathe, unable to hide my mounting emotions. Intrigue and fear. I can feel them battling inside me, warming and cooling my blood simultaneously, causing my heart to skip a beat before kick-starting into a chaotic rhythm. I don’t know whether to scream or to cry or to beg.
He’s killing me with his quiet fervency.
Say something, I want to whisper. Put me out of this misery.
“There are papers I need you to sign first,” he replies. “Then we’ll begin.”
Chapter Seven
Kaiden
Camilla reads every page.
I didn’t warn her before hand
ing her the legal documents, nor did I elaborate on what they were, but I did say she could read at her leisure while we ate. And she does, her bright blue eyes devouring each word intently.
I wait for her questions as I sip my red wine, the filet mignon half-finished on my plate. She ate a few morsels of her own, her nerves likely too on edge to allow her to eat much more.
Which was why I slid over the paper that I needed her to sign.
There won’t be a wedding. Mostly because I don’t see the point. We married each other that day at the altar. My brother might have said the words, but they meant nothing. It was my heart she claimed that day. Just as I possessed her soul.
She was mine. End of discussion.
If she wants a honeymoon, I’ll indulge her. But no wedding. That would only bring more unnecessary eyes to our situation. If anyone asks, we’ll tell them we eloped.
I take another sip of my wine as she reaches the last page.
Once she’s ready, I’ll call in my lawyer and the deal will be sealed.
She has no other choice. Technically, I can return her or sell her off to the Elite Maiden network. I’d rather lock her up in my suite than allow either of those options to come to fruition.
If she needs convincing of this path, then I’ll provide it with my tongue between her legs. For hours, days, weeks, however long it takes. But she will sign those damn papers by the time I’m through.
She scans the final words, her expression giving nothing away as she sets the pages down on the table beside her plate. Her hand is steady as she reaches for her wine, her throat elegant and pristine with each swallow. Then she carefully sets the glass down and meets my gaze.
“You desire an heir,” she finally says.
“Several, yes,” I reply.
She leans forward with interest. “Does that mean my fertility results were positive?”
“Doctor Charleston didn’t test your fertility, Camilla.” Not today, anyway. And I was already very well acquainted with her ability to procreate.
Her lips curl down. “Then how do you know I’m capable of conceiving?”
