Why?
“What are they doing to her?” I ask, wishing I understood, but the more he fondles me, the more I’m losing control over my own body.
“This is her punishment.”
“She doesn’t deserve this,” I retort, but I can’t even say it without slurring the words.
“You’re just like her,” he murmurs into my ear, peeling away my dress from the top until my nipple is almost exposed. “A sinner always desires more.”
I shake my head, but my body betrays me as he grips my thighs and shoves his hand between my legs. The more he touches me, the more I wish I would just stop fighting, that I would just give in, because it would be so much easier. Let him have his way with me. Let him take and take until I can only moan and beg for more.
“Your warm, wet pussy tells another story,” he groans.
Suddenly, he rips me away from the room and throws me back into the hallway. I stagger against the banister, my breasts almost falling out of my dress as I suck in the oxygen. Eli slams the door shut to Anna’s room, then grabs me by the arm and hauls me to mine.
“Wait, no,” I say. “Please don’t put me back in there.”
“You should have thought of that before you went snooping,” he growls, and he throws open the door and drags me inside, shutting the door behind him with a kick. He throws me down onto the bed and says, “I told you to stay out of our business.”
I crawl up. “You only said not to go near the corridor underneath the stairs.”
He paces around in front of me. “And did you listen?”
My lips part, but I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to give myself away.
He frowns and stares at me for a moment, rage marring his face. “Stop. Lying.”
I nod, swallowing hard.
“You aren’t innocent,” he adds. “And neither is she.”
My pupils dilate. “But what did she do to deserve that?”
He scoffs. “That’s none of your business.”
He sighs and rubs his forehead, pacing around again until he finally stops and points at me with his index finger. “You squandered your privilege.”
Suddenly, he turns and marches off, and I shriek. “No! Wait! Don’t leave me here, please!” It sounds more like a cry. “I promise, I won’t do it again.”
He pauses at the door for only a second, a hand clutching the doorjamb, fingers digging into the wood. After giving me a single glance filled with agony, he storms off.
Eli
I go right back into my chambers, but as I slam the door shut, nothing can quell the storm raging inside my head. I grab the nearest lamp and smash it to pieces against the wall. The noise makes me come to a full stop. I stare at the damage I’ve caused and the pain I’ve instilled in both our hearts.
It’s been right in front of me, and I’ve been too blind to see.
I’m growing weak.
Easy.
Vulnerable.
And if there’s anything I don’t like, it’s that.
But the way she looked at me, so full of despair, made me pause. I wanted her to be punished for snooping in our business, but when she realized what was going on, it was like all hope had left her.
And then she turned to me with that look in her eyes that completely destroyed me.
The minute I caught her, I had wanted nothing more than to strip her in front of Tobias and Anna, to claim her right there and use her in any way I saw fit. But that look … it undid me, forced me to come face-to-face with my own actions. With my own sin.
I saw in her the things I wished never to see.
And it hurt me.
Why?
I knew what I was going to do and why I was there, yet I still couldn’t go through with it. I’ve lost my touch.
I go to my knees and pick up the shards, but one of them cuts into me. I stare at my hands as they shake with rage, and droplets of blood drip down onto the carpet.
This is what I’m supposed to do. Punish the weak, the insubordinate. This is my purpose in life. How my father taught me to live.
Yet … when I look at her, all of that unravels right in front of me.
Maybe Tobias was right. Dragging someone into this House solely because of my own selfish needs may not have been the smartest idea.
Still, I can’t go back.
This is the way it is now. There is no going back. Not from any of this.
She is mine, and she will suffer for her sins.
As will I.
Amelia
For hours, I just sat there with my head buried between my knees, my hands covering my ears so I wouldn’t have to hear the noise coming from next door.
Tobias went on for hours, banging her well into the night.
Who could go do that for hours on end?
I’ve never heard of anyone fucking for so long. Unless they did it multiple times.
I swallow hard as images flash through my mind of Eli touching my breasts, fondling my pussy, and the aching need inside to be taken and used.
Why would I ever want this? Why would I ever claim to like it? I don’t understand what’s wrong with me.
Unless … he’s right.
Unless … I do, deep down, want to actually be punished.
I shake my head and mutter, “No, no, no.”
It just can’t be true. I would never … right? I’m a good girl. He even calls me an angel. I’ve never done anything bad in my life. At least, not as far as I know.
There are just … hours missing from my mind.
Hours I can’t seem to get back, no matter how hard I try.
Only two things are going to help me now. Either find out what I did by talking to Eli and convince him to tell me with whatever means necessary… or try any way to make a grand escape out of this place. And is that really a choice?
Biting my lip, I force myself to get up from the floor and approach the wall. I put my ear against it, but no sounds are audible. It’s like the whole place has gone completely silent.
Then I hear a whimper.
Anna?
I hurry to the little opening underneath the vent and shove aside the furniture I’d put back in case someone came into my room and saw. I go to my knees and whisper, “Anna?”
The only sound is my own heartbeat.
Then some rustles as the curtain is shoved aside.
“Amelia …” she mutters.
“Is he gone?” I ask.
She nods. Then she starts to bawl. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, ” I reply, wondering how she’s doing. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”
“I said something I shouldn’t have,” she says.
“It’s not your fault,” I reply.
When she cries even harder, I slam the wall.
“Listen to me, what they’re doing to you is not your fault. Do you hear me?”
“But it is!” she yelps, sniffling. “I begged him to.”
I pause and lean back, completely confused. Why would she ask that? Who would want this? And then I remember … I did the same thing. It’s so sophisticated, this scheme, that I don’t even notice it happening right in front of me.
“He came into my room and made me talk until I gave him what he wanted …”
“Sex?” I ask.
“The truth,” she replies. “And I couldn’t stop myself. Once he started touching me, I just lost it. I completely lost myself.” She sighs out loud. “I don’t understand,” she mutters, breaking out in tears again. “Why did I say all those things out loud?”
“Shh … it’s okay,” I say. “Don’t cry. You did what you had to do to survive.”
“No, that’s not why I let him,” she retorts, sighing. “I did it because … because …” She hiccups and shifts on the floor. “Oh, my God, look at me. I’m a mess.”
“I’m sorry, I made everything worse,” I say, wishing I could hug her.
I can’t imagine what’s going through her mind right now. So much guilt from
all that pressure. The desire to escape is so strong she’d do anything to get out, even let Tobias fuck her. And I don’t blame her. I’m on the verge of doing the same thing with Eli.
“I can’t believe I did all of those things,” she says.
“You made the right choice for you,” I reply.
“No, I didn’t,” she suddenly barks. “Don’t you see? I deserved this!”
“What?” I frown. “Stop telling yourself that.”
“We ALL deserve it!” she yells, gazing at me with her tearstained eyes. “Why can’t you see that?”
I don’t understand what’s gotten into her. “No, this is what they do to you. They trick you into believing their lies.”
Her eyes widen. “NO!”
In shock, I lean away, terrified to look at her when she’s so angry.
“Tobias cares about me. The only liar here is me,” Anna says in a single breath.
I lean over again, but the curtain is suddenly swathed over the hole, blocking my view.
“Anna?” I mutter. “Anna? Talk to me.”
“I can’t. He told me this is how it’s supposed to go,” she replies.
“Tell me why,” I respond.
“No. He forbade me from talking to anyone about this. My sin is my own to carry.”
I hear footsteps moving away from the hole, and then nothing.
“Anna?” I call out, but there’s no response.
I bang on the walls, but there’s no one banging on them back. No matter how many times I call out her name, she refuses to come and speak with me. And it hurts. So much that it makes tears well up in my eyes again.
He got to her. Just like that. He fucked her until she caved and gave them everything they wanted. Was it even true, what she told him?
I shiver as I get up from the floor, suddenly feeling cold to the bone.
I’ve lost my only sliver of humanity. The one girl I could finally talk to is shut off from reality. And all I have left is my own crazy thoughts whirling inside my head, convincing me I too am guilty of a crime deserving of all this punishment.
I’m tired of sitting around and waiting. No more.
If I can’t count on anyone, not Eli or Chris or even Anna … then I will count on myself.
I will be the one to set us both free.
Chapter 22
Eli
Tobias groans out loud when he pulls the metal from his leg. Blood seeps from the wound, which he quickly covers with bandages and tapes it up.
“Looks gnarly,” I say.
“It’ll heal,” he responds as he walks past me and grabs a glass from the cabinet. “Man … I’m thirsty.”
He turns on the tap and runs water into the glass.
“I can imagine after doing all that,” I retort as I sip my coffee at the bar.
He chugs it down in one go, sets the glass on the counter, and then stares at me. “It took quite a bit more effort because of your girl.”
I look away and sigh. “She needed to learn her lesson.”
Soren stomps into the room, eyes cold as though his mind is completely shut off. He opens the fridge to take out a carton of milk and slurps down the entire thing, then throws it into the trash from a distance and burps out loud.
“Can you not?” I say, pointing at my mug. “I’m trying to enjoy my coffee here.”
“That’s what happens when you interfere with our work,” Tobias replies, and he folds his arms. “You even tell off Soren nowadays.”
“You both make too much noise,” I retort.
“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been working on cracking that one?”
“Really?” I raise a brow. “Because it seems like she only got here recently. If I wasn’t so busy myself, I’d say you had quite an easy time convincing her to tell the truth.”
Tobias smashes the glass down onto the sink. “Really? That’s your answer?” He rolls his eyes. “You let your girl roam around the House.”
“Yes. That’s my decision, not yours,” I say, clearing my throat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some calls to make.”
When I walk to the door, Tobias blocks my way, and the air suddenly grows thick with animosity. “Something you wanna say to me?”
“If you hadn’t let her out of your sight, maybe she wouldn’t have snooped on us,” he says, folding his arms.
“She needed to see to know what would happen,” I say.
When I try to pass him, he blocks my way again.
“You make my job harder than it should be,” he says. “Why?”
“Your girl was easy,” I hiss. “You broke her in no time.” I snap my fingers. “Like that.”
“And you think yours isn’t?” he retorts.
My nostrils flare. “I know she isn’t. Now get out of my way.”
I march past him, determined not to let his anger over me busting in on their affairs with Amelia ruin everything we’ve worked so hard for. Fighting isn’t part of our agreement. And these boys know we’re in this together.
“Maybe I should have my way with her then,” he says.
I pause, right in the door opening.
One. Two. Three.
Fuck.
No amount of counting numbers in my head will quench this thirst for blood.
I march right back at him and get right up in his face. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
“Why not? If she’s so difficult, maybe it’ll finally break her, and then we can get it over with.”
“She is mine. Mine, you hear me?” I growl.
“Sounds like you have a problem dealing with your own sins, not hers.”
“She is a fragile thing. If you challenge her too hard, she will break beyond repair,” I say through gritted teeth. “So unless you want to go against protocol and actually risk losing one of our guests, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”
We’re bumping chests now, and if lightning could strike between our gazes, this whole place would’ve burned down by now. The fire burning inside me is ready to burst into a crescendo. The only thing holding me back is our history together.
“The rules were put in place for a reason,” he hisses.
“And I was the one to inherit them. You think you can do a better job than me?” I growl back.
“Stop.”
We both look up.
It’s the first time Soren’s spoken up in ages. Neither of us takes his words lightly, even when there are so few of them.
Soren steps closer. “Do not forget your sins,” he says, eyes boring into mine.
I gulp. He’s right. We’re succumbing to the very thing we swore to fight.
I sigh and lower my eyes, nodding as I take a step back. “Look at us. Look at what this is doing to us.”
Tobias places a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t like fighting with you. We are all brothers in this House. We should be in this together. Us against the sinners. Even when we sin, we do it together.” He points at his wound. “You should never have taken her. More than anyone else, you should know that it’s just not worth it.”
I shrug off his hand. “She is.”
His judgmental gaze feels like daggers in my back. “You’re not thinking clearly. You can’t even let us help.”
“I need to do this on my own,” I say.
“Why? What’s so important about her?”
A pang of guilt festers in my heart, but I lock it away deep inside my chest.
I shake my head and look away, refusing to answer.
“Fine. So be it.” He scoffs. “You want to do it all by yourself? Have at it. But don’t come running to me when you fail. When you lose everything that matters to you. This House. This Family,” he growls, but it sounds more like a cry in pain. “She’ll ruin you.”
“She won’t,” I say, balling my fist. “Not until I’ve ruined her first.”
“Sir!” A guard suddenly comes storming in from the hallway.
“Yes?” I turn around.
The man leans against the doorj
amb, one hand resting on his knee as he breathes heavily.
“What is it?” I say. “Spill it.”
“Two girls …” he mutters between breaths. “They’re gone.”
“What?!” I shout, and I march toward him and grab him by the collar. “What do you mean gone?”
“Their doors were opened,” he replies.
Tobias comes forward too. “How?”
“I don’t know,” the guard replies. “I was just taking a leak, and then suddenly, they were opened. I checked. The girls are nowhere to be seen.”
Rage fills me up to the point of boiling over, and I roar out loud and shove the man aside. “Get out of my way.”
I storm outside and run up the stairs, skipping several steps. Even though my back hurts like hell, I ignore the pain in favor of getting there as soon as possible. Soren is right behind me while Tobias limps up the stairs, still in pain from the metal device buried in his thigh for quite some time.
I rush through the hallway and stop in front of Anna’s door. It’s wide open, but there’s no one to be seen. I take a few steps forward and gaze into Amelia’s room through her open door. Drawers are opened wide, and the mirror is smashed, shards of it lying scattered across the floor. She’s gone. Vanished into thin air.
“Oh, no …” Tobias mumbles, his voice strained and weak as though it hurts him to see Anna is gone.
And I know just who the culprit is. Only one person would even try to get away with this insanity.
My hand balls into a fist. “Amelia.”
What the hell did she do?
Chapter 23
Amelia
A few minutes ago
I stare through the keyhole, waiting and waiting until the guy guarding our doors finally leaves. Within seconds, I’ve rushed across the room and grabbed everything I need. I wrap my dress around my fist and punch the mirror until it shatters, and I gather a few of the shards and tuck them into my pocket. Then I grab a few bobby pins from the drawer in the wardrobe, and I shove them into the lock.
It takes a long while, but I’ve been practicing on the lock for quite some time now. Whenever I was alone, I would try to make these pins work because it beat re-reading books over and over. That was Eli’s biggest mistake … thinking I would just sit and wait for him.
Dark Wish (A Dark Romance) Page 15
