by Emma Cole
"We'll arrange for one of us to accompany you." One of them. That's not gonna work.
"Really? I can't even go to an appointment on my own? Or ask for one of you specifically? Is everything your say, Jag?" This confinement is ridiculous and makes no sense to me. I don't bother to wait for an answer and back out of the room. If it turns out Ash, or even Drake, can't take me, I'll reschedule the appointment.
I'm on autopilot for the rest of the day other than going over my books and making sure my schedule is memorized. I find some granola bars in the cupboard of the kitchenette instead of having to go ask for an escort, not very hungry after what Drake had brought me. Before bed, I pull up pictures on my phone of me and Kael. Getting lost in the past feels easier than facing my future right now, and when my scrolling lands on a particular happy moment, I'm sucked into the memory.
It was Valentine's Day, and I was on pins and needles waiting for Kael to text that he'd arrived in town. It had been hard adjusting to living on my own and breaking the news to everyone that I was pregnant once I couldn't hide getting ill every morning. Now, with the thickening of my waist just beginning to become apparent, the reality was really setting in.
Kael wanted to take me out to dinner, and I'd dressed for the occasion in a knee-length sweater dress that was just bulky enough to hide my tiny bump. It seemed I'd been waiting for ages, checking and rechecking that my phone had service. A knock sounded at the door, and I was hoping it wasn't one of the other residents needing a sitter. I'd been making a little extra cash on the side and getting some practice with watching the kids, but tonight was for me.
My surprise turned to joyous excitement when I opened the door to find Kael waiting in the hall with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. A laugh escaped him when I threw my arms around his neck, squashing the blooms and releasing their fragrance between us.
"You were supposed to text me! I'd have met you downstairs." I hated that he had to come here, but on the other hand, I was just too excited to see him.
"I wanted to surprise you. And you deserve to be picked up at the door, not having to meet me outside. Are you ready to go, or do you need to finish anything up?" Kael pecked my lips, uncharacteristically shy. It made me wonder what he was thinking.
"Yes, I'm ready. Let me put these in the kitchen before I damage them any more. They're lovely, by the way. Thank you for bringing me flowers." Thankfully, the Shasta daisies he'd brought had their own vase as that wasn’t something I had on hand, and they were too pretty for the Mason jar I'd have had to use.
Soon enough, we were in Kael's rental car and on our way to a local steakhouse.
During dinner, I kept half-expecting Kael to get down on one knee and propose, and even though I knew my wish was outlandish, I was still a bit disappointed that it didn't happen. After dinner, we went to the movies and found an old showing of Casablanca. We settled in our seats, loaded up with popcorn and drinks, to watch the old-timey reels that advertised the concessions. In the middle of them, a message popped up on the screen. "Cora, will you marry me?" When I looked back from the screen to Kael, he was holding out a ring box that held a wedding band and engagement ring, and of course, I said yes amid the applause of the sparse moviegoers. It had been hard to sit through the rest of the movie, but I did it, beaming from ear-to-ear until well after the final credits rolled, and we were on our way back to my apartment.
The memory fades as I come back into the real world, rubbing a thumb over the jewelry on my finger, and I wonder if the thought of Valentine's Day will always be so bittersweet.
Chapter Eight
Getting up the next morning for classes, I'm still struggling to shake off the thick blanket of depression that always accompanies getting lost in memories of what was and could have been. Drake accompanies me to my first couple classes, and it goes on with them trading me off throughout the day.
To my surprise, especially after the last few days, the classes aren't terrible. I really thought they would be hell. Riggs ends up in my final class where the instructor speaks with a fervor during his lecture and has a bit of a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he continuously glances up at me during class. It's one of the weird random electives I have to take: Arcane Arts and Theories. It's not at all what I thought it was going to be. I figured it would be some kind of history of events like the Salem Witch Trials or the Spanish Inquisition and the impetus behind them. Instead, it's about the application of magical practices and the modern cults that have utilized them in their daily lives, if the professor is to be believed, anyway. He used the word ‘communes’ and ‘religion’ instead of cult, but let's call a spade a spade. Men using the excuse of magic and religion to oppress women isn't a new concept-- insert eyeroll here.
After sitting through that hot mess, I finally escape the last class of the day and head back to my dorm room to get started on the massive amount of homework that I have to complete before my next class rotation. We're on an A and B schedule, so every other day I have one set of classes, and the others on the opposite until the semester switches.
When it comes time for dinner, Jaeger accompanies me to the cafeteria, and I stiffly keep my distance from him as much as possible. Even the students that seem to have magically appeared overnight give him a wide berth, though that doesn't stop them from staring curiously at me while the whispers fly. Some of the guys have that same creep-o look the Arcane Arts professor had earlier, and I have to steel myself from moving closer to Jaeger for comfort. Looking around at the crowd, I find that apparently everybody, including the teachers and custodians, all get their meals at the same time. Someone, I suspect Jaeger, had left a banana and yogurt in the kitchenette for me this morning, and I'd made a quick peanut butter sandwich with an apple for lunch, so this is the first time I'm here during mealtime.
I'm standing with my tray in my hands, waiting to fill it, when Jaeger gets waylaid by one of the administrators I haven't yet encountered. While he's busy, the same girl that had been on his lap yesterday stalks up to me and lets loose when she's well within my personal space.
"You'll find out what your place here really is soon enough, you stupid bitch, and then you won't be thinking you're so far above the rest of us. You've only been brought here to be used, remember that." Hair flipping over her shoulder, the girl spins, intent on leaving after her rude warning, only to find the administrator much closer than he had been and glaring at her. Jaeger is uncharacteristically pale, and I'm confused as I'm not sure what he should be so concerned about at the moment. I'm the one that was insulted, not him.
I start to get an inkling some major faux pas has been made when the administrator’s hand comes down sharply on Jaeger's shoulder, the fingers gripping, claw-like, indenting the fabric of his uniform blazer. Glancing at the girl, she looks absolutely petrified.
"Miss Bream, you'll be attending and assisting at the next meeting. Master Jaeger here will instruct you on where and when it will be held." The man's flinty eyes bore into hers even as his grip remains on Jag.
Lip trembling, the girl tries to apologize, but the administrator only continues to glare stonily at her until she nods and scurries away with her tray gripped in her trembling hands.
Jag stiffly introduces me to the intimidating man. "Cora, this is Professor Clendon. He's on the Blackbriar University Board of Directors. Professor, Cora."
So this is one of the illustrious board members that had a hand in crafting my contract and one of the senior professors for Mythological Studies as well as Advanced Arcane Practices. I don't know what is up with these people and their obsession with the occult, but I dip my head in acknowledgement and hold up my empty tray with a small forced smile, using it as an excuse to get away from the guy.
Jaeger excuses himself as well, letting the professor know that he's my escort this evening and has to stay close. The whole exchange is odd, and Jaeger's stilted behavior continues while we fill our trays and escape back to the dorm room with them to eat. I swear I could feel the man's gaze
on me the entire time, but I'd been too afraid to look.
With unasked questions swirling in my head, I take my tray to my room, closing the door behind me. Then I begin making plans to find out what this meeting is about and why it seems ominous for the girl to be attending.
***
My sneakiness pays off later when the guys start discussing it. I'd managed to leave my phone under the edge of the couch on the floor when I’d crept through the empty living room to put my tray in the kitchenette. It's on and attached to the Bluetooth in my room where the guys’ conversation is streamed directly to my earbuds.
"Olivia insulted her directly in front of Professor Clendon. There wasn't anything I could do to prevent it. She came up while I was talking to him, and he overheard it. She's been designated as the vessel for tonight's meeting." Jaeger explains what happened in the cafeteria, but I don't know what vessel he's talking about.
Drake fills the silence. "Can't we get her out of it? And do we really have to do this tonight? I don't know if I can handle this every week. It seems like they're continuously ramping up the schedule." He sounds stressed out, and again. What kind of meetings do they need to have on a weekly basis with the board members?
I hear Riggs answer him with, "Don't be a fucking pussy, Drake. This is what we're being groomed for after all. Or do you want to be next on the list of vessels? Don't forget where they'll start if they run out of the lower tiers. As it stands, we lucked out by getting Cora."
Ash cuts in next. "Shut your mouth, Riggs, we're not discussing any more here. The meeting's at ten tonight at the old gatehouse on the unused side of campus. Everything is being held there until further notice. We're to keep our new roommate close and unaware until further orders." I can nearly picture the sneer on Ash's face from the amount of scorn in his tone, and I'm floored at the difference in him when I'm not present. He's been pretty decent to me, but now I’m starting to think it's a ruse. To what end, I'm not sure, but I'll be finding out tonight.
When it's clear the guys have switched the subject onto mundane topics, I pull the earbuds out, letting them dangle around my neck as my head reels with all the information. I make sure to ignore Blaise when I go out and ask about which one will be escorting me to my physical therapy tomorrow. Ash volunteers, giving a sharp look to Drake when he tries to protest that he can take me. The silent rebuke, for no apparent reason in my opinion, only solidifies that it might be a bad idea to trust him— or any of them, if they can't even speak freely on a subject as simple as an escort. Not to mention the conversation I just eavesdropped on.
Debating if I should ask for one of the others after all, I weigh my options. Frankly, I'm way more comfortable with Ash doing it than having to make small talk with Drake on the drive. Before I make my way back to my room, I go to the kitchen to get a glass of juice and purposely drop my earbuds in front of the couch. Surreptitiously, I slip my phone out from under it and into my hoodie pocket, quickly telling the guys goodnight as I shut myself away from their too-focused gazes.
Chapter Nine
Biding my time, I wait to dress in dark clothing until the muffled sounds of the guys getting ready to leave give me my cue. It's nine-thirty before I hear the soft thump of the main door closing, and I slip my chenille robe over my clothes. Leaving my tennis shoes in my room, I open the door and yell for the guys, but none of them answer. To be sure, I knock on each door, using the lack of answer to confirm they’re gone.
Now to figure out how to get out of here without triggering any contingency they may have in place to know if I leave. I try their doors, but the only ones I find open are Drake and Ash's. Not wanting to go into Drake's unless it's necessary, I enter Ash's instead. I quickly search his desk and then hit pay dirt on top of his dresser where he's left his extra key card on a lanyard. I'm guessing his other one is in his wallet. As I grab it, I notice one of those tri-fold picture frames folded up and facedown, and out of curiosity, I open it. In two of the pictures it's Ash and the others, but the third one is of me and him during the short time we'd dated. The fact that he has it out brings up all sorts of questions that I don't have time to contemplate, nor is he around to ask— not that I could let on that I've been snooping in his room, so I reluctantly shelve them for later.
Sneaking out of the building is fairly easy, and I creep around the campus, trying to stay to the shadows. Checking the map of the school grounds one last time with the glow from my phone while I'm still hidden in an alcove, I make sure I'm headed for the old gatehouse. I'm going to have to get across a stretch without much cover and hope I can go well around the area and come back at the building from the side. It's going to add quite a bit of time to my trip, but it's probably the safest route.
I send up a quick prayer that the ticks don't attack and my leg holds up to the task. As I continue to creep through the fringes of the wooded area, I do my best to avoid stepping on any fallen sticks whose telltale snaps would give me away. After what feels like forever, I finally come up on the gatehouse, a smallish building with an enclosed courtyard constructed from old brick and wrought iron bars.
Through the gate facing the woods I can see there are already men gathered on the weathered flagstones, dressed in black hooded robes. I sneak up behind a shrub and find a chink large enough in the masonry to hunker down in while still being able to watch the proceedings. At least they're outside, so I don't have to try to find a way into the building.
The men in the robes have the hoods pulled up, obscuring most of their features. The lower parts of their faces are exposed, but the dark shadows make it impossible to discern any identifying characteristics. Small LED lamps are hanging around the area, lending an eerie glow to the tableau. It's only a few moments before three more figures with hoods appear from the dark mouth of the building, leading a bound and gagged Olivia. She's also dressed in a robe, but this one is a dark red instead of black, and the hood is hanging down around her shoulders. She's blindfolded, but I can tell from her muffled mewling behind the gag that she's protesting being here.
One robed man begins speaking as the young woman is led to a stand of sorts where she's put onto all fours, and her hands are locked into cuffs that are attached to the top of it. Recognition hits— it's a fucking altar.
"Tonight Olivia Bream serves as our vessel. She willfully defied our covenant of silence and secrecy, directly addressing the Axiom Host and jeopardizing our mission. At least one able member of each coterie present will take a turn, leaving the Axiom's to finish." The man gestures a hand toward the semi-circle around him.
What in the everloving hell are these people smoking? And what the fuck is an Axiom? All the chick did was be a snatch. It's not worth all this crazy.
Deciding this has to be some insane cult shit, I pull out my phone, making sure the light doesn't come on, and start recording. Surely, this counts as grounds to break my contract.
As the first two that led her there step up to the makeshift altar they pull her scarlet robe off, leaving her naked in the cool night air. Despite her unintelligible protests and my silent ones, one of the men takes a small knife out, carving an unknown shape into her back between her shoulder blades. Next, he rubs a powder in it, and it lights up blue before settling back down into a tattoo of scales.
I have to muffle my surprised intake of air as I recognize it. It's the same mark that I saw on Kael in the hospital. Olivia shrieks and writhes as it burns into her skin while two more of the robed men break away from the circle. One removes her gag, and the other gets behind her.
Immediately, she starts yelling, "I can't sustain the energy for this! Let me up, I'm sorry!" She breaks into sobs when the response she gets is a dark chuckle from one of the hooded figures.
"That's quite the point of this exercise, my dear. Don't worry, your family will understand when they're compensated and informed you carried out your duties as a vessel."
Olivia begins to struggle in earnest, and while I don't know what any of this means, I'm sure i
t can't be good. And I'm right, I discover, as the men drop their robes, revealing two of my professors. The one in front takes advantage of her open mouth as does the other from behind.
I turn my head in horror, unable to watch what’s happening, and try to figure out how to quietly sneak away from here and call the police. My plans are thwarted when several of the group stand in front of my position on the other side of the wall. I'm hidden under the bushes but getting out and making my escape without alerting them feels impossible. And there's no way I want to find out what they'll do if I get caught.
By now the two men are finishing what they were doing, and the scales on Olivia's back have lit up in a glowing blue. I'm trying to figure out how they're doing it when matching ones on the inner wrists of the men light up as well. They step away when they're done, and the first man speaks again.
"Master Drake, you will take your turn as will Master Jaeger."
So they are here! Deviant pigs. I had hoped I was wrong, not only because this is wrong, but because the boys I used to know would never participate in such a thing.
"Uncle, I cannot, as I am bonded." Drake's voice trembles slightly from the recess of his hood as he faces who I now realize is Damien's father.
Damien Sr. is an asshole, but I'd never thought he was this big of one. And what does Drake mean by bonded?
"The bond doesn't prevent you from using her mouth, nor Master Jaeger her rear. Bonds only apply to the use of another's cunt." The man is insane as well as beyond vulgar.
Drake and Jaeger drop their robes, completely nude in the courtyard. Jaeger is still as pale as earlier, his features resigned, and when I focus on Drake's face, he seems much the same. Almost robotically, they approach the girl as three more come up and drop their robes. Blaise, Ash, and Riggs.
Riggs hands off a tube to Drake before he and the other two stand off to the side. I don't get the sense that they'll actively be participating, but now I can see those same blue scales on all their wrists. Drake rubs whatever liquid was in the tube on his flaccid dick and passes it to Jaeger who does the same, both gaining erections swiftly.
