Thou Shall Not: A Dark Ten Commandments Anthology

by Michelle Brown

  Behind it were two large pillars, each adorned with flags bearing the same insignia. It was engraved on the damn marble floor where it looked as if a large rug had once been.

  What bothered me even more than all of this was the man behind it. I didn’t know Draven that well, or at all really, but if someone told me he was the head of some sort of satanic church I’d have laughed in their face.

  I’m sure if I took the time to think it through, it wouldn’t be such an impossible accusation. I didn’t do that, though. Take the time to think it through. I was going to bask in denial until I was safely at home.

  “We’re already here. What the fuck is some weird goat picture going to do to us? Let’s get the money, and go,” Toby stated in a calmer tone.

  I couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy.

  “You want us to just skip over the fact you want to rob what could essentially be a cult? Cottonwood is a big town Toby, but it’s also extremely tied to the Rothwell. The church we happen to be standing in,” Kyle said.

  “Fuck all of this, and the money. Taylor is pregnant. Can we focus on getting her out of here before someone, or a whole fleet of people show up?” Jessica demanded.

  I was starting to feel a lot better about them tagging along.

  “You know what? You all go look for an exit and I’ll go find the money. Just don’t leave me here.”

  He took a page out of my book and turned to head up the aisle, moving towards the back of the church. This place was huge, I couldn’t imagine going to its basement and searching through the rooms. Who knows what the hell was down there?

  “Toby,” my sister called his name and hurried after him.

  “Taylor,” I groaned.

  A bang echoed from what could have been anywhere, causing us all to freeze. There was a fleeting moment of silence rapidly replaced by Footsteps, multiple from the sound of it.

  “Fuck,” Dennis breathed harshly.

  Jessica and Kyle moved to stand by me, fear cloaking their features. As whoever was coming drew closer, I grabbed for them prepared to run. No damn clue where seeing as the remainder of the Rothwell was pitch black but standing around like a welcome committee was the last thing, I thought we should do.

  Toby took hold of Taylor’s hand and pulled her into his side, removing the gun I didn’t know he had from his waistband. Seeing that had me deciding it would be safest to go to him.

  There was click, and then the door was opening behind me. I caught sight of what, or who, was coming and instinctively shoved both of my friends forward.

  “Run!” I screamed at them, darting to the left.

  Realizing what was happening they shot between a row of pews, a few paces behind me instead of towards Toby. We were immediately pursued by those entering the church. The Rothwell began to fill with them They were a soundless shadow, wasting no time devouring us one by one.

  Dennis cried out from behind me. I didn’t dare look to see why. My heart was seconds away from busting out of my chest, my stomach had plunged into my ass. Everything thereafter happened in an almost dream sequence. Taylor’s sudden scream had me shoving self-preservation to the side. I turned my head but didn’t stop my forward momentum.

  I collided with one of the hooded figures as they emerged from the darkness spread before me like an apparition.

  My body reflexively jerked back, slamming into another, a scream erupted from my throat as hands took hold of me, their grip strong enough to bruise. From my peripheral Jessica was apprehended and dragged off like a ragdoll, disappearing into the void, her screams abruptly cutting off.

  I struggled futilely. A thick cloth was pressed over my nose and mouth, a sweet smell filling my lungs as I too was carted off like Jessica was. The sound of a gun discharging followed my decent into oblivion.

  Chapter Eight

  Draven

  I was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. I also believed that we could shape our own destinies no matter the obstacles in our path. Life was about calculation and willpower.

  To many who were unfamiliar with who I was, I came off as a wealthy man who had a metaphorical silver spoon shoved up my ass. And that assessment wouldn’t be completely wrong. My parents gave me all I could ever want, and then some. What they didn’t do, was solve my problems for me.

  When I was seventeen my father, grandfather, and uncle sat me down and told me I would be taking over the Rothwell the minute I came of age. From that moment on I had to maneuver my way through the ranks of a belief system the Alistair family had spent years twisting for their own benefit.

  My father told the congregation I was the new patriarch, the leader, so to speak. The person they would unquestionably follow so he could step back. It was up to me to first earn their loyalty and respect, and then keep it. No one could do something like that for me.

  You could hold power with fear and hope someone didn’t turn on you at the first opportunity, or you could be charming, charismatic, and have a tongue smooth enough to talk you out of anything. Acquire power because people liked you too damn much to hate you, no matter the terrible things you did.

  I’d used a combination of the two. I showed people I was relatable, but also not one to be fucked with. That all seemed ages ago now. I’d come a long way from who I’d been at eighteen. Ten years was a decent amount of time to warp this new era to my liking.

  There was a specific vision my closest confidants and I saw for the future of our clandestine empire. As I skimmed my fingertips over Athena’s ribs, I knew I would have it. There were still a few last-minute details to handle before we could relocate to Devil’s Isle, all trivial in the big picture but still necessary.

  Athena shifted in her sleep, rolling so that her cheek was on my thigh. I knew she could do with the rest. If the cameras hidden in her home hadn’t revealed she wasn’t sleeping well, the bags beneath her eyes did a fine enough job. I brought my hand to her face, tracing the outline of her perfect lips.

  Tucking a silky strand of hair behind her ear, I resumed studying her naked body through the sheer gown. I’d removed the habit almost immediately. It’d been such an ironic and cliché choice of disguise to rob a church.

  And on the one day of the year people decided it was okay to dress sluttier than usual and fuck like fiends, the devil’s holiday.

  It wasn’t her style, or mine. My female followers only wore veils with the Baphomet insignia on them, and their habits were of much better material.

  I risked a glance at my watch, noting the time.

  It was time to prepare.

  I hated leaving Athena chained up like an animal, but until we were further along in our relationship and she willingly hailed me like the god I was, she would need to be under supervision. I laid her head on the floor, gently, and stood up, adjusting my clothing. With a soft sigh and one last glance at her sleeping form, I headed for the door, knocking twice to alert the two guards outside I was ready to leave.

  It swung open and I stepped out.

  A nod to them was our only form of communication as I continued to my destination. Their job was to watch over that room as if there’s lives depended on it. Because they did.

  Passing by another hall, I heard a male groaning and shook my head. Aside from Athena, this was such a disappointing bunch. From planting the seed in Toby’s dimwitted mind, to reaping what was sure to be a bountiful harvest, I expected more of a showdown.

  All Toby managed to do was put a small dent in a pillar with a misaimed gun shot. The man was a shitty criminal. I was relieved that Athena could no longer be dragged into his ridiculous schemes or a participant in anymore petty theft.

  After tonight the life she had been living would be her past. I was going to be her future, the only thing that would matter so long as life flowed through her veins.

  Chapter Nine

  Athena

  Present

  Eyes the color of seafoam peered down at me from beneath a black hood. I blinked rapidly, lips pa
rting in disbelief as I stared back at a familiar face.

  I’d known he had something to do with this. It didn’t take too many brain cells to figure that out, something even Toby could do. Plus, this was his family’s church, after all. But it was still one thing to think something, and another entirely to be faced with irrefutable proof.

  The excess chain slipped through slackened fingers. “Dra...Draven?” I stuttered, dry lips slightly whistling around his name. I swiped my tongue across them, swallowing when his eyes tracked the small movement. I steadied my voice and clenched my hands to fists to stop them from trembling. “Draven, what is this?”

  “This is a light snack before we begin.”

  He placed the tray on the floor, at a place the chain around my torso would snag if I tried to go any further. A quick scan of the contents. A cup of fruit, small bottle of water, and cheese cubes.

  He reached for me and I flinched back without meaning to, grimacing as the iron belt hit the wall. I told myself to be brave, but I was a rat in a cage, mind frantically searching for a way out of this situation whilst trying to figure it out.

  He removed his hood with a frown marring his pretty features. “I would never hurt you Athena. Not unless the punishment asked for it, and we’re hardly at that stage of our union yet.”

  “You’re going to hurt me?” This seemed direly important to know right then.

  His eyes fell to my chest. There was an upward curling of his lips as he stared at my breasts, slowly bringing his probing hues up to lock with mine.

  “Tonight, you will scream in agony and writhe in pleasure. Tonight, your pussy will be full of my tongue and my cock. My hands will travel over every curve and crevice on your body. Tonight, you will become irrevocably mine.”

  An odd tingling sensation slithered down my spine, there was a tightening in my chest. My mouth flapped open and closed a few times before I was able to find my words. “What does that even mean? I will become yours?”

  “Exactly as I explained it. After the ceremony you will be bound to me for all of eternity.”

  Ceremony. Satanism. That wasn’t any sort of combination I wanted to witness let alone be part of.

  “I’m not a virgin,” I blurted out, hoping the truth would either spare me or get me a quick death.

  A predatory grin spread across Draven’s face. He came forward, invading my space until we were nearly chest to chest, my back planted against the wall. I turned my head as a weak act of defiance. A gentle grip on my jaw corrected me, and with one neatly manicured finger, he lifted my chin so that I was forced to look into his eyes.

  He leaned down as if to kiss me, trapping the air in my lungs. “You don’t have to be a virgin for me to make your pussy bleed.”

  A small gasp founds its way through my slightly opened mouth.

  “Don’t look so surprised. I’ve wanted you every day for two very long years. I know this feeling isn’t one sided.”

  “I don—.”

  “Shh,” he hushed me, brushing his soft lips over mine. “No lies. I don’t want to punish you, yet. And do you really want me to prove my point right here and now?”

  I shook my head and he drew back with a soft chuckle.

  Gathering the small bit of nerves, I had left I straightened my spine and stared him down. “Where are my friends? Have you hurt them?”

  Another grin, this one screaming of sinister intent. “Your friends are fine for now. They’ll be joining us for the festivities.”

  “For now?”

  With a wink, he turned and began walking towards the door. He rasped on it twice to gain leave, tossing over his shoulder before I was shut in again, “Eat. You’ll need your strength.”

  I didn’t touch the food. It wasn’t trustworthy. I paced the room as far and wide as my chain let me, desperately trying to think of a way out of this.

  I was on my fifteenth round when the door swung open again. Instead of Draven there were three obvious women carrying things in their hands. All were wearing habits and veils with Hail Satan printed on the rims.

  “Thea!” A familiar voice squealed in excitement. Big blue eyes lit with joy as she rushed me.

  “Beatrice?” I braced for the impact of her body colliding with mine, stiffening when arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace.

  She stepped back with furrowed brows, glaring down at my iron belt like it’d personally offended her. “That just won’t do.” With a cluck of her tongue the other two woman came deeper into the room, one held a deep burgundy gown in her hands.

  “Let’s get you all prettied up, shall we?” She spun me around, so my back was to her. “Not that there’s much to do. You’ve always been such a cute lil thing Thea. Sweet too. I’m glad we met. You’re going to be the perfect addition to the Mu—family,” she corrected at the last second.

  “What happened to you B? I tried to—.”

  “Find me. I know. I was so happy you weren’t faking our friendship, but there were a few things I had to take care of.”

  My hair was lifted over my shoulder, hanging down over my breasts. There was a slight whizzing sound and then the gown was being cut off me from behind.

  “Why me?” I whispered.

  “Why not you? You were nice to me. You deserve better than that pitiful excuse of a family. And my cousin needs a girl like you, Thea.”

  It would’ve been easy to spin back and punch her in the goddamn face, but Beatrice had issues I remembered vividly.

  Pissing her off while helpless and chained to a wall was a colossally bad idea. Choosing not to look too deep into her statement I focused on trying to come up with an escape plan.

  “What happens at this ceremony?”

  “Everything that needs to,” she replied cryptically.

  Chapter Ten

  Athena

  I scarcely recognized myself.

  The burgundy mermaid gown clung to my body like a second skin. My hair was pulled back in an elegant updo. Light makeup had been applied to my face.

  I’d never once dressed up like this before. Had this dress been a lighter color my perspiration would have been more obvious.

  Beatrice led me forward by the chain now secured around my wrists instead of my torso. Two diabolic nuns were right at my back, four robbed men guided us from the lower level of the Rothwell to the top.

  My stomach twisted into a painful knot the closer we got to the main room. More black candles had been lit, giving an even eerier glow to the satanic interior.

  Upon entering the front of the church, my eyes darted from the pews full of robed men and nuns.

  My friends and Taylor were kneeling in front of the alter, all of them stripped naked. Except for Taylor. Draven, Corbin, and Isaac stood before them. Three dark devils waiting to cause irreversible carnage.

  “This is so exciting!” Beatrice whispered to me, a wide smile on her face.

  She would be of no help.

  My sister lifted her head, tear filled eyes widening when she spotted me. I knew I had to do something to get her out of this. I’d bargain, make a deal with the devil himself if I had to.

  I was taken straight to the alter, stepping between where Taylor and Jessica were kneeling. Dennis has blood dripping down his face, large bruises on his body. Toby was alert, but his face swollen. And Kyle...Kyle was missing.

  I looked to Draven questioningly, He simply smiled before starting to address the room. He’d changed clothes, wearing only an open black robe, completely naked underneath. An amulet of an inverted pentacle hung around his neck. His tanned body was lined with defined abs, a Baphomet tattoo covered his left pec. A dark patch of hair surrounded the base of a thick, long placid cock.

  I tore my gaze from him, swallowing around the lump lodged in my throat, but not before catching his knowing grin.

  “Have a seat,” Beatrice commanded, low enough for only me to hear.

  It took me a minute to hop up onto the solid stone dais with my hands bound, but I eventually managed. I’d
switched on my autopilot, reacting out of preservation. I knew fighting back could get my friends more hurt than they already were.

  “Good luck,” Beatrice whispered, making quick work of my restraints.

  The chains fell from my wrists, disappearing with her as she stepped off into the shadows.

  Draven began speaking to his congregation, the sea of robed men and women watching him with rapt attention. I didn’t give a damn about what he was saying. I discreetly searched the room, wondering if the doors were still unlocked.

  Then I wondered how we could possibly reach them. Unfamiliar with the layout of the Rothwell I had no idea where another set of doors would be.

  “Tonight, this Hollows Eve, we rid Athena Balaam of all negativity energy, and transition her into Muerte for a life of servitude, bestowing upon her the dutiful role of wife to thy self.”

  Did he say wife? That was enough to get my undivided attention.

  Isaac lifted his arm and rang a small bell three times. On cue, two robed men stepped from the shadows and approached Dennis, lifting him by his arms. Another two approached me but made no attempt to touch, their faces expressionless.

  “Please,” Dennis begged.

  “The chalice,” Draven demanded, moving to the center of the sigil embellished on the floor, a curved silver blade now in his hand. Corbin wordlessly followed, carrying a matching goblet.

  I tensed an overwhelming jolt of dread shooting through my system. Sensing my change in demeanor, the men beside me moved closer.

  Dennis was forced to kneel in front of Draven, his face practically touching his cock. He began to speak in what I assumed was Latin, Spanish. Maybe those were the same.

  Suddenly switching to English, he declared, “We take the eyes.”

  Oh, fuck no!

  With little preamble he brought the blade down, digging the tip directly into the center of Dennis’ right eye. His screams filled the room, body jerking in the hold of the robed men. Toby lurched to his feet as if he could do something, promptly being sent back to the ground by Isaac, and then forcibly restrained.