She eyed him curiously—the kind of look Unfortunates weren’t allowed to have. If she was anyone else’s, she’d be backhanded across the mouth. Kade was beginning to wonder if she slept through all of her classes.
“Why don’t you like your brother?” she asked.
Kade thought they killed curiosity in those Unfortunate camps. Then again, it was clear Nine wasn’t like the others.
“If you don’t want what happened upstairs between us to happen between you and Vince, I suggest you stay away from him. I’ll tell you now, if he ever gets his hands on you, he won’t be satisfied with you only brushing your lips against his cock.” Kade lowered his hand. “And for that bothersome curiosity of yours, imagine hardcore throat fucking.”
Nine’s face turned white as she subconsciously raised a hand to her throat. Kade smirked. The more he scared her, the better. Vince wasn’t like Kade. Kade liked passion and sensual sex. Vince liked to fuck. End of story. He lowered his arm and stepped out into the yard. It was all done up in fancy lights and classy decorations—things Kade didn’t really care for. Pretending to enjoy the night wasn’t going to be his biggest struggle, however. His biggest struggle lay in the Unfortunate that strolled along behind him. All he could think about was her soft mouth. All he wanted to do was take her back upstairs and finish what they’d started. He wanted to see Nine curious and confused by him… he wanted to see her want to touch him. He exhaled.
The night was still young.
Chapter Six
Nine
I can still feel him on my lips. I lick them whenever he’s not looking in fear that everyone can see him on me. I can’t believe I did that… and I can’t believe I liked it. I shouldn’t have. What’s wrong with me? I hate him and yet my hormones are completely drawn to him. His thick fingers dig into the arm rests and his legs instinctively squeeze me. My heart threatens to beat a hole in my chest as I inch closer to his bare flesh. I can feel his eyes on me, burning holes in my face…
They told me this would happen… my teachers. They said we’ll be drawn to our Fortunates. They taught us to want to please them, to make them happy… and that’s exactly what happened. Deep down, underneath all of my nervousness and fear, I wanted to do it for him. My stomach churns. The realisation is sickening. Imagine wanting to put a stranger’s penis in your mouth. A stranger that owns you, threatens you, and wants to give your body to others… you can’t, because it’s not normal.
“Nine?” I flinch as Kade’s voice pulls me back to reality.
I look to him. He’s standing next to me, his eyes flaring like he caught me doing something I’m not supposed to. Others are watching me too—two of them I recognize as Henry and Kade’s father, Michael. I clear my throat and Kade’s eyes flare again. It makes my already sensitive stomach roll.
“Yes?”
He arches an eyebrow.
“Master Kade,” I add quickly, and thankfully, no one other than Kade seemed to notice the lag in my response.
“Daydreaming?”
My blood cools. I don’t know how many drinks he’s had, but he’s doing it on purpose. He knows exactly what I’m thinking about and he’s trying to make me as uncomfortable as he possibly can, knowing very well I can’t utter a single word about it.
“I’m fixated on the party,” I say, staring back at him, refusing to play his game. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he draws his glass to his mouth and takes a long, slow sip. I look away, my cheeks growing hotter. To think I almost let him kiss me… I should have let him. Perhaps then the penis-mouth situation could have been avoided.
“Of course you haven’t.” Henry chuckles, drawing my attention to his large, jiggling stomach. “You’re an Unfortunate.”
The way he says it, as if it’s the dirtiest thing in the world, makes me clench my jaw and it takes all my strength to stop looking at him. I drop my stare to the grass. It feels damp against my feet.
“You’re my Unfortunate,” Kade says, forcing me to look up again. There’s a strange look in his eyes—comfort? No. He wouldn’t comfort me. He didn’t comfort me at the branding ceremony, why would he do it now? I search deeper, trying to pinpoint the emotion in his uncharacteristically soft eyes, but in a blink, it’s gone. “Not like the others in the camps. Not anymore.”
Henry and Michael exchanged a glance between themselves before Michael spoke. “You sound just like your mother, Kaden.” Master Kade flinches at the reference to his full name. Kaden? I like Kaden. It’s much softer than Kade. “And just like I told her, you cannot lower yourself to their level. They’re different than us—a whole new species, almost.”
I survey Kade’s fingers. They tighten around his glass and his knuckles turn white, draining of blood. “And if I were to cut her open?” he says casually, so casually it sends chills down my spine. “Would she not bleed the same blood?”
“Indeed she wou—”
“Would she not bleed the same amount of blood as you? Would her bones not match ours?”
“Sure, they wou—”
Henry’s laugh cuts off Kade’s father and he offers him no apology. Kade frowns because of it. “You really do sound like your mother, only she knew when to stop.” He flicks his head in my direction. “Developing a soft spot for this one, are you?”
Kade shrugs. “I don’t care for Unfortunates—not in the slightest—but let’s not claim they’re a whole new species entirely just to make yourself feel better about degrading human life. If you’re going to be an asshole, you might as well be proud of it.”
I think it’s a total ass move of him to stand up for human rights. He doesn’t care and the serious intensity in his eyes that suggests otherwise is fake.
“Like me,” a voice chimes in.
Vince.
I feel a hand creep along my shoulder before resting heavily. I want to shrug it off, to step away from it, but only Master Kade can tell me to move. To disrespect a Fortunate—any Fortunate—would mean god knows what. I keep my eyes on Kade, who glares at the fingers that curl around my shoulder.
“You’re wasting your time, Vincent,” Henry announces. His white cane chair creaks as he shifts his large body. “Kade is keeping her for something special.”
I don’t have to look at Vince to hear him smile. “Is my big brother finally ready to lose his virginity?”
Henry and Michael snicker like children, but Kade seems unfazed by the insult to his manhood. “I might find that insulting, if it hadn’t come from a child,” Kade replied, seemingly bored.
“More reason I should have her. I’m closer to her age than you, old man.”
Immediately, I feel worn out just listening to the banter—like a cloth between two wild dogs. Kade aggressively steps forward and I react without thought. I shrug out from underneath Vince’s arm and instinctively step closer to Master Kade. I freeze suddenly and I instantly realise what I’ve done… I panicked. I moved only to stop a fight from breaking out. I inch closer to Kade—as close as I can without getting in trouble for touching. An Unfortunate must never touch a Fortunate without permission. The knot of his black tie barely grazes the tip of my nose and my lungs burn as I hold my breath, trying to anticipate what’s going to happen next. I shouldn’t have moved. Shit. I shouldn’t have moved. Kade doesn’t scold me or hurt me—in fact—he doesn’t say anything, only presses the empty glass against my chest. Realising he’s giving me a way out of Vince’s punishment, I take it and step away from him. I put the glass on a passing tray. The Unfortunate carrying the tray stops and I exchange the empty glass for a full one. The Unfortunate male doesn’t look at my face, only at my chest. His beady, black eyes practically burn through my fabric, twisting my stomach. I’m the only Unfortunate dressed so provocatively… and I hate it. I angle my body away from him, giving the glass back to Kade. Lucky for the Unfortunate, Master Kade doesn’t see his prying eyes, and before long, he’s gone.
Vince bares his teeth i
n an evil scowl as I stand behind my Fortunate. “How dare you move?” he growls. “You’ll be punished for your defiance.”
“She didn’t defy you—she was filling your brother’s drink,” Michael said, sighing. “And she’s his toy, not yours. Leave her alone, will you?”
Vince’s dark, cold stare zeroes in on the both of us before he turns around and storms off without a word.
“Take it easy on your little brother. You know he’s a collector of pretty things.”
“Destroyer of pretty things,” Kade rebuts, raking his fingers through his short hair.
“Don’t judge your brother so harshly, Kaden. You’re no good, either.”
“Compared to him? I’m so good you should start referring to me as Angel.”
His dad nods with a slightly proud smirk. “And he used to wonder why you never let him play with your leaf collection.”
Beside me, I feel Kade tense. Henry laughs and nods with large motions of his head.
“I remember the leaf collection. Kade was a good kid. Vince? Not so much—always hiding under tables to see up the women’s skirts. Always starting fights and crying wolf—that kid hasn’t changed a bit.”
These are the things they talk about? Hobbies and family? Some of us have never had the pleasure of either. They don’t appreciate anything they have and I would rather die than be a part of their world. I open my mouth to scold them all. “Y—”
Kade presses his new glass into my chest. The ice cold liquid pushes over the lip and soaks through my dress, making me shiver.
“Give this to Portia to clean and then go to bed.”
I frown. Give the glass to Portia to clean when there’s a tray going around collecting empty cups? Where’s the sense in that? I peer up at Master Kade and his eyes flare with warning. In that glance I see he’s protecting me from saying something stupid, which poses the question, why? Doesn’t he want to punish me? Doesn’t he want an excuse to get back into the exact same situation we were in earlier?
“Don’t send her to bed. I want to look at her a little more,” Henry complains, drawing his wine glass to his lips and peering at me over the rim.
“Yes, Master Kade,” I say. I take Kade’s half full glass and step away. When I turn around, I come face to face with another Fortunate. Thankfully, it’s not Vince this time.
“So this is Nine,” she sneers at me, subtly pouting her lips in an unfriendly way. Unfriendly? Of course she is. Why’d I expect anything less from a Fortunate? Her blue eyes rake me up and down. When she’s not making eye contact, I take in her tight red gown. I’ve never seen a dress so striking. It hugs her subtle curves before falling off around her feet and pooling in a mess of fabric. “You’re not as pretty in person.”
“Elizabeth,” Kade warns her. “The girl is going to bed.”
Her thin lips quirk at the corners and she flicks her bouncy blonde curls over one shoulder. “Run along, then.”
Forcing a polite smile, I duck my head and stroll away as quickly as I can. It’s obvious the claim she has on Kade and I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. If she sees me as a threat, she can eliminate me, it’s as simple as that. As far as I’m concerned, she can have Master Kade. If he gets her, perhaps he won’t ask things of me.
I stroll across the grass, keeping my head down. The ground is a little cool and damp tonight, making me miss my cloth shoes with the hole. The back door to the house is less than a hundred metres away. I’m less than a hundred metres away from taking this dress off and climbing into my own bed, unscathed.
I glance up from the ground, and directly ahead, I see Vince leaning against the dark bricks of the mansion. He’s watching me. Even from this distance I can tell. My fingers clench involuntarily around the glass, but I keep moving forward. Get it to the kitchen. Go to bed. I nod my head. Right.
As I draw nearer, Vince’s stare becomes almost physical. I can feel his dark irises sticking to me like hot tar. It doesn’t send shivers down my spine… it sends painful spasms along the ridge of my back. There’s nothing I can do but keep my head down and hope he doesn’t pull me up.
“Heading off?” he shouts to me when I get within distance.
“I’m returning Master Kade’s glass,” I tell him, angling my body to the left to enter in through the door. Seven more steps and you’re inside. I square my shoulders and take another two steps. Before I make the third, Vince shoots in front of me and I jump, dropping the glass. It falls to the ground with a heavy thud, spilling its contents all over my feet.
I bend at the knees, lowering myself to get the glass. As my fingers touch the cool material, I glance up at Vince, who’s beaming down at me with a look so dark and sadistic, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on its ends.
“You know, I prefer you even more from this angle.”
Master Kade’s voice echoes through my mind, “imagine hardcore throat fucking.”
I shoot to my feet, brushing hair out of my face. “If you’ll excuse me,” I say politely and swallowing hard. “I have specific instructions.”
Vince shrugs and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. “Forget them. I have new ones for you.”
“I can’t—”
He snaps forward, slapping the glass out of my hand. It falls to the ground once again.
“Pick it up.”
I crouch low and retrieve the glass. When I stand, he smacks the glass from my hand again. Tears burn my eyes, but I don’t dare let them fall. I lower myself once again and grab the glass before straightening my posture.
“Do you see where I’m going with this?”
I nod. It doesn’t matter to Vince that Kade is the only one with authority to demand things from me.
“You will do whatever the hell I tell you to, got it?”
I nod again, blinking quickly. “Yes, Master Vince.”
His thin lips curl into a wry smile. “Tell me, Unfortunate, has my brother had the chance to play with you yet?”
I shake my head. Vince steps forward and pinches a thick lock of hair that drapes over my chest. He draws it to his mouth and runs it underneath his nose, smelling it.
“I bet that upsets you?”
I want to tell him that it doesn’t or shake my head again, but I know better than to provoke any Fortunate. They’re like wild dogs, provoked by fear, so, despite my real thoughts and feelings, I nod my head.
“Kade likes to act all high and mighty, but I know he’s a predator like the rest of us—maybe even worse. He can’t deny himself a pretty object—just like me. It’s his birthday, Unfortunate.” Vince glides the very tip of his index finger up my forearm. “Go surprise him.”
My stomach churns, tying itself into phantom knots. “I’m not sure I understand…”
“I want you to go upstairs, take that pretty little dress off, and wait for him on his bed. When he comes up, I want you to seduce him, to get him to fuck you. Then we’ll see how precious you are to him.”
My throat constricts and I begin to shake my head. “I have strict orders from Master Kade and they are to take his glass to the kitchen and go to bed.”
He raises an eyebrow. “But he didn’t specify which bed.”
“Well, no, but—”
He snaps forward. He’s so close I can feel the heat of his breath directly on my face and our noses barely graze.
“You will do as you’re fucking told, and if you so much as disobey me, or tell him that I sent you to do it, I’ll be the one to take your innocence, got it?”
“I can’t—”
He reaches around and grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks it back. I yelp and cover his hand with mine. I try to pry his fingers away, but his grip is too tight and my scalp burns. My eyes grow misty and I sob.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, Master Vince.”
He lets my hair go and I almost slump into myself. Vince snatches the glass from my hands and gestures to the door.
“Go, f
uck and become useless.”
With a stiff nod, I step past him and into the house. I chew the inside of my lip to stop from crying. I don’t want anyone to see me cry. It’s not because I’m embarrassed… I don’t want to cry because I don’t want anyone to ignore me. I don’t want to be reminded that no one cares if I’m happy or sad. I fold my arms over my chest and hold myself as I bypass my room and stroll up the hallway towards the stairs that lead to Master Kade’s room. I inhale, count to three, and then exhale. This could be a good thing… who knows; maybe if I give myself to him he can’t give me to someone else. It’s a stupid thought, but one nonetheless. They taught us how to conform, but now I’m teaching myself how to survive.
And that’s exactly what I’m doing, surviving.
∞
My knees sink into the soft mattress and I keep my eyes on the door, waiting for Master Kade to arrive. I don’t want him to show up. I want him to party all night and pass out in a bush somewhere—anywhere as long as it’s not here in this room, alone with me. A cool breeze blows in from the far window behind me and brushes across my naked back. I shiver and rest on my heels, with my hands behind my back—the way I was taught. A second later, I hear the handle rattle and it sends my heart through my chest. My entire body begins to shake and my palms sweat. I think I’m going to throw up. I swallow hard. I’m going to beg Master Kade to have sex with me and then I’m going to throw up all over him. This is not going to end well.
The door swings open and in steps Master Kade, loosening his tie. With an exhale, he shuts the door and leans against it. Carefully, I inhale and Kade’s entire body stiffens. Slowly, he turns his head. The only light I have is the low burning fire at the opposite end of the room. His dark, impure eyes rake me. I can almost feel them drag over every inch of my exposed, virgin flesh. They drag up over my thighs and stop at the sweet spot between my legs. A few seconds later, he looks at my flat stomach, generous breasts, and finally, my face.