Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chris
Forever Young - Henry Morris
I undo the top button of my black shirt and pull at the sleeves of my suit jacket. The last place I want to be tonight is the temple, but Eugene Duval called and said I had a meeting with him. He didn’t sound happy. Tough. I’m not too happy either. Ella ran away, trying to throw whatever remnants of love she had for me in my face.
It’s not the fact that she doesn’t want me that angers me. It’s not even that she doesn’t have faith in me. I can fix that. I can not give her a choice. I do what I want with her.
But what really gets to me is that she wants to make me believe she can live without me. It’s the delusion that she can move on. She can’t. She never will because I won’t let her. She underestimates my obsession, and she puts people in danger with that mindset. She puts herself in danger. Because the further she tries to run, the tighter her leash becomes. And the harder she tries to escape, the more creative I have to get to make her see I am her only option if she wants to live a peaceful life .
She’ll tire before I do, I can guarantee that.
I huff as I enter the temple, nodding to the butler opening the door for me. In my right pocket, I play with a pearl, rolling it between the pad of my thumb and forefinger. In my left, I have Ella’s phone. I’m mad at her that she left without it. I can’t contact her, and I can’t make sure she’s safe. She’ll be punished for that. I’m going to call on her as an Aphrodite, lock her in a room with me, and show her what happens when she makes me worry.
Going up the grand staircase, I ignore my phone buzzing in my suit jacket. It’s Megan. I know it’s her because only she calls ten times in a row. She pushes and pushes until my mind breaks and all I want is to see her dead body on the floor, staring vacantly at the ceiling.
With a nod at the security guard outside of Duval’s office, he opens the door for me.
“Christopher.”
Eugene Duval is charming for his age. A fifty-something with broad shoulders, salt-and-pepper hair, and the same glacial gray gaze he gave his son, Achilles. As the president of the Silent Circle, he earned the name Zeus. Nothing here happens without his knowledge or approval. Nothing anywhere happens without his knowledge. I can only assume why I’m here, and I don’t think I’m wrong in thinking I’m about to get a serious telling off.
I don’t really care.
The Circle tried to kill my father. I had to use Megan’s family’s influence to stop them. I have no loyalty to them. I’m here because it’s an advantage, not because I have any affinity with them. I’m only one man; I can’t take down the Circle, but I can surely use it for my own interest.
“Eugene,” I say in greeting. I pinch the legs of my pants as I sit down and rest my ankle on my knee. “What can I do for you?”
He relaxes in his seat, putting the pen he was holding on his desk, and smiles patiently.
“It really isn’t my favorite thing to bring in a Shadow to remind them of the rules, but sadly, as your leader, it’s something I sometimes have to do.” He pauses, as if giving me a second to start getting scared.
When I give him nothing, he continues.
“I like to think of the Circle as a safe place for all of you. Somewhere you can ask for favors, fulfill dark fantasies, find a family.” With a sigh, he shakes his head. “But we all have a mission here. We all have to make ourselves useful. Mostly, we all need to know our place. Isn’t that right?”
Keeping a calm demeanor, I join my hands, resting them on my stomach. “Naturally.”
“I’m glad we agree. And you know why we have you in the Circle, don’t you?”
“I do.”
His eye twitches when I don’t give him an exposé about the role I will have to assume here the second I graduate. If he knows it, why should I spell it out for him?
“Let me reiterate it,” he says condescendingly. “You are not death, Christopher. You are our liar. We use you to manipulate, lure, and strategize. We have you because you’re cunning, not because you’re a murderer. You’re going to graduate, pass the bar, and be a damn successful lawyer. We have full faith in you, and we will make it happen for you.”
“Would you like a thank you card?”
His face hardens. “No, but you will give us the work you owe us. You are going to be a ruthless worker. You’ll take care of merging companies, of ravaging through takeovers, and you will excel at it.”
Can’t. Wait.
That’s the price you pay as a Shadow, isn’t it? An easy life, anything you want, a pass for everything. But you have to fulfill whatever they have in store for you. Make yourself useful or die. I already knew what they wanted from me. I have the mind of a schemer and the behavior of a saint. People trust me, and it makes it too easy to exploit them. The Circle needs someone like me.
“Thank you for the reminder.” I uncross my legs and dust off my jacket. “Anything else?”
“Yes. Now that we are on the same page, I would like to encourage you to remember that we accept missteps, we accept the need to avenge from time to time, but we do not accept a Shadow going on a killing rampage if it puts the Circle at risk.”
I’m quick to reply because, like he said, I’ll be a damn successful lawyer. “I did not kill anyone.”
“Look, I let it go with the Shadow you hurt because you technically couldn’t be punished.”
It was a nightmare to get out of trouble with Duval after paralyzing a man’s legs at the business weekend. The way I had to play with the laws within the Circle was more complicated than I thought. But after all, I’m training to be a lawyer, and the rules are the rules. I had paid for the weekend with Ella, and all is allowed but murder if a Shadow disrespects another. It wasn’t exactly justified to them, but in the end, I was in the right.
“But now I learned from your Hera that you were the one who hurt those boys on the SFU campus.”
“Huh.” I play with the pearl in my pocket, trying to refrain from threatening Megan’s life in front of Zeus. The bitch is trying to get me punished. “Still. I didn’t kill them.”
“Hurting them beyond the ability of living normally will be considered as bad as murder. Worse even, because they can speak . You’re putting the Circle at risk by doing that.”
“Do you know what puts the Circle at risk? Letting idiotic student accounts like Hermes talk about Shadows, Heras, or Aphrodites. That thing needs to be shut down before they reveal secrets we won’t be able to hide.”
“I know, and we’re looking into it. But your case is not up for argument. If one more person gets hurt because of your infatuation for an Aphrodite, you’ll meet the man we’re about to initiate as our reaper.”
He smiles knowingly. “See, he’s being recruited as our judicious executioner. Discreet, clean, without remorse. You have that thing about yourself that makes you terrible at that, Christopher. Feelings. ”
He says the last word with so much disgust even I believe it’s a bad thing to have for a second.
“So, no more. Alright?”
That condescending tone could be the reason I show him exactly how good of a reaper I could be.
But thankfully, I’m smarter than that. I’m someone who knows the best prizes are worth waiting for. Someone who understood a long time ago that victory is for the cunning, not the violent.
So, I nod. I stay calm. I keep my composure.
“Good. Very good. And talking about infatuation with an Aphrodite. I’m sure you’d like to know Ella Baker is at the altar. She’s about to be punished for not showing up when called.”
Shock renders me speechless for a few seconds. A couple of hours ago, she was with me at the hospital, running away as if I would ever let her, and now she’s here? That means the bastards got to her while I was busy with my dad.
“She was ill.”
“Or so you said. I know that’s what you told Gabriel.” He cocks an eyebrow at me. “But her purpose is to show up when called. It’s up to us to decide if she can be used or not.” He checks his watch. “It’s about to start, and I know you won’t want to miss it.”
I don’t move for a second, trying to give myself time to calm down so I’m not vulnerable. I fail.
“Who is punishing her?”
“Well, Gabriel McLean was meant to, but his daughter insisted she wanted to be present. She called us earlier to tell us it was a good time to go get Ella. Gabriel won’t be there so that Megan can.” He shrugs. “Apparently, they don’t want to both be in the same room while watching someone being fucked as a punishment. Now it’ll be me.”
There isn’t a universe where I let anyone touch Ella. Not in this temple and not outside.
“Let me punish her.”
“Christopher,” he chuckles. “You’re going to go easy on her.”
I shake my head slowly. “I won’t. You have my word.”
Hesitating, he rubs his index finger against his chin.
“I won’t go easy on her. Let me prove myself to you,” I insist.
“She better not enjoy herself.”
I lean forward, knowing I need to close this right now or never. “If she does, it’s because of the little slut she is. Not because of me.”
He slaps a hand on his desk as he cackles a laugh. “This is your chance to prove me wrong. Show me how a Shadow punishes an Aphrodite.”
My breath gets stuck in my chest the second I enter the room. They put her in a cage.
She looks hazy, her eyes struggling to stay open as she sits in there, her fingers hooked to the crate walls on either side of her. She’s wearing that stupid dress they make all the Aphrodites wear here. And it’s completely see-through, so I know she’s not wearing anything underneath.
There’s no altar per se, it’s just what we call the place. It’s more like a sex dungeon than anything else, where Shadows can come play with their Aphrodites and have an audience. Anyone who wants privacy can go to the Aphrodites’ rooms. The altar is used for public punishments. There’s no true need to ever punish the women here, but it all comes down to the Shadows’ egos and the power they believe they hold. And Gabriel McLean’s ego got pulverized when Ella didn’t show up.
I shift between people, making my way to the woman who is meant to be my Hera. She’s in a corner, sneering at Ella. Megan tenses when I stand next to her, but she keeps collected.
“So, that’s why you kept calling me,” I mumble.
“I was desperate to invite you to the punishment,” she answers proudly. “Do you know why my dad called on her?” she taunts, her gaze still on Ella. Not expecting an answer, she adds, “Because you decided to cheat on me with her in the library. Your sweet Ella is being punished because of you. Don’t forget that.”
I’m not surprised she knows. We were in a public space, after all, and I disappeared from our table for a while .
“Yes, Daddy always punishes the people who hurt you, doesn’t he? Do you know why she didn’t meet with your dad?” This time she looks at me, narrowing her dark blue gaze. I smile, showing her I can be as condescending as she is. “Because she was with me. And now I’m the one who gets to punish her. I hope you enjoy the show.”
“What?” she hisses as her eyes widen.
I push past her to make my way to the middle of the room, Megan close on my heels.
“Hera,” Eugene calls. “You will stay at the back and not make a sound. Wives are not allowed to participate in activities with the Aphrodites unless specified by their Shadows. You can watch, but you can’t touch.”
“I—” she tries, caught off guard for once in her life.
“Step back,” the leader orders sternly.
She throws a deadly look at me, then Ella, but she goes back to where she’s meant to stand.
I take my time walking to where Ella is being held. She seems a little more alive than she was a minute ago, which is a problem now that she’s aware of where she is. My shoes click on the stone surface of the room, and I stand right in front of her cage. She can’t stand up. She can’t even lie down. All she can do is kneel and look at me with those beautiful baby blues full of tears. And it’s already getting me hard.
Crouching in front of her, I hook my fingers on the front of the crate, making sure I’m all she can see.
“I don’t care about why they put you here. You are being punished for running away from me earlier. You are being punished because you don’t want to stick it in your stubborn little mind that I’m the only person who will have you.” A tear rolls down her cheek, and I can’t help but smirk. “You will keep your eyes on the floor, or on me. You will obey without question. And under absolutely no circumstances will you come before I allow you. Is that clear?”
She nods, but her face scrunches. “Please, get me out of this place.”
I shake my head. “First, I’ll punish you. Then I’ll get you out.” I speak more softly when I add, “Stay focused on me. Pretend they’re not here.”
I stand up, unlock the crate, and open it. Snapping my fingers, I make sure everyone can hear me when I say, “Crawl out.”