Chapter Thirty-Two #2
His face turned dark. “Alas, there have been minor complications, but I’ve been assured he’ll be dead within the month.
Perhaps after our Halloween celebrations, we can go on a trip together?
Just us? I can take you to one of my mines.
I’ve had some renovations done to house merchandise to sell online. ”
Nausea splashed onto my tongue. “You’ve started doing what your colleague suggested? The one from Vietnam?”
“I have.” He nodded. “It’s not as easy as I thought. There are still glitches and techniques I need to learn to get around the pesky flags of such large transactions. I’m even considering hosting my own shop on an encrypted network, but...it’s all very promising.”
Clapping his hands, he looked past me to his butler subtly trying to get his attention. “Oh dear, I’m late for a meeting. Have a think about the theme for Halloween, and you never answered me.” He caught my eyes. “Will you be godfather to my son?”
The thought of being responsible for Victor’s kid?
Agreeing to raise his offspring, even while I planned on killing him?
Even hypothetically agreeing to something like that felt like the biggest commitment of my life.
I rubbed my mouth, delaying one last time before adding yet another stain on my soul. “You’re so sure it’s a son, Vic. But...what if it’s a daughter?”
His mood instantly soured. “I’ve ordered an ultrasound for Dr Belford. Our surgery wasn’t equipped for birthing, but soon, it will be. She’ll tell me what it is in a month when the machine arrives.”
“And?” I needled. “If it’s a girl?”
His gaze turned deadly, his infamous temper appearing. “Then I guess I’ll be a hundred grand richer. I’ve heard rumours that’s what female babies fetch.”
The urge to be sick surged through me.
In a single sentence, he reminded me, all over again, that for all his friendliness and suavity, he was the vilest son of a bitch and deserved to die.
Laughing, I slapped him on the shoulder. “You truly are something, you know that?”
He grinned, but his eyes remained black. “Oh I know.” Striding toward his butler, he gave me a look over his shoulder. “And you’re exactly like me, Mercer, whether you can admit that yet or not. Ta-ra.”
* * * * *
Two weeks since Victor asked me to be his child’s godfather, and I still hadn’t shed the slimy shadow inside me.
I’d returned to my room and purged before I went to get Ily.
The nasty habit of throwing up had faded thanks to having Ily’s heart and support.
But every now and again, the darkness in this place became too much.
My system churned. My guts revolted. And I had no choice but to get it out of me before I either accepted what occurred here as normal or remembered everything about this place was repugnant.
And now it was another day.
Yet another night.
Sucking in deep lungfuls of cool air, I tipped my face to the stars.
I’d kicked off my shoes as I’d plucked Ily from where she’d kneeled by my feet during dinner and dragged her into the gardens. No one stopped me. No one even looked in my direction anymore.
I was merely one of them.
A Master who’d enjoyed a four-course dinner, watched a porno put on by trafficked slaves, and then dragged his jewel into the gardens for a fuck.
All in a day’s agenda on Victor’s island.
Ily didn’t speak beside me, sucking in her own breath.
The half-moon shone its silver light over us, painting her beautiful face in pearly luminance.
I wanted so fucking much to sink to the grass and just hug her. Kiss her. Whisper about our dreams. Be gentle and loving before I pinned her beneath me and delivered pleasure that drove us straight into hell.
But we did our best to never touch sweetly.
If I stroked her without thinking, I made sure I made her squeak for an audience.
If I caught myself staring at her with my heart in my fucking throat, I ensured I cursed her, demeaned her, and said things I didn’t mean so the cameras portrayed a Master who might have a soft spot for his jewel but definitely wasn’t a man in love.
“Do you want to take a stroll?” Ily finally asked after ten minutes of moon bathing.
I nodded and broke into a slow amble.
Soft grass tickled my toes. The dew already damp and cold.
Autumn colours transformed Victor’s gardens, turning greens into oranges and flowers into corpses.
We headed toward the battlement walls, following box hedges, drifting around fountains, and finding peace after a busy ballroom full of Masters and their jewels.
Fuck, I was exhausted.
I just wanted this over.
I wanted to go to sleep and not wake in a cold sweat fearing Ily had been stolen.
I wanted to write without fearing someone reading over my shoulder and have sex without someone watching.
But most of all, I wanted to get Ily safe.
I needed her back with her family so if I died sooner rather than later, I could rest peacefully, knowing she was far, far away from Victor and his horrors.
Two Masters and two jewels appeared to our left, striding quickly in our direction. The citadel glowed behind them. Arrow slits and windows glowed bright yellow, looking like a thousand judging eyes.
“Ah shit,” I muttered under my breath. “I have no desire to perform tonight. Let’s go into the maze.
” Grabbing Ily’s hand, I cut across the courtyard where vines crawled up a trellis and a small sala waited for lovers.
The familiar hum of energy and awareness sparked between us, making my heart pound faster.
I let her hand go the moment we entered the huge, manicured maze.
I didn’t know if Victor had cameras in here, but I wouldn’t risk it.
I would never risk Ily, even though my fingers craved hers and my heart hurt and my bones throbbed with madness.
Ily remained silent.
She huddled deeper into her beige jumper—the only warm thing she had—her nose pink with cold.
Left then right, right then left, we travelled deeper into the maze, heading toward the centre where another sala and a wishing well had been built. We’d spent enough time wandering that we’d learned the maze’s dead ends and tricks and often came in here to get away from the other Masters.
A month ago, I’d fucked Ily against one of the posts of the wishing well, putting on a show just in case. Our show had turned into truth, and I’d made her come hard enough to reward me with one of her G-spot orgasms.
My stomach clenched as we stepped into the centre of the maze.
“Should’ve brought a few drinks with us.” I smiled at my twin flame. “Gotten tipsy and enjoyed our own celebration.”
“What celebration?” Her adorable nose wrinkled.
“Our four-month anniversary is coming up.”
She cracked a smile all while her eyes pooled with sadness. “So it is.”
Stepping into her, I whispered, “I don’t know if I have the strength to last till Christmas.”
“Ugh, me either.” She pressed her forehead against my chest before stepping back. “But...we will.”
I sighed. “I know. We don’t have a choice.”
Her hands went to her jumper hem, her lashes flirting. “Want to put on another show for anyone watching?”
My cock twitched.
Despite the lifestyle of this place—full of daily sex and games of pain—I never lost the urge for more.
Apart from the month where Victor was gone and I’d drowned beneath depression, I took Ily often.
I fucked her every night because being inside her gave me just enough strength to survive another day.
“Fine.” I gave her a black smile. “Strip and lean over the picnic table.” Unbuckling my belt, I pulled the leather from the loops of my slacks. “Five strikes before I fuck you.”
She shuddered.
Her eyes glowed as bright as two suns.
Our chill vanished thanks to our blood burning.
“Yes, Master H.” Giving me a sinful smirk, she padded toward the table and went to lift her jumper only—
“Umm, before you play, can we talk?”
She spun around.
I fisted my belt.
The two Masters and their jewels who I’d spied across the lawn, stepped into our sanctuary.
It took me a moment to recognise them.
I hadn’t seen them since Emerald Bruises when I’d interrupted their little game in the first cave.
“You.” I bared my teeth. “Just like you told me to fuck off that day, allow me to repeat the sentiment. Fuck off.”
The bald Master, Ben, if my memory served, held up his hands. “Give us three minutes. That’s all we ask.”
“It’s important,” the other one, Stewart maybe, muttered.
Ily shot a look at the two girls. A strawberry-blonde and an auburn beauty. Both jewels stared back with intensity.
Yet...they didn’t look like they wanted to run from their Masters.
They stayed by the men’s side, at ease and comfortable.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they looked like a couple.
Like...me and Ily.
“What is it?” I threaded my belt back through the loops and did it tight. “Three minutes.”
Striding closer, the two men gave each other a glance then snapped their fingers. “Pen. Abby. If you’d be so kind.”
Without a word, the two jewels shifted to stand in front of their Masters. They dropped to their knees and reached for their Master’s trousers, unzipping them and—
“Whoa. What the hell? You tell me to stop, yet expect me to stand here while you get a fucking blowjob?”
“Have yours kneel too,” Ben ordered. “It’ll look like we’re enjoying a suck off.”
I struggled for words. “Leave.”
“Just...you’ll want to hear what we have to—”
“I said leave—”
“Ily.” The strawberry-blonde looked toward my jewel all while her hands fumbled into Ben’s pants and withdrew his cock. He wasn’t hard. His face was all business, not pleasure. “Please hear us out. It’s important.”
For a second, Ily didn’t move. Her gaze locked on the auburn girl as she exposed Stewart’s cock and hovered her mouth over him.
Neither of the girls sucked, though, rocking back and forth, faking it.
Scowling, I looked into the hedgerows.
“There’s a camera above and to my left,” Ben whispered. “It’s not infrared and will only show a grainy picture of three Masters getting sucked. Come on, Mercer. We don’t have all fucking night.”
Ily made the decision for me.