Chapter Twenty Eight
Idropped Nate back at ours and headed straight over to Paige’s dorm room. I knew it was stupid, and part of me felt guilty at not going to see Tristan first, but I’d spoken to him on the phone on the way up, and he’d sounded brighter. Nate had given me a strange look when I’d said I was planning to come here first, and I knew he could see right through me. He always had, and Tristan too.
We’d been friends since prep school, our families running in the same circles, and sometimes even working together, though we’d been too young back then to know about what. Then when we turned seventeen, something had happened to the three of us that had brought us much closer, something we never spoke about but I knew none of us would ever forget. It still haunted my nightmares, and it had only made Nate’s panic attacks worse for a time, until he’d discovered MMA, then they’d settled down. He’d always worked out, and he’d never been the sort of guy you wanted to pick a fight with, but he’d thrown himself into it with a vengeance, eventually progressing to professional level fights until his father had demanded he’d end it. Now he got his thrills with illegal cage fighting. It wasn’t my thing, but I tried never to miss a fight if I could help it. We were practically brothers now, and Nate and Tristan were the only people in the world I’d trust with my life. Which was why Paige Matthews was already starting to concern me.
I stood outside her door, hesitating before I knocked. What was it about this girl? Tris was completely hooked and he never got obsessed with one girl, and Nate, even he seemed like he was starting to care for her. She’d plagued my thoughts for weeks. At first, when I’d read her application I’d swore I’d never choose her because of what her mother did to my father, but when when Tris suggested using Paige to take revenge on the woman who’d nearly ruined my father, I’d certainly enjoyed the idea though, thinking of all the ways I could debase their daughter. Since that first night though, when I’d tasted her sweet pussy, and then after, looking down at those wide blue eyes, all innocence as I taught her to suck my cock, I hadn’t been able to get Paige out of my mind. And now, it was nothing to do with revenge, and that scared me more than I was willing to admit.
I raised my hand and knocked at the door. At the sound of her voice from inside, I opened the door.
”Paige?”
She was curled on her bed reading some massive hardback book about twentieth century artists, and she looked up as I came in and shut the door.
“Bast? What are you doing here?” She set the book to one side, and went to get up but I perched on the bed next to her. “I thought you were still in London till tomorrow.”
“We were supposed to be, but we got finished quicker than we thought, plus, Tris hasn’t been well, so I wanted to get back.”
She frowned. “So you came here? Is he ok?”
I smiled. “He’s on the mend. I wanted to check and make sure you hadn’t come down with whatever bug he had.”
Her hair had been pulled into two braids and they swung as she shook her head. “No, I”m fine. I’ve messaged him a few times, but he wasn’t chatty. Said he felt terrible, but wouldn’t let me come round to help in case I caught it.”
I studied her closely. There were faint dark circles under her eyes and she looked a little pale.
“Are you sure you haven’t been sick? You look tired.”
“Way to compliment a girl, Bast,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting you, or I’d have made more of an effort.”
I leaned back and slowly looked her up and down. She wore a soft pair of ripped jeans and a spaghetti strap top that most certainly did not have a bra under it. Paige seemed to realise this too, because as I looked at her, I saw her nipples harden under the top, begging for my touch. I swallowed, dragging my eyes back to her face.
“You look pretty good to me,” I said. “but you look tired. And thinner.”
“You’ve only been away a week,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“And you look thinner. Why haven’t you been eating properly, Paige?”
“Not everyone has the funds for a well-stocked kitchen, Bast.”
I frowned. Did she not have enough money for food? I knew her parents had fallen from society, despite her mother’s consistent attempts to worm her way back in, but I thought they were doing ok money wise.
”Do your parents help out? Financially, I mean.”
”Yes, Mum sends over a food delivery every week. Why?”
”Every week?” I stood up and made my way to the small refrigerator tucked under a cluttered countertop.
“Wait!” she said, but I’d already pulled open the door. The contents took me aback. Neatly arranged pre measured meals sat in stark contrast to the near emptiness of the rest of the space. Each packet was labelled with precise calorie counts and protein measurements.
”Do you have specific dietary requirements I don’t know about?” I asked, not looking away from the clinical display before me. “Because you didn’t put that on your application form.”
“Considering I never filled in the form, that”s not surprising,” she said dryly. “And, no. I don’t.”
I closed the door and stood back up. “So why the strict diet?”
She shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “I need to stay in shape.”
I sat back down on the bed. “You’re hardly overweight, Paige. You might even be underweight.”” I sighed. “Look, I don’t want to pry, but if you agree to be our Persephone, it’s my job to take care of you, so if you have any health issues I need to be aware of, or maybe a history of an eating disorder…”
Paige looked up, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t have health issues, or an eating disorder, Bast, it’s just, my mother wants me to keep my figure. No guy worth having wants a fat girl,” she said in a whiny voice, clearly mocking her mother.
I frowned. “Well, that’s not true for starters. A person’s weight is no indication of whether they are the right person for someone. And why does your mother have any say in your diet?”
Paige laughed, but it was a cold one. “It’s a part of her plan. Make sure I’m attractive enough for some rich guy to want as a wife.”
”An attractive wife.” The words felt sour as they rolled off my tongue.
”Yeah. It’s my mission in life. Marry well, restore the family name.”
“I see.” And I did. More than Paige did, probably. ”At twenty-one?”
She shrugged. ”Mother”s orders,” she muttered. ”She’s... particular. Thinks a ”suitable match” is essential.”
”Essential for what? A life sentence?” The harshness in my tone made Paige cringe.
”Something like that.” Paige sighed. “It”s always been about securing the future she imagined for me, not the one I want.”
”Which is?” I pressed, driven by a need to peel back the layers she wrapped tightly around herself.
”Freedom,” she whispered, so soft I could barely catch it. ”To paint, to explore, to breathe without feeling caged.”
”Doesn”t sound too much to ask for,” I said, the words thick in my throat. She laughed, but there was no humour in it—just the sharp edge of something broken.
”To her, it”s complete betrayal. I had to fight just to be able to study art. She didn’t think it was impressive enough.”
“You’re a talented artist, Paige. That”s impressive.”
She smiled at me. “How do you know? You’ve never seen my work.”
“I have.” I didn’t explain how I’d seen it, bribing a security guard to let me into the art department one night just after her induction into the club. I wanted to know the real Paige, what went on inside her mind, and her art was her mind on canvas.
“Anyway, that’s why I have those meals, and why I work out so much.”
“What happens if you don’t make a good marriage match?” I asked.
“Shame, humiliation… letting my family down. It’s why I was so happy to get into Blackvellyn.”
I raised my eyebrows. “To find a husband? Is that why you were dating Tristan?”
Paige sighed. “I like Tristan a lot, but no. He”s not exactly marriage material with his reputation, is he? My mother wanted me to date him to get closer to other potential guys from the right kind of family.”
“So you did.” My tone grew colder. It would appear our sweet Paige was more calculating than we’d all thought.
“Kind of, but I don’t intend to marry anyone, Bast.” She reached out, laying her hand on my arm, as though she was trying to convince me. “I just need to get through this year. Once I graduate with my masters, I have the chance to enter the student showcase at the end of the year. All the elite gallery owners come and view the work, and artists can get life changing offers. I just need the chance, Bast. Dating Tristan, it keeps my mother happy. If she thinks I”m not doing what she wants, she won’t see any point in paying to keep me here, and my chance will be gone.”
I inhaled sharply. “She’s controlling you with this, isn’t she Paige?”
Paige nodded. “But only for this year, and then I’m free.”
I looked at her for a moment. She still looked tired, but her eyes had lit up as she’d spoken about the showcase, about getting out from under her mother. Not for the first time, it occurred to me that this life trapped people in different ways. I knew about mine and Tristan’s cages, and could guess at Nate’s, but now I was starting to realise that Paige had her own cage too, and I felt a sudden determination to free her from it, whatever it cost me.
“Paige,”” I said slowly, not wanting to push her. “If you didn’t apply for the Persephone role, has Tris told you what you get at the end of the year?”
“You told me you could get me in with gallery owners, but I want to earn my chances, not buy them.”
I nodded. “I remember, and that’s an admirable trait, Paige. Maybe not sensible, but admirable. No, I meant the financial reimbursement.”
She frowned at me. “No, he didn’t mention anything like that.”
I took a breath, wondering how to phrase this properly. “Because the role of Persephone can be quite… demanding, and time consuming, obviously the student who takes on the role cannot devote any time to a part time job, as many students do. So the club pays them an allowance throughout the terms, and then a stipend at the end of the school year. It”s a lot of money, Paige. More than enough to allow you to move out of your parents house and live for a while, even if you didn’t get spotted at the showcase.”
Paige’s eyes widened. “It would? Thats… wow…”
I stayed quiet, my heart beating faster. I wanted her to agree to be ours so much, but I wanted her to come on her own terms.
“But the role, it’s… sexual.” She blushed as she said the word, and I felt my cock stiffen at the sight.
“It is, yes. Performances in the rituals, ranging from serving drinks to sexual acts, and then the Persephone usually moves in with Hades and his Knights so she can be… available… whenever they need her.”
Paige bit her lip, her eyes fixed on a point on the duvet cover. “You know I’m a virgin, I don’t have any experience with any of this. I might not be any good.”
I smiled. “I’m fairly certain you’re a natural, Paige. And we have a lot to teach you.”
Her eyes met mine, and she blushed again. “I’ve never even…” She began, her voice almost a whisper. “I wouldn’t want… what about the others?”
“What others?”
“The other society members. Am I supposed to… I don”t think I could do it with all of them…”
I laughed. “Oh, no. They get to watch some of the rituals. That’s all. You won”t be shared, Paige.” I moved closer to her, tilting her chin up so that she was forced to meet my gaze. “You would be ours, yes. But it would be our choice who touches you, who you are intimate with. It wouldn’t be anyone except, me, Tristan and Nate, and we would never make you do anything you didn’t want to.” I paused, allowing her to absorb my words. ”This is about your pleasure as much as ours. You are not a toy, Paige. You are not something to be used and discarded. You are a woman, with desires and fears and needs. And we can teach you to embrace your own desires and discover your limits. When you find those limits, we will respect them. It”s about trust.”
She swallowed hard at that, a flicker of something dark and haunted crossing her face before she quickly looked away.
”Trust,” she repeated in a whisper.
”Yes,” I agreed gently, ”trust.”
“And if I wanted…something…” Her gaze flickered across my lips, her own parting slightly.
“If you wanted to try something, then just ask. It might not be for all of us, but I’m sure at least one of us would be happy to try something with you. We want to know you, Paige. All of you. Even the stuff you’re ashamed of.”
Her eyes held questions, maybe even a trace of fear, but there was an undeniable spark there too—a flicker of something more. It was like standing at the edge of a precipice, the air charged with electricity before a storm. I reached out, brushing my fingers down the side of her cheek.
”You”re so beautiful, Paige. Say you’ll do it.”
For a moment, there was silence. She blinked, once, twice, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks. The tension stretched between us, a tangible force that made my heart hammer against my ribs.
”Ok, Bast.”
I leaned forward, brushing my lips gently over hers. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
She breathed the word against my mouth, and I closed my eyes as I kissed her, my heart leaping at that one simple word. The kiss was soft, exploratory. Paige let out a small sigh, leaning into me as she deepened the kiss with an unexpected fervour. A rush of desire swept through me as I gently pulled her closer, my hands cupping her face. The taste of her lips was intoxicating, filling me with a hunger I hadn’t known existed. I had yearned for this moment, for the sweet surrender in her gaze. I wanted to explore every inch of her body, to learn the language of her sighs and gasps. But I had to pace myself. Paige was new to all this, and I didn’t want to rush anything.
“What are you doing to me, Bast?” She breathed out, breaking away from the kiss. Her eyes were wide, as they locked onto mine and her breasts rose under that ridiculous top.
“I’m helping you discover yourself, Paige.”
“You said you’d teach me?”
“I did.” I slid a finger along her collarbone, teasing the strap of her top down her shoulder so I could kiss along her bare skin. Her body shivered under my touch.
“Are you... Are you going to teach me now?” Her voice wavered slightly.
“I think we need to take this slow, Paige.” I slid the other strap away, tugging her top down to expose her beautiful breasts. Her nipples were pink and hard, and I bent to take one in my mouth, rolling my tongue around it. Paige gasped, her hands threading through my hair as I sucked. I moved to the other breast, giving it the same treatment as the first, before pulling back. She looked beautiful, her face flushed, her eyes bright as she looked at me.
“Take your top off,” I instructed. She did as I asked, without hesitation, and her obedience had me growing harder. It was going to be difficult to hold myself back, but I was determined to. I would take her virginity, but not yet. She had much to learn first, about her own body.
Taking her shoulders, I guided her back against the cushions, then slid my hands down to her jeans. I flicked open the button, and drew the zip down slowly, keeping my eyes on hers the whole time.
”Bast... I...” she stuttered, her cheeks flushed a rosy red. I knew she was nervous, and I wanted to reassure her. To make her feel safe with me.
”Don”t worry. This is about your pleasure. Remember? Nothing happens that you don”t want.” I brushed my thumb against the side of her mouth, tracing the curve of her lips with a feather-light touch. ”If you want me to stop at any point, you just tell me.”
She nodded, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers. ”Alright.”
I gently tugged at the hem of her jeans, pulling them off of her and tossing them aside. She was left in nothing but a pair of simple cotton panties, looking all kinds of innocent and seductive all at once.
I took a moment to admire her body before moving to kiss down along her belly button, over the rise of her hips and down to the juncture between her thighs. She squirmed under my touch, letting out a soft sigh that sent shivers up my spine.
I sat back, and hooked my fingers into her underwear, sliding it down her legs, and dropping them on the floor. I looked up at her, her eyes fixed on my face, waiting for me.
“Open your legs, Paige,” I said. She bit her lip, blushing again, but hesitated.
“When I give you a command, I expect you to obey me, Paige. Now, open your legs and let me see your pussy.”
She parted them slowly, and I took hold of her ankles, pushing them back so she had to bend her knees, opening her up for me even more. Fuck she looked incredible. Her pussy was so plump and pink, glistening with her arousal, and I just wanted to feast on it till she screamed, but I had other plans for her first.
“Touch yourself, Paige,” I said.
She blinked. “What?”
“I want you to show me how you touch yourself when you’re alone.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
I frowned. “What did I tell you about disobeying me, Paige?”
“I’m not, I”m just… I’ve never done… that.”
I wasn’t sure I was hearing right. “You’ve never touched yourself? Never made yourself come?”
She shook her head. “My mother told me… she said it was wrong.”
If it wouldn’t have embarrassed Paige, I would have laughed. Her mother had been the biggest slut on campus, and she’d taught her daughter that she couldn’t even pleasure herself without feeling shame. Because that’s what was written across Paige’s face right now, and I wondered what other damage Pauline Tremaine had done. I took a deep breath, forcing that woman out of my head.
“Then I’ll teach you.”
I reached for her hand, bringing it down between her legs, her fingers entwined with mine. I slid her fingers along her lips, feeling her wetness on my own, and Paige gasped.
“Here…” I pulled back, moving her fingers in small circles. “That’s your clit, and here…” I dragged her hand down, pushing her finger inside, and Paige moaned. “Now, just explore your body, Paige. Do whatever feels good to you. Don’t think about me, just think about you. What do you like?”
I pulled my hand away, licking her taste from my fingers as I watched her tentatively explore her pussy, stroking gently over her clit. Fuck she tasted good.
Paige drew a sharp breath, her eyes closing as her fingers traced over her body. I watched, captivated as she teased her clit with slow, circling motions, her lips parted in a soft gasp. Her other hand reached up to cup her breast, her thumb brushing over the sensitive nipple. Her movements were tentative at first, unsure, but as the pleasure started to build up inside of her, she grew bolder.
Her hips began to rock against her hand while the other kneaded at her breast. The intimate sight had my cock throbbing painfully against my jeans.
”Harder,” I commanded and she flinched in surprise before complying.
”Good girl,” I whispered huskily, my gaze locked on the wetness glistening between her thighs. A fine tremor ran through her body as she pressed harder against her clit, a small whimper escaping from between her parted lips.
”Bast,” Paige gasped out suddenly, her body tensing up.
”Yes?”
”Bast…” She said my name again, louder this time as if calling me for help. ”I... I think...”
”You”re close,” I said. ”Let go, Paige. Let me see you come all over your fingers.”
She moaned at my words, and her body tensed even further, her fingers working more frantically against her slick heat. I watched as she bit down on her lower lip, trying to hold back the sounds that wanted to escape from her throat.
”Paige,” I said, my voice taking on a stern tone. ”I want to hear you. I want to hear your pleasure.”
That seemed to be the final push she needed because a second later, she cried out, her hips bucking against her fingers as waves of pleasure crashed over her body. The sight of her coming undone like this was indescribable.
Raw. Intimate. Beautiful. And so fucking erotic.
Her hands fell away from her body and she lay there panting heavily. Her face was flushed and there was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She looked spent, but absolutely beautiful.
I reached out and gently stroked the side of her face with my thumb. ”You”re beautiful when you come, Paige.”
She blushed, and tried to close her legs, suddenly shy, but I took hold of her ankles, standing and pulling her around so her legs were hanging off the bed.
“Oh, no, we aren’t done yet, Paige.”
I knelt between her legs, inches from her soaked pussy, and unzipped my trousers. I pulled out my cock, so hard it was fucking painful, and fisted it slowly.
“Bast?” she sounded unsure.
“Such a good little slut, and such a dirty whore. You’ve made a real mess of yourself, Paige. Good job you have me to clean you up.” With that, I leaned forward and licked from her entrance to her clit. Her back arched and she cried out.
“That’s my good little whore. Now, hold still.”