I wore red. Red that looked like blood splashed against my skin, swallowing the reflection of the white bathroom behind me. I’d sworn to myself I’d never wear it, not after what my sisters had gone through.
Yet, here I was, dressed in the same vile lingerie—in the same place of terror—about to embark on the hell they’d endured…willingly.
The door to the bathroom opened and Riven stepped in. Those brooding eyes shifted instantly to my reflection before he scowled, then looked away.
He couldn’t even look at me.
How the hell was he going to carry this through?
But then he turned back, the deep crease in his forehead matching the tortured stare. One step and he stood at my back. There were no words between us. Just the brush of his fingers under the satin strapping at my back as he caressed my skin all the way to my shoulder. I shivered with the touch.
“Forgive us,” he whispered, meeting my stare. “For what we’re about to do.”
My pulse skipped, and my stomach sank all at once. I felt like I was going to pass out before I’d even started, until the door opened once more.
“It’s time.” Kane looked at me, then his brother.
There was regret in his tone, he swallowed it as he disappeared out the door.
Riven dropped his hand, exhaled, and followed, leaving me to do the same.
Thomas was there, wearing his black suit and white clerical collar. His face was still swollen and his eye bloody as he fixed that chilling stare on me. “After you.” He motioned.
My bare feet made no sound as I followed the others like a ghost through the doorway of the apartment and along the hall. Riven was in front, Kane slowed, falling behind with Thomas, all three boxing me in.
The secure doors were unlocked one by one as we headed to where they kept the Daughters, until, through the section of glass, I caught sight of a guard.
Riven spun, grabbed me, and pushed me against the wall, his gaze full of rage, his voice full of fear. “They can’t hear us,” he murmured. “Only see us.”
My eyes flicked instantly to the cameras above us.
“You know what you have to do?” Riven searched my stare.
It was the last moment he would be Riven to me.
Somehow, we both knew that.
I suppressed a shiver and gave a nod.
He swallowed, grabbed my arm in a savage grip, and shoved me toward the doors. “See you on the other side, Trouble.”
I stumbled forward, barely reaching the door before the lock clicked and it opened. Heavy steps closed in. I was grabbed around the back of the neck and driven forward, past the guards and into the cafeteria, before I was shoved hard from behind.
My head snapped backward and my knees buckled, sending me crashing to the floor.
But he wasn’t done. No, The Principal descended, grasping me around the jaw to jerk my gaze to his. “Try to run again, Daughter, and see what happens.”
His eyes were wide. His pupils were so dark they were endless pools.
He was scared.
No.
He was terrified.
Sparks ignited in his gaze. His chest moved in shallow, panicked breaths. There was no way he was going to get through this, not without me taking the lead. I yanked my hands up. “Please, don’t hit me again.”
The heavy thud of boots rushed in. “You found her.” The man I knew as Walker strode forward.
“We found her.” The Principal released my jaw and straightened, glaring down at me.
“I’ll keep a better watch on this one,” Walker declared as he grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet.
“We all will,” Riven added coldly, watching as I was dragged to where the other Daughters sat.
They stared at me with terrified expressions. Some were dressed in red, others in white. They cared more about the guards across the room than they did about a pretender.
“Sit.” Walker shoved me toward a seat and nodded at the cafeteria staff.
Revulsion rose as they slid a plate of barely yellow looking eggs in front of me along with a plastic cup filled with some kind of juice.
“Eat,” Walker commanded. “You have ten minutes.”
Ten minutes?
My skin crawled with all the attention in the room, every set of eyes burning into me. But this was what we needed, wasn’t it? The only way any of us survived, by them believing I was someone they could use. My fingers trembled as I grabbed the plastic fork, picked up some of the rubbery mess, and slowly placed it in my mouth.
My stomach tightened as I bit down and chewed. It could be anything. I lifted my gaze to the Daughters at the table in front of me. Their downcast eyes never moved as I forced myself to swallow the vile squishy mouthful. This could be pancakes for all I knew. Hot, buttery, golden brown pancakes that were the best I’d ever tasted.
How are they?
Riven’s voice invaded my head.
Not a good time for that right now. Not a good time to think about him at all.
A little dry actually.
My pulse sped as I swallowed, reliving that moment for a second before it was gone.
“Okay,” Walker’s voice boomed, making the Daughters flinch. He scanned them all and settled on me. “Everyone finish up. You’ll be escorted to the media room.”
No one moved, they were all terrified. Still, my mind raced. Media room? I tried to figure out what was about to happen and dropped my fork, taking a gulp of juice to wash the food down as the guards descended from across the room. It was almost like they couldn’t wait to get their hands on us, dragging us to our feet.
Aren’t you whores supposed to just lie there and take it?
The memory of that bastard surfaced, but it was Walker who headed for me, grabbed my arm, and pushed me forward and in line with the others. “Move.”
And just like that, I was one of them.
A Daughter forced to line up and paraded like a piece of meat past Riven and the others.
“Eyes front,” one of the guards barked at me, his gaze sliding down the see-through lace I wore.
I jerked my focus forward, my heart hammering, and slowly I followed the rest out of the cafeteria and along the hall.
Bare feet slapped the cold floor. Panicked stares found mine as we headed past three sets of doors and turned, stopping at an open door.
“You’ll wait here.” The guard lifted his arm, barring our way. He shifted his gaze. “Teacher.”
Then Kane was there, stepping around me to face the rest of the line. He didn’t look my way, didn’t meet my stare. “You’ll be escorted in and given your seats. One of the medical staff will come along and secure you. Any attempt at evasion will be met by force, am I understood?”
No one said a word.
Secure us? What the hell did that mean?
A nod to the staff behind me and nurses strode forward.
“Let’s go.” One nurse took a Daughter’s arm and led her into a dimly lit room.
I knew this place, knew it intimately, every corridor, every diagram. I knew images and layouts, but standing here at the jaws of this gaping mouth, I realized I didn’t know this place at all.
Not really.
Not like this.
“You.” The next nurse grabbed the Daughter in front.
One by one they were taken inside until one came for me.
“Let’s go.” The older woman took me by the arm and pulled me toward the door.
I met Kane’s emotionless stare as I passed. He never even flinched, not even when I stumbled into the gloom and along the outside of what looked like rows of theater seats. I glanced at the darkened screen. But this was like no theater I’d ever been to. I was gently pushed along a row and forced to shuffle toward the middle.
“Here,” the nurse commanded.
The dull shine of metal caught my eye as she guided me into the seat. Another nurse stepped toward me from the other side, grabbing my arm and holding it as they strapped it down.
“Wait.” I pulled against their hold, earning a glare.
My other arm was next, strapped and secured.
“Ouch,” I cried out as a sting came on my arm.
Fear howled to the surface with the withdrawal of a needle.
“What…what was that?”
“Just something to help you relax,” the nurse with a syringe urged.
Her face blurred as she straightened, and on the screen a recording flickered to life.
I knew others were being pushed into seats all around me and given the same drug. I shook my head, trying my best to keep my focus. But my mind wavered and my strength weakened. On the screen, flickers of words filled the view, neon white against the glare.
OBEY.
RELEASE.
OWNED.
My pulse spiked. Boom! Boom! BOOM! The sudden blare of music was deafening.
I’d made a mistake…
I’d made a terrible mistake.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
FORBIDDEN.
CRAVE.
MINE.
I bucked, fighting the bonds around my wrists. But my movements were slow and weak…and those glaring words on the screen called me.
OBEY.
OBEY.
OBEY….
I wanted out of here. I wanted out…I wanted OUT.
I opened my mouth to scream, only no sound came.
There were only the words.
Words that filled my head.
The words…that filled me.
