AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What the fuck is this? What are you doing? We’re not done here,” Leon says, grinding his teeth in agitation. Clearly he enjoyed seeing me naked. I should hate that fact. Idohate that fact. Yet, in a small twisted way I also like it. I like the fact he wants to see me naked, that he’s so pissed off that Jakub’s covered me back up. God, what is wrong with me?
“Wearedone here, and we have a new plan,” Jakub announces, clipping the leash back on my collar and dragging me towards the table.
“What fucking plan?” Leon questions as I try not to trip over my feet in my haste to keep up with Jakub. I’m not sure whether it’s the after effects of The Quickening, the antidote that Thirteen had fed me, the stress, or a combination of all three, but my muscles feel weak once more. Regardless, I’m still here. I’m still breathing. I’m still intact, mostly.
“Our father often tested us,” Jakub says, “He pushed our limits, taught us how to be the men we needed to be in order to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. Recently we’ve lost our focus. This will give it back to us. We’ll all be stronger for it afterwards.”
“Or dead,” I murmur under my breath.
If Jakub hears me, he doesn’t acknowledge it, instead he shoves the chastity belt into my hands. “Put this back on.”
I take it from him, stepping back into the disgusting contraption even as relief floods my veins. He clicks the lock in place, then picks up his discarded mask and puts it back on before twisting on his feet and walking back across the hall with me in tow.
“What are you going to do, Jakub, take her back to your bedroom? She won’t last the night.”
Jakub stills, turning to face his brothers. “Which is precisely why I’m giving her to Thirteen.She’llhold the key.”
“For how long?” Konrad questions, a muscle in his jaw flexing.
“Until the night of the Ball.”
“Fuck,” Leon mutters as Jakub yanks on the leash, walking me from the room just like a dog commanded to heel.
* * *
With my jawgritted tightly and fighting the urge to cry, I walk beside Jakub through another section of the castle I haven’t seen before. There’s more life here, and every now and then I see a glimpse of a member of staff going about their business. Which means, if I can see them, they can see me. Heat blooms across my neck and chest at the thought of more people seeing me collared and leashed like a dog. The only saving grace is that Konrad’s shirt is long enough to hide the archaic device that simultaneously takes away my freedom to make my own choices and protects me, at least temporarily, from The Masks’ thievery.
“Everyone will see,” I hiss, dipping my head and folding in on myself.
“And…?” Jakub retorts tightly, pulling on the leash so that I keep up with him.
“Why do you insist on humiliating me? Isn’t it enough that you’ve stolen my dignity and self-respect? Now you’re parading me around like this, like some trussed up animal. How dare you!” I hiss, ducking my head as a middle-aged man steps out of a door further along the corridor. A servant, given his attire. Before I drop my gaze I see the unmistakable look of horror, pity anddisguston his face. Jakub sees it too.
“What the FUCK are you staring at?” he roars.
“Nothing, Sir.Nothing,” the man says, dropping his gaze.
It was the worst possible thing he could’ve said, using Jakub’s name for me like that. Coming from this servant it wasn’t meant as an address, but that doesn’t matter to him. Dropping the leash, he strides over to the man, grips him by the throat and shoves him up against the wall with a thud.
“Don’t fucking look at her, don’t speak her name. Donotfucking think about her, understand me?!” he roars, the man’s face turning red under Jakub’s tightening grip. For a horrifying moment I think he’s going to kill him. Instead, he releases his grip and steps back, chest heaving and body taught. “Get the fuck out of my sight!”
The man doesn’t need to be told twice. He scrambles to his feet and retreats into the room he stepped out of, disappearing from view.
“You didn’t have to do—”
“How dare he fucking look at you like that!” he roars back, cutting off my sentence and grabbing the leash, pulling me alongside him. He storms down the corridor taking a hard right, then entering a large room that allows me a view of a patio terrace and the gardens to the east of the castle through a set of french doors. I barely get a chance to absorb the rows of low, neatly trimmed hedges and rose bushes before Jakub is shoving open another door and pushing me into a dimly lit hallway beyond. Stumbling forward, I reach out to steady my fall but Jakub wraps an arm around my back causing me to jolt in his hold. He shudders with the contact, whipping his arm back as much as I leap away from him.
He can’t even bear to touch me.
“Last door on the left,” he bites out.
It’s an order for me to keep moving, so that’s what I do. At least I’ll be in relative safety when I get there. Thirteen had shown me compassion, kindness, and God only knows I’m desperate to feel safe right now. Well, as safe as I can be in a castle run by three sadistic men.
I lift my fist to knock on her door, but Jakub makes a tutting sound and shoves it open. I guess she isn’t afforded any privacy either despite her beingfamily.
“What the hell…?” I say, my voice trailing off as I step into the room, quickly realising this isn’t Thirteen’s room at all but something altogether different.
The door slams shut behind me and I’m aware of Jakub twisting a key in the lock, but for the life of me I can’t even begin to worry about his intentions as I’m too caught up in what I’m seeing.
