Nine
I can still feel him on my lips. I lick them whenever he’s not looking in fear that everyone can see him on me. I can’t believe I did that…and I can’t believe I liked it. I shouldn’t have. What’s wrong with me? I hate him and yet my hormones are completely drawn to him. His thick fingers dig into the arm rests and his legs instinctively squeeze me. My heart threatens to beat a hole in my chest as I inch closer to his bare flesh. I can feel his eyes on me, burning holes in my face…
They told me this would happen…my teachers. They said we’ll be drawn to our Fortunates. They taught us to want to please them, to make them happy…and that’s exactly what happened. Deep down, underneath all of my nervousness and fear, I wanted to do it for him. My stomach churns. The realisation is sickening. Imagine wanting to put a stranger’s penis in your mouth. A stranger that owns you, threatens you, and wants to give your body to others…you can’t, because it’s not normal.
“Nine?” I flinch as Kade’s voice pulls me back to reality.
I look to him. He’s standing next to me, his eyes flaring like he caught me doing something I’m not supposed to. Others are watching me too—two of them I recognize as Henry and Kade’s father, Michael. I clear my throat and Kade’s eyes flare again. It makes my already sensitive stomach roll.
“Yes?”
He arches an eyebrow.
“Master Kade,” I add quickly, and thankfully, no one other than Kade seemed to notice the lag in my response.
“Daydreaming?”
My blood cools. I don’t know how many drinks he’s had, but he’s doing it on purpose. He knows exactly what I’m thinking about and he’s trying to make me as uncomfortable as he possibly can, knowing very well I can’t utter a single word about it.
“I’m fixated on the party,” I say, staring back at him, refusing to play his game. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he draws his glass to his mouth and takes a long, slow sip. I look away, my cheeks growing hotter. To think I almost let him kiss me…I should have let him. Perhaps then the penis-mouth situation could have been avoided.
“Of course you haven’t.” Henry chuckles, drawing my attention to his large, jiggling stomach. “You’re an Unfortunate.”
The way he says it, as if it’s the dirtiest thing in the world, makes me clench my jaw and it takes all my strength to stop looking at him. I drop my stare to the grass. It feels damp against my feet.
“You’re my Unfortunate,” Kade says, forcing me to look up again. There’s a strange look in his eyes—comfort? No. He wouldn’t comfort me. He didn’t comfort me at the branding ceremony, why would he do it now? I search deeper, trying to pinpoint the emotion in his uncharacteristically soft eyes, but in a blink, it’s gone. “Not like the others in the camps. Not anymore.”
Henry and Michael exchanged a glance between themselves before Michael spoke. “You sound just like your mother, Kaden.” Master Kade flinches at the reference to his full name. Kaden? I like Kaden. It’s much softer than Kade. “And just like I told her, you cannot lower yourself to their level. They’re different than us—a whole new species, almost.”
I survey Kade’s fingers. They tighten around his glass and his knuckles turn white, draining of blood. “And if I were to cut her open?” he says casually, so casually it sends chills down my spine. “Would she not bleed the same blood?”
“Indeed she wou—”
“Would she not bleed the same amount of blood as you? Would her bones not match ours?”
“Sure, they wou—”
Henry’s laugh cuts off Kade’s father and he offers him no apology. Kade frowns because of it. “You really do sound like your mother, only she knew when to stop.” He flicks his head in my direction. “Developing a soft spot for this one, are you?”
Kade shrugs. “I don’t care for Unfortunates—not in the slightest—but let’s not claim they’re a whole new species entirely just to make yourself feel better about degrading human life. If you’re going to be an asshole, you might as well be proud of it.”
I think it’s a total ass move of him to stand up for human rights. He doesn’t care and the serious intensity in his eyes that suggests otherwise is fake.
“Like me,” a voice chimes in.
Vince.
I feel a hand creep along my shoulder before resting heavily. I want to shrug it off, to step away from it, but only Master Kade can tell me to move. To disrespect a Fortunate—any Fortunate—would mean god knows what. I keep my eyes on Kade, who glares at the fingers that curl around my shoulder.
“You’re wasting your time, Vincent,” Henry announces. His white cane chair creaks as he shifts his large body. “Kade is keeping her for something special.”
I don’t have to look at Vince to hear him smile. “Is my big brother finally ready to lose his virginity?”
Henry and Michael snicker like children, but Kade seems unfazed by the insult to his manhood.
“I might find that insulting, if it hadn’t come from a child,” Kade replied, seemingly bored.
“More reason I should have her. I’m closer to her age than you, old man.”
Immediately, I feel worn out just listening to the banter—like a cloth between two wild dogs. Kade aggressively steps forward and I react without thought. I shrug out from underneath Vince’s arm and instinctively step closer to Master Kade. I freeze suddenly and I instantly realise what I’ve done…I panicked. I moved only to stop a fight from breaking out. I inch closer to Kade—as close as I can without getting in trouble for touching. An Unfortunate must never touch a Fortunate without permission. The knot of his black tie barely grazes the tip of my nose and my lungs burn as I hold my breath, trying to anticipate what’s going to happen next. I shouldn’t have moved. Shit. I shouldn’t have moved. Kade doesn’t scold me or hurt me—in fact—he doesn’t say anything, only presses the empty glass against my chest. Realising he’s giving me a way out of Vince’s punishment, I take it and step away from him. I put the glass on a passing tray. The Unfortunate carrying the tray stops and I exchange the empty glass for a full one. The Unfortunate male doesn’t look at my face, only at my chest. His beady, black eyes practically burn through my fabric, twisting my stomach. I’m the only Unfortunate dressed so provocatively…and I hate it. I angle my body away from him, giving the glass back to Kade. Lucky for the Unfortunate, Master Kade doesn’t see his prying eyes, and before long, he’s gone.
Vince bares his teeth in an evil scowl as I stand behind my Fortunate. “How dare you move?” he growls. “You’ll be punished for your defiance.”
“She didn’t defy you—she was filling your brother’s drink,” Michael said, sighing. “And she’s his toy, not yours. Leave her alone, will you?”
Vince’s dark, cold stare zeroes in on the both of us before he turns around and storms off without a word.
“Take it easy on your little brother. You know he’s a collector of pretty things.”
“Destroyer of pretty things,” Kade rebuts, raking his fingers through his short hair.
“Don’t judge your brother so harshly, Kaden. You’re no good, either.”
“Compared to him? I’m so good you should start referring to me as Angel.”
His dad nods with a slightly proud smirk. “And he used to wonder why you never let him play with your leaf collection.”
Beside me, I feel Kade tense. Henry laughs and nods with large motions of his head.
“I remember the leaf collection. Kade was a good kid. Vince? Not so much—always hiding under tables to see up the women’s skirts. Always starting fights and crying wolf—that kid hasn’t changed a bit.”
These are the things they talk about? Hobbies and family? Some of us have never had the pleasure of either. They don’t appreciate anything they have and I would rather die than be a part of their world. I open my mouth to scold them all. “Y—”
Kade presses his new glass into my chest. The ice cold liquid pushes over the lip and soaks through my dress, making me shiver.
“Give this to Portia to clean and then go to bed.”
I frown. Give the glass to Portia to clean when there’s a tray going around collecting empty cups? Where’s the sense in that? I peer up at Master Kade and his eyes flare with warning. In that glance I see he’s protecting me from saying something stupid, which poses the question, why? Doesn’t he want to punish me? Doesn’t he want an excuse to get back into the exact same situation we were in earlier?
“Don’t send her to bed. I want to look at her a little more,” Henry complains, drawing his wine glass to his lips and peering at me over the rim.
“Yes, Master Kade,” I say. I take Kade’s half full glass and step away. When I turn around, I come face to face with another Fortunate. Thankfully, it’s not Vince this time.
“So this is Nine,” she sneers at me, subtly pouting her lips in an unfriendly way. Unfriendly? Of course she is. Why’d I expect anything less from a Fortunate? Her blue eyes rake me up and down. When she’s not making eye contact, I take in her tight red gown. I’ve never seen a dress so striking. It hugs her subtle curves before falling off around her feet and pooling in a mess of fabric. “You’re not as pretty in person.”
“Elizabeth,” Kade warns her. “The girl is going to bed.”
Her thin lips quirk at the corners and she flicks her bouncy blonde curls over one shoulder. “Run along, then.”
Forcing a polite smile, I duck my head and stroll away as quickly as I can. It’s obvious the claim she has on Kade and I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. If she sees me as a threat, she can eliminate me, it’s as simple as that. As far as I’m concerned, she can have Master Kade. If he gets her, perhaps he won’t ask things of me.
I stroll across the grass, keeping my head down. The ground is a little cool and damp tonight, making me miss my cloth shoes with the hole. The back door to the house is less than a hundred metres away. I’m less than a hundred metres away from taking this dress off and climbing into my own bed, unscathed.
I glance up from the ground, and directly ahead, I see Vince leaning against the dark bricks of the mansion. He’s watching me. Even from this distance I can tell. My fingers clench involuntarily around the glass, but I keep moving forward. Get it to the kitchen. Go to bed. I nod my head. Right.
As I draw nearer, Vince’s stare becomes almost physical. I can feel his dark irises sticking to me like hot tar. It doesn’t send shivers down my spine…it sends painful spasms along the ridge of my back. There’s nothing I can do but keep my head down and hope he doesn’t pull me up.
“Heading off?” he shouts to me when I get within distance.
“I’m returning Master Kade’s glass,” I tell him, angling my body to the left to enter in through the door. Seven more steps and you’re inside. I square my shoulders and take another two steps. Before I make the third, Vince shoots in front of me and I jump, dropping the glass. It falls to the ground with a heavy thud, spilling its contents all over my feet.
I bend at the knees, lowering myself to get the glass. As my fingers touch the cool material, I glance up at Vince, who’s beaming down at me with a look so dark and sadistic, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on its ends.
“You know, I prefer you even more from this angle.”
Master Kade’s voice echoes through my mind, “imagine hardcore throat fucking.”
I shoot to my feet, brushing hair out of my face. “If you’ll excuse me,” I say politely and swallowing hard. “I have specific instructions.”
Vince shrugs and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. “Forget them. I have new ones for you.”
“I can’t—”
He snaps forward, slapping the glass out of my hand. It falls to the ground once again.
“Pick it up.”
I crouch low and retrieve the glass. When I stand, he smacks the glass from my hand again. Tears burn my eyes, but I don’t dare let them fall. I lower myself once again and grab the glass before straightening my posture.
“Do you see where I’m going with this?”
I nod. It doesn’t matter to Vince that Kade is the only one with authority to demand things from me.
“You will do whatever the hell I tell you to, got it?”
I nod again, blinking quickly. “Yes, Master Vince.”
His thin lips curl into a wry smile. “Tell me, Unfortunate, has my brother had the chance to play with you yet?”
I shake my head. Vince steps forward and pinches a thick lock of hair that drapes over my chest. He draws it to his mouth and runs it underneath his nose, smelling it.
“I bet that upsets you?”
I want to tell him that it doesn’t or shake my head again, but I know better than to provoke any Fortunate. They’re like wild dogs, provoked by fear, so, despite my real thoughts and feelings, I nod my head.
“Kade likes to act all high and mighty, but I know he’s a predator like the rest of us—maybe even worse. He can’t deny himself a pretty object—just like me. It’s his birthday, Unfortunate.” Vince glides the very tip of his index finger up my forearm. “Go surprise him.”
My stomach churns, tying itself into phantom knots. “I’m not sure I understand…”
“I want you to go upstairs, take that pretty little dress off, and wait for him on his bed. When he comes up, I want you to seduce him, to get him to fuck you. Then we’ll see how precious you are to him.”
My throat constricts and I begin to shake my head. “I have strict orders from Master Kade and they are to take his glass to the kitchen and go to bed.”
He raises an eyebrow. “But he didn’t specify which bed.”
“Well, no, but—”
He snaps forward. He’s so close I can feel the heat of his breath directly on my face and our noses barely graze.
“You will do as you’re fucking told, and if you so much as disobey me, or tell him that I sent you to do it, I’ll be the one to take your innocence, got it?”
“I can’t—”
He reaches around and grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks it back. I yelp and cover his hand with mine. I try to pry his fingers away, but his grip is too tight and my scalp burns. My eyes grow misty and I sob.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, Master Vince.”
He lets my hair go and I almost slump into myself. Vince snatches the glass from my hands and gestures to the door.
“Go, fuck and become useless.”
With a stiff nod, I step past him and into the house. I chew the inside of my lip to stop from crying. I don’t want anyone to see me cry. It’s not because I’m embarrassed…I don’t want to cry because I don’t want anyone to ignore me. I don’t want to be reminded that no one cares if I’m happy or sad. I fold my arms over my chest and hold myself as I bypass my room and stroll up the hallway towards the stairs that lead to Master Kade’s room. I inhale, count to three, and then exhale. This could be a good thing…who knows; maybe if I give myself to him he can’t give me to someone else. It’s a stupid thought, but one nonetheless. They taught us how to conform, but now I’m teaching myself how to survive.
And that’s exactly what I’m doing, surviving.
∞
My knees sink into the soft mattress and I keep my eyes on the door, waiting for Master Kade to arrive. I don’t want him to show up. I want him to party all night and pass out in a bush somewhere—anywhere as long as it’s not here in this room, alone with me. A cool breeze blows in from the far window behind me and brushes across my naked back. I shiver and rest on my heels, with my hands behind my back—the way I was taught. A second later, I hear the handle rattle and it sends my heart through my chest. My entire body begins to shake and my palms sweat. I think I’m going to throw up. I swallow hard. I’m going to beg Master Kade to have sex with me and then I’m going to throw up all over him. This is not going to end well.
The door swings open and in steps Master Kade, loosening his tie. With an exhale, he shuts the door and leans against it. Carefully, I inhale and Kade’s entire body stiffens. Slowly, he turns his head. The only light I have is the low burning fire at the opposite end of the room. His dark, impure eyes rake me. I can almost feel them drag over every inch of my exposed, virgin flesh. They drag up over my thighs and stop at the sweet spot between my legs. A few seconds later, he looks at my flat stomach, generous breasts, and finally, my face.
“What are you doing?” He asks the question with caution… like I’m a venomous animal.
I want to tell him Vince put me up to this, that he threatened me with rape if I don’t go through with it. Instead, I angle my head and quirk my lips.
“I’m here for you, Master Kade…if you’ll have me.”
He straightens his posture and turns his large body in my direction. His movements are robotic, as if he’s being controlled only by the flesh in his pants, not his brain. He stalks toward me—each footstep seemingly more predatory than the last. He stops when his knees hit the side of his bed and he waits, staring at me with lusty, hooded eyes. My heart is in my throat, threatening to beat its way into my mouth as I rise up off my heels and inch closer to him.
“Will you have me?” I whisper. I let my hands press against his hard chest and trail along the crisp fabric to his shoulders. My hands move with skill in order to avoid an unthinkable punishment. Without permission, I kiss Kade’s bottom lip and he makes no move to push it further. Hope blooms in my chest. Please, dismiss me.
“This is what you want?” he asks against my mouth. No.
I pull back and see the suspicion in his eyes. No. My eyes begin to swim and I can’t see as they become misty. No. I quickly blink back tears, keeping my hands on Kade.
“Yes.”
No.
In one swift rough move, he cups me between my legs, letting a finger slip between my creases. I gasp and instinctively squeeze my legs shut as my entire body goes rigid. I don’t like this.
“You’re lying,” he growls.
He removes his hand and shoves me backwards. As I fall, he dives onto the bed and his hard, heavy body pins me to the mattress. I can’t move. I pant for air and struggle against him, trying desperately to break free. Panic builds. It restricts my chest and blurs my vision. I thrash my head from side to side, but it does nothing to help. I can barely wiggle my toes!
“Please,” I beg, my voice sounding far away. “I don’t like—I can’t breathe—I can’t move!”
His large hand grabs my face, keeping it in one place. “That’s the point.”
My throat fills with heavy stones and I choke on a sob. Hot tears burn down the side of my face and into my hair. I squeeze my eyes shut, unwilling to look into the black ones above me. I try to inhale and barely fill a quarter of a lung. Panic kicks in again, multiplying tenfold.
“I can’t breathe! Kaden, please!”
His body stiffens against mine and his hand tightens on my face. I wince and push my head into the bed to get away from the pain.
“What’d you call me?”
A new panic rises in me, no, forget panic, fear rises in me, growing exponentially every second his hate-filled expression bores down on me.
“I’m sorry,” I squeeze out, my lungs burning. “I didn’t mean to call you Kaden—”
He adds more pressure to his grip and I inhale sharply.
“You’re getting too comfortable here, Unfortunate.” He spits the word and I feel specks of saliva hit my face. “Know your fucking place.”
I nod as much as I can with his intense grip.
“Why are you in my room?”
“I wanted to—”
“I had to force you to get on your knees earlier, so don’t you dare tell me you’ve come here to fuck.”
My bottom lips quivers. I can feel it shaking my whole chin, making my teeth click together. “Please, don’t make me say it.”
He makes no movement, only watches me with his intense expression. It’s his expression that confirms I’m on my own out here. If I don’t tell Kade, who knows what he’ll do to me. If I do tell Kade, Vince has already told me what he’s going to do. It’s a lose-lose situation. I sniffle.
“Vince…”
Kade’s face contorts into a furious scowl and I hate that something so ugly looks so beautiful on him.
“Vince is going to hurt me if I don’t—if we don’t…” I drag in a shaky, half-assed inhale. “I’m in trouble, Kade, I need your help.”
He doesn’t bat an eyelid at my neglect to call him master. I chose not to use it on purpose. In this moment, I’m not a slave asking her master for help. I’m a human being, asking another human being for help. “Please?”
“What happened?” Kade’s voice is low and dangerous, laced with the kind of dark tone that puts my hairs on their ends.
I tell him everything. I tell him every single thing I did after leaving him at the party. I tell him every detail—from the feel of the grass to the colour of Vince’s eyes.
Which brings us to now.
Kade rolls off me and air floods my lungs. I drag in a deep inhale and try to steady my racing heart as Kade sits on the edge of the bed. I watch cautiously, not moving from my position.
“Stay here the night.” He exhales, raking his fingers through his short, jet black hair and pushing himself to his feet. “Get in bed.”
I let my stare follow Kade as he saunters across the large room to his oak desk. He flicks on a bright lamp and shrugs out of his coal black jacket before tossing it over the back of his chair.
“In… in your bed?”
He files through a stack of paper on his desk and turns on a glass screen. “Do you see another bed in here?” he asks, his voice bored and detached.
I shake my head. “No, I guess not.”
He looks at me from under his brow. It’s a look that ignites something dark along my spine.
“Get in bed, Nine.”
I don’t know what it is, but when Kade refers to me as Nine, I feel like there’s a teeny tiny chance he sees me as an equal human being, not an Unfortunate lesser to him. Complying, I push myself under his heavy blanket. On the bed, I feel smaller than I usually do. Like the mattress is going to swallow me up any second.
I watch as he lowers himself into his seat and pulls himself closer to the desk. He stares at his screen, touching it with his fingers and writing things down onto a sheet beside him. He’s focused, and when he’s focused, his intensity seems to multiply tenfold.
“Didn’t they teach you not to stare?”
As he speaks, his eyes never leave his screen. My stomach jolts into my throat and I avert my eyes.
“Yes, sorry.”
He sighs and leans back in his chair. My body begins to tremble, shaking softly against the warming mattress. I hope I didn’t pull him from whatever he was doing. What if he sends me away? What if he tells me to go back to my room and Vince is there waiting for me? Panic begins to bubble…
“You’re not tired?” Kade asks.
I shake my head, and as he reaches up to loosen his tie, I regret ever looking at him. His lips curve into a breathtaking smile. Who would’ve thought he’s capable of such a positive expression? I hate that his smile stirs something in my chest…he has the loveliest smile I’ve ever seen, with beautiful, straight white teeth to match.
“Relax,” he says. “I’m not going to touch you.”
Despite his words, I regard him curiously. All he’s done since I arrived is touch me.
“You don’t want to touch me?” I clarify, and he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Listen carefully, Unfortunate. I said I’m not going to touch you, not I don’t want to touch you.”
So he wants to? Instinctively, I squeeze the blankets tighter against me. Not that it’d do anything to keep him away if he really wanted me.
“Where will you sleep?” I ask, inching the blankets higher. I’m naked, so I pray it’s not here with me.
He chuckles, actually chuckles, and the sound is almost alien to me. “I’ll sleep in my bed.”
Dread burrows in painful tendrils through my stomach. I’ve never shared a bed with anyone before, or slept naked, or slept naked with someone. “But—”
He runs his hands over his face, suddenly looking exhausted and resigned. “Are you going to talk all night or can I actually get some work done?”
“Sorry,” I apologise again and roll onto my side. I pull the blankets up and peer over the very edge. There’s so much blanket and he’s so far away, there’s no way he can see me watching. I don’t know why I watch him…I guess I’m just trying to figure him out. Kade makes no move to go back to his computer. Instead, he watches the bed and rakes his teeth over his bottom lip, as if in thought, deep thought.
“Master Kade?” I mutter, unable to stop myself. I can feel my curiosity rearing its head. It wants to know about Kade’s leaf collection. I never thought about collecting things like that…I should have. It would’ve kept me busy. Who knows, it might’ve even made me happy. The yard at the Unfortunate camp was filled with lots of random leaves. I didn’t know that someone, at one stage in their life, held something as small as a leaf to value. I saw it as a nuisance, a nuisance that covered the mud I liked to draw in.
He doesn’t answer and I don’t know if I should take it as an order to shut up, or if he’s letting me talk. Either way, I thread my fingers together and proceed at my own risk. “Can you tell me about your leaf collection?”
I want to know what it feels like to collect something. How many different types of leaves are there? How many did he have? Different shapes? What was his favourite shape?
He reaches across his desk and shuts off the lamp, throwing the room into semi-darkness. The only light came from his screen and that of the dwindling fire. I close my eyes. I guess he doesn’t want to talk. I was told it’s important to know your Fortunate, but I assume Kade is more comfortable being strangers. That’s fine with me, too. I’ve lived in a room with a lot of people for years and years, and to this day, I still don’t know their names. With my eyes still shut, I notice the room darkens again and then hear a faint sizzle as the fire is extinguished. My steady heart begins to beat a little faster, forcing blood through my veins quicker than normal as I hear him kick off his shoes and the other side of the bed dips. My mouth and throat dry up, and as subtly as I can, I shift backwards, moving as close to the edge as possible. To my surprise, Master Kade lies on top of the blankets and makes no move to touch me. Regardless, I don’t dare let myself relax. I’m in a potentially dangerous situation.
“You want to talk about my leaf collection?” he mutters, shifting on the bed. “I shouldn’t even tell you. As an Unfortunate, you shouldn’t soak up conversations. Your curiosity can get you killed.”
I want to ask him why he lets me get away with it. Why does he ignore it when I don’t refer to him as ‘master’ or when I mutter and mumble? Why?
“It’s the last question I’ll ever ask, I promise, I just…I just want to know what it’s like to have something—a collection, a hobby.
He exhales and shifts again, rolling onto his side. “As you can imagine, my collection didn’t last very long. It turns out leaves die when they’re not connected to a tree.”
I smile, catch myself smiling and then frown. It feels wrong. Every smile for him is an insult to my people.
“You stopped collecting? Why?”
“I thought that was your last question?”
I press my finger to my lips. After a short while he swears under his breath and blows air from his cheeks. “I’m not the same boy I used to be. I don’t care for leaves, decorations, flowers—anything.”
“What do you care about?”
I know I told him I wouldn’t ask any more questions, but I’m on a roll. He’s answering everything. I’m pushing my luck, I know that, but I can’t help myself. To hear about hobbies of any kind is interesting. I’ve never had one.
“I care about power and money. I care about control and routine…those are the only things that matter.”
To me, those are the only things that don’t matter.
“Hypothetically,” he mutters, and against his pillow, I hear him shake his head. “If you could care about something, what would it be?”
I open my mouth and then stop. I’ve never been asked a personal question before. I’ve never been asked what my favourite colour is or whether I like to wear my hair up or down, nothing. It occurs to me, in this moment, that I have no idea. I’ve never spoken about myself because someone else is genuinely interested. He waits patiently for me to answer and for a brief second, I wonder if he’s playing a game with me. Is this a trap?
“I don’t know…” I whisper, afraid someone else will hear. “I’d care about my family, if I had one. I’d care about nature and music—and reading. I would care about humanity.”
In the darkness, I can feel him watching me. I’m staring back, too, and I’m thankful he can’t see.
He clears his throat and returns to his back. “That’s the difference between Fortunates and Unfortunates. That’s why the strong prosper. Caring for things gives others access to your soul. Do you know what someone could do to you if they knew you inside and out? They could destroy you. Unfortunates are weak…and in this world, the weak suffer.”
“Weak…” I repeat, breathing and blinking quicker to stop sudden tears from restricting my throat. “Right.”
I draw my knees in, curling up into a ball in Kade’s bed. I’m not sure how long I stay like this, but I do know it gives me some semblance of comfort.
“Perhaps I moved too fast earlier,” he admits. “Tomorrow we’ll work on something a little more your speed.”
“Yes, Master Kade,” I say and he pushes himself off of the bed.
I want to ask him where he’s going, but then I realise I don’t care. I want him gone. I want him to sleep somewhere else, not here in this bed with me. In the dark, he manages to gather all of his things and leave, locking the door after him. I roll onto my back and kick off the blankets. That conversation goes to show that no matter how kind a Fortunate is, their virtues will never change. They’ve been taught since birth that equality doesn’t matter…that their life is more precious than ours, and for the first time in my life, I realise just how depressing my existence really is.
∞ Kade ∞
Kade stormed down the hall, adjusting his tie. How’d she do it? he thought. How’d she get me talking? He began to roll the sleeves of his shirt, stopping the fabric just above his elbows. Kade had told Nine more about himself in that ten minutes than he had anyone his entire life—not even Elizabeth knew about Kade’s leaf collection and they’ve been friends for as long as he could remember. Thankfully, Kade was able to catch himself and rectify their relationship before he opened up about anything else. I’m the Fortunate. She is the Unfortunate. She has no business asking questions…she has no business being curious.
Kade knew for certain that she couldn’t stay in his room, but he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight, not with Vince snooping around and making threats. Adding to his already lengthy list, Kade had to protect Nine from Vince and teach her how to please a Fortunate all while keeping her from his head and finding out what’s happening in his mine. Things were getting complex, much more complex than he’d planned. Towards Nine, he needed to remain detached and cold. He didn’t know how, but Nine had a strange way of making him feel inclined to protect her...to comfort her. Maybe it was her eyes, the beautiful pale violet wasn’t a colour he’d seen before. They were striking—captivating—they made him want to do vile, perverted things to her and it didn’t help his resistance any knowing he could do whatever he wanted to her, whenever he wanted. One bat of her eyelids had Kade hard and ready to throw his plan out the window for the slightest taste. The other…well, the other made him think of his mother…before she was killed. Kade’s mother was a humanitarian. She loved people, regardless of their stature. Growing up, Kade would help his mother do rounds at the Sario manor, feeding soup to their overworked and underfed Unfortunates. No one else treated them like people, even though Kade was certain they were the same.
‘I’d care about humanity…’
Kade gritted his teeth. Of course humanity was as important to Nine as it was to his mother the last night he saw her. Was this a cruel joke? Was his mother pushing at him to remember what she taught him from beyond the grave? Was there a reason Nine fell into his life? Questions bounced around Kade’s skull; he refused to entertain any of them.
Mom swiped her hands over her face, collecting falling tears. I don’t understand why she’s crying. She never cries this hard before she leaves with Dad to go into the city.
“I need you to be a good boy, Kaden, and I need you to look after your brother.”
I nod as she runs her fingers through my hair. It catches in a knot and pulls on my scalp but I don’t mind. Sometimes I don’t see her for weeks.
“Remember what I’ve taught you. No matter what they tell you, no matter what they teach you, nothing is as important as compassion, love—humanity. You’re going to lead one day...Make the world better, not worse.”
I don’t understand why she’s talking like this...Like she’s not coming back. She grips my shoulders and pulls me in.
“I'm sorry,” she whispers, her throat clogged with tears.
Something heavy swirls in my belly and it makes me feel sick, and sad.
“Now, Helena,” Dad calls as he storms past the door.
Mum jumps and releases me. She swipes at her face again, collecting more tears. I stand still, confused as she straightens out her light green gown and pulls her cardigan further over her shoulders. Lightning flashes, lighting up the room and a bang of thunder sounds out with a loud clap. I’m trembling in my bed. Does she have to go? She knows I can’t stand the storms. The loud bang doesn’t wake Vince and I guess I didn't expect it to. Vince loves storms...even though he’s a lot smaller than I am.
Mum strolls slowly towards the door and I watch her from my bed. She twirls around one last time, blows me a kiss and switches out the light...
That was the last time Kade saw her. His father had taken her straight to her death.
Music from the party still filtered through the windows of the Sario Manor. Kade hadn’t cared for music since he was a little boy. To him, the noise was an unnecessary tool to make people more comfortable around each other. His lips curled at the thought of people standing around with drinks in their hands, but no music to accompany them.
Kade stormed down the hallway, adjusting his suit jacket so it sat comfortably on his shoulders. One by one, he did up the buttons and sauntered into the kitchen. Like Kade expected, Vince sat perched on the bench, sipping on his drink and groping an uncomfortable Thirteen, the newest kitchen slave. As Master Kade surged forward, Thirteen’s eyes went round, but she didn’t dare back away from Vince, not until Kade gripped her shoulder and shoved her against the pantry.
“Brothe—”
Kade swung hard, connecting with Vince’s jaw. His chest rumbled with a growl as he gripped the collar of Vince’s shirt and dragged him across the bench before dropping him against the cold stone floor. Kade hit him once more, his knuckles smashing into Vince’s nose. He didn’t stop until he saw the blood on his knuckles. Finally, he released Vince and straightened his posture, towering over his bleeding little brother.
“How many times do I have to tell you to leave my things alone?” Kade panted, wiping sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.
Vince spat blood against the tiles and grinned, wiping blood that trickled from his nose with the back of his hand. “So, did you do it?”
“Of course I did, but I wouldn’t have if I knew the order came from you!” Kade lied. He never touched Nine, but he had to make Vince believe he did.
“How was it? Is she as tight as she looks?”
Kade launched forward and punched Vince again, this time hitting him in the mouth. Vince groaned, rolling onto his side and clenching his face.
“If I have to tell you again, Vincent, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Kade turned around and Thirteen flinched against the pantry. Her body trembled. There wasn’t a hair on her body that wasn’t shaking fiercely. Kade felt a pang of sympathy in his stomach—not because he pushed her, no. That was easy. He felt sorry because he knew Vince had to take his anger out on someone and Kade was certain she was the closest pussy he hadn’t tasted, or destroyed.
Kade left her to deal with Vince. If he was preoccupied with Thirteen, then he’d leave Nine alone. Besides, Vince always did prefer small, pretty blondes.
As he meandered from the kitchen, he saw Portia leaning against the wall in the hallway, keeping her head down. Portia was Kade’s favourite Unfortunate. She did what she was told and was beyond loyal to Kade—excluding the day she didn’t tell him Nine was in the bush. As a result of her loyalty, he’d never taken anything from her and kept her safe from Vince’s prying hands or the hands of other Fortunates. She took care of the entire kitchen and made sure all of the Sario events ran smoothly. Kade unbuttoned his shirt and extended it to her.
“This needs to be washed immediately. Collect the rest of my clothes in an hour’s time.”
“Yes, Master Kade.”
Kade continued his walk back to his room, slowing down unnecessarily. He hoped Nine was asleep by the time he got there. He wasn’t sure he could stomach anymore talking or awkward silences.
∞ Nine ∞
Master Kade returned quickly, much quicker than I’d hoped. As he closes the door behind him, he pauses. The room is eerily quiet as he undoubtedly strains his ears to hear my breathing pattern. To solidify the lie of sleep, I sigh and shift on the bed. Perhaps faking sleep will get me off the hook if he’s come back for something else. I ignore the chance of it making him want more from me.
I hear him exhale a breath of relief and cross the room. I’m impressed he can make his way around the room in the dark without falling over anything. Not a second after the thought passes, he flicks on the lamp on his desk. I shut my eyes, inching the blanket as slowly as I can to cover majority of my face. I keep my eyes closed, but listen carefully, following the sound of pattering shoes. The sound draws nearer, sending dread hurling through my stomach. It takes all of my strength not to ball the blanket in my hands and squeeze it against me. Before I know it, I can feel him next to me…I can feel his warmth wafting onto me, entering me like an enticing poison; I’m unable to cringe away. Slowly, his fingers curl around the blanket and he lowers it, pulling it down past my breast and stomach, exposing my hips and thighs, until the blanket rests heavily on my knees. I lie still—dead still—the only way he’d be able to tell if I’m awake is if he rubbed the palms of my hands. They’re soaking, I’m sure. His finger grazes the bare flesh between my breasts and my breath hitches. Shit! Kade freezes, but doesn’t remove his finger from my skin. I keep my eyes closed, still feigning sleep. Directly underneath his touch, my heart is beating a million miles an hour, sending its own fearful rhythm into the tip of his finger. When he’s certain I’m still asleep, he lowers his finger, dragging it down the centre of my ribcage and over my tummy. My tummy tenses and spasms as his finger glides over sensitive muscles. Goosebumps erupt as tingles leave the tip of his finger and dance on the surface of my skin. He stops as he reaches the bare patch of skin just above my vagina. My heart beats rapidly, threatening to break through my ribcage and tear out of my chest completely. I let out a small, shaky breath as his finger begins to circle in thought. With another exhale, he removes his skin from mine and pulls the blanket back up. When I’m concealed, I relax completely, and when I hear the tapping of his shoes fade over to the other side of the room, I shift on the bed, rolling onto my side and tucking my knees into my chest to avoid another situation like that. Between my thighs, I pulse in hot waves. The waves grow bigger and bigger until I find myself silently wishing he’d do it again…wishing he’d slipped his finger a little further.
A door on the other side of the room opens and instinctively so do my eyes. Thankfully, the noise squashes any immoral thoughts that try to seep through as I peer over my blanket at Kade, who enters the bathroom. He pushes the door behind him, but it doesn’t close, leaving the slightest gap. Silence ensues. For a couple of minutes, there’s no noise to indicate what he’s doing…until the glorious sound of clean water crashing against tiles fills my ears. I listen to the sound, imagining the hot water as it beats down on my back and rolls down my spine. I almost fall asleep, too, until a distinct sound tears through my ears and ignites my blood.
The sound sends a pang of heat through me, making my lips part and my heart stutter. A groan of pleasure? I’m sure it is. I recognise the sound…I’ve heard it reverberate around this house many times since my arrival, but it was always accompanied with a female moan or a cry for help.
I push back the blankets and swing my legs off the edge of the bed. I don’t want to get out of bed, my brain is waving me down with red flags, but every other cell in my body forces me forward. I want to see him. I want to see Master Kade at his most vulnerable.
I tip-toe as quietly as I can, not caring that I’m as naked as a baby, through the sitting area filled with large couches and over to the bathroom door. I peer around the corner and into the bathroom. I see him then—all of him—naked in the shower. My eyes roam his naked, dripping wet body. He’s captivating with his broad shoulders, narrow waist and slim hips…my throat dries. To see him so exposed, to see his physical perfection in its full form up close sends blood rushing through me like burning lava in my veins. His damp hair sticks to his forehead and he slicks it back before bracing his hand against the shower glass. The glass barely fogs, leaving so much for me to see. A shiver tears down my spine and settles in my core, making everything feel sensitive and numb at the same time as my stare settles on his beautiful penis. The beautiful penis I touched with my mouth—that I wanted to touch with my mouth. Every long, thick inch of it is exposed as he palms it with long, arousing strokes and his full, red-kissed lips part as he expels a heady breath of air. I can’t believe how close I am…close enough to hear him groan low in his throat, close enough to see goosebumps prickle over the surface of his skin…but I want to be closer. I want to be close enough to feel his hot breath on my neck—his warm tongue on my nipple.
“Fucking hell…” he moans, closing his eyes.
He grips the head of his cock and squeezes it as he pumps his hips and teases the pink tip. With his free hand, he touches the taps, turning the heat down and the cold up. The goosebumps that dot his skin grow more prominent and he shivers, stilling his hand and thrusting his hips instead. He likes the cold? I make a mental note and file it away in the back of my head.
As his thrusts become more forceful, I become painfully aware of my own arousal. I squirm on the stop, squeezing my thighs together and trying very hard not to fall against the door. As I watch him, I slip my fingers between my legs and gasp when I feel just how wet I am. My wetness leaks onto my fingers as more erotic pulses coat my insides with arousal. As I start to circle my clit, I watch him. I want to go in there, I decide as powerful surges of pleasure sneak up on me. I want to touch him, to look him in the eyes as he comes. I reach for the door handle and as the very tips of my fingers graze the metal, Kade tosses his head back and with an animalistic groan, he comes onto the glass. I pull my hand back as if the very metal is scalding hot. His groan snaps me back to reality and I free my hand from between my legs. Whoa. I blink once, no, twice and shake my head. What the hell just happened? I whirl on my heel and rush as quickly as I can back to the bed. I dive under the covers in record time and pull them right up to my chin. I stay like this for a while. I stay like this until Kade is finished in the shower, shuts the lights off and climbs into bed. He lies on his back, on his side and keeps his hands to himself.
I’m not sure who falls asleep first, but I know one thing for certain and this one thing terrifies me beyond anything—ever: I want Master Kade to touch me. I want his full lips to kiss every inch of my exposed flesh. As I lie here, I picture very vividly in my mind all of the dirty things I want to do to him and his alluring body. More importantly, I want to please him, to make him proud of me…and if that means I have to give my body to others, fine, they can have it. I will help the intense Kaden Sario and maybe, just maybe, he’ll help me in return.