CHAPTER TWENTY
ANTHONY
Letting her go had been a nightmare I'd never experienced before.
Yes. I'd lived nightmares in my time, one in particular that continued replaying in my head, over and over, until I'd become ensnared in its injustice, in its horror, and in the scars it left on my heart, mind and soul.
Watching Elise destroy her life on that day when the sunlight and bird song had felt utterly wrong in contrast to the events I'd witnessed had changed me so thoroughly that I'd never regained a sense of who I was, who I could be, and the power I felt when I transformed a woman into everything I knew she could become.
The joy of a Master wasn't watching a woman fracture and splinter beneath the weight of abuse, it was the splendor of watching her come to life and find freedom within the beauty of her submission.
I wanted that joy with Sera, wanted it so badly that I could taste it on my tongue, feel it beneath the palm of my hands and in the violent, seductive response of my body. But she wasn't mine to train. She was Aiden's. For that fact alone, I couldn't bear the way she looked at me in the moments we had alone, could barely contain the beast that unfurled his wings inside me demanding I strike out and take what should have been mine.
Watching her give in to requests I've made of her, watching her body move on hand and knee towards the tree beneath which sat a man who only enjoyed hurting her, crushed me inside. Before Elise, I would have challenged Aiden without hesitation when it came to what I desired, but I hadn’t been that person in a long time.
What if I took her life into my hands and failed to know if I was breaking her apart? What if I had to watch her spark extinguished on the jagged rocks of some distant shore because I wasn't strong enough, wasn't aware enough, to save her from herself?
It was a feather soft whisper echoing endlessly, a tiny pinpoint of doubt that managed to bind my hands from what I knew I should do for the woman crawling before me now.
Forcing my eyes from her, I set my gaze on Aiden. A moment of surprise at Sera's behavior flashed behind his green gaze, a cryptic and unsettling grin settling over his lips to see her submission coming to life. His focus flicked to me after he'd taken his fill of the courtesan Sera was becoming, and I was uncertain what his expression meant when he stared me down.
Arriving at the willow tree that stood sentinel and alone within the field that stretched out by the lake, I reached to pull the curtain of draping branches aside.
Claire, Holland and Rebecca remained silent as Sera crawled forward, but Aiden brought his hands together in a slow, loud clap.
"Bravo, Anthony. It's about time our little kitten learns her purpose within my house. And here I was believing I would have to eventually declaw her." He laughed softly, malicious intent edging the sound. "Perhaps we can see just how far she's willing to go."
Twisting her neck, Sera looked up at me as if to beg for my assistance. Shaking my head just barely, I prayed she'd understand that I was in no position to protect her from what Aiden had in mind.
Her bottom lip trembled, but rather than fighting as she would have done just hours before, she turned her gaze back to the ground, her body moving until her arms were outstretched flat above her head. Her nose was pressed to the dirt below her, and her ass was presented high in the air. My breath caught at the beauty of her form, my teeth clenched tight in fear of what Aiden would do next.
On the ground between the group of people, dishes of food were spread out on silver trays. Grapes, wine, bread and cheese - other delicacies that spoke of the wealth and privilege of the man who believed he was the ultimate master of all that surrounded him.
"Now that our newest courtesan has deemed us worthy of her presence, I suggest we entertain ourselves with a game."
Aiden stood from his seat, brushed the errant strands of grass from his trousers and retrieved a blindfold from a basket positioned on the ground. His steps were slow as he approached Sera, stopping just short of her extended fingertips.
Although she trembled, she didn't budge, and I had to admire the courageous spirit of such a broken woman.
Squatting down, Aiden reached to fold his fingers into her hair and lift her gaze to his. Sera's neck bent back as far as it would go, and she stared silent and unblinking at a man I knew she hated more than life itself.
"What is my name?"
The question hung in the air, lingering as the entire group waited with bated breath to see how Sera would respond. Even I stood with shoulders tense, my spine like steel down my back, my hands clenching into fists at my side.
I would have never guessed until it happened how much her response could wound me.
"Master."
Satisfaction was the dangerous curve of Aiden's lips. "Yes, Sera. That's correct." His eyes shifted to me and locked on my face when he asked her, "And tell me, Sera, tell everybody here, who owns you?"
Only a person of impaired hearing would have missed the disgust in her response. "You do."
Her disgust was met with mine. Unlike her, I could walk away. I could leave it all behind and scamper off to lick my wounds, but she was stuck to wallow in the blunt truth of her life.
I refused to leave her to wallow alone.
Maybe my presence wasn't enough to save her the indignity Aiden had planned. Perhaps there was nothing I could do to save her the pain of her humiliation. But regardless of whether or not she would still feel the same suffering, still bear the same, deep and jagged scars on her pride, I would stand in her presence and help her carry the weight of the violation to come.
Not having been strong enough to help Elise through the nightmares that plagued her, not having been wise enough to know when death had become her only option of escape, I was determined for this woman - for this broken, cast aside doll - to learn from the past and refrain from repeating the same mistake.
"Excellent, Sera," Aiden crooned, "you're learning." Releasing her hair to wrap the ends of the blindfold over his hands, he pulled it so tight that the blood rushed from his skin. "Stand up and turn around."
With one smooth movement, Aiden pushed up to his feet, his expression blank as he waited for Sera to force herself from the ground and follow his instruction. A quick glance around the group told me that Rebecca was as unaffected by the display as Holland. Claire, however, wore a mask of angry red, her lips held tight to keep from objecting.
Sera spun in place, her back to Aiden, her eyes locked on me with desperation flickering beneath the color. Aiden moved behind her to unwrap the blindfold from his hands, and I refused to break my stare with Sera until her eyes were hidden behind the black, silk blindfold he tied around her head.
I felt blinded along with her, hidden away beneath a scrap of cloth intended to strip me of my senses, of myself.
For the second time in my life, I was rendered helpless. The first time had ripped my heart from my chest, my soul from my body. This time tore the redemption I hadn't known I'd been seeking completely from my grasp.
"A game, then," Aiden said, victory implicit in voice, ultimate power dancing within his swagger.
Taking Sera by the hand, he led her to the twisted trunk of the willow tree, placed her hands on the rough bark, and stepped behind her to grip her hips and pull her body toward him until her back was straight, her arms were extended forward at the sides of her head, and her body was presented for a man's lustful fascinations.
Aiden's attention was directed at Holland, anticipation flaring behind his green eyes. "As I explained to you earlier, Holland, this tree is a special place for Rebecca and me." He reached down to slide his hand over the strawberry blond hair of his favorite pet. "But what you don't know is that it is also a special place for you."
The knowledge of where this discussion was headed pulled a grimace from my lips. It wasn't enough for Aiden to terrorize Sera beneath this tree - not if there were others with whom he could also practice his perfect cruelty.
Holland visibly tensed at the joyful malice in Aiden's tone, his hand reaching out to grasp Claire's as he stared down a man much more practiced and experienced in the game of Masters.
Without obvious reaction to Holland's stance, Aiden took several steps away from Sera, casting a single glance back to ensure she didn't move from the position in which he'd left her. As usual Rebecca remained near his feet, inching closer on hand and knee when he slowed to a stop.
"You're aware, Holland, that your father is dead. He was killed by Rebecca's hand for the crimes he'd committed against her - his death allowed by the Society for the crimes he intended to commit against its members."
Of course, Holland was aware. He'd been a part of the plot against his father. Gail Carlisle was a lascivious man, one who considered himself privileged within a Society where no Owner could play games against a Master. He'd attempted that feat by using Holland to lure Aiden into training a woman to which Mr. Carlisle had no right.
However, his death wasn't brought about solely for the games he'd played. Holland had wanted his father's estate, had hungered for the wealth his father was pissing away on whores without concern of what would be left behind to his child. As for Aiden, his incentive ran far deeper, for it had been Holland's father who'd emotionally tortured Rebecca for years before Aiden found her.
Aiden grinned, his voice touched with cool indifference. "What you don’t know is that he's buried beneath your feet. Rotting away. Forgotten by every person that knew him."
Holland's cheeks turned a faint shade of red, but he'd expected as much. He knew his father had died, and although he hadn't witnessed the execution, he didn't exactly mourn the man that had given him life. But, I knew that wasn't the only family member buried beneath this tree.
Claire stepped up to stand beside Holland. Without the shackles of the Society binding her hands, she no longer felt subservient to the Masters standing beneath this tree. But her lover was chained financially to Aiden. Normally, the estate of any member killed for breaking the Society's rules was turned over to the other members. Aiden had managed to take control of the wealth, had held it over Holland's head to maintain the young man's compliance. Even Claire had to watch her step when it came to angering a man who could take away every penny Holland had to his name.
"Ah, Holland," Aiden said, feigned remorse a whisper in his words, "what you don't know is that your brother, Trenton, is buried here, too."
The hammer swung, Aiden's trap landing squarely in the center of its target. A mixture of fury, shock and bitter sorrow filtered through Holland's expression. Crimson colored his cheeks, his brows drew together, his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled into a thin line.
None of it affected Aiden's cool arrogance.
"I know you've always wondered what happened to him," Aiden taunted him. "Always wondered if he'd run off, if he'd died."
Moving forward on cautious, dangerous steps, Holland's body was in a battle stance, the young blood pumping through his veins overtaking any sense he should have had. Against Aiden, he stood no chance to win this particular game, because to err in judgment was to lose everything he stood to gain with his compliance.
As for Aiden, he'd already won no matter what decision Holland made. If Holland fought, Aiden would become wealthier than he already was, but if Holland backed down, Aiden held the boy by the balls.
"I'm sure you know he dated Rebecca before you knew of the Society," Aiden explained, "that he used her and cast her aside, handing her over to his father for her continued torture. That video..."
Aiden's voice trailed off as recognition settled behind Holland's gaze. Although most members of the Society had no clue of Rebecca's ties to Holland's family, I knew, and I'd seen the video taken by Holland's brother, a video that showed a young girl being seduced into giving up her virginity, only to be mocked and called a whore as soon as the act was done. It's what caused her to retreat from the world, making it easy for a man like Aiden to steal her from it entirely.
Grinning sardonically, Aiden locked his stare with Holland's, daring the young man to act on the violence seething beneath his skin.
"I gave your brother to Rebecca as a gift. She killed him for the pain he'd caused her, and I dumped his body in the ground just beneath where you're standing."
Speaking through clenched teeth, Holland asked, "And what is your point in telling me this?"
Without a hint of remorse, Aiden answered, "Because you, my young friend, are going to fuck Sera over the graves of your dead family. I think the desecration is fitting, don't you? A final family goodbye."
Anger widened my eyes, disbelief and shock settling across my shoulders at the game Aiden wanted to play. I couldn't give a damn about who was buried beneath our feet, but the violation of Sera - the understanding that another man would touch her in ways that I was so desperate to know - it fueled the fury that had been a slow simmer inside me.
Why Holland? Aiden couldn't possibly think fucking a woman over the bodies of his father and brother would scar him deeply enough to demand the act?
Was this an act against me disguised as one committed against two people who couldn't say no?
The thought narrowed my eyes, my gaze locking on a man I considered a friend. But the idea that Aiden had finally slipped his leash, that his lack of heart had pushed him to a point where he would play his games against another Master, wouldn't stop whispering in my head.
While we all waited for Holland's response, the moment in time dragging out so slowly that I would have sworn we'd found ourselves frozen in this one second of our lives, I studied Aiden without the blinders I'd worn since the day Elise died.
Would he push his games so far as to hurt a friend and disrespect another Master?
"Why Holland?" Claire asked, her eyes locked to Aiden. "He's not doing this and if you think-"
Holland's hand gripped over her mouth, his decision made clear by the act. Had he chosen to defy Aiden, he would have allowed her to speak freely. But to silence her was to admit compliance, to give in to Aiden for fear of losing everything.
Feeling like a single member of a standoff, each person holding their position, not one willing to give ground, I breathed deeply to clarify my thoughts and feelings, to truly see what Aiden was attempting with this game.
Claire, unfazed by the silent reprimand of her lover, jerked away from Holland's hand. Aiden reacted by smiling and tucking his hands in his pockets. As usual he was astute, polished, sophisticated and indifferent - a soul that allowed no one and nothing to affect him.
"I got out of this life the minute Holland and I fled the United States," she said, pure ice dripping from each syllable she spoke. "And I flat out refuse to be dragged into it again. Not to this extent. If you think I will stand here and watch you force Holland to rape that poor girl you've stolen from life, you're wrong."
Having emphasized the word rape, it hung in the air, danced within the soft breeze and echoed off the lake like a skipping stone creating soft ripples against the surface of the water.
"Control your courtesan, Holland, or I'll have no choice but to remind her what happens when a woman steps out of line."
It was too late. Claire, caught in her emotional turmoil, would not be soothed. Aiden had crossed some invisible line, had pushed all the buttons necessary for Claire to react with pure hatred and rage.
The smirk on Aiden's face both frustrated and comforted me. This game wasn't about striking out at me - his friend and colleague - it was about driving a message home to a woman who believed she had the power to escape his clutches. A woman who believed she'd been fast enough to escape life within the Society.
Her lip trembling with anger, Claire walked from the group, stopping at the edge of the curtain of branches to turn back. "I won't watch this. I won't take part in this. And if you really want my fucking opinion, you'll let that poor girl go."
Taking another step, she stopped again. "Better yet...Sera," she said, her voice growing louder until she was practically screaming, "if I were you, I'd let go of that tree and run as fast and as far as you possibly can!"
Claire took off across the vast lawn towards the mansion, Aiden's laughter chasing after her with twisted amusement a sharp edge to the sound.
When Holland moved as if to follow her, Aiden locked him in place with a pointed stare. "Going somewhere?"
Although his face was painted with the color of his rage, Holland swallowed down his dissent. "No. I'll fuck your whore, and then I'm leaving."
My eyes sought out the whore in question, and I caught the subtle shake of her body, the tension running like pure steel through her extended arms. I knew instantly that her tremor wasn't fear but rage, and I worried if she would snap beneath the indignity, if she would strike out like a terrified animal caged.
With quick, aggressive movements, Holland unbuckled his belt, unfastened the button of his black slacks and pulled at the zipper. He cast one last seething glance at Aiden before walking forward, intentionally slamming Aiden's shoulder with his own as he passed.
Aiden's reaction caught us both by surprise. Straightening his arm out to the side, he placed it against Holland's chest, stopping him from moving forward. Holland looked at Aiden with confusion. Aiden reacted with a subtle shake of his head.
Without speaking, Aiden glanced back at me and inclined his head to indicate he wanted me to fuck Sera - he intended for me to violate her body without her knowledge.
Had I been a better man, I would have refused, but when it came to the woman who was creeping slowly beneath my skin, I didn't want to be a better man.
Nodding my head in silent acknowledgement, I stepped toward Sera. At a closer proximity, I could see the muscles and tendons stretched taut over her bones, the fragility and rage swirling over her skin as she held still awaiting a violation that would break her. The angry woman I'd brought home from that dark cliff was melting beneath my gaze, her rage giving way to fear, her passion giving way to defeat.
I knelt down behind her praying that, in some way, she would know it was me. Wanting to whisper to her the truth, I held my tongue, concerned that if Aiden knew I'd eased her agony in any way, he would only make it worse for her the next time he felt like playing.
My knees against the ground, I wrapped my hands over her hips. She flinched at the moment of my contact.
Please, Sera. Know it's me. Know I care enough for you to suffer along beside you.
She couldn't hear my thoughts, but I pleaded with her regardless.
It's me, Sera. Not some stranger. Not a man who would use you and toss you to the wolves.
Closing my eyes, I attempted to channel the Master inside me. I fought against the nightmare of watching Elise fall from that cliff, forcing myself to believe I could heal this woman if only I were given the chance.
I released her hips to unbuckle my belt, but before I could fully grasp the latch, Sera screamed out her battle cry.
Every person beneath the tree was caught in a state of shock when she ripped the blindfold from her face, pushed away from the tree and ran as fast as her feet would carry her.
She hadn't had time to see that it was me kneeling behind her, and in the days that I'd known her, I hadn't had time to truly appreciate the inner strength of the woman who was a streak of fearless beauty escaping the men who she believed would only do her harm.