The Sect (9 page)

“Stop it,” I whispered.

He lifted the hem of my dress and touched the crux of my thighs. “Tell me if you’ve been a dirty fucking slut or my angel, Keaton. Tell me right fucking now before I lose my temper.”

“Keaton, is everything all right?” Reese’s soothing voice became music to my ears.

Biting into a frustrated smile, Gregory released me. “It’s not your business, man.”

“She’s my fiancée,” Reese countered weakly, “and you shouldn’t touch her like that.”

Cracking his neck, Gregory marched up to Reese with speed and purpose.
 

Reese held up his hands, attempting to appear unassuming. “I don’t want any trouble. I just think you should leave her alone.”

“What the fuck are you going to do about it?” Gregory’s flippancy shook what little was left of Reese’s confidence. “The way you’re almost pissing your pants, I’m pretty sure you won’t do much of shit. I could fuck Keaton in front of you—believe me”—he sucked the fingers that touched me earlier with a smirk—”she’s very wet for it—and you wouldn’t do a goddamn thing to stop me. Because you’re a pussy, aren’t you, boy?” Gregory shoved him in his chest, causing him to stumble back. “She’s not your fiancée. She’s not your anything because she’s mine.”

“Leave him alone.” I swiftly walked over to Reese, offering to help him to stand. He balked at me, shaking his head and stood on his own.

An abrupt slap on my ass made me jolt up in shock and disgust. “We’re not done, Keaton. I’ll see you around.” With a wink, he left the terrace.

“Was that him?” Reese asked, his eyes cast down in embarrassment.

“It…doesn’t matter. Can we go home?” I hugged my bare shoulders from the chilly night air. The sensation I felt when Gregory destroyed me returned. I was left vulnerable and unprotected.

“Why did you just let him touch you like that, Keaton?” Reese asked, his voice raised. “Why didn’t you stop him or call for help?”

“Because I—”

“Don’t!” He held up his hand. “I’m beginning to realize you weren’t an innocent victim. That maybe you asked for what he did to you. You…were acting like his personal whore. It was disgusting to see.”

“W-what?” The more I blinked, the less I could comprehend the acidic words he threw at me.

Shaking his head with a disappointment that gutted me, he headed back inside, leaving me alone on the terrace.

A
WAKENING
OUT
of my heavily drugged state, I found myself in an uncomfortable position. My body was vertical and bound by the wrists. Leather cuffs bit into my skin, forcing the majority of my body weight to hang by my wrists. When I tried to move, the sound of metal grinding against metal rang inside my ears. My mobility was restricted to only a few centimeters.

 
Leather cuffs surrounded my ankles, forcing my legs to remain apart. Naked. Vulnerable. My strength and modesty were stolen from me by way of leather strips and chains, binding me in place and putting my naked body on display for anyone to see.

The discomfort inside my mouth made me grimace in pain. The side of my face felt tight and slightly plump. When I poked my tongue around, I found that two of my third molars on either side of my mouth were missing. My tongue was poked with the prickliness of self-dissolving stitches, closing the open wound.
 

The moment the haze of tears cleared from my vision, a blinding white light was shone in my face, making me stir. A hand gripped the crown of my hair, forcing my neck to crane. Something metallic was shoved inside my mouth. The cold, bitter taste forced my pained jaw to crank open. “She’s healing quite nicely,” announced the stranger, obscured from my view by light blindness, as he removed the tool. “Make sure she remains on antibiotics for a few more days.”

Taps of shoes echoed throughout the space, nearing me with a pace that was steady and purposeful. “And the other issue?” The smooth voice that held a hint of wickedness reverberated up my spine. It was unmistakable. Reven.

“Yes, my colleague”—the light dimmed, leaving me with white spots across my vision—“was able to implant the IUD. Either way, her blood panels are clean.”

IUD?
They had a gynecologist examine me? Without my consent or knowledge? The violations I’d experienced since wrongly ignoring Jeff seemed to never end. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I kept my head bowed.

 
The tightness at the back of my jaw made it hard to move my neck, much less my facial muscles. With my hair draped around my face, I tried to see through the clumped-together and wavy strands of my hair. The small windows at the height of the far wall poured just enough light in the otherwise dark room to reveal where I was.

When I spotted the wall-mounted racks full of various torture devices, I closed my eyes and fought hard against a sob. Thoughts of being physically abused until I was either dead or broken pervaded my thoughts. My limbs shook with discomfort and the rush of fear made my breaths become irregular.
 

I could die here, tonight, without a friend or a familiar face around. I would never see my parents before I took my last breaths. I was at the mercy of men who meant me harm. Men who wanted to use me for their depraved needs under the guise of a heretical doctrine I had yet to see.
 

Reven dismissed the doctor who promptly left us alone.
 

“Please…let me go.” My words were mumbled, my voice holding strongly to its normal, quiet tone. “My parents are looking for me and I know they miss me very much. I have money. My parents have money. They will give you anything you want if you take me home. I won’t say anything about you or this place, I’ll—”

The taps resounded louder, pounding against the concrete with a thunderous anger. Reven’s hand was tangled in my hair, yanking my head back harshly. I felt the latent pain in my gums and jaw just a little bit more. He continued to pull my hair back until I pressed my lips together, promising my silence.

He loosened his grip, allowing my head to drop back down. He stood before me in a black on black suit, his hair meticulously styled, his hazel eyes burning holes into me. “Everything on this land belongs to me. With all that I have, what makes you think I have any desire for material things when I want for nothing? I’ve told you what I wanted from you. Despite your more than comfortable accommodations, you have yet to give it to me.” His slow, long steps around my body made my heart race. Every inch of space between us was subtracted while he neared me. “You were lucky to be picked to live here. Instead of a grateful attitude, all I’ve received from you is selfish, unappreciative defiance.” He paced around my body for one final round. Stopping dead in front of me, he cast a scowl in my direction.
 

His attention slipped over my nude body, reminding me of what I was blindingly aware of. Having my modesty stolen from me made it hard to hold his gaze. He pressed forward, increasing an invisible pressure of fear that draped my form. Gently, he placed his fingertips underneath my chin. Tilting my head up, he forced me to look into the dark vortex, his eyes. “No sin done against my name goes unpunished.” He turned on his heels and walked toward the wall, fingering the various torture instruments; whips, paddles, canes, crops, and floggers.
 

 
“Please, Reven,” I pleaded, the projection of my voice failing me. “I’ll confess.”

He bristled, taking a moment prior to swiveling around to regard me. A brow lifted in question; a lightness crossed his face, showing that he was pleased with me.
 

I had simply played to his need to be looked upon as a man of divinity. It was a shot in the dark that illuminated the shadowed place in his desires. He paced toward me, his posture broad, his face remaining strong and unrelenting. “Do you fully grasp the concept of how confession works? You haven’t read The Doctrine. How could you know?”

“Tell me how and I will,” I told him.

“You confess your sin to me—only one needs to be said. One sin breeds one act of contrition. The nature of the act you will perform is solely at my discretion. Divulge your crimes and I’ll show you the path to deliverance.”

My eyes drifted to the floor. I searched the recesses of my mind for what he wanted.
 

Reaching forward, he braced the back of my head in his strong hand. “Delve beyond the surface. Deeper.” His fingers dug into the crown of my hair, his nails burrowed into the sensitive flesh of my scalp, forcing my neck to crane.
 

Silence cut stagnantly through the air as his request went unfulfilled.
 

“I don’t know exactly what you do here and I don’t care,” I said to him, breaking the less than breathable dead air between us. “I just want to go home. If you return me to my parents, they will give you all the money—”

Reven covered my mouth, shaking his head. “You’ve displeased me. You claimed you wanted to confess but hadn’t the slightest idea as to what you wanted to confess to. Not the best idea when you tried to desecrate something sacred.”
 

I wasn’t aware someone else was in the room until that minute. Noah moved with stealth, making his presence known only when he wanted to be seen. He stepped out of the shadowed corner of the room and my entire body felt inundated with a cold shocking current. He strolled toward the board of instruments and grabbed a wooden paddle. His chin remained to his chest as he appeared to move in slow motion. The haunting look in his eye was terrifying.

My body writhed against my restraints, bracing for the pain. Reven’s steely stare locked on my eyes, pulling me underneath his spell.

The taps of Noah’s shoes echoed through the space with a haunting rhythm. They stopped just behind me and stilled for one too many minutes.
 

My scream reverberated through the air before the loud, grotesque sound of my naked behind being abused by the large, smooth strip of wood resounded. The burn wrapped around my body, extending past something far beyond the point of impact. My whimper became a muffled cry into Reven’s hand.

Reven scrutinized me, his face showed pleasure at the expense of my pain. “Again.”

The force at which Noah hit me pushed me to the limits of my constraints. Tears involuntarily flooded down my cheeks. The reverberation of agony rifled up my spine, making movement impossible. I was flogged again, and this time, my scream was unrestrained. The agony coursed through every inch of my back, striking me hard in the most sensitive places.
 

I closed my eyes, holding strong to my ways of coping. I had faced a much worse pain and to make it through, I focused on something else. My ability to shut my body down was further improved when I met Jeff.
 

 
I knew the men before me thought they would break me with pain. But when the paddle hit me again, I kept my eyes closed, pretending as though I felt it with my scream, when I hardly did. My mind ascended to another place, remembering my last happy moment with Jeff. Internally I felt at peace. Externally I felt nothing.

Reven’s palm slipped down my quivering lips, landing just below my chin, keeping it upright.

“What do you want me to do?” My words were careful and precise. I knew better than to plea for freedom, yet I’d never beg him for a reprieve. While at times, survival often meant forgoing your pride, I wasn’t going to relinquish my strong-will. I would let them think their methods worked, but I would never internally fall into the trap.