Devils & Rye (Top Shelf Book 4)
Author: Hensley, Alta
Date: 2018-03-27

Devils & Rye

Top Shelf Series - Book Four

Alta Hensley

Copyright © 2018 by Alta Hensley

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Thank you to Jay Aheer for the amazing cover! Also a big thanks to Maggie Ryan for editing and helping my book turn to magic! I also can’t forget my amazing betas! You all know who you are, and I love you. And of course all the readers that have supported me along the way. I have the best team in the world.

ALTA HENSLEY’S HOT, DARK & DIRTY NEWS

Do you want to hear about all my upcoming releases? Get free books? Get gifts and swag from all my author friends as well as from me? If so, then sign up for my newsletter!

http://www.subscribepage.com/i0n8g9

For my friends & family who provides me the safe haven so I can write all the storms.

Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

It had been years since I had seen her.

Years since I last saw those eyes with pure, raw innocence.

So much time had passed since I lusted after what I knew I should resist.

But she was so right.

And I was so wrong.

To claim her as mine was breaking the rules. Boundaries should not be broken. But temptation weakens my resolve.

With the pull of my dark desires…

I know that I can’t hide from my sinful thoughts—and actions—forever.

*Devils & Rye is a dark billionaire romance. If you don’t like a splash of shock, a dash of taboo, and a heavy dose of sex, then don’t take a sip of this TOP SHELF cocktail.

Contents

1. Alec

2. Makayla

3. Alec

4. Alec

5. Makayla

6. Makayla

7. Makayla

8. Alec

9. Alec

10. Makayla

11. Alec

12. Makayla

13. Makayla

14. Makayla

15. Alec

16. Makayla

17. Makayla

18. Makayla

19. Makayla

20. Alec

21. Makayla

22. Alec

23. Makayla

Top Shelf Series

About the Author

Also by Alta Hensley

Dark Fantasy Series

Newsletter

HAVE YOU READ CAPTIVE VOW?

1

Alec

Written words have the power to punch you in the gut and knock the air right out of you if they are delivered correctly.

And as I sat in my favorite black leather chair on the second story of Spiked Roses, I felt as if I had been beaten repeatedly until all signs of life had left my body. Holding the letter in my hand, as I sipped an aged rye, I struggled to regain my composure.

What the fuck just happened?

How did this happen?

I had left that life behind, but now it was staring back at me in my old business partner, and best friend’s handwriting. Was I a fool in thinking I could run away and leave it all behind me? That I could leave Athens, Georgia, to start a new life in New Orleans owning a members- only, exclusive men’s club called Spiked Roses and start anew?

Yes, I was a damn fool.

I took a sip of my drink and ignored all the scantily-clad women who worked my high-end establishment. I usually paid closer attention to how their bodies moved—a perk of my ownership—but tonight I had other things on my mind. Glancing back down at the letter, I read it again, hoping the words had somehow changed and the news before me wasn’t as nightmarish to read the second time around.

Alec,

My dear and oldest friend. Yes, I know it has been a long time. Too long. But you were wise in getting away when you did. You warned me. Hell, you all but begged me to step away gracefully with you while I had the chance. But I couldn’t. The pull was too great.

That blue blood runs too strong inside of me, and I will forever be haunted by the past. And I’m sure you heard the rumors that the past has finally caught up with me.

She’s gone. But you know that, and you know what I did to try to stop it.

Though I knew the day would come—most likely come too fucking soon—it doesn’t ease the pain in the slightest. I miss her every single day and have not been able to move on. Losing a wife is the greatest pain a man could experience, and I hope to God you never have to experience such agony.

Was her death enough to have me step away from the dark temptation of my own demons? Should I stop and think what losing two parents would do to Makayla?

Yes.

I should.

But, I have never claimed to be a wise man.

I did my best by Makayla. I sheltered her the best I could—maybe too much. I protected her, guarded her, and damn near suffocated her. I tried to keep the shadows of my past from seeping into the twisted haven I tried to create… but clearly have failed in doing so.

You are my last hope for her. Makayla has no one else.

I have no one else.

I first sent her to New Orleans to find you and to secure a job at Spiked Roses. I thought this would give her the opportunity to be on her own, finally live life as an adult, and to break free from her gilded cage. She would be free from my prison, but still have you—her Uncle Alec—close by to keep an eye on her as she discovered her new freedom.

But like everything in my life, it isn’t that simple. Setting her free only puts her life at risk, and I know that.

They know. They know where she is.

Her name was on the stone.

I beg of you, Alec. Please help.

I don’t want to pull you back into their grasp, and I wouldn’t involve you if I had any other choice. But her life depends on it. Depends on you.

You know I am a dead man, even as I still breathe, for my answer to them was no.

They will never have my daughter.

I will still try to fight. To see if there is anything I can do, but you and I both know…

I fear there is nothing I can do to change my fate, but I sure as hell hope to change Makayla’s. But I turn to you to help me make that happen. Please keep her safe from them. Give me the time I require to cast off those dark shadows that threaten to take her away. I will not make Makayla pay for the crimes of her father and her father’s father and all the fathers before.

So, Alec, I beg of you. If our friendship meant anything to you—which I believe it truly did before I got myself deeper into this mess—take her to our place. It’s safe there and it hasn’t been used for a decade. Makayla will recognize it and feel a sense of home. I think it will help comfort her in what could be a challenging time. I don’t know for how long, but I will send word. You know I wouldn’t ask this of you if there were any other way.

When I sent Makayla to Spiked Roses to find you, she was excited for her new adventure. This was her chance to finally experience life as a young woman should. No doubt, when you hand her the letter attached to this one for her, she will not be happy. The idea of being locked away in her gilded cage again will devastate her, but I know she will still do as I ask. The question remains, will you?

If anyone can keep her safe and protected, I know it is you. Step in and be the protector that I no longer can be.

Until my next correspondence,

~Rhett

Fuck.

It was just as nightmarish as the first time I’d read the letter. Even worse. My friend was a dead man. I knew this. He knew this.

Fuck.

I had warned him. I had begged him to leave.

Fuck.

Finishing my drink with one long swig, I fought the overwhelming urge to puke. There was nothing I could do. Nothing. My ears rang and my vision dimmed. If I didn’t get my shit together, I was going to faint like a damn southern belle wearing a corset that was too tight.

I had to focus.

Makayla. Fucking Makayla needed me.

Me. What the hell was Rhett thinking? I was as far from the knight in shining armor as one could get. Saving the pretty damsel in distress wasn’t my thing.

“You all right, dude?” Harley Crow—a friend and current business partner—asked as he sat down next to me with a glass of vodka in his hand. “Your ass looks like it has seen a ghost.”

Glancing at the man, but lost in all the swirling thoughts going on in my mind, I mumbled, “Yeah, a fucking ghost.”

Harley glanced at the letter in my shaking hand. “Bad news?”

“Something like that.”

“Anything I can help with?”

I was half tempted to say yes. Having the notorious Harley Crow get involved could possibly fix it all, but I also knew that even a ruthless assassin such as Harley couldn’t kill them all. Demons have a way of multiplying. And I couldn’t get the man involved, even if he could wipe them all out. Asking anyone to step into that dark and twisted world of my past was a different kind of murder.

“I wish. Just my past coming back to haunt me.”

“This have anything to do with your niece we just hired?”

I shook my head side to side slowly and closed my eyes as if I could shut away the nightmare. “She’s not my niece. I told you all that at the meeting.”

“Whatever, dude. She calls you Uncle Alec. So she clearly thinks she’s your niece.”

“Yeah, it’s complicated.”

Complicated wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the situation we were now in.

“Where is she, by the way?” I asked as I opened my eyes to find Harley scrutinizing me with his dark and narrowed eyes.

Harley shrugged. “Haven’t seen her. My guess is with Tennessee, training.” Harley took a slow drink, never breaking his stare. “You sure you are all right?”

I stood up with a heavy sigh. “I have some things I’m going to need to handle. I need to go away for a while. Do you mind letting the other guys know? I’ll keep you all posted once I have a better feel of what I need to do and how long I need to be away.”

“Yeah, no problem. But why don’t you just tell them yourselves at the member’s meeting in fifteen minutes?” Harley said.

Shit. The meeting. I had forgotten all about it.

“You look like hell,” Harley said. “If there’s anyone who can help you deal with your shit, it’s the men who will be at the meeting. There isn’t anything we wouldn’t do to help each other. You know that.”

“Yeah, well you all have enough shit to deal with on your own. Did Victor ever find the fuckers who attacked his dolls?”

Harley scowled. “No. The problem with that is the bounty was so fucking high on those dolls that it really could have been any shithead wanting to profit off the black market. Shutting down the dolls was really the best thing he could have done.” He took another sip of his drink. “But right now isn’t about Victor. It’s about you. What’s up?”

“I just have some fucked up demons lurking that I need to battle.” I stood, determined to face this head on. “I doubt I’ll be at the meeting. Just tell them that I had some family affairs to deal with and had to get out of town for a little bit. I’ll be in touch when I can.”

Without saying another word, I left Harley sitting with his vodka as I went to search for Makayla. No one could help me battle these demons, but sadly these same demons had Makayla by the throat and were squeezing the life out of her. She just didn’t know it yet.

2

Makayla

All right, sugar pop. We are going to start you off working the front door. At least until you turn twenty-one. No jail bait working the floor under my watch. I don’t care who you are related to. Rules are rules, and you can’t waitress until you’re old enough to drink booze. I’m not going to risk Spiked Roses being shut down because of you,” Tennessee Charles said as he handed me a red lace dress. “You’ll wear red as your uniform. I usually put the blondes with pale skin in black, but I’m going to have to make an exception with you. I don’t think your uncle would be too thrilled with me dressing you in a black leather leotard and chained collar. We’ll save the kinky side of the club for another day.”

I was prepared to do anything Tennessee wanted me to do. This was my first job ever, and I knew I had a lot to prove. I also knew the only reason I got hired was because of my Uncle Alec vouching for me. Especially since I was only twenty years old and had absolutely no experience. But I was determined to show Tennessee and all the managing members that I was an asset to Spiked Roses regardless of my age and inexperience in just about everything.

I took the folded dress from Tennessee’s outstretched arms. “Thank you. I understand why I can’t work the floor, and I don’t mind at all. I’m just happy to have a job.”

Tennessee tilted his head and crossed his arms against his chest as he studied me. “It’s none of my business, but I’m a catty bitch who loves to gossip. So dish it, girlfriend. What’s your story? I was told that your daddy used to be Alec’s business partner. Which means you come from money. A shitload of money. So why are you working here? Did Daddy cut off the sugar?”

“No,” I answered softly. “I could still have the sugar if I want. But it was time for me to get out from under his thumb and start my own life, you know?”

God, if Tennessee only knew just how much I truly needed to get away from my father’s suffocating control. Or just how badly I needed to breathe freely for the first time.

“And your daddy was okay with you working at Spiked Roses? Does he even know what this club is and what goes on here? The Tastings?” Tennessee shook his head and walked over to a shelf of black high heels. “I can’t imagine any daddy being okay with his baby girl signing a contract to engage in sexual acts with anyone.” Tennessee held up two pairs of shoes and said, “It looks like you are a size seven or eight. Which one?”

“Eight,” I answered. “And no, my father forbid The Tasting Room. That was one of his rules, and one of the rules I’m sure Uncle Alec will make sure I follow.” When Tennessee walked over and handed me the shoes, I added, “But even though I can’t do The Tastings, I promise you I won’t expect any special treatment. I plan to work harder than everyone else. And if you need me to cover shifts during The Tastings or anything, I will be completely free to do whatever you ask.”

“You don’t have to do a Tasting to work here. So don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours. That’s just where all the money is. The girls who work The Tastings make bank. Major bank. Hell, I would work them if I could.”

I hated the fact that my father placed limitations on me working here, but I was so desperate to have his blessing to move out and move to New Orleans, that I would have promised my soul to the Devil to make that happen. I didn’t want to stand out from the other women who worked the club, but I also knew that word most likely would spread fast that one of the managing members was my Uncle Alec. And as for The Tastings, I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to act in those. I had the same sexual experience as the Virgin Mary. Me going into a room that revolved around taboo, fetishes, and kinks would have been comical. I would have been laughed right out of there. I couldn’t fake my way through that. Even I knew I had limitations.

I looked toward the bathroom door, and then I looked at the dress in my hands. Tennessee must have read my thoughts.

“Go on in there and change. But trust me, missy, there ain’t nothing of yours I haven’t seen, nor do I want any part of. Titties and coochies just aren’t my thing.” He motioned for me to head over to the bathroom across the room. “Hurry up. I need to get your training started. I don’t have all night.”

Walking over to the bathroom as quickly as I could, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I couldn’t tell if Tennessee liked me or not. Living in my small little bubble in my father’s mansion made it hard for me to read people. I didn’t have social skills. I knew this. And it sucked that my anxiety was at an all-time high because I had no idea if I was starting off on the wrong or right foot with my direct supervisor.

Shutting the door behind me, I removed my clothing and got dressed in my new uniform as fast as I could. The dress—if you could call it that since it was mostly see-through red lace—was harder to put on than I’d expected. The back had a tiny zipper that got snagged on the fabric. No matter how much I tugged, I couldn’t pull it up all the way. Remembering Tennessee’s words about me not having anything he hadn’t seen, I decided that it was better to walk out to the staff room and have him assist me with the zipper rather than keeping him waiting while I fumbled around unsuccessfully.

“Tennessee?” I called as I walked out barefoot in a dress that barely covered my ass. “I can’t get this zipper up. Do you mind helping me?”

“Yeah that happens sometimes,” he said as he met me halfway. “Lower the top half so I have some slack to work with,” he directed as he walked up behind me.

I did as he asked and lowered the dress to my waist, exposing my upper half completely. There was no one in the room, and even if there were, I knew that working here would require for me to get over my bashfulness. It wasn’t like the red dress covered all that much of me to begin with. I knew for a fact that Daddy had never stepped foot into Spiked Roses. He knew all about the place, but had he actually seen what my uniform would consist of, he would have had second thoughts about allowing me to work here—Uncle Alec watching over me or not.

“These damn threads get tangled in the zipper and—”

The door of the staff room opening interrupted Tennessee. We both turned our heads to see who entered, and I gasped when I saw my uncle walk in. I instantly tried to cover my breasts with my arms, but it was too late. He had seen. I saw where his eyes were focused, and it wasn’t on my face.

“Uncle Alec…” I said with an awkward smile.

Regardless of the fact that I hid my breasts behind nothing but my arms, I was happy to see him and wanted to run and give him a big hug. It had been years since I had seen him last, but he still was the man I remembered. His brown hair now was speckled with gray along his temples, and his rich brown eyes had lines of laughter around them, but he was still the Uncle Alec of my childhood. The years had been good to him.

I also didn’t want to move because Tennessee was still tugging on the zipper, and I didn’t want to wreck any progress he had made.

Uncle Alec cleared his throat and diverted his eyes and stared off at nothing. “I need to speak with you.”

“Me?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes. Can you get dressed please?”

“Hold on,” Tennessee said, who still worked at freeing the zipper. “Just a second and this dress will be fixed.”

“Actually, I want you to get back into regular clothes,” Alec said as he once again glanced at my chest.

“But my shift just started,” I said. “Tennessee was just about to start training me on how to be a hostess.”

“I’m not asking,” he retorted with enough bite that it felt as if he had slapped me across the face. “Now.”

Talk about a warm welcome.

3

Alec

I was going straight to hell. I shouldn’t be looking, but fuck if I could help it. Jesus Christ she was hot. Smoking hot.

Makayla. Sweet, innocent, little Makayla.

Her perky tits with their soft pink nipples were on display before me. Like a tempting buffet just begging to be feasted upon. Her blonde bangs rested right above her big blue eyes. Like a god damn angel lost in the black world of Hades.

“Uncle Alec? I have to work… and I…”

“Makayla,” I warned. My patience was wearing thin, and the fact that her bare breasts were only a few feet away from me didn’t help the situation.

“It’s okay,” Tennessee said as he pushed her toward the bathroom. “Do as the bossman asks. He’s one of the men who signs all of our checks.” He glared at me, and I could tell he wasn’t exactly thrilled with having his training interrupted and me coming in here pulling rank, but I didn’t really give a fuck.

Makayla walked toward the bathroom, holding the barely there red lace up over her breasts. The zipper was still down and rested at the curve of her bare ass. Staring at her exposed back, her creamy white skin… what the fuck was wrong with me?

“What’s going on?” Tennessee asked.

“You’re going to need to get a new hostess. Makayla is leaving,” I said with little emotion.

“Wait, for good? As in not working at Spiked Roses?”

I nodded. “Something’s come up.”

Tennessee shrugged. “Your call. Do the others know? I’ll need Kenneth and Matthew to do more interviews.”

“Tell them,” I said a little harsher than I intended. “They’re meeting in about ten minutes or so. Go in and let them know I had to leave with Makayla. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Tennessee shrugged again. “Not my inconvenience. I don’t care who works here as long as she does her job and doesn’t pull any diva shit. There’s only room for one diva, and that’s me.” He walked toward the door of the staff room and turned to look at me. “Are you all right?”

I didn’t answer but turned to see Makayla exit the bathroom in a black tank top and blue jeans with the red dress in her hands. Tennessee didn’t wait around for an answer, but left instead. I liked the man. He knew how to read cues and always knew when he should exit stage left without a word.

“What’s going on?” Makayla asked. She walked over to where dresses and leotards hung and placed her dress back on the hanger.

“We need to talk.”

“Clearly,” she said as she looked at me with a small smirk on her face. “You are making this really tough on me you know. I’m going to have a hard time proving my worth and making people feel I actually deserve to be here. Starting off as your niece isn’t going to make it easy. Everyone is going to think it was handed to me.” She crossed her arms against her chest, pushing up those perky little breasts that I had forever burned into my memory as bare and breathtaking. “I don’t want special treatment.”

“You aren’t going to be able to work at Spiked Roses,” I said as I wondered how I was going to break the news of what her father said to me easily. I wasn’t good at shit like this. I didn’t have a sensitive bone in my body, and tact wasn’t my friend.

“What are you talking about? You guys hired me.” Her soft features hardened, and her eyes narrowed. “If you think my father would disapprove of me working here, you’re wrong. He wanted me here so I would be close to you. He set some rules, and I’m not allowed to do any Tastings, and I’m fine with that.”

“Your daddy wrote me a letter,” I began. “Things have changed since you’ve been hired.”

“What’s changed? What letter? I just spoke to him on the phone a couple of days ago when I arrived in New Orleans. Everything was fine, and he was happy for me. This doesn’t make any sense.”

“I don’t know how much you know of your father’s past, and his current business dealings.”

“Enough,” she mumbled as her azure eyes seemed to darken.

I swallowed hard, nervous as fuck to be breaking the news. “He wrote me a letter saying things aren’t safe right now. For him… for you. He’s asked that I take you away. Protect you. He also asked for me to give you this.” I pulled out the envelope that was addressed to Makayla.

She took the envelope and then stared up at me with wide, frightened eyes. “Is he okay?”

I nodded, even though I had no idea if he truly was. I knew what could happen to him, and from the look of terror obvious in the eyes of his daughter, she also knew the level of horror of what could occur.

“He’s asked that I take you to the lake house. For a while. To keep you safe and away from everything,” I said, hating the way my stomach clenched as I said the words. Leaving for the lake would mean that I agreed with Rhett. That I too knew it was the only way to keep Makayla safe and away from the danger that could come for her.

“The lake house?” She looked down at the envelope in her hand. “The one we went to all the time when I was a kid?”

I nodded. “We still have it. It hasn’t been used in a really long time, but we’ve had a property manager keep it up.”

“Why the lake house?”

“It’s safe. No one will know we are there. Your father asked that I take you there, but I have to agree with him. It’s isolated, far away from Georgia, and no one will be able to reach you.”

“So I’m in danger?”

I found it odd that she seemed afraid when she asked about her father being in danger, but didn’t seem the least bit frightened as she asked about her own safety. Her question was so matter of fact.

“Your father believes it’s a possibility.”

“Do you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been away from the world your father walks in for quite some time. So, I just don’t know.”

She looked back down at the letter, and with shaky fingers, sliced the envelope open and took out the folded paper. She looked up at me, back down at the letter and read out loud:

Makayla,

I always told you growing up that if you aren’t willing to bend, then you will surely break.

There has been a change of plans. The danger that has always been present while you were growing up has only grown worse. I thought simply having you leave Georgia would be enough to remove you from their hold and the evil, but I was wrong.

I have sent a letter to your Uncle Alec informing him of the new plan, and I am confident he will follow my wishes to a tee.

I know this isn’t what you wanted. I also know that you are disappointed that once again, you have to go back into hiding, but there is no other way.

Please do as your uncle says. Listen to him as you would me. It’s been years since you have seen him last, but he is a man who I trust with my life… with your life.

You won’t be able to reach me, but I will be in touch soon.

~Papa

Her voice quivered at points while reading his words, but I saw such poise and strength as the little girl that I knew, who now was clearly a woman, stood before me. When she was finished reading, she looked at me. I could see a glaze of tears coated her eyes, but not a single drop fell.

“What did your letter say?” she asked.

I didn’t want to tell her. My letter was much more ominous, and I didn’t think she could handle knowing what I did. “Basically the same thing. He asked for me to take you to the lake house until everything gets sorted. He’s worried for your safety, and asked for me to step in and watch over you while he works things with his… past… out.”

“So what’s the plan? We just leave? Right now?”

“Yes. I’ll make a few phone calls to get some things in order. I’ll let the property manager know we are on our way so the house will be ready for us. I think we should leave now.”

She gave a slight nod. “Can we swing by my place to pack my things?”

I nodded. “We should get going though. And you’ll need to pack fast.”

“Uncle Alec?” she said softly.

I looked at her, reminded of the sweet girl she once was all those years ago, with those big wide blue eyes of hers. “Yes?”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I admitted.

“I’m scared,” she confessed. “I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”

“I know. But it’s going to be okay. We just have to get to the house and wait out the storm. It will all work out in the end.”

I was a liar.

A fucking liar.

I didn’t see this working out at all. It was not going to be okay.

This storm was going to be epic and we were about to enter the eye of the hurricane. A dark, suffocating spiral of blackness.

I was just too much of a coward and a liar to tell Makayla the truth.

4

Alec

We had been driving for what felt like an eternity, but even in the midnight hours, I still remembered my way. Makayla had been quiet for most of the trip, clearly lost in thought as she stared out the window at the darkened scenery passing us by. I was grateful for the silence, because I, too, was still figuring out how to process the entire situation.

Picking up and leaving everything was fairly easy. I knew Spiked Roses could do without me. Kenneth and Matthew ran the show for the most part. And my other businesses and investments practically ran on autopilot for me. I guess you could call me a man of leisure and semi-retired. I had earned my fortune and had worked my ass off for many years to get to this point. Now, I was fortunate to sit back and watch the money enter my bank account with very little effort. My pappy would have been proud. He always had lectured me growing up by saying that a wise man was a man who made money in his sleep. Looking back now, I was glad that I had followed that piece of advice of his. The lake house had Internet and cell service—though shitty as fuck. So, anything I needed to do for any of my businesses could be done remotely. The reality of the situation was that physically heading to the lake house wasn’t an inconvenience at all. Mentally, however, this entire trip was a complete mind fuck.

I kept going over scenarios of how I could try to help Rhett. I had left that sick life behind me, but it wouldn’t be too hard to dive back in if it could help. The fucked up fact was that I really couldn’t figure out a way to help even if I did get involved. And diving back in could expose Makayla, which I knew was what Rhett really didn’t want. He had the power still. He still controlled the safety of his precious daughter, and I didn’t want to fuck that up by trying to swoop in and play hero by foolishly trying to rescue a dead man.

“When was the last time you came to the lake house?” Makayla asked as she continued to stare out the window.

I sighed as I tried to remember the last time. “Well, it was with you, your dad, and your… mom. Before she passed.”

Makayla nodded. “So, the last time I was here too.”

“Yeah. It just never felt right coming back here without you guys. Without her,” I admitted.

“That’s why we never came back too,” she said sadly. “Papa said it would be too painful. That the memories of her here—where we were the happiest—would hurt us.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” I admitted as I stared at the straight, empty road in front of me.

“It made me sad not coming here, to be honest. I think Mama would have hated knowing we all would never come back. She loved it at the lake. She loved having us all there under one roof in what she called paradise.”

“Sometimes you have to close a chapter to move on.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see she had turned to look at me. “Is that what you did? Closed the chapter on us? Papa told me that you and he hadn’t spoken since Mama’s death.”

I nodded, swallowing against the lump in my throat. “It was best for me to just walk away from it all. There was a lot going on with the business that I wasn’t happy with. And with the death of Minka… it was just a really dark time that I needed to break free from. The business partnership needed to end for the good of everyone. I did what your father should have done a long time ago. If he had… well, if he had—”

“We wouldn’t be running off to the lake house for safety,” Makayla interrupted, speaking my thoughts for me.

Safety. Was that even possible?

I glanced at Makayla who stared out the window again. She rested her elbow on the door and propped her head up with her clenched fist. The dark shadows under her eyes revealed she was tired. Hell, I was tired too.

“Tell me something, Makayla,” I began. “Do you think your life is in danger?”

She shrugged but didn’t look at me. “Who knows? My life seems to always be in danger. I don’t even care any more to be honest.”

“Always in danger?”

“Yes,” she said as she glanced at me. “But I suppose you already know that.”

“To some extent,” I admitted. “But not really. I got out. I moved away and never looked back.”

“Well, my papa didn’t. If anything, he seemed to get in deeper and deeper with them.”

“Do you know who them is?” I wondered how much Makayla really knew about everything. How much did I have to protect her from the truth? Did she actually know more than me?

She positioned her body so she was facing me head on. An eyebrow rose as she asked, “Do you know who them is?”

Fuck.

I didn’t know how to answer her question.

I didn’t know if I should answer her question at all.

“We’re about to enter Old Pier,” I said, changing the subject. “Hopefully the gas station is still open twenty-four hours like before. We can pick up some basics to hold us over until we go into town for a full grocery trip tomorrow.”

Old Pier was the closest town to the lake house. Aside from the gas station, it had a small grocery, a few cafes, a restaurant only open for dinner, a fish and tackle shop, a barber, an ice cream and soda shop near the pier, and an antique shop that was housed out of an old barn. At least that was what all it had a decade ago. Who knew what was still around now. The quaint town had always been a favorite of mine, and I had hoped it hadn’t changed too much in the years I had been away.

Turning a corner, I was happy to see the lights of the gas station come into view. It was like stepping back into a fond memory that I had never released. Nothing had changed. It was the same white farmhouse structure with a single gas pump that announced we were only thirty minutes from our home sweet home.

“Looks like they’re open,” Makayla said. I could see a smile wash over her face for the first time since we had left New Orleans. “I wonder if they still have those peppermint sticks I used to love as a kid.”

I pulled up at the tank, deciding it was best to fill up now. “Let’s go in and see.”

Groaning as I got out of the car, I realized how stiff I had been during our drive. The tension I was feeling clearly had wrapped itself around every joint in my body. Stretching my arms above my head and trying to elongate my torso, I turned to find Makayla watching me.

Not saying anything further, I walked toward the tiny store with Makayla catching up to walk at my side. I was happy to find that the store still carried wine. It might not have been the most desired wine, but I would take grape juice spiked with moonshine if I had to at this point. I grabbed a few boxes of crackers, a bag of pretzels, some local beef jerky, some coffee for the morning, and some bottled water—all the fixings for a gourmet feast.

I found Makayla in the aisle gripping a fistful of peppermint sticks like she’d done so many years ago. She looked at me with a warm smile on her face. “They still have them.” She had grabbed as many as she could hold, and I noticed she had also grabbed a bottle of wine.

I held up my wine so she could see. “Great minds think alike,” I said.

“Yeah, it appears that way.”

It dawned on me that the last time we were at the lake house, she was far from being of age to purchase wine. Hell… she wasn’t twenty-one yet even now. Though I’m sure she just assumed I would be buying the groceries, so it was a non-issue. I couldn’t believe I would be sharing wine with… little Makayla. When had I become the old man?

I paid for our purchases and gas when the older woman asked, “Where you all headed at this time of night?”

“We have a lake house about thirty minutes from here,” Makayla offered with the kindest and most gentle voice. I think it would be impossible to not like her instantly on first meeting. “My uncle and I haven’t been there for long time.”

The lady looked at me, and offered a smile. She was probably happy to hear I wasn’t just some dirty old bastard dating a young girl and taking advantage of her. My black Lexus SUV outside showed I had a decent level of money though it wasn’t overly showy, but on appearance alone, it could appear that I was Makayla’s sugar daddy.

We headed back to the vehicle with our bags, and I glanced around pleased with what I saw… or could see in the darkness only lit by the almost full moon. It appeared like everything was just as it had been. From what I could see, there were no new buildings, no large supermarkets or chain stores. The road we’d been driving on was still a two-lane street with only a stop sign and no lights. It was almost as if time had stood still during the time I was away. My favorite town was waiting for me. Waiting for me to return with the promise of remaining just the way it had always been.

Perfect.

My home sweet home was perfect.

“Do you remember the rest of the way?” Makayla asked as we drove back onto the road once I filled up the gas tank. “I can enter the address into my phone and help us get there if you don’t.”

“I remember.”

I would never forget. That house had been my haven, and even though the circumstances now that led us to the house were horrific, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiar excitement as we got closer.

When I turned onto a graveled road off the main street, Makayla said, “Oh I remember this street! We’re almost there.”

I slowed down to a near crawl. The road hadn’t been driven on often—once a month by the property manager and housekeeper—and it was obvious by the large pot holes that were all over and the condition of the road in general. I also remembered how many deer were all around, and I didn’t want to risk hitting one by going too fast and not being able to stop in time.

“It’s funny,” Makayla said softly. “I still remember the feeling I would get driving on this road as a little girl. I would look out into the woods and watch for fairies and trolls. I knew they existed here because this place was always so magical.”

I nodded with a smirk. I hadn’t looked for fantastical creatures, but I did remember a sense of calm and relaxation take hold during the drive on the isolated road each and every time. It had been the beginning of my vacation the minute my tires changed from asphalt to dirt.

After about thirty minutes or so, I turned a corner to see the headlights of the car illuminate an old sign carved in a tree. The sign still hung with the one word:

Home.

“I remember when Papa carved that.”

“I do too,” I said as I drove the car down the narrow driveway toward the lake. Rhett had been such a romantic at heart. There wasn’t anything that man wouldn’t do to prove his love for his friends and his family. Declaring that this place was truly home for all of us by forever etching the declaration into wood was classic Rhett Knox.

When the house came into view, both Makayla and I let out a heavy breath as we stared in awe at the magnificence of the three story craftsman, eight-bedroom house, sitting against the backdrop of a glimmering lake lit by the nearly full moon. I knew the house would still be in excellent condition because both Rhett and I had paid for ongoing oversight and had just recently paid for a new roof for the house. At the time, it had seemed like an almost frivolous expense for a house both Rhett and I never used, but we both weren’t prepared to put it on the market either.

Stepping out of the car, both Makayla and I didn’t bother with luggage or our makeshift groceries. We would get to all that later. By the speed in which Makayla approached the wrap- around porch, it was clear she was just as excited to enter inside as I was.

“Same place?” she asked.

“Same place,” I answered as I watched her run to a small electrical box near the front door. She lifted the cover and pulled out the spare key from what we had all decided a long time ago would be the hiding spot. I had a copy on my key ring, but it was charming and nostalgic watching Makayla run to its secret location like she had always done as a child.

The memories flooding back were strong, but they were welcomed, and I enjoyed them. She had always been a darling little girl. Bouncing blonde locks that her mother always tried to contain, but Makayla had always wanted to keep free and wild. She still had those bouncing locks, and they appeared just as free and wild as they had before.

The sound of the door opening snapped me from my thoughts. As we entered the house, I inhaled deeply.

The smell.

It still smelled the same—like cedar and cinnamon, hints of rich coffee, and laughter. If laughter had a fragrance, the smell of this house was the aroma.

Looking around, everything was the same. The same large cherry wood table that sat twelve easily was the centerpiece of the room as it always had been. To the left side of the room was the large stone fireplace with the same damn floral couch that Minka had insisted on buying. I had liked to tease her that it reminded me of something a grandma would buy, but she’d adored it, and Rhett and I had left the decor decisions up to her. To the right side of the room was my favorite part of the entire house—the view. Rhett and I had made sure that the entire wall was nothing but large windows from floor to ceiling so that the view of the lake would be the only thing seen. Minka had placed another floral couch and two matching chairs in front of the window so we could just sit there on cool evenings and stare out onto the sparkling water as the sun set.

God, the clenching feeling in my gut made me realize how much I had missed this place. How much I had missed Minka, Rhett and Makayla. I had missed the life that once was.

“It looks exactly the same,” Makayla said in almost a whisper.

“The property manager was under strict orders to maintain but not to change.”

Makayla walked into the main room fully and made her way to the open kitchen that blended flawlessly with the open living area. The granite counters matched the earthy slate tiles of the floor that covered the entire downstairs. The inside of the house seemed to blend with the outside by our use of elements of the earth to decorate and build with.

“I’ve missed this place so much,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Mama loved standing right here,” she said as she stood by the kitchen counter and stared out the window that overlooked the wrap-around porch and the Adirondack chairs that were positioned to take in the magnificent beauty of the lake.

Makayla was right. Her mother had loved the kitchen. Minka had been such a fantastic cook and would spend hours cooking some meal that we would all sit around and eat while we drank copious amounts of wine and talked into the wee hours of the night. Sometimes we would invite other friends to join us, and other times it was just us. Though Rhett, Minka and Makayla weren’t my family by marriage or blood, they were as close to a family I had after Pappy had died. They had become my everything.

Makayla wiped at a falling tear and then turned to me. “Let’s go get our stuff and get something to drink and eat. I’m starving.”

Smiling and feeling relief that Makayla wasn’t about to break down into a fit of tears, I led the way back to the car.

We were home.

Home.

5

Makayla

With a glass of wine in hand, both Alec and I walked around the house, taking it all in. Room after room, memory after memory, we walked in near silence as the house embraced us back. It was almost as if I could feel its wide arms swallowing me up and repairing a part of my soul I hadn’t known was shattered. I needed this place. I needed to feel close to my childhood again, to the good in my life, and to her… my mother. This house was her. It was her in every little knick-knack that was placed on ledges and shelves. I could see my mother in the books that were chosen to lie around in nice little stacks on end tables. I could feel her in the soft fabrics of the throws and quilts she had chosen for each bed in the eight rooms that had remained vacant for so long. I had remembered how she would make sure the best sheets and the fluffiest pillows were chosen for every single bed even if no one would be sleeping in them. She wanted this house to be perfect, and it had been. It still was.

“Hungry?” Alec asked as we walked back to the main room which was just one open large space with no walls. The only thing that broke up the room was the large granite countertop that boxed in the kitchen.

“I am.” I grabbed the bottle of opened wine as Alec grabbed the plastic bag of our gas stop goodies, and we made our way to my favorite place in the entire house—the covered, wrap- around porch. Large Adirondack chairs were scattered about, all positioned to get the optimal view of the lake. There were two large rocking chairs with a small wooden table between them which was my favorite place to be. I liked the rocking back and forth while I watched the birds fly about, and the squirrels bolt up the pine trees that were all around, but never in the way of our view. A hammock hung in the corner of the porch which had always been a favorite place of Alec’s, but he didn’t go sit there, choosing to sit in the rocker next to mine as he placed the bag of food on the table.

“Nothing like beef jerky and wine,” he said as he opened the package of food while I topped off our glasses with more merlot. “A true culinary delight right there, I tell ya.”

Taking the offered piece of dry meat from Alec’s hand, I turned my head to absorb the beauty of the lake that was illuminated by the large moon. “So pretty,” I said more to myself than him.

“It’s a shame no one got to experience this place for so long.”

“I always pictured that I would grow up, get married, have kids, and have them grow up coming here all the time too,” I said, remembering one of my childhood dreams.

“That can still happen.”

“Yeah right,” I said with a huff as I sipped on my wine, not looking at Alec. “You know my life. Do you see me having normal? Ever?”

He was quiet for quite some time as if my reply had stolen the words from his body. But eventually he said softly, “You deserve normal. Hopefully that can happen someday.”

With a smirk against the lip of my glass, I asked, “Do you really feel that way?” I released a sick laugh. “I thought so for a short time. When Papa had allowed me to finally move out of the house and start a life. I thought New Orleans and Spiked Roses would be my shot at normal. That didn’t even last a night. I didn’t even get through training before my not normal life came storming back in to sweep me away into the darkness I have been living in since Mama died.” I glanced over at Alec who was staring straight ahead with sadness in his eyes. “So whether or not I deserve normal, I am most certainly never going to get it.”

“What has your father told you about everything?”

I took a bite of the jerky and chewed for several moments wondering if I should tell Alec everything I knew. I had no reason not to be completely honest and open with him, but I had grown to doubt and be leery of everyone thanks to my father. “I know about The Iron Colt Brotherhood if that is what you are asking.”

Alec turned and looked at me with wide eyes. “He told you about them? About everything?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

Alec’s eyes narrowed and his head tilted. Was he trying to read me? “What? What did he say exactly?”

“That he—and you—are part of a secret society that goes back to before the Civil War era. The only way to be part of this society is via lineage or power and the ability to buy your way in.”

Alec nodded slowly. “Did he tell you about the inner workings?”

“I know that being part of the society can help make every man’s—who is willing to pay the price—dreams to come true. The power of the men involved, the connections, the favors that can be granted. Politicians have gained their positions because of the brotherhood. Investments that have formed multi billion dollar companies from nothing originated out of the brotherhood. Even things as simple as movie parts or book deals have come from the brotherhood. If a member asks for a ‘favor’, then the favor is granted by the other members of the brotherhood. But no favors come for free. For every favor you ask, you have to put your name on a rock that goes into a large urn.”

Alec stood from his rocker, walked to the edge of the porch, and leaned against the banister of the stairs that led down to a grassy patch of land. “He told you about the rocks?”

“That every year, rocks are pulled. The names on those rocks have to participate in a ritual of some kind. A ritual that could be deadly.” I took a long swallow of my wine. “I’m assuming that since I’m here, and Papa is not, that something has happened in regards to the rocks. Was his name drawn? Is he at the ritual?”

“Did your father ever tell you about the ritual?” Alec walked back over to the rocking chair, sat down, and started munching on some more beef jerky.

“No. He was never really open with much when it came to talk about the society, but especially about the ritual. Everything I know, I’ve had to pull out of him piece by piece. I would trick him sometimes and work my way on getting more info by pretending I knew more in hopes he would confirm and so on. I preyed on his distraction. He was afraid of the society. Fearful that they would get a hold of me for some reason. Every time the society got brought up, Papa would act agitated and anxious, so I knew there was a lot of secrets I didn’t know about.”

“Members aren’t supposed to discuss the brotherhood with anyone but another member.”

“He said that.” I wanted to roll my eyes. I was so sick of the damn secrecy. “But I feel that my entire life has been affected by this society. I feel I’m owed some sort of information. Don’t you think?”

Taking a sip of his wine to wash down his food, he said, “This is a conversation to be had with Rhett. Not me.”

“But will I have that opportunity any time soon?”

Alec’s face hardened, and he froze with the glass to his lips. He glanced at me for a second and then back at the lake. There was something he wasn’t telling me. I could see it. I could feel it. The tension sizzled in the air.

“What?” I set my glass down and turned so I could face him head on. “What are you not telling me?”

No answer. He just stared ahead and chewed.

“Uncle Alec. Please. I have the right to know. I came here without giving the slightest fight. The least you could do for me is be honest and keep me in the loop. I’m not the little girl you once knew. I’m grown now.”

Alec stood again, walked down the four steps to the grassy patch of grass, and stood with his back to me in silence. After a few moments, I followed him and touched his arm which caused him to flinch. He glanced down at my hand on his upper arm and then into my eyes but didn’t say anything. I suppose he didn’t have to. I knew something was seriously wrong. It had to do with The Iron Colt Brotherhood, and I could see that Alec was bothered by what I was saying.

“Is it the ritual? Papa once slipped in frustration and accidentally used the word ‘deadly’ to describe it a few years ago. I was angry that I couldn’t go out to the movies like normal girls could with friends, and he told me it was the night of a ritual and he wanted me to stay put and safe.” I squeezed Alec’s arm that I hadn’t released yet. “What is this ritual? Is it really deadly? Is Papa part of it?”

Taking a long breath, Alec finally turned to face me. “I don’t know everything right now. I’m in the dark as well. My letter said your father would be in touch soon and to stay put. I trust him enough to know that he will keep in contact, and we’ll know what’s going on eventually. I’m not going to jump to conclusions or get worked up over something we don’t know. Making assumptions isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“But he’s scared. Or he wouldn’t have asked for you to take me to the lake house to hide. Right?”

“He’s being cautious and protective as any father would be.”

“But he’s not here with us. That has to say something. He’s in danger right?”

Alec took hold of my hand and led me back to the porch. “I don’t know, Makayla. I really don’t know. What I do know is that we can’t sit here and worry non-stop. We have to wait. You father is a very powerful and resourceful man. I know he can take care of himself and handle things. He asked that I take you here and watch over you, which I plan to do. I owe him that because of our past and our friendship.”

His hand in mine felt good. It was warm and much bigger than mine. The touch gave me a sense of comfort, and I enjoyed the bodily contact. My father was not one for affection when I was growing up, and after my mother died, he grew even more distant. A simple hug or touch didn’t exist in my world. Not with my mother dead and me pretty much locked away in our house that had become my prison. I didn’t realize how hungry I was for physical contact until Alec’s touch of my hand overpowered me with foreign sensations. I could have held his hand all night and felt a sense of loss when he pulled his away after we got back onto the porch.

“You are just like him, you know?” I said as I took my seat and poured the rest of the bottle of wine into our two glasses.

Alec shrugged. “We were friends and business partners for a long time. I knew him for years. So, I guess it’s fair to say I’m a lot like him.”

“I meant that you do exactly what he always used to do to me. Never answer my questions. You avoid just like him.”

Alec reached for the bag of pretzels and tossed them my way. “It’s late and I’m hungry. We have this fine meal ahead of us. I suggest that we stop this talk of rituals and societies and just enjoy the house.” He picked up his glass of wine and raised it for a toast. “Your mother always had the rule of no business talk on night one when we arrived. We are supposed to make a toast to the lake and the house. No talk except about family and friendships remember? We are only supposed to drink and be merry.”

Feeling as if my mother was watching through the window of the kitchen like she always loved to do, I chuckled with the memory of how she would chastise my father and Uncle Alec for doing any business talk when we first arrived.

I raised my glass, and said, “You’re right. She would be spitting mad if she knew we had been at the house this long and not have already toasted to the lake.”

With glass raised, Alec said, “Here’s to the house, to the lake, to old memories and creating new ones.” It was the same toast we’d always given word for word in the past. “And here is to finding a safe haven in this storm of ours. We will emerge better for it.” The last part was added, but felt appropriate and welcomed.

“Cheers,” I said, realizing I was toasting for the first time with wine rather than sparkling cider. “And to my mother and father who aren’t here with us.”

“Who will forever be here with us,” Alec corrected. “Cheers.” He looked back down at the jerky. “Now, let’s take in the scenery and enjoy our gourmet meal and cheap wine.”

6

Makayla

I was drunk.

I had never been drunk before, but there was no doubt in my mind that the feeling I was experiencing was what being drunk felt like. And I had fun getting to this point. Alec and I had eaten all the gas station food, and drunk the wine as we talked about memories at the lake. Laughing, teasing, joking around… it almost felt like we were truly on vacation again. That we weren’t at the lake because of any other reason. For right now, and for this night, it was just Alec and me having a good time. I needed it. I needed it more than I even realized, and I was so happy for my mother’s rule about the first night at the house to not be serious. Alec and I were far from serious as our laughter carried over the glassy smoothness of the lake.

Watching Alec top off our wine glasses with the rest of bottle number two—or maybe three—I giggled. “Papa never allowed me to drink.”

Alec stopped mid-pour and looked up at me with wide eyes. “Are you telling me this is your first time drinking wine? Drinking ever?”

I nodded and smiled wide as I giggled again. “Yup.”

“Fuck,” Alec said, shaking his head with a chuckle. “Your father is going to kill me.”

I huffed. “He was too overprotective. He never allowed me to do anything.” I held up my wine. “So if I want to drink wine and get drunk, I will. I can.” I stood up and wobbled to the edge of the porch. “I’m a grown woman now. I’m not the little girl you think I am,” I said as I turned and looked at Alec.

I caught his eyes scanning my body. “No, you are definitely all grown up.”

“Exactly,” I said as I pointed the wine glass forward as if to prove my point. “Do you know he never let me date? He never let me do anything. I was homeschooled after Mama died, and I literally never left the grounds of our estate. My only friends were the staff or their kids. I grew up in a damn bubble.”

“That’s too bad,” Alec said softly. “But your father had his reasons.”

I turned to face him directly. “It is too bad,” I slurred. “And I know he had his reasons. But I’m over it. I can get drunk if I want. I can be with a man if I want. I’m not going to die by doing so.” I took a long swallow of my wine. “It’s about time I live.”

“I agree. It is.”

“But who is going to want me?” I asked, turning my attention back to the lake. “Let’s be honest. I’m a woman trapped in a little girl’s life. I haven’t done anything a normal woman has at my age. I’m a damn freak.”

“You are not a freak,” Alec said, walking up to where I stood and placing his hand on my back to offer some comfort. “Far from it. Plenty of men will want you. It’s refreshing to see a woman who hasn’t been tainted by the hardships of life. Your father kept you protected like a gem. And trust me when I say that every man in the world would want that gem in his possession.”

“Do you think I’m pretty?” I asked as I turned to look at Alec. His face was close enough that I could see him clearly even in the darkness of the night.

“Extremely,” he admitted softly. “You look so much like your mother, but even more beautiful.” He reached out and brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Like I said, any man would be lucky to have you.” He looked down at my wine glass. “And if I knew this was your first time drinking, I would have splurged for the good stu—” Alec glanced at the house and then back at me. “I just realized we have the wine cellar. It’s full of wine.” He looked down at his half empty glass and laughed. “We’ve been drinking this shit, when I could have gone downstairs and gotten us a bottle from there. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

I laughed along with him but then shrugged. “To be honest, I wouldn’t know the difference between good wine and cheap wine.”

“Well you will tomorrow when you wake up with a headache. Cheap wine headaches are the worst.”

I stopped laughing and stared directly into Alec’s eyes, and then his lips. I wondered why my stomach was doing little flips at the proximity he was to me, and why I was curious what his lips would feel like on mine. I looked back into his eyes and saw that he too was watching my lips. Was he also wondering what they would feel like?

My inexperience and inability to read this situation confused me, and the wine only made it worse.

Feeling like I needed to say something to break the odd connection we’d just had, I said, “See? These are things I know nothing about. I’m twenty years old, and you are having to school me in the ways of cheap wine hangovers versus good wine hangovers. But tonight is the first time I haven’t felt like a child. You make me feel like an adult. Like an equal. But will I ever be an equal? Or will you always see me as little Makayla deep down?”

“I have to admit, it’s hard to imagine you as the little Makayla you once were. Especially how you look right now under the moonlight. Maybe it’s the booze talking, but I’ve never seen a more beautiful person.”

The blush took over my entire body without warning. I quickly looked away and tried to regain my composure.

Alec smirked. “I like the way you blush so easily.”

I slowly turned my head to look into Alec’s smiling eyes. The soft wrinkles at the edges gave his charm a sense of maturity. He kept my stare locked within his for what seemed like an eternity. I felt as if his gaze was single handedly melting my heart. Alec had a power over my emotions that I was not used to allowing or understanding. His strength, his casual demeanor, his aura just screamed out, Man.

Without looking away, Alec slowly leaned in toward me, with his lips only inches from mine. “We shouldn’t. It’s wrong. But it’s so hard to stop myself.”

I looked down at his mouth and then back into his eyes and softly whispered, “I don’t want you to stop.”

Alec moved closer, placed a hand on each side of my head, and softly pressed his lips to mine. The touch sent tingles through my entire body. My very first kiss. A kiss that I had no prediction would cause such a powerful and intense reaction in the depths of my core. His lips moved slowly along mine until I could feel his tongue lightly press past my lips to touch my own. The warmth, and the wetness, increased the desire building inside of me. His fingers caressed my hair softly as his tongue continued to explore. A kiss, the first kiss, was more than I could imagine. I could smell Alec, taste Alec and feel Alec. I wanted more. I wanted the kiss to last forever. Never wanted his lips to leave mine.

“We shouldn’t…” Alec murmured between our lips, yet he didn’t pull away.

The sound of his voice, muffled by the kiss, made me gasp. Never would I have thought I would feel so much power from a simple kiss. At that moment, the only thing I wanted was for Alec to never stop. His hands moved down my back, and he pulled me closer. My breasts pressed firmly to his rock hard chest. As our bodies merged, our kiss became more frenzied. Alec pressed his tongue deeper within my mouth. I responded by opening my mouth wider and dancing my tongue with his. My breath mixed with his, my gasps swallowed by the kiss. The all consuming, most mind-blowing kiss. A kiss that I’d never known could exist. With one single kiss, Alec—my uncle figure—had captured my heart.

Alec slowly pulled away and looked deep into my eyes. His brown eyes were glazed over, and desire coursed across his face. He ran a single finger along my jaw line and traced it along the edge of my lips. A small seductive smile formed as he leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose.

“This can’t happen.”

“But… I don’t care. I want—”

“It’s wrong. So wrong,” he said, barely above a whisper.

I had so much I wanted to say. I had so much I wanted to get out, but the kiss had stolen all words from my mouth. I could only stare into his eyes and focus on breathing.

“But I’m so fucking weak,” Alec confessed as he brought his lips to mine again to give them a light brush, reminding me of the epic kiss only moments before. “But if we don’t stop here, I worry I won’t be able to stop ever.”

I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to do anything but continue with what we were doing. I wanted this. I did.

He pulled away and took a deep breath. “We’ve had too much to drink and need to get to bed. Sleep this off.”

He took hold of my hand and led me into the house. It was hard for me not to cross my arms in a pout. I had just had my first kiss of my entire life, and now we were going off to bed like it never happened.

“What bedroom do you want?” he asked as if nothing had just happened. As if we hadn’t just kissed on the porch. “You have your choice of any one. Do you want the master?”

I shook my head. “It feels weird sleeping in the room that Mama and Papa slept in.” I looked toward the right of the main room and pointed. “I’ll sleep where I always did. I always liked how my room opened up to the screened in porch. I can hear the birds chirping in the morning.”

Alec smiled. “I’ll take my usual room too. I love the view,” he said as he led me to my room, still holding my hand.

When we reached my room, Alec opened the door for me and followed me in. He walked over to the bed and pulled down the blankets. I stood in shock. Not sure what to make of what he was doing.

Was he tucking me in like a little girl?

Did he want to have sex?

Did I want to have sex? Yes… I think I did.

But I think Alec was simply pulling down the blankets before he went into his own room and nothing more?

The blush began to form without warning. I was thinking about having sex with Alec! Why was I thinking such crazy thoughts? Was this what wine did to you if you drank too much?

Alec turned, smiled warmly, and patted the bed. “Okay, come lay down. A good night’s rest will do you good.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to be alone. This house is too big and…”

He walked over, grabbed my hand softly, and led me to the bed. He sat me down and took off my shoes without ever saying another word. He then took off his own and stretched out onto the bed, pulling me into his arms.

“If you aren’t going to rest by yourself, you are going to lie here in my arms and sleep.” Alec kissed my forehead and wrapped his arms tightly around me. “Now close your eyes, quiet your mind, and just lie down with me.”

He said the few words I needed to hear. He understood that unless he was to lie with me, force me, make me do what was needed, I would overthink and not be able to get my father out of my mind. Alec understood me.

I pressed my cheek to his chest and could hear his heartbeat beneath my face. His arms were wrapped around me, and his steady breathing was like a calm that washed over my soul. For that very second, I could just be relaxed. I could just be calm and be soothed. This was a sensation that I was not comfortable feeling, but before I could really process the emotions going through me, I fell asleep. I fell into a deep sleep in Alec’s strong arms.

* * *

Alec

What the fuck was I thinking?

What the hell was I doing?

This was Makayla!

Little fucking Makayla!

I was nothing but a dirty old man, and I was taking advantage of a sweet, innocent girl. What kind of monster had I become?

As I lay in her bed, holding her in my arms, I silently chastised myself for being so weak. I had fucking kissed her! No amount of wine could excuse my behavior.

But I couldn’t resist. The hours we talked into the late hours as the sun threatened to rise, I found talk so easy with her. I wasn’t a man who could just chit chat with many. Maybe years ago with Rhett and Minka, but that all changed. Relationships never worked for me because I couldn’t ever give much more than physical and the women, or I, eventually grew tired of that. But with Makayla… we had talked and laughed about the simplest things.

Maybe this was just my cowardly way of trying to block out the awful situation we were all in. Maybe this was my way of mourning my best friend. Or maybe this was just me being an asshole.

Makayla whimpered in her sleep and snuggled up even closer to me. Her pert tits pressed up against my side, and I about lost my damn mind. My cock painfully tenting my pants was going to make falling asleep next to impossible even though the sun was about to rise. I needed to get some sleep if I didn’t want to be completely useless for the rest of the day. Not to mention, I needed to sleep off this cheap wine drunk that caused me to fucking kiss Makayla!

I’m sorry, Rhett.

I’m so fucking sorry.

I would do better tomorrow. I vowed it so. I would keep my damn hands off Makayla no matter how hot this woman was. I had self-control.

I had self-control.

Fuck.

I hoped I had self-control.

7

Makayla

My eyes fluttered open to find shadows cast against the walls of the room. Outside the window, I could see the sun had been up for several hours. It had to be midday by now. I tried to stretch awake and was restricted by strong arms wrapped around me. I was on Alec’s chest as it softly rose with his steady breathing. The smell of his manliness invaded my senses, and the desire to move my hand that was resting on his chest to his lower region was almost unbearable. This man had a power over me that I had never experienced. Everything about this was wrong. Papa would be so upset. So very wrong, but I couldn’t stop it.

I felt his arms tighten around me and pull me a little closer to his body. “Did you sleep well?”

His simple question and the huskiness in his voice sent fire through my body. “Yes… I did. Thank you. I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“I guess we both have. It was a long drive and night,” I said, feeling the need to have small talk and not face what had happened before we had fallen asleep.

“Do you have a headache?”

I paused to assess my body to see if I did. “No. I feel fine.”

“You’re lucky then. Nothing is worse than a cheap wine hangover. Well, maybe cheap champagne hangover.”

“I had fun last night. Thank you for allowing us to just relax and not… well, thank you for just letting us have fun,” I said.

Alec patted my arm. “I had fun too. It’s been a long time since I have felt like that. Totally at peace and relaxed. This house always had a way of doing that for me.”

I adjusted my head so I could look into Alec’s eyes. “I’m glad you are here. That I don’t have to do this alone.”

We both stared at each other for a few moments, scanning each other’s face, searching for a peek into our souls.

“Alec, I don’t usually lay in bed with a man like this. I don’t usually kiss… well I don’t have any experience in this at all. And then the fact that you are my…” I didn’t want to say the word.

“Stop. Don’t say that. I’m not your uncle. You have to stop calling me that.” He sighed loudly and stared up at the ceiling. “But that still doesn’t make this right. We shouldn’t have kissed. We shouldn’t be here like this. This isn’t the way it should be. But we have to take this uncle thing off the table. It was cute when you were ten, but now… now it is just… well, I think it’s time to end it. Just Alec from now on.” He sighed deeply. “I don’t know what the fuck got into me last night. I’m sorry, and I am going to make damn sure it never happens again. It shouldn’t have happened, and I take full responsibility. I’m not going to blame the wine or anything else. It was wrong, and it won’t happen again.”

I took a deep breath before speaking. I wanted to be honest with how I felt even if it meant upsetting Alec. “So if this isn’t the way it should be, then why are we lying here? Why did we have the most amazing kiss earlier? Why do I want… more? This is wrong, Alec. You and I both know it, but at the same time, I don’t care.”

Our lips were so close, that I silently begged for him to kiss me. I could have closed the distance, but I wanted it to be him. I wanted to know that he felt this too. That it wasn’t just the wine from last night. We weren’t drunk now. We weren’t out of our minds. I wanted him to kiss me because he wanted to. I wanted there to be no excuse other than he wanted to kiss me again.

As if reading my thoughts, Alec lowered his mouth to mine. He kissed with more passion, and more excitement than the night before. He rolled me over onto my back and pressed his body on top of me. His mouth continued to claim mine as I could feel his desire building. I gasped at the sudden change but pulled him closer.

“I can’t explain this. I can’t explain why I want you so bad, so quick. Tell me to stop and I will. Tell me no, and I will get up this second.” Alec paused from his onslaught of kisses to examine my face. “Call me a bastard and slap my face. Do something to stop this and I will.”

I smiled at the look of concern mixed with passion on his face. “Alec, I want this, too. I don’t know why. I don’t know how. All I do know is that I want to feel you inside of me.”

“Makayla,” Alec moaned.

He moved his mouth to my neck and started to place soft kisses while his hand slowly worked its way under my shirt. His palm cupped my breasts, and I arched my back to meet his touch. His lips moved to my ear, and he lightly nipped. I could hear his ragged breathing and feel his body tense with pent up passion.

I lowered my hand to his bulging erection pressing against his pants. When my fingers made contact, Alec moaned in desire.

“Jesus, Makayla! I want to be soft. I want to be gentle… but you are driving me crazy. I can’t give you the gentle love you deserve. I don’t know how to handle innocence.”

I undid his belt buckle, unbuttoned, and unzipped in one fluid motion. “I don’t want to be treated like a little girl who needs to be protected. I’m a woman with the same needs as yours. I want my first time to be with you. Take it,” I demanded, as I boldly wrapped my hand around his throbbing member.

A growl worked its way past Alec’s lips as he began to rip off my clothing in a fire of passion and fury. I met his crazed desire by stripping him bare as well. Within seconds, our bodies were nude and entangled together.

I glanced down at his penis and froze. I had never seen one before, and it must have been written all over my face because Alec stopped moving and studied me.

“You’ve never seen a cock before.” He wasn’t asking. He was stating, and I watched his face harden, and his eyes darken.

Shooting out of bed at rapid speed, Alec reached for his pants and quickly pulled them over his hips. “We have to stop. I can’t believe I am doing this.” He looked at me and ran his hands through his hair before reaching for his shirt. “I’m old enough to be your… fuck! Your fucking father! I can’t believe I even considered this. I considered taking your damn virginity! What kind of man am I?”

“Alec, I’m an adult and can make my own decisions. The last thing I want is to be a damn virgin. I can tell you that much. And why is it bad that I want my first time to be with you? Why are you freaking out? We are both consenting adults.”

Pulling his shirt over his head, he said, “Your father would fucking kill me. This is against everything that is right. I know better than this. I’m taking advantage of the situation. I can’t believe I kissed you again… and…” he looked at me naked in bed, his gaze lingering on my pussy and then my breasts before saying, “And I got us to this point. I’m taking advantage of you.”

“No, you are not! I wanted this just as much. Maybe more. You said it yourself. You are not my uncle. Why does this have to be wrong?”

“Because it is!” He took a deep breath. “It’s so wrong in so many ways.”

Before I could protest any further or even cover my nude body, Alec bolted out of my room, closing the door behind him, and leaving me alone with my thoughts and the throbbing between my legs.

8

Alec

Fuck Rhett to hell for doing this to me. Even taking away the emotional stress he was putting me through hoping he would somehow be able to pull himself from the mess he was in with The Iron Colt Brotherhood, the man had sentenced me to complete and utter torture.

I didn’t think even the strongest of monks who had sworn complete celibacy would be able to resist Makayla Knox. To say the woman was beautiful really wasn’t a strong enough description. Her big innocent eyes had a power over me every single time I looked into them. I wasn’t a man to just kiss a female. In fact, I wasn’t much of a kisser. I preferred to fuck and be done. Kissing was just fluff that I would do to get in a girl’s pants if I absolutely had to. But with Makayla, it was all I could do to not kiss the girl—repeatedly.

And I blamed Rhett.

So, if the asshole somehow came out of this in one piece, I was going to kick his ass.

How could he blame me for wanting to fuck his daughter? He had sent a goddamn siren to me and then locked me away, with her being my only companion.

What the fuck did he expect?

Control. He expected control.

But fuck that. I had none. None at all.

Sitting on the porch drinking coffee, I stared out onto the shimmering lake and watched a single boat floating in the distance. I loved this place. I loved every single thing about it… except for my current situation with Makayla. I had brought girls to the house before. It was a romantic setting and a sure way to have a getaway full of sex. Rhett and Minka used to tease me about always bringing a new girl, but never repeating. They would play nice with the girl of choice, but they said it was hard to commit any amount of energy getting to know the visiting woman because it was definitely going to be the last time they ever saw her.

The sound of running water through unused pipes told me that Makayla was in the shower. Hopefully, a cold one. I didn’t need her to come out and try to resume what I had somehow managed to walk away from. I’d walked away from sex. What sane man did such a thing?

Though what sane man even got in that situation to begin with?

For Christ’s sake, she was a kid. A virgin. Rhett’s daughter. Off limits.

Realizing I had to keep Makayla—and her delicious nude body—off my mind, I decided work was the best thing. Pulling out my phone, and happy that I had at least a little signal, I decided to call Kenneth and check in with Spiked Roses. I had left in such a hurry, that I wanted to put everyone’s mind at ease.

Kenneth answered the phone almost immediately. “Hey man. We were just talking about you. We’ve been worried. Hey, hold on a sec. I’m going to put you on speakerphone. We are all sitting around the table now and meeting. You can talk to us all at once.” I waited for the second it took for Kenneth to switch over, and heard him say in a far off voice. “So what’s going on?”

“It’s a fucking mess,” I began. “I got a letter from my old business partner and best friend asking for a favor that made me have to leave right away.”

I recognized Roman’s voice ask, “Was that Makayla Knox’s father? Is that why you had to take her too?”

“Yeah. Sorry guys. I hope that didn’t leave you short staffed, but I really had no other choice. My friend felt his daughter’s life was in danger and asked for my help in getting her to a safe spot.”

“Are you in danger?” I heard Harley Crow ask. “Do you need our help? I’m here for you if you need me.”

“I wish it were that simple. But there’s nothing any of you can do to help. Trust me, if I could think of a way, I would,” I said, still trying to rack my brain on ways these men could help. They were some of the most fucking powerful and connected men I knew, and if anyone could help, it would be them. Taking a deep breath, I decided to tell them more. I trusted these men more than anything. “It involves a secret society that I’m sure you have all heard of. The Iron Colt Brotherhood. My friend Rhett and I are members. Our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers all have been.”

“Yeah, I’m a member, though not active,” Roman said, though it made complete sense since he was a prince. Royal blood ran thick and heavy in the brotherhood. “Does this have something to do with the ritual coming up?”

“What ritual?” I heard Matthew ask. “I haven’t heard of this group.”

“I have,” Lennon added. “Some sick shit happens at these rituals.”

“I’ll let Roman fill you all in on the brotherhood and the ritual since I don’t have a lot of time,” I said, looking into the house to see if she had come into the main room or kitchen yet. “I don’t want Makayla overhearing me talking to you all about it. But yes, it has to do with the ritual. Makayla’s name was drawn, and now Rhett, as any father would do, is refusing to give her up. So now, his life is on the line. But until this all plays out, he has asked that I stay at a lake house with Makayla to keep her away from all that and safe. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I just wanted you all to know what is going on.”

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” asked Roman. “I have some connections there and maybe can cash in some favors.”

“No. Please don’t. I don’t want your name going on a rock. And if I could think of a way to stop the plans for the ritual, I would. But I also know that this group and their activities have gone on for so long, that if there was a way to make a change, it would have happened by now. You can’t change something so thick in tradition and backed by so much wealth and power.”

“Well, I’m here if you need me,” Roman added. “I’ll attend the ritual if you need me to. Anything.”

“I appreciate that, Roman,” I sighed, “but I don’t want anyone else messed up in this shit.”

“Well, we have everything taken care of here at Spiked Roses,” Kenneth said. “Watch your back and keep us posted.”

I hung up the phone, then I checked some emails and touched base with a few other business associates. I had been doing a pretty damn good job keeping my mind off Makayla until she walked through the screened door onto the porch with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands.

“Working?” she asked as she walked over and sat down next to me in her favorite rocker.

I nodded. “Not much, but checking in.”

“Have you heard from my father?”

I looked at her to try to read her expression, though her blank stare at the lake as she sipped on her coffee gave me nothing. “No. Not yet.”

“Do you think we will?”

“Yes. He said he would, so I know he will.”

“But he’s fucked right? You feel he is?”

I sighed. “I know your father is a resourceful man. If there is a way out of the mess, then he’ll find it. We just have to give him the chance to do so. Knowing you are safe will keep his mind focused on what needs to happen.”

“So what are we going to do today?” Makayla still hadn’t really looked at me and seemed to be putting up a wall around herself. There was a level of distance present now that hadn’t been there before. Even though she was being nice… she was far away.

Good.

I took a long sip of my coffee and watched the picturesque scene before me, grateful that we weren’t discussing the awkward situation of both seeing each other naked and the fact that we’d been moments from fucking.

“Grocery shop, for one. Unless we want to live off of wine in the cellar,” I said, trying not to remember getting drunk and kissing her last night.

“Doesn’t sound like a bad diet,” she said, turning to me and giving me a smile, though not as warm and endearing as last night. Was she feeling the same level of regret I was for our transactions?

“I think I want to go for a swim first. Shake off the wine haze I feel from last night,” she said, standing and stretching her body. “Care to join me?”

“That water is fucking cold. Plus it’s not exactly warm out right now. Are you insane?”

She giggled. “You always were a fuddy duddy. Mama and I would always have to go into the lake without the big strong men. I remember once when we were walking down to the dock, I overheard Mama calling you both pussies under her breath.” Makayla glanced over her shoulder and winked at me. “I guess some things never change.”

Acting offended, I asked, “Are you calling me a pussy?”

“Simply stating a fact is all.”

“Well, I’ll show you who is and isn’t a pussy,” I said as I swiped off my shirt and headed toward the dock. “I’ll be in that frigid water before you and be able to stay in it longer. Then we’ll see who the real pussy is.”

“Oh the challenge is on,” Makayla shouted, sprinting toward the dock giggling as she shed her shirt, revealing a white lace bra.

I didn’t have time to observe or appreciate the way her breasts looked in such little material because I was too busy undressing as I ran toward the pier. Maybe it was Makayla, and it was most definitely the lake house, but I became a changed man when I was here. I felt a sense of freedom and acted like someone I didn’t recognize, a whimsical free spirit. Or at least I acted like someone I hadn’t been in a long time. Not since Minka’s death and never returning the lake.

I was the first to make it to the end of the dock, and hopping out of my jeans as quickly as I could since I could hear the pitter patter of Makayla’s feet running down the dock my way, I dove in without thought. Dove in without thinking about how unbelievably cold the water would be.

Completely submerged and sinking to the bottom, it took me several moments for my body to recuperate from the shock of it all. As I came to the surface, I looked up to find Makayla in her jeans and white bra looking down at me, laughing to the point of tears.

“How’s the water?” she asked between her laughs.

“Come in and find out for yourself,” I said, treading water and hoping my limbs wouldn’t freeze off.

“Oh hell no,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not that stupid. It’s cold!”

“What? You were the one who wanted to jump in!” I said as I watched her continue to laugh so hard she had to bend at the waist and rest her palms on her legs to catch her breath.

“And it worked! I tricked you into jumping in!” She continued to laugh. “I never had any intention of getting into the freezing lake.”

I suddenly felt the fool, but couldn’t help but laugh myself. “Oh, I’m going to get you for this!”

She shook her head. “There is nothing you can do to top this. You should have seen your face when you came out of the water.” Her laughter continued, and it was hard not to want to laugh along with her—it was damn near contagious.

“Yeah, well thanks to you, I may have frozen my balls off.” I swam to the ladder so I could get the fuck out of the lake. “Could you at least get my clothes ready so I don’t have to suffer once I get out?”

Makayla gathered my scattered clothes as she continued to giggle. When I reached the top of the dock, she held out my pants with those big blue eyes of hers batting her eyelashes innocently.

“I’m going to get you for this,” I said as I bolted for her, grabbed her into my arms, and picked her up.

She squealed. “No! Put me down. The water’s too cold.” She wiggled and fought me, but I had her fully at my mercy as I dangled her body over the edge of the dock.

“Time for you to see how cold the water is for yourself.”

“No! Please,” she said as she giggled and clung her arms around my neck. “I’ll do anything! Just don’t drop me.”

I froze, but still kept her over the ledge. “Anything?” I asked with a smirk as she looked up at me wide-eyed.

“Anything!”

“Dinner? You’ll cook dinner?”

She nodded. “Yes! Dishes too. Just don’t drop me.”

I gently placed her back down on her feet, and bent over to pick up my jeans she’d dropped in her struggles. “Well, in that case…”

As I stood, my eyes were captivated by her bare tummy leading up to her white bra. Though now that I had held her against my soaked body, her bra was just as wet as I was. I could see her pink nipples clearly through the fabric. My cock hardened and I couldn’t make myself look away. It took all my strength to look up into Makayla’s eyes to see that she watched me as I gazed upon her perfect pert tits and mouthwatering nipples.

Her eyes cast down to my hardened dick. There was no hiding my arousal since I stood there in nothing but wet boxers.

I should have put my pants on and walked back up to the house and tried to pretend like nothing just occurred. I should have done something. Anything. But not what I did.

I shouldn’t have done what I did.

I shouldn’t have looked into her passion-filled eyes.

Her lips.

And back down to her exposed breasts just begging to be sucked.

I shouldn’t have done anything, and yet… I did.

Scooping her up into my arms, I kissed her hard on the lips as I carried her over the dock and across the yard. Over and over, I danced my tongue with hers as I walked back to the house in blind lust. She clung to me and returned my kiss with just as much passion and desire as I was feeling.

I was done fighting this. I was done denying what would ultimately happen no matter how hard I tried to resist.

Wrong or right.

Taboo and fucked up.

Makayla was going to be mine.

9

Alec

This was going to happen. It was finally going to happen, and there was no turning back.

I wanted this.

I knew Makayla wanted this.

It was time I crossed the threshold to selling my soul to the devil. I couldn’t resist her any longer, and I couldn’t resist this pull. It was too strong.

I would beg for forgiveness afterwards, but for now…

For now, I would sin.

Our lips touched, a fleeting hint of what was yet to come. I pressed her close, then closer still, so that the soft curves of her body melded to the hardness of my sex. I kissed her again as her arms lifted to encircle my neck. Our kiss intensified, leaving our bodies tense for more.

Tossing her onto her bed where we had just recently come so close to fucking before, I was determined to finish what I had started. Without asking, not taking the time to woo, I removed each piece of her clothing effortlessly and with the skill of a very sexual man. I wasn’t going to take my time in this. I was not one for a slow seductive dance. I wanted her naked now, and, therefore, it would happen as fast as I could make that happen.

There was a small part of me that wanted to approach things slowly, to not let my desire be mastered by my passion. But when Makayla moaned against the thrust of my tongue and her hands frantically rubbed along my bare chest, I knew the battle was lost.

She was too innocent to truly understand the control she had over me. She had all the power with just the way she touched me, and she had no clue of just how much dominance she possessed.

The level of chemistry that had grown between us had become consuming, making me want her with an intensity that I’d never experienced with anyone else. I don’t know what it was. The lake? The house? The situation? All I knew was that when I watched her skin being revealed as I undressed her, my body almost exploded with lust.

She rubbed herself intimately against me, the action making my cock grow even harder. She knew how to use her body just as any experienced woman would… with even more skill, though she had no idea. I wanted to sink into her, to lose myself in her slick, wet heat, to drive us both hard and fast to orgasm. I couldn’t wait to hear her scream out my name.

It was what we both wanted — more importantly, what we both needed. But this time, I was determined to give her something different, to offer her something more than I had ever offered any woman before her. Not just a sexual experience, but a promise. I wanted to communicate security in the way we had sex. I wanted to make sure she felt safe in the fact that I was there. I was going to shelter her from any storm that came her way.

My cock had pressed against my frozen boxers to the point of pain. I couldn’t free myself from my restraints of the wet fabric fast enough. This woman… this goddess before me, literally made me grow weak in the knees. Such sweet delicate features, and also such luscious and alluring curves. I had to have her. I had to have her now, and I prayed to God that I could be gentle.

I ran my palm up Makayla’s leg, enjoying the fact that she didn’t flinch, but moaned in response to my touch. She lay on the bed completely naked, and didn’t try to conceal herself at all. Her eyes never left mine, as if she were attempting to hypnotize me… and it worked. I was captivated by this woman.

“I want to look at and touch every part of your body, Makayla. I want to memorize every curve, every dip and valley, and every inch of your skin.”

If I was going to hell, I was going to make damn sure every wicked moment of this was worth it.

Without waiting for a response, I spread her legs wide, watching the seam of her pussy open for me. Her tiny hole just begging to be entered, but I knew I needed to go slow.

Running my finger along each side of her delicate petals, I asked, “Has anyone ever touched you here before?” I knew the answer, but I still wanted it to come from her sweet, virginal lips.

She shook her head. “No, Papa would never allow it. I was never given the opportunity to be with anyone.”

Thank God for that. At least her past was good for something. It had protected what I so desperately wanted to claim as mine. Be somewhere no one else had ever been before. I wanted that cherry that hadn’t been tasted. I wanted to suck it, lick it, and fuck that fruit until all the juices were gone.

Everything was so fucking wrong.

This was Makayla.

My best friend’s daughter.

I should stop. I should beg for forgiveness.

I should not be here about to take her virginity.

“Then we need to get you ready. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Soaking up her juices with my fingertip, I coated the opening to her pussy nice and good. With as much care as I could, I pressed my wet finger past her opening and eased my way in. Makayla gasped and tensed, but then relaxed when I slowly began to move my finger in and out of her tight channel. I leaned down and kissed her thatch of little blonde curls, inhaling the musky scent of her desire.

“Relax, Makayla,” I coaxed as my finger glided in and out. “I need to get this sweet pussy of yours ready for me. I’m not a small man, and I don’t want this to hurt more than it already will.” When her legs relaxed back open and her hips thrust up to meet my mouth, silently begging for more of my kisses, I whispered, “I’m going to make you fucking love this.”

My name caught in her throat when a moan overpowered it as my tongue flicked her clit, nipping it between my lips. Her hands ran on both sides of my head, driving my face into her pussy as her moans intensified.

“Alec… Alec? This feeling. I feel…” Panic laced her words.

“Allow it to flow. It’s pleasure demanding to be let in. Open the door.”

Her head thrashed side to side, and her breathing became ragged. “I’m scared.”

“Come for me, Makayla. Fill my mouth with your sweet cream. Release.”

I wasn’t some virginal teen boy about to just shove my dick in her pussy and pop her cherry. No, I was an experienced man who would give her immense pleasure before I had to give her pain.

Her hips bucked as her moan turned into a tiny scream. Her pussy quivered around my mouth, and the taste of her nectar coated my tongue. I lapped up every last bit of her completion as her body shook on the tail end of her climax.

Not wanting her body to fully become sated, I moved up to her breasts and began to circle my tongue around one nipple, and then moved to pay the same attention to the other. Molding the flesh of her firm and perky mounds with my hands, I could no longer fight the hunger. I needed my cock buried deep inside of her and couldn’t wait any longer.

Stretching up, I placed my lips at the shell of her ear and whispered, “I’m going to put my cock inside of you now. It is going to hurt, baby, but I will try to make it as easy as possible.”

“Yes, yes, please,” she begged. “I want this. I do.”

Placing the head of my dick at her entrance, I slowly eased in, pausing when I felt the wall of resistance. I knew this was the time where I fully claimed her. Her virginity would belong to me, just as she would. I wouldn’t take this gift lightly.

“Take a deep breath and relax,” I ordered as I pushed firmly against the barrier and felt a slight ‘pop’ as Makayla cried out. “Shhh…” I cooed as I paused for a moment so she could adjust to my girth.

It was Makayla who began to thrust her hips up and down, demanding that I hold back no further. Taking her cue, I launched a steady rhythm of pushing in and out, while placing soft kisses along the curve of her neck. A steady staccato of my cock pulling out just enough to spread her opening, and then plummeting back inside, so deep I could feel where the inside of her tight little cunt ended, balls scraping along her outer lips. In and out, I fucked her. In and out, she gave herself to me in the most carnal of ways. Little Makayla had changed. She had grown. She was no longer a little girl. She was a woman… my woman.

Not being able to hold back my own pleasure any longer, I allowed the surge of my ecstasy to take over, spilling my seed deep within her.

“Alec,” she called out, the sound so sweet on her pouty lips.

The sound of my name from her mouth outweighed the power of my own orgasm.

Outweighed right from wrong.

Outweighed good from bad.

Outweighed all reason.

10

Makayla

That smells good,” Alec complimented when he walked into the kitchen as I was cooking dinner. He came up behind me and kissed the side of my neck.

Like a boyfriend would do.

A couple.

Is that what we were now that we’d had sex?

My mind spun, but I didn’t want to show my naiveté by overthinking or over asking. I needed to just follow Alec’s lead on this. He knew what he was doing, and I didn’t. All I did know was that I had just lost my virginity in the best of ways. It was better than I could have imagined, and though I had never envisioned losing it to my Uncle Alec… Uncle Alec… it still felt right. Like in a weird way, this was all supposed to happen.

“Just some pasta,” I said. “I made garlic bread too.”

“Do you want me to open some wine to go with it?” he asked.

“More wine huh?” I asked with a smile.

“In moderation tonight,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, we don’t want you to have to jump into the lake first thing in the morning again, now do we?” I said with a giggle.

“I still haven’t gotten you back for that, little one. And trust me,” he said as he grabbed the hand towel hanging near the sink. “I plan to.” He then snapped the towel on my behind.

“Ouch!” I said as I jumped away. “That hurts, you ass.” I tried to play angry, but I couldn’t wash the smile off my face if I’d tried. “You can’t just spank me with a towel!”

“Oh you call that spanking? Trust me. If I were going to really spank you, you would know… and like it,” Alec said with a wink as he wound up the towel in his hand like he was going to swat me with it again.

“Like a spanking? Are you crazy?” I turned my attention back to the boiling pasta and stirred.

“Oh you would. I can tell these things. You have a hidden submissive nature. I see it. Not only would you like the spanking, you would beg for more.”

I turned around with my mouth wide open to find Alec leaning against the counter with a mischievous look on his face. “I do not. I wouldn’t like a spanking one bit.”

“Want to wager a jump in the lake on that?” he asked.

“You’ve lost your mind. There is no way I am going to allow you to spank me,” I said with my arms against my chest doing my damnedest to not smile.

“Even if it means me having to jump in the lake again?” he asked. “I spank you, and if you don’t like it and beg for more, then I jump in the lake. If you hate it like you say you will, then I jump in the lake. Sounds fair.”

“Except that I am the one getting spanked!” I said, no longer being able to hide the smile.

“Are you a pussy? As your mother liked to call it.”

“Fine! But you better get ready to freeze your balls off again,” I warned. “I’m going to win this bet.”

Alec reached around me and turned off the burners and then the oven.

“Dinner can wait,” he declared.

“You’ve lost your mind, and when this is over, you are going to lose your balls too by frostbite.”

Alec swept me off my feet with little effort.

I smiled at the gesture as he carried me toward his bedroom. I secured my arms around his neck, my breath catching.

“You know I’m perfectly capable of walking.” I laughed lightly. I nuzzled my head to his chest, listening to his heart pound beneath my ear.

“If I could carry you all the time, I would. I love having you this close.”

There was seduction, dripping with desire about the way Alec held me when he carried me into the room. Not rushed, not aggressive, but hungry enough for me to feel the need he exuded as I pressed against the heat of his chest. My body melted with his. I felt wanted, desired more than I had thought possible to feel.

I laid my hand on his chest, soft hair peeking from beneath his cotton shirt, plenty of solid muscle, and felt his heart beating against my palm. I lifted my head and kissed the crook of his neck, the smell of pine, smoke from the fireplace, and man taking over my senses. I wanted to keep now just as it was. The end of lonely, the end of seclusion from any affection. The promise of hope filled my saddened heart.

Once Alec carried me across the threshold of his room, he placed me gently down while flicking on the lights. Instant warmth filled my core as I looked around.

The red brick fireplace took up an entire wall in his room. A large couch, loveseat, and rocking chair were the furniture in the room beside the bed. An artistically braided rug covered much of the wood-planked floor. The walls were mostly undecorated, with the view from the large bay window acting as the only needed art. My mother had done such a wonderful job decorating this room in particular. The entire house was a delicious combination of comfort mixed with functionality, but this room also had an air of romance present.

Alec noticed me taking stock, and smiled. He walked over to the fireplace and started to build a fire. Once the flames were ablaze, he stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. “I’ll go get us a bottle of wine to share after I give you your promised spanking.”

I giggled, but didn’t say anything as I watched him leave the room.

I stood in front of the fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames as I waited for him to return. The sound of Alec placing down the bottle and glasses on the table snapped me back to reality. Looking over my shoulder, I welcomed him with a warm smile.

“Are you really going to spank me?” I asked with a giggle.

“A bet is a bet.”

“It is,” I admitted under hooded eyes. “But I didn’t think you were serious.”

Or did I? Did I want him to be serious? I really didn’t know.

“I’m always serious.”

“I’m learning this.”

He chuckled. What a jovial mood he was in considering what was about to happen.

“What else are you serious about?” I asked, realizing I was trying to stall the inevitable. Or maybe it was just my lame attempt at flirting. I wasn’t good at things like this, and wondered if I would ever be.

“You. And I’m tired of resisting this. Resisting you all the time,” he told me, taking my elbow in a firm, yet loving grip. “I’m done trying to be right, and feeling guilty for being wrong. Us being together sexually opened a door that I’m not going to close. At least, not while we are here at the lake. As long as we are under this roof… I’m not holding back when it comes to you. You are about to see the real me. All of me. I don’t care if it’s wrong.”

I sighed a little. “It doesn’t have to be wrong.”

I realized that out of nervousness of the promised spanking—teasing or not—I had backed up to the fire. My shoulder blades pressed against the warm wood of the fireplace mantle. With no escape, I gazed up at his striking features. The man had the power to hypnotize me with his powerful glare. Alec leaned in to press his palm against the wall behind me, capturing me with his piercing eyes, and the warmth of his body.

The fervor that every square inch of my body evoked blazed in his eyes, releasing the same heat as the flames burning in the fireplace behind me. Alec grasped my arm tighter and started to walk toward the bed.

I could barely breathe when he looked at me that way. My pulse quickened, my chest pounded, and my stomach tightened. The scent of his masculinity swirled around me, making my mind blur. I wanted so badly to reach out and press my palm against the rough texture of his face. I somehow knew exactly how it would feel against my fingertips. His demand melted the crux of my sexuality and made me hungry for more. I wanted to feel his hands over my entire body.

Alec’s hand on my arm was hot and searing, yet sent shivers dashing through me. I studied his confidence, his determination, and knew there was no turning back, but I didn’t care. I wanted this. I wanted him.

“Lower your pants and panties,” Alec instructed like the command was so ordinary. The simple and direct order sent an electric spark through me. He sat down on the chair and waited for my compliance.

I tried to step back from him, but he stopped me by reaching out with his hand and taking hold of my wrist. Even though I thought I desperately wanted this, there was a part of me that wanted to resist as well. I wanted his command, craved his dominance… maybe I wanted to test him just for fun.

“Makayla…” he warned. Meeting my eyes, he went on, “Take off your clothes and lay over my lap.”

“But… you just said to lower my pants.”

“That was before you decided to hesitate,” he said and tightened his grip on me. “I like my women submissive. I think we may need to work on that.”

His authority and demand melted me. A sensation, that I could only assume as submission, washed over me by his tone alone. Chewing on my bottom lip, I slowly did as he asked, removing each item of clothing under his watchful eye.

“I’ve never done anything like this,” I said softly as I lowered myself across his thighs. Turning my head to look at him, I added, “I’m afraid… no, not afraid… nervous.”

He nodded as his arm tightened around my naked body to hold me in position. Alec held me tighter and closer than I’d expected he would do. It seemed as if he never meant to let me go. Everything in my world felt right somehow. Comfort, security, love, and an intense sexual desire, racked my nerves. Lying over his hard-muscled thighs, all I could think was that I needed him buried within me.

The first swat to my behind jolted me. It hurt. This wasn’t sexy time at all!

“Ouch!” I wailed. “Okay, you made your point.”

I resisted against the hand that held me firmly in place. My teeth clenched as I attempted to twist and turn my way to freedom. He met each move with another searing swat.

What the fuck? I thought this would be a light pat that would lead to incredible sex. Foreplay. This stung! He said I would like this. No way. I was going to win this bet hands down.

Alec paused for a teasing minute and then continued on with the fiery cadence on my, what had to be reddening, behind.

I grabbed onto his ankles, squeezing with each spank. I gasped as his hand delivered another repetition of swats. “This isn’t what I thought it would be,” I blurted, hoping to stop the spanking.

His chuckle only blended with the sounds of the loud swats—palm against butt.

Though an electric connection seemed to arc between us with each spank. As insane as it was, surprisingly with some uncomfortable and searing time, I surrendered under Alec’s heavy hand. My mind blanked, and the sensations of my body took over. Submission surged through me as his hand peppered every spot of my upturned bottom. I dissolved into him, while closing my eyes and truly yielding to the delivered discipline.

And when, finally, he reached down to cradle my body close to his, I could only gasp for breath and whisper, “I need you. I need you now.”

* * *

Alec

Guiding Makayla onto the bed, my body nearly shook in anticipation as she lay down. I had wanted Makayla in my bed ever since we first made love and I claimed her virginity as mine, and my desire grew even more when she teased me about being spanked. It took everything I had not to just fuck her the minute I saw her naked again. My appetite couldn’t be satiated with this woman. But I wasn’t going to rush it and not give her the spanking that I had promised. I was a man of my word. Tonight, I didn’t want to just have sex with her. I wanted to make love to her. I didn’t just want to demand her submission; I wanted to earn it.

I let go of Makayla’s hand to light a candle on the nightstand. It gave just enough light along with the fire in the fireplace to cast us in a soft, romantic glow. When I turned to face her again, my heart skipped a beat. Makayla was pure perfection sprawled out naked on the bed. The spanking left her submissive, wanting, and ready. Her wide eyes were sultry as they watched me undress before her.

I towered over her, placing my palms on the mattress. “I love the way you look at me.”

Makayla arched her body, attempting to make contact with my chest. “And how am I looking at you?” she questioned, looking even deeper into my eyes.

“Like you belong to me.” I lowered my face to hers, nipping at her lips. “You’re mine in this house, Makayla. You will always be mine as long as we stay locked away in this safe house of ours,” I murmured against her mouth. “I shouldn’t say that. I shouldn’t do this. But fuck everything if it means you looking at me like that.”

My gaze locked on hers before I flipped her over onto her stomach. My hands rested on her hips as I compressed the full weight of my chest against her back. I pressed my lips to her ear and whispered, “I like seeing the pink on your ass.”

Makayla moaned softly and lifted her bottom to press against the hardness of my cock. “I love feeling you pressed against me.” Her voice was almost a purr.

“You were so beautiful lying over my knee as I spanked you,” I whispered, while one hand traveled to the silky smoothness of her sex. My fingertip pressed past the folds and dipped into her warmth.

“Oh, Alec,” Makayla cried as my finger gently prodded in and out of her wetness.

“I think you should be naughty more often so I can spank that perfect bottom of yours,” I growled into her ear. Her wetness intensified as she ground against my hand, urging me on.

“Yes,” she moaned, her muscles tensing as she neared the edge. “Yes… I want that. I want you to spank me again.”

I chuckled lightly. “Looks like you will be having a morning swim tomorrow.”

“I don’t care. Yes, anything. I just want you!”

“Come for me, Makayla. I want to feel you come against my hand.”

That was all it took. I held her body tight against me as she climaxed, absorbing the passionate spasms of her release.

With one fluid motion, I rolled her over and drove my hardness into her heated sex. Makayla’s head flew back as she cried out. Her fingers clutched desperately at my back. The sound of her pleasured cry triggered a desire to hear her moans over and over again. I could think of nothing else but rocking into her until her cries became a scream of ecstasy.

Makayla wrapped her legs around my back, pulling me deeper within. “I’m yours, Alec. I’ll always be yours,” she gasped before bringing her lips to mine. “Even if we leave this house.”

Not wanting to think about what leaving the house would mean, I thrust my tongue past her lips as I drove in and out of her heat. I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation of wave after wave of pleasure that washed over me. I groaned against her lips as my climax began to escalate.

I eased back and thrust into her again, drawing the desired scream to escape past our kiss. She arched against me, tilting her hips up, as I pressed deeper and harder.

When Makayla screamed out my name, her muscles pulsating around my cock, it was all I needed to pump my release deep within her. I allowed the sounds of her passion to push me over the edge.

11

Alec

I gazed across the crystal clear expanse of the lake, and spotted Makayla easing into the water for her morning dip for losing the bet I had known she would lose. My lower body seized with a deep longing to have her again. Makayla’s long hair blanketed down her naked back, almost reaching her luscious backside. The delicate curve of her bottom, no longer pink from last night’s spanking, made me hungry for more.

I wanted her now.

I walked down to the edge of the water, and regardless of how cold it had been yesterday, I dove in. Taking a quick moment to adjust to the chill of the water, but grateful it wasn’t as cold as the day before, I swam with speed until I reached her.

Wrapping my arms around her body, I murmured against her wet neck, “I woke up and you were gone. Don’t leave me again.”

She turned her head to look over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “And if I do?” she teased as she pressed her bottom to my hardness.

I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her tighter against me. She didn’t resist, but instead, positioned her body so that the cleft of her ass rested against my lengthening desire.

“I would have to punish you,” I said with a nip to her ear. “Again.”

Makayla released a soft moan, tilting her head back in sweet surrender. She pressed her bottom even closer, allowing the tip of my erection to slip between her plump cheeks and nudge against her tight rosebud. Not all the way, but enough to feel the tight heat of her taboo channel. I splayed my hands across her mound and toyed with her clit, swirling my fingertip in circles. I wanted to learn every inch of Makayla’s body, and master the skill of causing her body to hum.

“Then I’ll just have to accept my punishment like a good girl,” she replied, sighing contentedly.

With the tip of my penis still teasing her entrance, I growled in response.

I twirled Makayla to face me, my hands hugging the roundness of her behind. Inhaling deeply, intoxicated by her scent, I moaned.

I slipped a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to me. My lips met hers. They were warm and soft, wet from her morning swim. I couldn’t help pressing forward, driving my ready cock against her heat.

The kiss was much like the ones we had had, yet there was something different about it. There was a new hunger, a new want. When my arms slipped around her waist, my finger sliding into the crevice of her behind, there was no tension or tightening from her. Every inch closer my finger got to her puckered hole, her body seemed to soften against mine. With a hungry press of my fingertip into her tightness, her full submission was obvious. Makayla hungered for this, and I needed to make sure she never hungered again.

“Let’s go back to the house. I want you.” Pressing my finger deeper within her behind, I said, “I want you here.”

I pulled my finger out of her channel just enough to elicit a gasp from Makayla. “I want to be buried deep within your ass. So deep. Deeper than you can imagine.”

I finally pulled away, loving the fact that Makayla didn’t recover immediately. Her eyes were still closed, her breath rapid as she clutched my arms.

We made our way back to the house in a sex-crazed haze, almost as if our bodies were programmed in what exactly to do. I was so lost in my sexual thoughts, that it took me several moments to realize a car was coming down the drive. Makayla and I both froze for a moment but then grabbed our clothing and quickly began to pull them on. It could be Rhett, and he was going to shit bricks if he caught me naked with his daughter.

“Is it Papa?”

“If it is, you better hurry and finish dressing,” I warned, already mentally preparing for the war that was about to take place.

But I soon saw that my battle plan wasn’t needed when a young man as skinny as a willow branch got out of the car holding an envelope. I waved him down as he was walking toward the front door of the house.

“Over here, son. You can give that to me,” I said as I approached him wearing nothing but my jeans, my upper body still dripping wet from the lake.

The young man met me halfway and then his eyes cast over my shoulder to what I knew was Makayla still getting dressed. Part of me wanted to beat the boy senseless for sneaking a peek, but another part of me understood. How could you not look at something so gorgeous?

“Thank you,” I said, taking the letter. Luckily, my wallet was still in the back pocket of my jeans, so I pulled it out and handed the courier a fifty-dollar bill.

The boy took one more look at Makayla and then scurried back to his car, leaving me standing there half wet and terrified of what I would find in the delivery. I knew the letter was from Rhett. He was the only one who knew where we were.

I opened the envelope fearing what I would read. I knew the only good news would have come with Rhett driving down the drive to meet us here with that big goofy grin of his. A letter was not going to be good. I knew this. And without even looking up to see Makayla staring at me with those big wide eyes of hers, I knew she felt the same way.

“What does it say?” she asked softly.

I knew I had to read it first. I had to. My job was to protect Makayla, and I needed to know exactly how I would need to do that. Trying to read the letter first as quickly as I could, I could feel the impatience exuding from Makayla before me.

Alec,

If you are receiving this letter, then you did as I asked and took Makayla to our special spot. I thank you for that. Knowing she is safe is the only thing that is giving me comfort right now. I know in my heart that you will make sure she is forever protected. Especially since I can’t be there anymore to do so.

My refusal to give up Makayla will lead to my ultimate death. Yes, I have a chance at winning the roulette, but I’m not going to go into the ritual with that expectation. I’ve never been a lucky man. My chances aren’t good, and accepting this fact will help me get my affairs in order. Makayla is all I care about, and knowing you will handle it from here sets my mind at ease. My attorney will be contacting you in regards to the estate once my body is found. He will also have a letter I have written to Makayla to hopefully give her some sense of closure. All my wishes will be outlined, and I feel I have made everything as easy as possible to handle. I hope that you help guide Makayla in what needs to happen in regards to all that. She is a highly intelligent woman, but not skilled in the world of business yet. Teach her. School her. Make her become the most powerful woman with the tools I will leave behind. My estate will take care of her for the rest of her life if managed properly. I task you with this, my friend. You are the only one I trust in handling this.

I don’t want Makayla to know about the ritual at all. The brotherhood will cover up my death and make it look like something else as they always do. Please let Makayla believe whatever cause of death is portrayed on the surface. I don’t want her knowing anything about the brotherhood, the ritual, or the fact that a rock with her name on it was drawn. I don’t want these nightmares of my life to affect her any longer. Give her the ordinary life she so deserves.

This will be my last correspondence with you as the date of the ritual is coming soon. But as my final words, I want to tell you that I value our friendship now more than ever. I know you will follow my wishes. I go to my grave with fond memories of you, my wife, and my precious daughter all at the lake. As I pull the trigger in the game of roulette, I plan to close my eyes and only see that vision.

Forever friends,

Rhett

“Read it to me,” Makayla said, breaking me from my heartbreaking thoughts.

My friend. My dead friend.

No! No! No!

Even if I wanted to try to hide the awful news, the punch to the gut feeling and the way my ears rang made it impossible to keep a cool appearance. I knew this.

“Why aren’t you reading his letter to me?” Makayla asked, her voice rising to a level of hysteria. “I can see it upset you. What does it say? Tell me!”

I folded the letter and looked into her eyes. I wouldn’t be able to read this again and not puke. And she certainly couldn’t read this. If it were possible to die of a broken heart, this letter would surely murder Makayla.

Makayla lunged for the letter, but I was able to step back and pull it from her reach.

“Give it to me!” she demanded. “He’s my father. You have no right to keep it from me.”

“Makayla…” Still holding the letter back and out of reach, I shook my head. “I don’t want you reading this.”

She froze and stared at me. “Why?” The fear on her face made me want to scoop her up into my arms and hold her tight. “Is it bad?” Her question was so frail and fragile.

I nodded.

“Why? What does it say? Please, Alec. Don’t keep it from me.”

Knowing that Makayla wouldn’t give up, and maybe because deep down I agreed with her in that she did have the right to know, I slowly handed her the letter. I just prayed I wasn’t giving her the tools to her undoing.

I watched her shaky hands hold the letter as her eyes followed each word on the paper. The color faded from her face and her lip began to quiver. Makayla didn’t need to tell me she was done reading the letter, because her crumpling body falling to the ground told it all. Resting on her knees with the letter still in her hands, a howl more earth shattering than anything I had ever heard before filled the calm morning air. The morbid and anguished cry of Makayla stopped my heart as I watched this poor woman read the final words of her father’s death letter.

Falling to my knees in front of her, I pulled her screaming and sobbing body into my arms. “Oh, Makayla,” was all I could say. I had never felt so helpless in my life. As she screamed NO over and over again, I would have done anything to absorb the pain from her body.

She clung to my shirt with her balled fists and screamed, “No! This can’t be! Why would he be saying this? Why is he saying he’s going to die?” She pulled back and looked at me. “Fix this! Please. I beg you. Fix this!”

I just shook my head and looked down at the ground in shame.

She hit me hard in chest, and then again, and again. “Fix it! Fix it, god damnit! Do you hear me? Fix it!”

“I can’t.” I hated myself for saying those words.

“Yes, you can. I know you can. There has to be something.” Her screams turned into full on sobs—so deep that her entire body shook as she did so. “Please, Uncle Alec. Save my papa. My papa…”

And just like that, the beautiful woman from this morning became the little girl of my past.

But this time, the little girl was broken. Shattered. Afraid. And in need of someone to take it all away.

I was not that man.

I couldn’t be that man.

I would do anything if I fucking could. But I was not the man she needed in her hopeful fairytale dream that a knight in shining armor would swoop in and save her father from the ugly dragon threatening to end it all with one puff of the fire.

We were not in a fairytale, and I was not the hero.

Rocking her back and forth on the dirt-covered ground was all I could do, and eventually her devastating sobs subsided. It gave me hope that maybe Makayla wouldn’t die in my arms from the enormity of her pain.

Standing up, she looked down at me with a new look of determination in her eyes. “Tell me about this ritual. What is Papa talking about when he says roulette and my name on the stone? I want to know everything. You are going to tell me all about it.”

I stood and brushed the dirt off my pants, preparing to tell her everything she asked. It was the least I could do.

“What is Papa talking about in this letter? Why does he think he’s going to die?”

“Why don’t we go sit on the porch,” I said as I placed my hand on her lower back. “It’s a long story.”

Makayla didn’t resist, but allowed me to guide her in silence to the two rocking chairs overlooking the lake.

“You know about The Iron Colt Brotherhood,” I began. “Every year they hold a ritual. This ritual has been occurring since long before the war was fought to end slavery. It’s an archaic ritual that many members hate, but have no choice but to be part of. Every year, rocks are drawn with people’s names on it. Females are drawn for the first part of the ritual, and six men’s names are drawn for the final part of the ritual—the roulette part. Your name was drawn to be part of the ritual, and clearly, your father is refusing for that to happen. Because of that, he is automatically part of the ritual himself. The Russian roulette part of the ritual. He will have a one in six chance at survival. He and five other men will be sitting around a table, have to place the gun at their temple, and pull the trigger. There is only one bullet in the revolver, and one man will definitely die. Rhett’s only hope is that the bullet goes into someone else’s head rather than his own.”

“Why was my name drawn? I never put my name on a rock or asked a favor of the brotherhood.” I was surprised to hear Makayla ask the question so calmly.

I sighed deeply. “Your father was desperate when your mother got sick. He was determined to save her. To beat the cancer even though the doctors said there was no hope. He wanted access to the best specialists and to have her participate in all the medical trials. To get these favors, he put his name on a lot of stones that were placed in the urn. He didn’t care how much he was at risk of having his rock drawn for the ritual. Eventually the brotherhood had felt that he maxed out his favors and entries into the urn. So, feeling desperate to save your mother, he put your name on the rocks too. He would have done anything to save Minka. And he had told me that if by some chance your name came up, he would refuse and face the consequences then. He would never allow you to be part of the ritual.”

“So, was my name drawn to play Russian roulette?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No. The first part of the ritual is where the women are used. Each woman is treated like an animal, a sex slave to be purchased by one of the members of the brotherhood to be theirs for the ritual in whichever way they choose. The women have no choice but to be violated, abused and treated like a plantation owner in the days long gone would treat a slave… but far worse.”

“Jesus. Why? Why would any of you want to be part of this?”

“It’s sick. It’s why I chose to leave it all behind a long time ago. The ritual is supposed to be symbolic of a society that thrived for decades. To demonstrate power, control, dark desires, and show that there is a price to pay for it all.” I paused, hating the way she was looking at me. “You have to remember that both your father and I were born into this. It’s hard to walk away from a heritage and tradition that has always been. Blue blood connections are almost impossible to break. It doesn’t make it right, but it was just the reality that your father and I were part of our entire lives.”

Accepting my answer with a slight nod, Makayla asked, “So, that’s why my father was so overprotective of me? He was worried I would be pulled into the ritual.”

“I’ve seen the ritual,” I confessed. “I would fear that as well. I can’t imagine you being part of it.”

“But my name was drawn when I left for New Orleans and that is why my father sent us here. Right?”

I nodded. “It seems so.”

“And because my father refused, they are forcing him to do the Russian roulette?”

I nodded again. “He’s sacrificing himself. It’s one of the rules of the ritual. Someone can sacrifice to save someone else. It’s rarely done, but it can be.”

“Where does this ritual take place?”

“Do you remember the Myers’ mansion?”

“That old plantation?” Her eyes grew wide. “I’ve been there so many times as a kid. We would go there for BBQs and parties. The Myers are part of this? This can’t be true. They were such nice people.”

“I can bet everyone you have ever known is part of The Iron Colt Brotherhood. Like I said, every powerful man in Georgia and the south is connected to it or knows about it and covets a spot. Not everyone involved is bad. Like I said, the pull by bloodline alone is what makes breaking away almost impossible. And if you want to be a rich man and succeed in any form of business, then you can’t just walk away. The brotherhood can make or break you.”

“This can’t be allowed!” Makayla shouted, standing from the chair. “I’ll call the police. They’ll stop it. I won’t let my father risk dying because of some fucked up old ritual done by power hungry crazed men.”

I sighed heavily, frustrated by the naivety of her statement. “Do you really think the police aren’t aware and paid handsomely by the brotherhood? There is no part of Georgia The Iron Colt Brotherhood does not control.”

Makayla collapsed back in the rocker in defeat and sat there in silence for several moments before asking, “So, do the women die? In the first part of the ritual that Papa is protecting me from, do I have a chance of dying?”

“No. Though I’m sure some wish for death during it.”

“But I wouldn’t die?”

“No…” I narrowed my eyes on her, pretty sure where she was going with this. “Makayla, your father refused. He already made up his mind and put his name in your place. So if you are thinking—”

“That it would be better for me to do it than him,” Makayla interrupted. “At least no one would die that way.”

I could see she was getting agitated and worked up again, and I needed to try to diffuse her belief that she could swoop in and save the day. She didn’t understand the way the brotherhood worked, and as much as I wanted to fix this in any way I could, I just couldn’t think of a way.

“Do you know when the ritual is?” she asked.

“Yes, in two days.” I reached out for her hand and squeezed. “Makayla, I know this isn’t what you want to hear. But all we can do is sit here and hope for the best. There is still a chance your father could walk away from the roulette. Some other poor bastard could be the dead man. Not him.”

She didn’t answer me, but turned her head to stare out at the lake. I took her silence as a sign that, though she didn’t like the situation anymore than I did, she realized we had to just pray Rhett walked away with his life.

“I’m going to go get us something to drink. I think we could both use it.”

Very softly, she asked, “Will you go down to the wine cellar and get a good bottle?”

“Of course,” I said as I stood and bent over to kiss her on the top of her head. “All is not lost yet.”

“You’re right,” she agreed with a weak smile. “All is not lost yet.”

12

Makayla

It was fair to say that I hadn’t made the wisest choice by deciding to steal Alec’s car while he was in the wine cellar. It also wasn’t smart to drive all day to attempt to find the Myers’ mansion only to wind up driving some desolate backwoods road in the middle of a rainstorm—at the beginning of the night. I fancied myself a wise woman in regards to books and academia but not full of street smarts, and definitely not self-reliant. My father had made sure of that by keeping me locked away from anything he considered a risk… which was everything.

Alec would be furious when he came back upstairs to find me gone, and I knew he would be quick to follow me. But the time it would take for him to find a new car would buy me some time, and I did have a head start. I had to do something. No way would I just sit at the lake house and hope for the best. Not when I could sacrifice myself instead of my father. I could, and I would.

Alec’s car’s windshield wipers barely kept up with clearing the massive amount of water sluicing across the foggy glass. I fiddled with the knob, hoping to speed up the back and forth motion to no avail. It was almost impossible to see the road without even a sliver of light in the cloudy night’s sky.

Where the hell was I? All I could see was a few feet ahead of me of a road that seemed to lead to nowhere. This was a recipe for a perfect horror story. Though my life had become one big horror story as it was. I had no phone signal, the GPS on my phone decided to stop working, the storm raged around me, and I just continued to drive into the woods of nowhere. I knew the plantation house was near, but enough time had passed by since I last visited with my father for the annual fourth of July celebration that was always hosted there, that I couldn’t one hundred percent remember my way in the backwoods of Georgia without some guidance. I remembered the plantation from when I was little pretty well. My father and mother had taken me to the house for large parties and BBQs. I remembered attending a couple of weddings there as well. But then it all stopped, and I had never thought to ask why.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something white sprint out onto the road and hit the right tire, or fender, or some part of the car. The slight bump, and then a crunching sound under the tire made it very clear that I had killed something. A rabbit? A raccoon? A deer—no not a deer—I would be dead by now if that was the case.

I kept driving. It wasn’t like I had hit the creature. It had hit me… right? And besides, the crunching noise under the car made it very clear that whatever hit me was definitely road kill. And even if I did pull over, I had no signal to call for help, and I hadn’t seen a car in at least an hour, if not longer. I needed to get to my father before it was too late, and the longer I drove, the more I panicked. What if I was too late? What if I never found the plantation house?

After a few more moments mourning the creature I hadn’t even really seen before it became road kill, I realized I could barely make out the lines on the road. The rain came down harder, and harder, and even harder if that was even possible. I had no choice but to pull over to the side of the road. Driving in these conditions was insane, no matter if my father’s life was at risk or not. When the car stopped, I pulled my shaking hands off the wheel and ran them through my hair, taking deep breaths to calm my panicky nerves.

I had to be close. Some things I seemed to recognize, but it was too hard to tell for sure. Taking a moment to look around, I could barely make out the trees in very thick woods all around. I couldn’t just wait out this storm in the middle of nowhere. My father’s life was on the line, and even though I knew deep down I could be too late, and there was maybe nothing I could do, I had to try. I wasn’t going to just sit in the lake house, pretending to be on vacation while my father was about to be killed, as he and Alec wanted me to do. I put the car back into drive and headed out. I knew I was close to the mansion and would eventually recognize a street or landmark for sure if I just kept going. It became my chant.

Keep going. Save Papa.

Keep going. Save Papa.

Mile after mile, I drove. The road seemed to go on with no end in sight. On and on I drove in pitch-blackness and torrential rain, praying that a deer wouldn’t jump out and total Alec’s car.

Pulling over to the side of the road again, I grabbed my phone and hopped out of the car, grateful that the rain had paused long enough so that I could stand outside without getting drenched. Holding the phone in the air, I watched the screen for any sign of a signal as I walked around. I knew I had to be close. I just needed to get the name of the street. Anything.

“Look what we got here,” a voice cut through the air from behind me. I spun around to see a car parked in the shadows off the road just as two strong arms grabbed me and wrestled me to the ground. How could I not have seen the car before? “It’s her. I recognize her face from the picture. Her daddy thought she wouldn’t come. Funny how we knew otherwise.”

“At least we don’t have to sit here in the rain waiting for her to come anymore,” the second man added as they dragged me back toward their car. “This was the second day in a row we had to sit here, if I had to do it another day, I would lose my fucking mind.”

A small sticker on the trunk of the vehicle of my captors told me that I had indeed found the plantation house—or that the house had found me. A decorative insignia with the lettering The Iron Colt Brotherhood written underneath was the last thing I saw before they had my hands tied together, and I was thrown into the back of the car.

Fighting against the restraints, I closed my eyes as I took deep breaths.

Calm.

Remain calm.

Clearly, they knew who I was. Who my father was.

A few minutes passed before the car came to a stop. I looked out the window at the large mansion that I remembered from my youth and prepared myself for what was to come. I had no idea how, but I knew I had to stay calm and collected. Fear would only lead to mistakes. I wasn’t a little girl anymore. My papa wasn’t here to tuck me in at night and tell me all my nightmares would go away.

No, my father could be dead.

Maybe I would soon join him.

The back door opened, and when the fresh air hit my face, it gave me a renewed strength. As the men yanked me out of the car, I gave it my all. Gyrating my body, screaming, biting, and scratching, I would do whatever I could to leave my mark on these men. I would make damn sure their DNA was all over me if in fact they decided to kill me. I was forced onto my back and straddled by one of my captors. A punch to the face finally stunned me into submission, and I had no choice but to succumb to whatever these men had in store for me as they pulled my stunned body back to standing.

I struggled against the bonds that were around my wrists. The two men shoved me forward, causing me to stumble on the rocky path leading up to a large plantation house that I remembered from my childhood. I looked around, remembering that at one time this estate had provided wonderful memories. No way would I have known then that I would be standing here kidnapped and tied, fearing for my life and the life of my father.

“Walk,” one of the men ordered, breaking me from my observations with a kick to my calf. “Don’t make me kick you the entire way.” He led me up the stairs to the porch and into the house.

Several men came out from the rooms that lead to the large expansive foyer as I was kicked and shoved to the center area. All of the men were dressed in expensive suits, designer ties, and carried an aura of extreme wealth.

“Please!” I called out. Hopefully, one of the now ten or so men gathering around would take pity on me. They couldn’t all be heartless bad guys, could they?

“What treat have you brought us today?” a voice called out from my right. All heads turned to a man walking toward me. He approached until he stood inches from my face, so close that I could smell his thick cologne.

I refused to look him in the eye as he stood before me, raking his eyes up and down my body as if attempting to see through my clothing. Maybe if I didn’t look at him, he would somehow let me go.

“Where did you find her?”

“By the entrance. She had been driving around on our land for a while. We think she was lost, but definitely searching for us.”

I hated showing fear, but hiding the fact that I was terrified was impossible. My body shook, and my knees threatened to collapse at any minute. Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to cry. The man stopped examining my body to look around.

He stared directly in my eyes and asked, “Makayla right?”

“I want my father. Now!” I spat.

He answered my demand with a venom-laced smile, and said, “Take sweet Makayla and lock her up with the others. We knew Daddy’s Girl would come. It was just a matter of time.” Several men laughed as they all turned and went back to whatever they were doing before my arrival.

I was led to a room that had once served as either a billiards room or a large library, but I couldn’t remember. Everything about the inside of this house had changed from what I remembered as a child. It was now dark, haunting, evil even. This wasn’t the house it once was. The windows had bars on them and the one door of the entrance to where I was being led had several locks, as well as a man with an antique rifle sitting on a chair in front of it. The guard pulled out a ring of keys and began unlocking the door. Moments later, a near punch to the back shoved me into a dark room. It took my eyes several minutes to adjust to the darkness to make out what was around me. Huddled against the wall were five women, naked and chained like animals.

“Take your clothes off,” the man who led me ordered. He unfastened my hands, tossing the binds to the floor.

“I will not!” I screamed in retort.

The man reached for his belt and pulled it free from the loops. He doubled it over in his palm. “I’ll beat you until you do.” The look in his eye, and the way he tested the belt by hitting it against his hand, told me he meant business.

I had to be smart about this. Fighting wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I had to play along the best I could and do what they asked. Something in my gut told me that resistance would only give these men a reason to break me… and they would, and most likely enjoy every minute. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my t-shirt above my head.

“Thata girl. Keep it coming, and I won’t have to whip that fine ass of yours.”

I removed the rest of my clothes, trying not to pay attention to the man who looked as if he may very well cum in his pants just by watching me do so. I also didn’t look at the women in the corner, as if looking at the other kidnap victims made this nightmare all the more real. It wasn’t until he placed a heavy metal collar around my neck that I looked up from the ground. The man hooked a long chain to the collar, dragged me over to the other women, and secured the chain to a hook screwed into the floor.

He then walked over to my clothes and picked them up, bringing my panties to his nose and taking a deep breath. “Mmm… a sweet one.”

I wanted to attack and gouge the bastard’s eyes out, but the thick metal around my neck reminded me harshly that my mobility had been greatly compromised.

“You ladies tell our new guest all the rules. If she gets a beating for breaking them, you all get a beating,” the man declared before turning around and leaving.

I fingered the collar, staring at the women who had all remained silent the entire time the man was in the room.

“Where are we?” I asked. “Who are these people?”

“Shh! Don’t talk so loud,” one of the girls whispered. “If we get too loud, the guard will come in and do whatever his evil mind is in the mood for.”

“What do they want with us?” I asked, in a whisper this time. “Why are we chained naked to the floor?” If they planned on raping and killing me, why hadn’t they done so by now? Why were these women and I being held captive like slaves?

“For the ritual,” was the simple answer from a tinier girl with her knees pulled up to her chin. She had bruises along her thighs, and I could see fingerprint marks on her upper arms. The busted lip she had still didn’t take away from her beauty, however.

“Ritual?” I asked, taking in each of the women slowly.

“Yes.”

“Were you all kidnapped?” I asked, loud enough that several of the girls hushed me again.

They all nodded. “In a way. Like you. We knew this would eventually happen. Our names were all drawn like yours was.”

My head spun trying to make sense of and to absorb what was being said. I was thinking back to what Alec had said about the women used for the ritual being treated like animals. Sex slaves to be purchased by a member of the brotherhood. “Is this where we wait to be bought?” I asked.

“We think so. We don’t know. We have all been told slightly different variations of what happens at these rituals,” one girl said sitting to the side of me.

“This is crazy. We can’t just sit here like this and allow this,” I said.

“If I were you—” the tiny, bruised girl spoke again, “—I would focus on trying to just survive this without harm. Trust me. There is no point in trying to resist. It will all be over soon enough. My daddy told me that once this was over, all our family’s financial woes would be over. That he would get the funding he needed for his business and this nightmare would be over. We are all here for reasons like this, and fighting the inevitable is just going to make it worse.”

The other girls nodded in agreement.

I didn’t know what to say. I fingered the collar around my neck, hating how tight it felt each time I swallowed. I scanned the dark room for any signs of escape. The only bright light came from small slits in the window, but it was enough that I could see there was only one way in, and one way out. Each window had metal bars running vertically. We were in a prison—chained by the neck in a dark, dank room waiting for this ritual.

“What if you refuse?” Even though I asked the question, I already knew the answer.

The women shook their heads, sighed, one even gave an evil chuckle. “There is no refusal,” one said sadly. “Not at this stage in the process.”

“And whatever you do,” one woman added, “don’t do anything to insult the men in front of the others. I heard they take those women outside and put a bullet in their heads.”

Chills ran over my body, and I fought the urge to vomit. Why had I left Alec? He had warned me. He had told me I didn’t want to be involved. Where was my father? What the hell was going on?

“Is there really no way out?” I asked in defeat.

“Death,” was the blunt reply.

I sat in silence and closed my eyes. Maybe when I opened them, I would find this all to be an awful dream. Things like this didn’t happen in real life. There weren’t large secret groups of people who could be so evil. This wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t…

Who were these women? How long had they been here?

“There has got to be a way out,” I said, more to myself than them. I just couldn’t accept this fact as easily as they all did.

“There isn’t. This plantation is buried deep in the Georgian woods. Even if you somehow got in the woods, they’d find you before you could find your way out.”

“But all these people. They can’t all be bad. Surely there are some who will help us.”

“No. It’s the way it has always been for centuries. We don’t have the power to stop tradition.”

“Tradition?” I asked as I tested the chain and the collar around my neck to see if there was any chance of unlocking myself.

Another girl who had remained silent up until now spoke up. “My daddy, my granddaddy, my great granddaddy. This goes back so far in my family tree. All of our family trees. The ritual happens every year, and this is part of it. The women.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“So we have no hope? Is that what you are all saying?” I looked at each one of the women who not only were physically abused, but were emotionally beaten. “We just sit here chained to the floor in a dark room waiting for this ritual? Have you all accepted that as your fate?”

None of the women said a word this time, but their silence was answer enough.

The silence didn’t last long, however, because three men walked in with a tray of small paper cups of what I assumed was water and a bottle of pills. They worked together to distribute the water to each female followed by a pill.

“Take your night meds like good little girls. You’ll need it to make this night not last forever while you await the ritual. Sweet dreams.” The man’s words were laced with such pure evil.

Each man left without saying another word. The only sound left was that of crying and whimpering women fearing for what was to come. It took me several moments to realize that some of the sounds of the room were my own cries as well.

I placed the pill on my tongue like all the others did, but decided it best not to take it. Maybe drugging myself so I could sleep through this nightmare would be a good idea, but I wanted my wits about me too. I knew there was no escape on my own since I was chained to the floor, but I needed to be alert and ready for when a window of chance opened up… if it ever opened up. My life was in my own hands. My father’s life as well.

Pulling my knees up to my chin, I allowed a moment of self-pity to set in and missed the safety of the lake house. The comfort of Alec’s arms around me.

Alec…

Maybe Alec would come.

Maybe Alec would save me if I couldn’t save myself.

Self-pity turned to hope. Dark-laced hope, but at least it was hope.

13

Makayla

I heard them enter the room and could see that all the women were still in their drug-induced slumber. I needed to play along that I too had taken the pills. I had no idea what any act of defiance would warrant me, and I was terrified to find out.

Closing my eyes, I tried to deepen my breathing as if I were truly sleeping. They would know I wasn’t really asleep if I didn’t calm down.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

“Some of them are stirring,” one man said. “Hurry up and carry them to the shower room before we have them waking up, panicking, and then trying to flee out of here. I’m not in the mood for a run.”

The shift of bodies told me that the other men were following the command. Focusing on my breathing, I struggled not to flinch when they unlocked my chain and my naked body was pulled harshly from the ground and flung over someone’s shoulder. I remained as limp and still as I could, even though every step the man took had his bony shoulder jabbing into my stomach. If I hadn’t had an empty stomach, I would have surely thrown up with the amount of pressure being applied to my empty gut. Resisting the urge to peek and look around, I tried to focus on the noises around me instead. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the man’s heavy steps carrying me, and the voices of several men all around, each mumbling about the weight of the woman they carried.

My body was soon tossed to the hard, cold ground. I managed to not cry out in pain as my torso hit the floor with enough force to knock the wind out of me. My head hit the back of a wall hard enough for my ears to ring. The sound of groans and whimpers of the women all around me was my cue that I, too, could stir awake. Keeping my ruse up, I also slowly opened my eyes with tiny moans and an added whimper or two for effect.

Looking around, I could see that all of the captured women were cast around in one big room, with no windows and tiles from floor to ceiling. The stark white color made the room appear almost metallic in nature. Shower heads were lined up along all four walls, and there were several metal drains scattered around the floor. We had been delivered to the shower room, and although I fought back the madness of being more terrified than I had ever been in my entire life, the thought of taking a shower and having actual running water on my body delighted me. I truly felt like a dirty, grimy, prisoner having spent the night chained to the dusty ground, naked, with other dirty women.

“Rise and shine, slaves,” a man shouted, his voice echoing off the tiles.

Every female had their eyes already opened or very near, and their obvious horror of the situation mirrored mine.

“Get up and clean yourselves,” he ordered, taking a few steps back toward the entrance. He then flipped a red switch on his right, and water came rushing out of all the shower heads.

When the freezing water hit all the naked women, some squealed, some cried, but others stood as I did, and we began washing the grime off our bodies. The temperature didn’t bother me, especially if it meant getting clean. Not being sure if I would get in trouble or not, I decided to risk it and opened my mouth, quenching my parched throat. The refreshing liquid tasted metallic as it clearly came from old plantation pipes, but regardless, I swallowed large gulps as the spray rained down on my face.

“Be sure to clean those dirty cunts and the crack between your ass cheeks. Relieve yourselves here too. We aren’t stopping at the ladies’ room for you all.” The man’s crude comment had the more frightened women whimpering even more than they already were. But again, I didn’t care. I’m not sure why the words didn’t bother me, but they simply did not. The day I left the lake house and surrendered myself, I knew that I was accepting darkness to take over. I had accepted that truth, and the man’s harsh words would only be the beginning. I had moments of panic last night as I thought of ways of escaping, but then escaping the ritual meant my trip here to the plantation was for nothing. I had come with a purpose, and I’d come to terms with that as all the women slept around me.

Noticing that others were using bars of soap, lathering the suds over their bodies, I glanced around until I found a bar of my own on a nearby ledge. Reaching out for the soap and rubbing it over my skin, with water cascading all around me, I actually possessed a feeling of acceptance of my situation. It was almost as if I could feel my father. He was near, and I was coming. No matter what I had to do to get to him. Even if it meant standing in a room with other captured slaves, showering beneath freezing water, under the eyes of a complete stranger.

When the showers were abruptly shut off, we stood with arms wrapped around our shivering bodies, staring at the man, waiting for him to tell us what was next. Water droplets hung from my hair, and goosebumps covered every inch of my skin, but I still didn’t care. I was ready to face this head on. Some cried, others pleaded, yet I did nothing more than hold my head high and wait. Maybe it was that I knew a little of what was coming due to Alec’s awful story, and the unknown didn’t haunt me as badly as it did the other women.

“Get on your knees,” the man ordered as he opened the door and signaled for the rest of the men outside to enter. Their black shoes splashing on the puddled floor was all I could see as I did what was asked with no hesitation. Other women did not act on command as fast, or at all, and were rewarded with slaps to the face, or pulling of hair as they were forced to kneel before each approaching man.

“You better get used to it, slaves. From this moment on, you do exactly as you are commanded. The consequences will be severe if you do not. We take preparation for the ritual very seriously here in the Iron Colt Brotherhood.”

The sound of metal and chain came before a heavy collar was clasped around my neck, hooked to a silver chain. I glanced up to see a man with a devilish smirk staring down at me, holding my leash as if I were an animal.

“Get used to it, slaves. You are all our little pets. Whatever pride you have right now, you better get rid of it quick.” As he turned, he motioned for all the men to lead their ‘pets’ by their leashes. The few women who tried to stand were shoved back to the ground with a kick to the ribs or a slap to the ass.

Trying not to pay attention to the cries of others, I crawled on my hands and knees as fast as I could so the collar wouldn’t choke me. My appointed man paid little attention to my struggles at keeping up. My knees kept slipping from underneath me on the wet tile, and a few times I fell, hitting my face on the ground, but not once did the man slow. It only got worse when we crossed the threshold of a courtyard and my hands and knees made contact with the rough brick. Tiny pebbles dug into my palms and ripped my knees to shreds with every movement I made. I wasn’t given the time to tenderly or carefully maneuver my way, and was all but dragged by the tug of my leash if I slowed in the slightest. The bright sun had me squinting my eyes, but the rays of light did little to warm the chill in the air. It wasn’t exactly cold outside, but my hair still dripped down my back and my flesh was still damp, making the slight breeze bitterly cold. There were men in suits all around, and I was embarrassed at being in such a humiliating position, but they didn’t seem to care or notice that six naked women were crawling all around them. Was this the norm for their lives? It was as if we were just the backdrop to their every day routine. I tried to discreetly scan each of them to see if my father was one of the men present, but didn’t see him. Dirt blackened beneath my nails again, my hands covered in dirt and blood. I mourned my moment of cleanliness for however short it had been and wondered what the point in showering really was if they’d intended to do this all along. I guess our pussies were clean. Maybe that was all they cared about.

We reached some stairs leading back into the mansion. The man holding my leash paused, and for a moment, I hoped he would grant me the mercy to stand and at least walk up the stairs.

He did not.

Yanking hard, he climbed the steps, dragging me behind. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t crawl up the stairs quickly; the awkward position of my body doing so, spread my legs apart. I knew all of my privates were on full and vulgar display to all the men in their pressed wool blazers and silk ties. But there was nothing I could do as I gagged and wheezed for breath as the metal of the collar cut into the skin of my neck.

“Move it!” my assigned man snapped.

But what could I do? The coordination to crawl up the steps did not come to me fast enough. I cried out, but no sound came from my strangled throat. Tears ran down my face, and all I could see were the blurry shoes of my tormentor before me. Would I die like this? Would my death be caused by crawling up the stairs? It was certainly not the most glamorous way to meet my maker.

The holder of my leash, growing frustrated by my lack of speed, reached down and yanked me by the hair. The biting sting at my roots was welcome because it meant that I had a moment to gasp a large, life-saving breath, refilling my deprived lungs. Tossing me to the landing at the top of the stairs, he once again reached for my leash and led me the rest of the way into the house. I crawled as fast as I could, wanting to please him since, in a sick way, I felt I owed him a renewed obedience. He had shown me mercy by pulling me up the steps—by my hair, rather than the metal and chain—the rest of the way.

We stopped in a large empty room—a ballroom. Each woman remained kneeling, but we were all in a single file line facing the back of the room. The men dropped our leashes, all walked to the side of the room, and stood against the wall. I glanced in both directions with my eyes, but trying to keep my head down, not moving an inch. I didn’t want to stand out or have anyone notice me. The woman to my right silently sobbed, while the woman to my left shifted her hands and knees, smearing blood on the white marble floor beneath her.

We waited. For what, I wasn’t sure.

My knees ached and my palms throbbed, but I refused to break position, as did the rest of the lined up women. We remained in position for ten minutes, twenty, thirty… I couldn’t be sure. But with each passing minute, my body screamed in agony, desperate to move and relieve at least some of the pain.

Finally, the heavy sound of shoes walking across the marble floor, then several others following, announced others were joining us in the room.

“You all may sit back and rest on your feet. Place your palms on your thighs and spread your legs wide,” came a deep and powerful voice as he walked in front of us, standing with his arms crossed.

I almost moaned in relief when I was able to relieve the pressure on my battered hands and knees. Fighting back dizziness, I did as the man commanded, trying not to focus on the cool air of the room making contact with my exposed sex. The dampness from the shower still remained on my pubic hairs, only causing my vulnerability to heighten even more.

The man before us had dark hair that hung in waves to his shoulders. His face had a faint shading of stubble, and his eyes bored into each of us with an intensity that sent a shiver down my body. His nose was long and narrow, standing out as his most prominent feature. He reminded me of what I imagined a goblin king to look like in a classic fairytale.

The rest of the men who marched in behind this man lined up behind him with their arms clasped behind their backs, legs shoulder-width apart, and they stared at each of us. They all wore some type of business suit just like the others I had crawled past—and just like with the others, my father was not one of them, but I also didn’t have time to take in each person before my attention was directed at the man speaking.

“We are the Iron Colt Brotherhood,” the man began. “I am sure you have all heard of our society in one way or another.” He gave a wicked smile. “And let me assure you. All the rumors you have heard are true. And even worse.” He snickered at his own joke, but no one in the room showed any emotion at all. Unless you counted the women, who softly whimpered or gasped at his words. “I will be the master of ceremonies for the ritual tomorrow.”

I swallowed hard, struggling with the overwhelming urge to close my legs when his eyes peered upon me. Luckily, his gaze eventually moved on and looked at the next woman, and then the next.

“You are all now part of our ritual process. You belong to the brotherhood and no one else. The only way you can break free from that collar around your neck is when someone purchases you as their slave for the ritual. At which time, you will be handed over to your new Master.” He paused, but didn’t move his stance at all. “I have high expectations for this year’s ritual.” He paused long enough to look at every square inch of each woman kneeling on the ground. “For now, you wait while the bidding process happens with the members.”

He motioned to the men on the back wall who had dragged us into the ballroom to come and escort us out of the room which they each did by taking hold of our leashes and tugging us like before. Fortunately, we didn’t have to crawl long because the room we were escorted to was right off the ballroom.

Entering the room on my hands and knees, I looked up and observed that we’d been brought into another empty room. All except carpet. There was finally carpet to help ease the pain in my knees.

“Keep quiet,” one of the men ordered as we were all pulled to the center of the room. “It will soon be time for your Master who purchases you to come get you. Stay here, and keep your mouths shut.”

Again, I was left with nothing but the soft sobs from frightened women and my own dark thoughts of what terrors were still to come.

14

Makayla

I must have dozed off. The light from the door opening woke me as heavy shoes entered the room.

“Come on, Makayla. You are first. Time we take you to meet your highest bidder. You better be a good little girl and fuck him real good so he doesn’t trade you in for someone else. Otherwise, there will be other bidders just itching to get their cocks wet with your juices,” the same man who’d brought me into the ballroom by chain said. He glanced down in disgust at the other women cowering in the corner of the room. He then reached down, unclasped my chain from the floor, and yanked me up to a standing position. “Walk!”

I followed his command, looking down at the women who all looked up at me with fear in their eyes. Were they scared for me or for themselves? My bare feet padded across the cool marble floors once we left the room, and my captor didn’t slow down in the slightest so that I could keep up. If anything, he seemed to walk faster every time I fell back. I glanced down at the chain he held as he led me like an animal and wondered if I could grab it and wrap it around his neck and strangle him with it. Sure, he had several feet on me and about a hundred more pounds of mostly muscle, but maybe if I caught him off guard…

“Come on,” he said with a tug of the chain, bringing me back to reality. My superhero days came crashing down, and I swallowed back the fear as I was led up the stairs to a room much smaller than the one I’d come from. It was a bedroom.

Walking over the threshold, my escort pushed me down to my knees with much more force than was absolutely needed. I looked up with vengeance coursing through me as I stared at a roomful of men, many I recognized as being the same faces from when I first arrived.

It was the man who chained me who spoke first. “This is who you bid on. You were the highest bidder so she is yours to sample first. If you decide to keep her for the ritual, then so be it.” His comment was directed at a man who stood in the back of the room near the window with his arms across his chest. The shadows made it so I couldn’t make out his appearance. He too wore a business suit and appeared as wealthy as the others, but he actually did appear more soldier-like than the rest of the men—stronger somehow. More dominance and presence even without me being able to see his face.

But it was the man who chained me who approached me first. A slap across the face, a grip of my hair, he had me. He paused, waiting for a response. Possibly waiting for my tears, my pleas for mercy, but I would not give him the pleasure. I would not fuel his evil by feeding his strength with my weakness. I would give him nothing. Over his shoulder, I focused on the man in the shadows. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I didn’t fear the man. I suppose I should have, but I didn’t.

“Stop. She’s mine to handle. Not yours,” Alec declared in a booming voice, as he turned to face us.

Alec!

I recognized the voice before he even stepped into the light to reveal he was here.

Here for me.

He was here to save me!

The man released my hair, took a few steps back, and laughed. “But of course. Sample away. Claim her right now and see if she is indeed the one for you for the ritual.”

Alec walked toward me, a spell of slow motion being cast. One step. Two.

His dark eyes turned a darker shade of brown with every step forward. His jaw clenched as if my very presence angered him. Yes, he appeared angry with me… not that I blamed him. I was chained, naked, and my life was in danger. He had warned me, and I had chosen not to listen. So yes, Alec had every right to be mad at me. Furious. His face, that although had rigid lines before, now looked so chiseled, he reminded me of stone. He postured himself like a cougar. A cougar stalking for the kill. Dark, forbidding, shadowed in lustful strength. His hunt would end in the claiming of my body whether I agreed or not.

He never said a word. Never once said my name. It was all in his eyes. The command. I knew I was not to reveal that I knew him. Somehow, someway, he was making me understand that fact. I was to play along. Do whatever he asked and not question a thing. I saw it in his eyes. I saw the silent command to obey. My life depended on it. Our lives depended on it. Feeling guilty for putting him into this position in the first place, I dropped my gaze toward the ground in shame.

Alec squatted down before me and reached for my chin. Holding it firmly, he forced my face up so I had no choice but to stare into his eyes. “I paid a lot of money to have you, Makayla. I remember you as a little girl. I know who you are. We all know who you are. You can act brave. You may talk a big game, but I don’t play with scared little girls trying to hide what they really fear. You are afraid—I can smell it on you.” He took a deep breath to accentuate his point. And with an evil smile, he added, “I can smell your terror.” He reached for my collar with a key he had in his pocket and released me from my constraint, tossing the metal to the ground. The weight leaving my body felt like a hundred pounds, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the simple gesture of kindness. Alec was trying to act like he didn’t care, and that he hadn’t seen me since I was a child, but I could also sense how badly he wanted to free me from this place. Removing the collar was just the first step.

Alec moved his face even closer. So close that his lips almost touched mine. “I will tell you this one time, and one time only. You will obey me. You will submit to me. You will fear me every fucking moment you are alive. And you will fuck me. You have no choice in this matter.” His glare broke from mine for a split second as he glanced at the men around us, silently telling me to be aware of what he said. “You have no voice. It is I who decides your fate. Do you understand?” He glanced back at the men watching our every move, and then back at me. “But I also know that you won’t make this easy. I’m sure I will get some resistance as all the women in your situation do when first presented with their fates. But I am prepared for you to act out as again, it is quite normal.”

I gave a small smile—hoping it was enough to let Alec know that I knew I had to play along that I didn’t know him. He was right. Any female in my situation would put up a fight. So drumming up the courage to be as realistic as I could be if I were indeed just bought by a complete stranger or even by someone whom I knew as a young girl, I gathered the saliva in my mouth into a nice little ball of spit and spat it directly onto his face. “Fuck off!”

Alec recoiled and wiped the bubbling white fluid off his face as fury blanketed his entire expression. The demon emerged right before my eyes. Lucifer himself was being born in front of me. Alec had become the devil. The man was good at putting on an act… or at least I hoped it was an act.

His hand reached out and grabbed me by the neck, instantly restricting all air. The men in the room all yelled out:

“Kill the bitch!”

“Beat the shit out of her!”

“Teach the cunt a lesson she won’t soon forget!”

Call after call from all the men in the room. I truly sat in hell. Naked, vulnerable, and strangled by a man’s single hand to the throat.

Alec’s hand.

A hand I never thought would ever hurt me.

Alec threw my body back and straddled me with his hand still firmly gripping my neck. “Oh, little girl, that was not a wise choice. Looks like I am going to have to teach what is mine a lesson.” He began unbuttoning his pants with his free hand, never taking his eyes off mine. His hand loosened around my neck just as darkness threatened to take over.

He flipped me over and slapped my ass hard. The sound echoed in the room, followed by hoots and hollers of the spectators all around. He then straddled my body, grabbed a chunk of my hair, and lowered his face to my ear. “I have no choice. Understand this,” he growled. “I plan to get us both out of this mess alive.”

He continued the act with another hard spank to my ass and then another. He leaned down and whispered in my ear so only I could hear again, “We have to put on the show. I’m sorry.”

I bucked my torso up as much as I could, hopeful that it appeared I was using all my might to somehow get his large frame off my body. The effort was almost comical on my part, since I couldn’t even budge his weight in the slightest.

“Yeah! Spank her naughty ass, Alec. Spank her and then fuck her hard. Make her call out your name, begging for forgiveness,” a man shouted from the crowd of excited men. Each of them found pleasure in this display of dominance by Alec.

Fuck them all to hell!

“Yes, that is exactly what this little bitch of mine needs,” Alec agreed as he got off me and looped his finger around a chunk of my hair. As if I were a rag doll, he yanked me to a standing position and led me to a small couch that sat on full display in the corner of the room. He pushed my body so I was bent over the edge, facedown on the rough material of the cushions. The smell of dust and years of exposure filled my nostrils. “Let’s teach this ass of yours what your fucking Master expects from you if you want to be picked for the ritual and not discarded like yesterday’s trash,” Alec said right before he began raining down spank after spank onto my upturned bottom.

It didn’t take long for my flesh to explode into an inferno of pain. With each crack of his palm, shouts of celebration came from the men viewing my punishment:

“Harder!”

“Don’t go easy on that bitch!”

“Make her scream!”

“Break her good, Alec. Break her fucking good!”

Whistles, cheers, screams of pure hate and sick vileness suffocated the room.

The mortification that all eyes were on my ass as Alec spanked me like a goddamn schoolgirl was by far worse than the actual sting of his hand. Although his slaps eventually increased in severity, and I could no longer hold back the cries. They betrayed me by escaping my tightly closed lips. It fucking hurt! It fucking hurt bad!

Alec was doing too good of a job at this act.

“Stop! Stop!” I screamed between each searing blow. “Stop and just fuck me already.” Anything was better than this awful show of power.

Alec continued to spank as he spoke. “Oh, I will fuck you. But not by your command, but by my own. I am the dictator. I am your God. And trust me, little girl, when I do fuck you, you will be begging for it again and again. You won’t be able to get enough. Your body will scream for me.” He continued bringing blow after blow to my bottom. The shouts from the onlookers formed a wave of deafening music to my tortured soundtrack. “You will be shaking in need for my touch.”

As if the Gods of mercy gave me one last blessing, Alec finally stopped his assault. The fire lashes from his palm were replaced with a deep throbbing, now that my ass had time to process the pain. Fire and brimstone were replaced with a deep surge from my bottom all the way to the lips of my pussy. As much as I tried to fight the sensation of animalistic pleasure, the tsunami wave of lust washed over every inch of my sex, leaving me wet and wanting.

Alec leaned forward and whispered in my ear again. “It’s important that you listen and do exactly what I say from this moment on. Your life depends on it.” His voice seemed… softer, the sharp edge of before erased. I looked over my shoulder and stared into his eyes that were a warm brown once again. Odd. It was as if he truly had released all his pent up aggression on my ass.

He shoved his index finger into my mouth, almost gagging me with how far he forced it in. “Suck it,” he said loud enough that every man in the room could hear. “Make it nice and wet, because I’m about to put it up your ass. Make it slick, baby, unless you like pain.”

Hoots and hollers once again followed his crass command.

I had to keep telling myself over and over that this wasn’t Alec.

My Alec.

My Uncle Alec.

He was doing what he had to do. What I forced him to have to do to save our lives.

Any sign of softness vanished as he moved his finger around the inside of my mouth, collecting every ounce of moisture I had in it. Jesus, why did my pussy pulsate at the thought of what he was about to do?

“You should have listened to me,” he said under his breath, again just loud enough for me to hear with all the noise around us. “Now I have to fuck you for all to see. Claim you. We have no other option.”

His spit-covered finger penetrated my ass without any warning.

I cried out as the biting pain sent a jolt of electricity straight to my core. His finger claimed me in the darkest of ways. He thrust it in even deeper, stabbing at whatever shield I had put up. With each pump in and out of his invasive digit, my wall of resistance crumbled.

“Fuck her in the ass,” someone called out.

“Fuck her like an animal,” another screamed.

“Yes, she’s mine. I claim Makayla as mine,” Alec declared as he pumped his finger in and out of my ass, causing me to involuntarily moan. I hated myself for doing so, but couldn’t hold back my mewls as I gyrated against the edge of the couch. My clit demanded attention, and I tried my best to meet the need without being so bold and reaching down with my hand—although the thought definitely crossed my mind. What would these bastards care, anyway? But then again, I didn’t want them all jacking off to my sexual act, though I’m sure some were on the verge of coming right there, turned on by this act of taking an innocent woman.

Alec thrust his finger as deep as he possibly could and leaned toward my ear once more. “I’m going to fuck you. Allow me. Don’t fight me. Trust me when I tell you this. Let go of your pride, pretend all these men aren’t watching—that it is just you and me at the lake house—and just open your legs and allow this. It’s just you and me at the lake house. Just you and me at the lake house.”

He pulled his finger out, and I could hear him pulling his pants down. I knew. I could hear him, sense him, feel his sexual presence without even having to look over my shoulder. Alec would fuck me… and God help me—I would allow him to. I would allow it to happen with all these men watching.

It wasn’t a scream that escaped my lips when his cock penetrated my wet pussy. It wasn’t a curse, or a demand for him to stop. It was a gasp of delight, followed by a moan of pleasure. My mind screamed to resist, yet my body demanded me to yield. He was inside me—balls deep. I was one with the man while the spectators all encouraged with shouts that all seemed to merge to one wave of sound. The evil sounds of these men had blended with my soul, and all light that held on by a thread became conquered by Alec’s possession.

Over and over, his cock thrust. It didn’t feel like before at the lake house. No, this was primal.

Primal fucking. Yes, this was nothing but a primal fucking. In, out, in, out. There was a rhythm. There was a cadence. My body marched in cadence to his mastering. His cock hammered my pussy. Simple. There was no way to describe it other than simple. His hard cock entered my wet pussy without any thought. This was an act. A means to an end. Put a cock in a pussy, cum in me, and then walk away. Fuck, cum, claim for all the men to see. Simple. I was nothing but a sex slave for tonight. There was no Makayla and Alec. There was only Master and slave.

My pussy stung. It burned from the inside out. It scorched my core. It decimated all that was good left inside. All that was left was fucking evil as the demons watched on. All that was left was rape, conquer, demand, hate, and hope. A dark, awful, alluring hope that if we played along, maybe… just maybe we could save my father and all walk out of here alive. Fucking hope. That was what there was. Nothing but dark, fucking hope.

I had blocked out the sounds of the voyeurs to the best that I could, but clearly Alec hadn’t. “Everyone get the fuck out. I want to have what is mine in peace. Get out and let me be,” he demanded as he continued to desecrate my body with his driving force.

All the men did as if he’d asked respectfully. Not a single argument was given, nor a sign of resistance. They all clearly saw Alec as a powerful man, and one whose directions were followed. Maybe it was the code of the brotherhood.

When the door closed behind the last man, Alec stopped his motions and pulled his cock out of me without warning. The action actually had me moaning in need. I wanted it back. I wanted him to enter me again.

I looked over my shoulder to find Alec taking off his suit jacket. “Put this on. It’s over… for now.”

15

Alec

I couldn’t believe I’d had to do something so… so… indescribable. That Makayla had forced me to do that. This was on her. This was fucking on her. I had taken her to the lake house to keep her safe! To keep her fucking safe.

And now this.

I saw no other way except to pretend I was one of them, that I was a supporter of the ritual and all about treating the purchased woman like a damn animal.

I had become a monster.

We were here. We were at a place I had sworn I would never be again. After attending one ritual years ago, I had promised myself that I would never stand among these monsters again. And yet, here I was. Not only standing among them, but actually being part of the ritual. But again, Makayla had given me no choice. It was either I buy her, or someone else would be first in line to do so. We were just lucky that the members of the brotherhood bought my story that I had always lusted after Makayla and that I now hated her father over a business deal gone bad and this would be the ultimate revenge. They all believed my story, and, of course, took my obscenely huge amount of money for the honor of claiming her and owning her for the ritual tomorrow.

Makayla stood with terror in her eyes, and with a shaky voice, she said, “I’m sorry, Alec. I hope you understand why I came. I had to. I couldn’t just allow my father to die.”

“I am beyond livid right now, Makayla. I can barely see straight. Do you know what you have done? What kind of danger you put yourself in? Look at you!” I shouted as I pointed at her nearly naked body wearing only my coat. “You are a fucking sex slave as part of the ritual because of your foolish decision.”

“But, my father—”

“Stop!” I shouted.

Makayla swallowed hard and then with those damn eyes of hers that made me weak- kneed, she said in not much more than a whisper, “Thank you for coming. For coming to save me.”

Part of me wanted to pull her into my arms and place a million tiny kisses over her entire body because I was so happy to see her, but the other part—the more powerful part at the moment—wanted to strangle her.

“Of course I came! How could I not come? You forced my hand, Makayla! You went against what your father wanted, and definitely against what I wanted. And now because you thought you could go off and save the day, you are standing here in nothing but my jacket after being paraded around naked in front of beasts of men. You have proven that you are truly a little girl trying to survive in a man’s world. I don’t know what the fuck you were thinking.”

“Please try to understand,” she said with a quivering lip.

“I don’t want to hear another word,” I snapped between clenched teeth. I knew I was being hard on her, but she deserved it, and I couldn’t control my rage at the moment even if I wanted to. My stomach coiled as the memories of what had just occurred stabbed at my entire being. Yes, we had already had sex before, but not like that. Not in front of sick assholes gawking and no doubt jacking off to the event which had occurred in this room only moments ago. “Not one fucking word. Because of you, I am now in this up to my goddamn eyeballs, and I need time to think. Tomorrow is the ritual, and you have no idea. No idea at all what you did just by coming here.” I pointed all around the room. “You think what happened in this room is bad? The nightmare is just beginning.”

“Alec…”

“No! Just be quiet and go lie down on the bed. We both need to get some sleep so we can deal with tomorrow with sharp minds. I can’t talk right now. Give me that. Give me some peace and quiet so I can try to figure a way out of this disaster before the ritual begins.”

* * *

Makayla

I woke up in the middle of the night, with the sharp chill in the air and fear of the unknown pumping through my veins. I had to still find my father. I sensed from Alec that he had all but given up, but I wouldn’t. My father was still alive and I knew it. He needed me. He needed us.

The full moon cast a strong beam of light into the room, only illuminating my harsh reality. I was a captive in bed with a man who claimed he would save me. But I needed to save my father with or without Alec’s help. Even if it meant me dying, then so be it. I would never be able to live with myself knowing I walked away and allowed my father to die. I had only myself to hold on to, even though my strength was fading. A strength turning into a pool of thick dark weakness, threatening to suffocate me in despair.

“Alec?” I whispered, breaking the silence of the room. I looked up at his face as he slept. He looked so peaceful, gentle, even in this living hell. This was not the rough man who had punished me in front of a roomful of men and then taken me against my will—or what appeared to be so. This sleeping man was not a monster. “Alec,” I said again a little louder.

His eyes fluttered open, and he turned his head to look at me. “You should be asleep,” he said in a scratchy voice.

“Am I going to die?” I had to know the truth.

“Go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long, grueling day for us. You need your rest, so we can face this head on and get out of here.”

“Are they planning on killing me?”

“No.”

“But my father? Will they kill him?”

“There’s a high chance. Yes.”

I should hate him for being so calm. I should scream and hit him over and over demanding he save my father. It infuriated me that he was so willing to accept just because it was the way it always was.

I should hate him…

So why? Why did I want him? Why did I want to be held? If he gave me one ounce of affection, it would be all over. I would be his, and only his. One touch, one kind word, one soft look. That was all it would take, and I would be his forever. Did he know how simple it would be to win this war? He would be the victor if only he used one weapon… give me some kind of hope that all was not lost. That was all it would take, and I would follow him blindly to the end of the world. My body already wanted him. As much as I hated to admit it, it was the truth. I knew that the last thing on my mind in this situation should be sex, but Alec… well… Alec.

“I know you aren’t like the rest of those men,” I declared, voicing my deep-rooted belief.

“No, I am not,” he agreed with a sigh. “I realized that a long time ago. But bloodline, legacy and southern customs have a pull stronger than you could ever know. Your father is proof of that.”

“Why? Why would he or you ever be part of something like this? I don’t understand. Why would your father, and your father’s father? Why has no one stopped the chain of this barbaric society?”

He took a deep breath and then positioned himself on his side, propping his head up with his arm. We were so close that we could have kissed and maybe that would have helped ease the awake nightmare we were in, but I didn’t move in the slightest. I didn’t feel I needed to in order to still feel comfort.

“You aren’t going to go back to sleep, are you?”

“How can I? I don’t know where Papa is. I have no idea what will happen to me when I wake up.”

“What if I told you that everything would soon work itself out? That if you trust me and do exactly as I tell you, you will be able to walk away from this alive and a free woman. Can you do that?”

I shook my head, more confused than ever. “What are you talking about? What do I have to do to be free again?”

“Trust me.”

“Right! Coming from a man who was going to just sit by the lake sipping a cocktail while his best friend died. And you beat me! Had sex with me in front of everyone!”

“I didn’t beat you, I spanked you. And trust me, if I were any other man in the room, it would have been an actual beating you would have received—one that you would barely survive. I did what I had to do to make it seem I was putting you in your place, but still not harming you. I was trying my best to not hurt you but still make it believable. Our lives depend on making every single thing we do from now on believable. The members of the brotherhood are powerful and wise. We aren’t dealing with ignorant men.”

I absorbed his words. “So you were intentionally not trying to hurt me?” I studied his face. “It didn’t feel like it,” I said with almost a pout.

Alec smiled for the first time since I had seen him at the mansion. “Yes, well, the whole situation that occurred with you wasn’t my intent, but you not listening to me and running off sort of forced my hand. Again, I had to do just enough to satisfy the men. I had to give the illusion that I was claiming you as mine to them, so they wouldn’t take you for themselves or feel like I was lying and doing this to protect you because I was once a partner with your father. I had to play it off that I always wanted you, and now that I could, I was willing to pay and do whatever it took. They bought my story.”

“Will they let my father go now that I’m here?”

Alec sighed. “No. It’s too late. Rhett will have to do the ritual because he refused the brotherhood. That is something you can’t do and not expect consequences. Had you told me this crazy plan of yours before running away from the lake house, I would have told you. You coming here is not a sacrifice. It’s simply giving the brotherhood both you and your father. They get the best of both worlds.”

“Do you blame me for running off? I couldn’t just sit there after reading that letter. I don’t know how you could.”

He shook his head looking exasperated. The way he casually spoke and lay only inches from my face—it was as if we were two long-time lovers having a midnight chat deeply in love. This wasn’t the way a Master and his slave should be conversing, or two people part of a sick and twisted reality, and yet it was how we were.

“I’m lying in a bed in an old plantation mansion I remember from my childhood, surrounded by sociopathic men who are trying to continue a sadistic ritual that should have never existed to begin with. I’m lying in the bed with the man who is supposed to be my Master, or owner, or whatever. But, of course, that is after I was stripped completely naked, spanked like a little girl, and then fucked for all to watch. Oh, and don’t get me started on being chained by the neck and put in a room with other poor women in the same messed up situation as me.”

Alec’s smile disappeared, and he grew serious. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“I’m not the same as these men. I don’t expect you to believe that, but I’m not.”

“Then why? Why are you here being part of it? Why did you do the things to me you did, if you aren’t like them? Why are you just accepting my father’s fate? Why aren’t you stopping it? Why aren’t you trying to save my father and your best friend? Another human being?”

“I have had one goal since I took you away from Spiked Roses, and that is to keep you safe. I came here to save you. I did what I felt I had to do to save you from someone else doing it and doing it much worse. I’m here for…” He paused and turned to his side, his back facing me. “We’ve talked enough. Go to sleep.”

I placed my hand on his shoulder, pulling him back onto his back. “No, please tell me what you were going to say. I can tell there is more. I feel it.”

Alec studied me for a moment and then spoke. “Just trust that I know what needs to be done. I need you to play the part of my sex slave, and not try to do anything stupid.”

“Have you done this ritual before? Are there other women in the past that you have done this to?”

“I’ve never had any sex slaves. You are the first I have claimed, and the only reason I did so is because I know it will all be over in a few days, and I didn’t have a fucking choice.” He paused and swallowed hard. “And I will try my best to help your father if I can.”

My heart skipped. “You will?” I sat up in disbelief.

Alec also sat up and turned to face me directly. “Rhett and Minka were my best friends. Family. And you were like the daugh—” Alec diverted his stare and swallowed hard. “Whether you want to believe me or not, I was only following your father’s wishes. I care very much about him and what could happen to him.”

“So you think we have a chance?”

He nodded. “There’s always a chance.”

16

Makayla

I tried to go to sleep like Alec wanted me to do, but it was impossible. So many thoughts were running through my head. What would happen tomorrow? Would my father be all right? Would The Iron Colt Brotherhood figure out the ruse that Alec and I were playing? So many questions and thoughts of terror would keep even the most exhausted awake. I could also tell that Alec was struggling with the same issues because he stood by the window staring out, appearing lost in thought.

“I can’t sleep either,” I said softly. “Are you thinking about tomorrow? The ritual?”

“I’ve been to a ritual before, and I know what they are going to do to you,” he said, not looking at me but still looking out the window. “We need to prepare you for tomorrow.”

“Prepare?”

“I want to make sure you can be as comfortable as possible tomorrow, and there is only one way to help do that,” he answered simply.

He walked over to a dresser and pulled out some items that I couldn’t make out from the angle in which I sat. I clung to the blanket around my body as goosebumps covered my flesh.

“Lie down on your stomach,” he ordered as he walked toward me.

I did as he asked, as the mattress gave beneath my weight and embraced me in the softness of the blanket’s fabric.

“What are you going to do?”

“I told you. I have to stretch you. You’ll be glad I did.”

“Stretch me? What are you talking about?”

“Your anus.”

I snapped my head back to look at him in disbelief. “What? You are going to stretch my an… anus?” I was appalled. He couldn’t be serious.

“I told you. I know what happens at the ritual.”

“Which is?”

He squeezed some fluid out of a tiny bottle onto his index finger and without pausing, touched it to my anus. I gasped and tensed up, but he continued. He rubbed the cool, slick liquid all around the surface and then dipped his fingertip past the entrance.

I bucked and cried out. It didn’t hurt, but the invasion surprised me. I wiggled and whimpered when his finger went even deeper inside and the small bite stung.

“Just relax. My finger is nothing compared to what will be put inside of you tomorrow.”

“Oh God,” I whispered as I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the ministrations going on in the depths of such an intimate part of my body. What would be put inside of me tomorrow? I didn’t want to know… and yet, would my imagination be worse than the actuality?

“I’m adding a second finger. It might hurt a little as I stretch your bottom hole more, but in a few minutes, your body and mind will adjust.”

“Why? Why is something going inside of me there tomorrow?”

“Because it’s always been done that way. The ritual hasn’t altered since the beginning, nor do I ever see it changing,” Alec said as he added the second finger. And just as he’d warned, the small bite from before grew in intensity.

“Ahhh,” I cried. “I don’t like it.”

“Well, I think you are a smart girl. Your current situation isn’t about liking things from this point on.” He shoved both fingers in deeper, making me moan loudly as I clutched the blanket with balled fists.

He continued on with the stretching of my bottom hole, ignoring that I gasped and moaned with each tiny thrust of his fingers. He pushed his fingers in deeper. He shoved a little harder.

And then finally… he pulled out his fingers and I sighed in relief, happy my stretching was over. I moved to sit up but he placed his hand on my lower back, pinning me down. “I’m not done yet. The dildo is next.”

I looked over my shoulder, with less shock this time. Of course, it couldn’t be as simple as two fingers. “Will this hurt?”

“Yes.” He lubed up the phallic instrument. “But if you relax and take deep breaths, you may actually find some enjoyment in it.”

I smirked as I turned my head and hid my face in the crumpled up bedding. “I doubt that,” I mumbled.

I knew the instant the dildo touched my puckered entrance that it was going to hurt. It was big. Far too big to enter inside of me—

“Ahhh,” I cried out. “It’s too big. Please! You are going to tear me!”

He paused with just the tip of the dildo inside, burning the entrance to my bottom. “Shh… take that breath. Come on.”

I inhaled, and let it out with a shaky exhale. As I did so, Alec pushed the awful instrument all the way in. I screamed… or at least, I think I did. I really didn’t know at the time because my head spun as the sensation of pain mixed with a fullness that gave me an odd sense of warmth. I wanted it out immediately, and yet, when he slowly pulled it almost from the depths of my channel, I moaned loudly when he pressed it back in.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes,” I replied, yet oddly, I didn’t want him to stop. My mind screamed no, but my body reacted the opposite.

“I know. But you have to get used to something of this size in your backside. You will most likely be sitting on one of these for most of tomorrow.”

I whimpered at the thought. “Why does the brotherhood do all this?”

“Because they can.”

“So why do you? Because you can as well?”

He moved the dildo in and out in a slow and steady pace. I felt electric shocks run along every nerve inside my body, and although I didn’t necessarily want this to continue, I didn’t exactly hate it either. My pussy pulsated with each movement, and I knew if I started to gyrate my hips and rub my clit against the fabric of the sheets beneath me, it was very likely I could reach completion.

“I left this all a long time ago. I never thought I would be here,” he said softly, never ceasing in the thrusting.

“But you once were one of these men?” I asked, trying to keep my mind off the pleasure and the pain of confusion that erupted in my backside. “And my father?” I couldn’t imagine a decent man ever wanting to be in a position of such atrocity. Nor could I picture my father willingly being part of a society like this.

“Bloodline and power,” he confessed. He paused the action of the dildo but kept the tool inside. “Ambition, drive, and the need to reach what to many is an unrealistic goal. The Iron Colt Brotherhood gave us the tools to build an empire. It gave each member the keys to what could be a very lucrative kingdom.”

He sounded so sad as he said the words. I didn’t want to say or do anything, scared it would distract him and he would stop sharing.

“But power comes with a price. We all knew this.” He took a deep breath. “But sadly by the time we realize the consequences, it’s too late.”

“But why would you ever be part of this?” I asked, realizing there was so much more to this man.

He pulled out the dildo slowly and stood up. I turned my head and watched him walk to the bathroom silently. He seemed like a different man since our time at the lake house.

He walked back into the room, reached under my arms, and pulled me up to the pillow and adjusted the blankets so they were covering me. Was he tucking me into bed? “You need sleep. Tomorrow is a long day.”

“Alec?” I asked softly, looking up into his eyes as he pulled the blanket to my chin. “Please tell me that we will all walk away from this in one piece. You, me, and Papa.”

Sadness washed over his face, and I saw such pain in his eyes. “I’m going to do everything within my power to make sure that happens.” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “It isn’t going to be pretty tomorrow. It’s going to be the worst experience of your life. But you will get through it. I will make damn sure you do.”

17

Makayla

I walked around Alec’s assigned room, crunching on an apple he had given me for breakfast. A shower and a fresh shirt of Alec’s that hung to my mid-thigh, and I almost felt human again. Almost.

“All right, take off your clothes and come here.” Alec didn’t sound mean or even like he was giving a strict order, but he did sound firm.

“What? Why?”

“I can’t lead you outside and not make it look like I am treating you how we are to treat all the women before the ritual. Master/slave remember? I can’t make the men think I’m going easy on you, or it will give up our cover.”

That made sense to me, so I walked over to him, removing his shirt from my body as I did so. I stood before him and waited—for what, I wasn’t sure.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled me onto his lap. “Lie back over my lap.” He helped position my body so I lay on my back, draped over his lap, face up. The position was awkward, embarrassing, and caused me to feel extremely vulnerable. He rested his hand on my belly and looked into my eyes. “Those men out there are going to look at your pussy. Gawk at it, is more like it. They will expect to see it inflamed and raw from a night and full day’s worth of fucking. I need to give it that appearance.”

My eyes widened, and my stomach did a flip. “How?”

“By spanking your pussy lips.” He said it so matter-of-factly that I almost giggled.

“Spank my pussy?” I squeaked. The idea both terrified me as well as sent a delightful little shiver from my head to my toes. Not a part of my body was hidden from Alec’s view, and I truly was at his mercy—and… I liked it.

He answered my question by lifting up his palm and smacking it down onto my pussy. I flinched and cried out, but didn’t try to get off his lap or stop him. He did it again, and again.

“Oh, Jesus,” I gasped.

The feeling of the sting and slight bite knocked the breath right out of me. As much as I knew I should fight him, demand for him to stop, even scream for mercy, I couldn’t. God help me, I wanted more… harder… pain. I wanted the pain. No… I craved it. I hungered for it. I all but begged for it.

He used his fingertips to spank all around my pussy lips, the heat of his touch setting me ablaze. Who was this man? He was so much more than the Uncle Alec I had once looked up to and seen as an adult when I was simply a child. Why did he have the power over me that I would never have considered giving to any man before?

Alec paused with the pussy spanking and stared into my eyes. “Are you all right?” What an odd question to ask as he intentionally punished my most intimate flesh.

“I’m burning alive. You’re catching me aflame like a witch at the post.”

Heaven, Hell… both. Alec gave me both.

“A little bit longer,” was his reply as he continued to pepper my cunt. “You’re getting nice and pink and swollen.”

And wet, I knew I was getting wet. I could feel the slick fluid and could even hear the wetness make contact with Alec’s hand with every spank. There was no way to hide my desire.

Just when I couldn’t take another touch without demanding that he do more than just spank me, Alec stopped. He flipped me over onto my stomach and began spanking me on my rear again. Although this time, it felt different than before. It actually felt… good. I couldn’t resist bucking my hips to meet each swat of his hand. I wanted to be spanked. I wanted to feel the heat, the connection, the throb to match the deep pulsating in my pussy.

Was this submission? Was this what it was like to submit to a man? His dominance—my surrender. If this was what dominance and submission was all about, then hell fucking yes. Sign me up.

“I need to leave some marks on you,” he said as he spanked harder than all the previous times combined. “The others need to see that I have taken you in hand.” He continued to spank with a furious tempo.

I cried out in pain, but didn’t plead for him to stop. The idea of being marked by his touch sizzled my core just as much as his discipline did to my body. I wanted the label, I wanted the bruise, I wanted to be claimed as Alec’s, and for all to see that he had made me his. I wouldn’t have to fight anymore, or worry that if I didn’t struggle, death would be waiting for me. No, I could just be Alec’s. Alec’s to protect, and Alec’s to get Papa and me out of this mess one way or the other.

“Cry louder,” he commanded. “Let them hear it outside. Louder!”

It wasn’t hard for me to follow his order since I had no more control. My body was his completely, my soul completely dominated by the man. I cried, I howled from the top of my lungs, and I released every dark, fearful, and hateful feeling from my body. I released all that was wrong in the world, and wrong with this place in my cries. I cried for the other sex slaves. I cried for what could be the ultimate fate of my father. Over and over, Alec punished, and over and over, I cried.

I was lost. Lost in the sea of pain. So lost that it took me several minutes to realize that Alec had stopped the spanking and had gathered me securely into his arms. He held me close and rocked me back and forth, kissing my cheek, my forehead, even kissing the tip of my nose. He rubbed my back and pressed me so close to his body, I could have almost melted into his embrace.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I had to do that, Makayla. So sorry,” he said between kisses.

Alec held me like that until all the sobs had stopped, and until my tears disappeared completely. I looked up at him and could see pain wash over his features. He was a good man who was clearly fighting internal demons. I saw it all so clearly now. I could truly see this man. Alec was trying to be my hero. A hero in disguise.

I slowly moved my lips to his. I allowed my heart, my desire, and my hunger for my hero to win the battle. I kissed him.

Alec froze for a brief moment, but then allowed the kiss to break his defense as well. His tongue brushed up softly to mine, testing the connection tentatively. This was not a kiss of pure passion. There was no hunger or wild fervor like at the lake house. No, this was a kiss of caution. A kiss of seeing if the result would be a burn or stab. This was a kiss of two people unsure of what was to come. Alec’s hands reached behind my head and pulled me in closer. So close that the kiss grew in intensity. This kiss was all we had at that moment. It was all that we had to hold us together. A kiss which held up the walls that were threatening to collapse in on us both. It gave us both strength. Power.

Alec pulled away and studied me for several moments before whispering, “We should stay focused on what’s going to happen soon.”

“I don’t care.”

“I…”

“If I have to look like I’ve been fucked hard all day, I might as well get the benefit of it.” These were not words spoken by a sane or rational woman, that much I knew. But I had stepped into a world of madness, and for right now, I wanted to play my part.

Alec ran his fingers through my hair. “This is going to be hard enough.” He took a deep breath. “You have no idea how hard this is going to be. I need your head in the game. I need my head in the game.”

“I know. But I don’t care. Give me this time. Fuck me, Alec. Not make love like before. Fuck me so hard.”

I gave up all control. It was my body speaking. My lust, my need for something other than the awful hate outside the doors of the room. For right now, for this very second, I wanted nothing more than Alec. Not the darkness waiting.

Darkness would look at me. Darkness would pull me in, strangle me, choke me until I could breathe nothing in but the evil, murky taste of black. Black tastes so bitter. So fucking bitter, but right now I could have sweet.

In a whirl of passionate haze, Alec tossed me onto the bed and effortlessly removed his clothing, joining me in nothing but skin on skin. The weight of his body on mine acted like a blanket of comfort.

“Makayla,” he whispered as he kissed me softly on my neck. “I should stop. We are in hell and—”

“No, please don’t. Don’t stop.” I reached around, grabbed both sides of his ass, and pulled him into me. His cock rested at the entrance of my pussy, and with one thrust of my hips, I buried him inside.

We both moaned as our bodies united, remaining motionless for a moment to just take in the sensation of becoming one. This wasn’t the fucking that happened yesterday. This wasn’t him taking for the benefit of others watching. This was more. This was two broken people finding a way back to the light.

And like two soldiers marching off to war, we began our cadence. In and out, push and pull, we fucked. Not an honorary uncle torn, nor a scared little girl in search of her papa, instead we were a man and a woman clinging to some form of pleasure before we had to go outside and face what we both dreaded. But for right now, for this very second, we had each other and carnal passion.

Arching my back, I thrust my hips hard so he had to drive in even deeper. My inner walls spasmed and electricity jolted through me. I was about to come, and I was about to come fucking hard. Alec sensed my impending ecstasy and increased the tempo and force, demanding that I reach completion with every motion of his body.

Reaching down with one hand, he pressed his finger onto my clit and began moving it in small circles. “Yes, that’s it, baby. Come for me. Come,” he coaxed.

His deep voice issuing an order was all it took. Lights flashed behind my eyelids, and I screamed out his name as my body rocked beneath his. My cries of passion must have been all it took to snap his control, because he followed my mewls with a growl of satisfaction as he filled me with his seed.

Breathing deep, and feeling more satisfied than I could ever remember, I whispered, “That was… that was—”

“Yes, it was,” Alec interrupted between his own deep breaths. He brought his mouth to mine and kissed me deep, claiming my mouth as he had just claimed my sex. “You may not be mine when this mess is all over. But for right now, you are, and after we step back into reality… it’s going to be really hard letting you go.”

God, what was wrong with me? There was a part of me that actually hated the thought of entering reality again. It would mean leaving Alec. What in the hell was wrong with me? I must be losing my mind. I was going insane. Everything was so God damn dark. Everything was hate.

“Everything is so wrong. And yet, everything is so right.”

He remained silent, but nodded his understanding as he peppered my face with the most tender of kisses.

I began crying, insanity had broken through my moment of sexual bliss. “Two people who are hollow. Fucking for the sake of being fucked. Fucking for survival. We must survive the right now, but we must also survive the darkness of what’s to come.”

“We’ll get through this,” he whispered between kisses. “I promise you, we will.”

“Help me survive. Please. Help my father. That’s all I ask.”

“We will get out of this alive, and we’ll heal. I’ll be there to help you heal. I promise. But for right now, we focus on getting out of here alive.”

All the chaos and angst going on in my brain was being countered by Alec’s light touches, soothing words and gentle kisses. Somehow, he made me feel safe. Not only in the immediate now, but safe to feel the way I did. I knew I wasn’t a foolish woman. I had made some pretty stupid decisions in my life as of late, but I considered myself a strong person with a decent amount of pride—even though I had managed to get myself kidnapped by a secret society with the idea that I could actually swoop in and rescue my father like what would happen in some action movie. Regardless, I knew that my feelings for Alec were genuine. My body and my responses to his touch were unlike any I had ever experienced before.

“Do we really have to go out there?” I asked, dreading seeing all the men. Dreaded being completely naked and vulnerable. The staring eyes were going to be the worst part.

Alec sighed. “Soon. For now, let’s just close our eyes and rest a little.” He rolled to my side and cradled me into his arms. “Let’s just enjoy this moment for a little bit longer.”

18

Makayla

I wasn’t sure if it was the weight on the bed or just knowing that Alec was sitting beside me that woke me from my slumber. It had been the first that I had really slept since arriving at the mansion. But in Alec’s arms, I had actually felt safe enough to sleep. An insane fact considering I was being held captive as a sex slave by a secret society. But as I opened my eyes to see Alec looking down on me, I oddly felt calm and at peace with the dark tunnel I would have to travel through to get to the other side.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I had fallen asleep almost instantly when Alec had tucked me into bed.

“Today isn’t going to be easy,” he said softly. “Are you hungry? Would you like something more to eat than just that apple before we go to the ballroom?”

I shook my head. My stomach instantly constricted with the thought of the ballroom. “Thank you, but no.”

He stood up and walked to a collar and chain that rested on the table. “Go use the bathroom and then come out here. We are all supposed to be in the ballroom soon. I have to put this on you.” He said the last sentence with such disgust.

I did as he asked and returned to the room and stood before him. I was naked, but it didn’t seem to matter anymore. I would clearly be naked for the entire ritual and had already come to terms with the fact that modesty would only make this worse. The sooner I got used to my nudity, the better. This was my new reality. Acceptance was my only hope of not completely losing my mind.

Alec didn’t say anything but simply snapped the metal around my neck. He grabbed the handle of the chain that hung from the collar and led me out of the room.

I could hear screams and cries as we walked down the hallway. Some other Masters and their slaves exited their rooms. Some of the slaves were able to walk as I did, and others had to crawl on their already destroyed hands and knees. I saw bloody lash marks on some women, battered faces, and bruises up and down their bodies. Comparing myself to them, I realized that my evening was heaven compared to how theirs had been.

“Those poor women,” I whispered as we walked. “Those assholes beat their slaves.”

He nodded but stared ahead.

* * *

Alec

As we walked into the ballroom, the fucking of my brain only got worse. I knew what the ritual was. How fucked up this was going to be on Makayla, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to get her out of this unscathed. The only possibility was to just hope she could endure so we could leave with our lives.

A nice and tidy row of dildos sat lined up on a bench. I knew they were all bolted down since I had helped carry in the piece of shit contraption into the ballroom years and years ago. Had I known then that I would be looking at the dildo bench with disgust for what they were about to do to someone I loved... Each girl would be required to sit down, force that large fake cock up her ass, and sit like that for the rest of the ritual.

My stomach twisted to the point of near pain.

I looked at Makayla and could see that she knew what that bench of plastic dicks was for. She knew and yet she kept walking forward. She didn’t scream. She didn’t try to flee. She didn’t look at me and beg for help. No. Not Makayla.

She only marched forward to accept her fucked up fate.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, hating that I was so damn weak and couldn’t force our way out of here. I knew I maybe could… but then Rhett would die for sure and Makayla would never forgive me.

As we approached the bench, she looked up at me. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. “Am I to sit on this?”

I nodded.

Others entered the room, and the cries and screams began. Masters began forcing their slaves onto the bench. Howls of pain and fear bounced off the walls and threatened to shatter the stained-glass windows.

“Go slow,” I whispered, trying to block out all the misery around me. “You took this size last night. You can do it.”

She continued to stare at me as if she needed my gaze to give her strength. She too seemed to be blocking out all the chaos all around. She reached out her hands so I could steady her and give her balance as she eased herself down on the dildo.

“Stop,” I said. “Put the cock in your pussy first. Get it slick with your juices. It will help ease it in your ass.”

She paused—her eyes so fucking wide and beautiful—but then shifted her weight to do just that.

Was I really going to let her sit on this cruel sexual torture device? I couldn’t!

I couldn’t!

I was not a monster! I wasn’t a weak piece of shit, pathetic monster who would do nothing and allow this any longer. I had to do something.

I needed to die before I let this happen. She wouldn’t fight. She wouldn’t beg, not that it would do any good. So, she needed me.

I needed to fight for Makayla!

“Stop!” I said again, with enough force to startle her. I would throw myself down on a sword before I let her pierce a part of her soul by such an evil sexually deviant creation.

“What?” she whispered, confusion in those eyes that were somehow slowly melting all the twisted roots that had been surrounding my heart. Twisted roots that no one had been able to penetrate before. Twisted roots that were meant to keep out any humanity, any goodness, and any chance of love. Her innocent and broken-soul eyes slashed at those roots like a mighty dagger.

“I’m going to put my hands around your neck,” I whispered into her ear, making it look as if I was threatening her. “I want you to struggle, gasp, and do whatever you can to make it appear like I am strangling you. You have to make it believable. If you don’t, we both die.”

She nodded, but never said a word.

Standing to my full height, I put my arms around her collared neck and nodded for her to begin. She let out a scream, then a gasp, some gagging, and allowed the tears to fall. She clawed at my hands. She writhed in fake pain. She acted like she was having the last breath stolen from her.

“You will never say those words to me!” I boomed in my most menacing voice. “You are nothing but a worthless slave. Replaceable. You mean nothing! And I am going to show these slaves all around you what happens to women who dare call their Masters names!”

She continued to struggle as I threw her down on the ground.

You will kneel at my knees until I say otherwise!” I said, hoping my dictate would be accepted by all.

I glared at all the women who had stopped fighting out of fear. They had just watched one of their own be nearly strangled right before their eyes. I hated that this act forced them all to give up their fight and submit to the awful act of sitting on the dildo, but I couldn’t save them all. I could only save Makayla. It was all I could do… for now.

I looked at one man and then another. “This pet of mine will rest at my feet where she belongs.” I turned toward the terrified slaves. “The rest of the Masters will do the same if you all don’t fucking listen to them. They are your Masters!” My booming voice resonated across the room, and I knew I had scared them all, which was my desired effect.

With my heart beating harder than it ever had, and Makayla’s submissive body kneeling under me, I walked to the far corner of the room tugging her harshly behind me. When I realized no one was stopping me, and no one was suspicious in the slightest, I kept walking until Makayla and I would be out of the direct line of sight of everyone. With long, confident strides, I marched like a man of power to the beat of my own destiny. No one even raised one eyebrow at my real intent to keep Makayla from being anally impaled like the others.

Or so I thought.

Two brotherhood members walked up to me and said, “She needs to be on the bench with all the others. Beat her, or do what you want later. But the ritual is about to start and we need her seated.”

My gut tightened and it took everything inside of me not to just beat the shit out of the men looking at me, but I also knew that if I made a scene, I was putting Makayla at risk. I could be booted out of the mansion and who knew what would happen to Makayla and who she would be assigned to.

No.

If she had to go through the ritual, then it had to at least be with me. As awful as this would be, at least it would be with me.

Lifting her up and guiding her back to the bench, I whispered, “I’m sorry. Understand I am doing what I have to do.”

“I know,” she answered lightly. “I trust you.”

19

Makayla

Alec eased me down on the dildo. Thankfully, because of his stretching the night before, because of my own pussy juices coating the phallic instrument, and my prepared mental condition, the dildo going inside of me wasn’t as bad as it could be. Especially, when I could hear the cries of women who weren’t prepared and had no idea what would happen to them. It stretched me, and forced me to try to hold my weight on my toes so as not to put my full weight on the bench, but I could survive this. I would survive this.

“Men,” the master of ceremonies said in a deep booming voice. “Let the ritual begin!” He then began to chant in a low, haunting voice, “Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad infernos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesia.”

Six men stood, three on each side with white canes and thumped the ground hard.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

On the sixth strike of the cane against marble, Alec unbuttoned his pants, unzipped, and pulled out his large penis. In shock, I glanced down the line of captive women to see that each of the men who stood before them had done the exact same thing, and penis after penis went as far as I could see.

“Slaves. I would like for you to formally meet the man who has claimed you for the ritual. Open up your mouths, and greet your Master who you are to obey at all times. Open wide. Now.”

His last word was so sharp that I actually flinched when the booming voice echoed off the walls. I remained frozen, not knowing what to do. As simple as the command sounded, the actual idea of having Alec’s dick in my mouth as I sat helpless before him with a dildo up my butt seemed impossible. I could hear cries and gags around me, the sound of faces being smacked for undoubtedly doing as I was—nothing. Although when Alec’s hand moved to my face, a slap did not occur. Instead, he reached for my chin, and pulled my face to the tip of his hardened flesh. He continued to hold my chin as he pressed past my lips and rested heavy on my tongue. I didn’t have a choice but to open wide as the thickness of his member filled every inch of open space in my mouth. The weight was heavy against my tongue, and as he pressed deeper inside, I struggled not to gag as his full size touched the back of my throat. He released my chin and placed both of his hands on each side of my head, and gently began rocking his hips. The friction of my lips along his smooth and velvety skin caused his penis to twitch and grow even bigger.

I looked up at him, and for the first time since he entered the room, he wasn’t staring at me. Instead, he had his eyes closed, his head tilted back slightly, and it appeared as if I were giving him pleasure by having my mouth around him. I glanced to my right and saw the woman beside me crying as her Master jammed his veiny penis forcefully into her mouth. At least Alec kept his pushing and pulling at a steady and almost gentle rhythm. I wasn’t crying, nor was I gagging anymore. Instead, I focused on the actual act itself. Tasting the saltiness, smelling the musky odor, and feeling the black hairs that circled his sex brush up against my face each time he drove as far into my mouth as he could. I simply held my position, kept my mouth open, and tried to tune out all the moans, cries, choking and mewling all around me. I think it helped that Alec kept his hands firmly placed on my head. It offered me the support and guidance that I so desperately needed.

“That’s it, slaves,” I heard the master of ceremonies call out from a distance. “Suck those cocks. Worship that cock in your mouth. You are to do exactly as your Master orders. The penalty for disobeying orders is death. So, make your choices wisely. Is your pride worth dying over?”

The entire time the man spoke, Alec kept his pace. In and out he went, plundering my mouth with his cock. As time went on, I could hear the sound of deep moans coming from the other men beside me, more gagging, and even spitting all around. A few slaps, even more cries, but I ignored all. I simply watched Alec’s face tighten, his breathing increase, and his thrusts grow in aggression. A deep moan came from the depths of his belly and exited his lips on a growl. Hot liquid shot from his cock and coated the back of my throat, forcing me to swallow the salty, milky matter. My body heaved, and I desperately needed to inhale a deep breath but his member still blocked my air passage. A new sense of panic set in when I wondered if I would choke, but was granted a reprieve when Alec’s cock pulled out of my mouth completely. I gasped and shook, but managed to not vomit as some women did around me. Alec released my head from his grip, and with a gentle touch of his fingertip, he swiped at the remnants of his release that seeped from the corner of my mouth.

After a few moments, as I struggled to regain my breathing and normal heart rate, I heard, “We have entered the next stage of the ritual, slaves. Congratulations. Your part of the ritual is over. Although, you are to be on your very best behavior and remain planted where you are.”

I glanced up at Alec who slightly nodded at me, and I knew he meant it when he said all would be all right. We were halfway through the dark tunnel out of hell. Almost there. Almost there.

20

Alec

The women weren’t allowed to move, and I didn’t want to try to remove Makayla off the bench again and draw attention to us. Not now. It was almost over. Or at least the part involving Makayla was over. She had survived the part of the ritual that involved her, and now all she had to do was sit and remain quiet.

Though I knew that would be next to impossible soon enough, and it would be asking too much for anyone to do so.

“The final part of the ritual is ready to commence,” the master of ceremonies announced. “Bring in the players.”

I leaned down to Makayla’s ear and whispered, “Remain quiet. I know this will be hard, but don’t say or do a thing.”

She nodded, and I knew that if she had any control over her emotions, she would obey. But I also knew that it would be next to impossible, and I wouldn’t be able to blame her one bit.

The doors opened to the ballroom and six men marched out single file. They were each blindfolded with a black scarf and were led to a circular table in the middle of the room.

Hearing Makayla’s gasp at the same time I saw Rhett, made the situation even more devastating. The woman I cared about was no doubt shattering into a million pieces next to me as I watched my best friend walk toward what could ultimately be his death. The only good thing at the moment was that Rhett was blindfolded and wouldn’t be able to see his daughter sitting naked on the bench with a dildo up her ass. I assumed he had no idea she was in the room, and at least me knowing this gave me some comfort. No father… nor man… should have to witness his daughter or any woman go through what the victims lined up next me just had to do.

As the blindfolded men were guided to their seats, I looked down at Makayla who sat with her eyes wide, her lip trembling, and complete panic washed over her face.

I anticipated that any moment, Makayla would shoot up off the bench and charge toward the table. Hell, it was taking everything I had not to do it myself. But we were both wise enough to know we couldn’t stop the fates. We couldn’t stop the brotherhood. Even if we tried, we would fail.

The master of ceremonies began to chant, “Domine, Redémptor noster, qui teipsum morti tradidisti, ut omnes homines salvi fíerent et ad vitam possent de morte transire, clementissimam pietatem tuam humílter deprecamur, ut digneris omnes servos tuos intueri lugentes et pro amisso propinquo suo suppliciter exorantes. Illi omnia peccata dimitte, Domine, qui solus es sanctus et summe misericors, qui per mortem tuam portas vitae tuis fidelis reserasti. Ne fratrem nostrum a te separari, Rex aterne, permittas, sed virtute gloriae tuae locum ei lucis, beatudinis et pacis largire. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum.”

Six men holding canes rapped them loudly on the ground.

The antique revolver was placed in the middle of the table, and I heard Makayla gasp again. I looked down to see tears streaming down her face, and yet she still remained in place, not drawing attention to herself. I couldn’t have her watch this. I couldn’t just stand there and watch it myself. Something had to be done. Someone had to stop this. Enough was enough, and if it meant me dying to try then I would.

I took a step forward and instantly felt Makayla’s hand on my thigh. “No,” she whispered. “Don’t get yourself killed too. I couldn’t live with that.” Her voice was so low that fortunately with all the Latin chanting, she couldn’t be heard.

“Let us begin,” the master of ceremonies said.

I had to do something. Anything. I couldn’t allow this to happen. Someone was going to die. Yes, maybe it wouldn’t be Rhett… but what if it was? What if Makayla had to sit here and watch her father pull the trigger and die? Would she ever recover? Would I ever recover? Would I be able to live with myself knowing I just stood with all the others and watched my best friend test the fates and see if the bullet in that gun tonight was meant for him?

No. No.

I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

“Stop!” I called out, having all eyes turn to me. I stepped forward and away from Makayla in hopes that no attention would be brought her way. “I would like to sacrifice myself for Rhett Knox. My name is Alec Sheldon, life member of The Iron Colt Brotherhood, and I would like to cast my name for the game tonight. I would like to take Rhett Knox’s seat at the table.”

I had seen a sacrifice like this be done when I was much younger. A grandfather stepped in for his grandson to save a man who he felt still had his whole life ahead of him. The grandfather had felt he had lived his life, and he wouldn’t allow his grandson to die before him. The act of bravery did not end with a happily ever after, however, because it was the grandfather who ended up putting a bullet through his head instead.

I didn’t need to look back to know that out of all the gasps and murmurs flooding the room, that Makayla’s was one of them. But I wasn’t going to turn and see for myself. I didn’t want to face her. I didn’t want to see those eyes that melted every fiber in my body, and I didn’t want to see her pain. I didn’t want to give myself any reason to turn back and try to run out of this room like a coward.

I just had to tell myself that I was a lucky man. I had always been a lucky man. Hopefully luck would be on my side tonight. And at the very least—even if I died—I wouldn’t have to watch Makayla’s heart be ripped out of her chest if her father was the unlucky bastard who would die tonight.

The master of ceremony looked around at who I assumed were the governing council and when each man nodded in approval, he walked over to where Rhett sat and removed his blindfold.

Rhett blinked away the harsh lights and settled his eyes on me, clearly confused as to what was going on. I walked over to the table before I lost my nerve, and to hopefully get to him before he saw Makayla so I could help diffuse the situation.

He stood when I arrived, and asked in a raspy voice, “What are you doing? You don’t have to do this. This is my problem, not yours.”

“You did this all for Minka, and I had always wished I could have done more too. So now I can. I can keep Minka’s husband and daughter together.” And that was the truth. I was alone. I had no one to miss me… unless you counted the recent experience I had with Makayla, but no one else. A father and daughter should be together. Family always. I didn’t have family. “And besides. Face it man. I’ve always been luckier than you.”

Rhett shook his head. “I asked you to stay with Makayla. I needed you to keep her safe.” He glanced at the gun on the table and then at me. “Don’t do this, man. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you… die.”

I nodded toward where Makayla sat, knowing it was just a matter of time until Rhett saw her there anyway. “I couldn’t stop her from coming. I tried. But I did my best to get her through the first part of the ritual. It’s over, and now she needs you. Leave the last part of the ritual to me.”

Was I being a brave fool? Yes, but when I saw my sweet, innocent Makayla sitting over there on the bench, I realized there wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for her. I’d promised her I would try to save her father, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

Before Rhett could wipe the shock of seeing his daughter naked and used as part of the ritual off his face, the master of the ceremony cut in. “Let us proceed.”

He then placed his hand on my shoulder and pushed me down into the chair Rhett once sat in. The blindfold was then placed over my eyes and pitch darkness took over. Odd how the minute the blackness took over, I could actually hear my own ragged breath as I was about to face the sick hand of luck.

“Domine, Redémptor noster, qui teipsum morti tradidísti, ut omnes homines salvi fíerent et ad vitam possent de morte transire, clementissimam pietatem tuam humilter deprecamur, ut digneris omnes servos tuos intueri lugentes et pro amisso propinquo suo suppliciter exorantes. Illi omnia peccata dimitte, Domine, qui solus es sanctus et summe misericors, qui per mortem tuam portas vitae tuis fidelis reserasti. Ne fratrem nostrum a te separari, Rex aterne, permittas, sed virtute gloriae tuae locum ei lucis, beatudinis et pacis largire. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum,” began the chant again.

I pictured my time at the lake with Makayla to try to chase away my fear. I didn’t believe in God, so I had no one to pray to really. I could hear the heavy breathing of all the men around the table. Had they come to peace with the fact that they could die? Were they terrified? Or were they so arrogant to believe they were going to be just fine and the chamber would be empty on their turn?

“Player number one, it is now your turn,” the master of ceremony announced.

I hated not being able to see what was going on, but did I really want to see the man before me die? I quickly figured out by my placement that I was going to be player number five. Not last, not first… was there really a good spot to be in? The luck of the trigger pull could end with the first man.

I heard the click of the trigger being pulled and then nothing.

No gunshot, but instead the loud exhale from what I assumed was the man who had put the gun to his head and hoped there would be no bullet.

Player number one was still alive.

“Player number two, it is now your turn,” the master of ceremony announced.

This was a sick and twisted experience. I didn’t want to hear the gunshot go off because it would mean a man just died. But then at the same time, I held my breath desperately hoping the gun would go off because it would mean my turn would never come, and I would be alive. To have to sit at a table and wish for another man’s death turned me into the living and breathing Devil—evil, sinister, and a pure monster.

The click of the gun, but no gunshot.

Player number two was alive.

“Player number three, it is now your turn,” the master of ceremony announced.

I waited, wondering what poor Makayla was doing right now. Was Rhett standing by her? Would he be able to comfort her if the chamber was full on my turn? Had I made the right decision?

The click of the gun, but no gunshot.

Player number three was alive.

Three more players and one bullet remained.

I had a one in three chance of living.

I sat in between player number four and player number six.

One of us was going to die.

Player number four was close enough to me that I could hear the revolver be placed in front of him. I could hear his breathing. I could smell his body odor, and all I could do was wait.

“Player number four, it is now your turn,” the master of ceremony announced.

The man fumbled with the gun, and his elbow bumped into me when he raised the revolver to his temple.

The sound of the revolver firing, the loud echoing bang, the sound of death was one of the worst and one of the best sounds I had ever heard.

Wet, sticky blood splattered all over my face. Thick, metallic, signs of death were dripping off me. Chunks of human flesh and brain matter fell from my cheek, but I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. My ears rang from the close range gunshot, but I could still hear gasps, cries, and the thank god whispered next to me by player number six.

Player number four was dead.

Not sure I would be able to lift my hands to remove my blood-soaked blindfold, and feeling bile build in the back of my throat, I thought of Makayla to give me strength. She would need my comfort. No doubt the stress, fear, and then mortification as she had to watch the man die right before me was all too much to take. I had to be strong for her, even though I felt about as far from strong as I could be. With shaky hands, I removed my blindfold and tried not to focus on the dead man lying facedown in a pool of his own blood. The other men at the table had blood splattered on their pale faces as well, but each man eventually stood with heavy shoulders. I knew they felt the same way I did. Relief and guilt. Happiness and shame. Alive and not dead.

“This concludes the ritual for the evening,” the master of ceremonies said as if the fact that a man had just shot himself was completely normal. “Until next year, my brothers.” Then walking over to the dead man, he placed his hand on his back and recited, “Te, Dómine, sancte Pater, omnípotens aetérne Deus, supplices deprecámur pro anima fámuli tui. N., quem de hoc sǽculo ad te venire iussísti; ut ei dignéris dare locum refrigérii, lucis et pacis. Líceat ei portas mortis sine offensióne transíre et in mansiónibus sanctórum et in luce sancta permáneat, quam olim Abrahæ et eius sémini promisísti. Nullam eius ánima sustíneat læsionem, sed, cum magnus dies ille resurrectiónis et remuneratiónis advénerit, resuscitáre eum (eam), Dómine, una cum sanctis et eléctis dignéris; dimíttas ei ómnia delícta atque peccáta, tecúmque immortalitátis vitam et regnum consequátur æternum.”

Each man with a cane hit the floor loudly six times, and I knew the ritual was complete.

The nightmare was over, and we could all finally leave the plantation and act like nothing happened. It was the way of The Iron Colt Brotherhood. It was the way of the ritual. It was like some long fucked up dream occurred and if anyone dared speak of the ritual, you risked having to sit exactly where I was moments ago for the next ritual.

No.

We would leave.

And we would never so much as think of putting our name with a stone into the urn again. I would make damn sure Rhett knew this.

I somehow got my feet to move even though I worried my legs would fold beneath me and made my way to Makayla. She was crying, terrified, but I saw her eyes light up when we made eye contact. Right now was just about her.

Makayla.

21

Makayla

I didn’t know exactly when my heart started to beat again, but the fact that I wasn’t dead from a heart attack or at the very least hadn’t fainted right there on the floor said something for the inner strength I didn’t even know I had.

I had watched a man put a gun to his temple and had closed my eyes, silently wishing to hear the gun go off. I had done it for the three men before him, disappointed each time the chamber was empty. As awful as it was—and fuck was it awful—I knew the only way Alec would survive was if one of those men at the table died.

I had to wish for it.

And I did.

I would have to forgive myself for those awful thoughts later, but right now all that mattered was Alec was alive.

Alive.

“Come,” he said softly, grabbing me beneath my arms and picking me off the anal dildo bench. “Let’s get you off this awful thing.”

I gasped as the removal of the dildo caused almost as much discomfort as having it inserted.

My legs were weak, and I could barely bear any weight. If it were not for him holding me up, I would have surely crumpled to the ground. He removed his jacket that was covered in another man’s blood and tried to conceal my nudity as fast as he could.

It was hard to believe that Alec was alive. He had somehow walked away from that table, when I was almost certain he wouldn’t.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” I said as I clung to his body, feeling as if I had to just as much as someone had to breathe.

“It’s okay,” he whispered as he kissed the top of my head. “It’s over now.”

The sex slaves—scared women—were either getting off the bench on their own, or others were helping them. But everyone was starting to leave the ballroom.

“Alec? Makayla?” I heard my father say as he walked up behind us.

When Alec had taken Papa’s place at the table, he wasn’t allowed to come stand by me. The other members kept him to far side of the room—flanked on both sides by the men holding canes—no doubt worried my father would step in and try to save his friend or something. Or maybe they were worried he would rush over to me and try to get me off the bench and cover my body. Regardless, of the reason, this was the first time I had heard my father’s voice in what felt like ages.

Alec turned to face him, but didn’t release his hold on me. My father pulled us both into a hug and released a sob. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” The one and only time I had seen my father cry was when my mother died. Although I couldn’t blame him for breaking down after all that had just occurred. I hadn’t stopped crying since the minute the Russian roulette part of the ritual began, and I wondered if I ever would stop.

It was over. It was finally over. I was in Alec’s arms. I was standing next to my father. But I kept crying.

My father took a step back and quickly glanced at me standing in Alec’s coat as my only clothing. “Why did you come? I would never have wanted you to go through any of this.” He glared at Alec. “You were supposed to keep her safe. You were supposed to keep you safe. This was my mess. Not yours.”

“He tried to keep me at the lake house, Papa. But I ran away. I couldn’t just allow you to die if it meant I could step in and do my part. As awful as the first part of the ritual was,” I paused, trying to get the images out of my head. “I knew I wouldn’t die from it. I had hoped that my arriving would mean them letting you leave. I had hoped I could save your life, so I left without Alec knowing.”

My father stared back at Alec. “Why would you do that? Risk your own life for me?”

Alec pulled me in closer to his chest. “I did it for Makayla,” was his short answer.

My father looked at me with raised eyebrow and then at Alec.

Alec decided to make it very clear what was going on between us when he kissed me on the top of the head and said, “I love her, Rhett. I’m sorry. Something happened at the lake house and though I tried to fight it, I couldn’t. And then being here, with all that was happening… I knew without a doubt that I loved this woman and would do whatever it took to save her. I’m sorry if you feel I betrayed you and—”

“You didn’t betray me,” Papa interrupted. “You saved my fucking life is what you did. You were right when you said you were always luckier than me, and I think had I been sitting at that table… well, I owe you. And I can see you obviously do love her. There’s no denying that fact.” He then looked at me. “Well? Do you love him?”

Love?

Was that what this incredible desire to never leave this man’s side was? His ultimate sacrifice for me proved he definitely loved me. Did I love him in return?

I looked up into Alec’s eyes looking down at me and nodded, knowing one hundred percent that I did. “I do, Papa. I love him very much.”

“So what’s next?” Papa asked.

“I want to take Makayla back to the room and get her cleaned up and then get the fuck out of here. I was hoping we could all go back to the lake house for a couple of days and heal from this horrible ordeal.”

“I would like that,” I said. “I want to go back there more than anything.”

My father nodded. “That sounds like a really good idea. I’m going to head home first and tie up some loose ends, but then I’ll join you guys in the next day or two. I think the lake house is exactly what we all need. Minka would have liked that.” He extended his hand to Alec and they shook. “I owe you my life, my friend. I owe you everything.”

I looked up at Alec and added, “You saved my father like you said you would. You helped me get through the first part of the ritual which could have been a lot worse had you not been here and had I been purchased by someone else. Thank you, Alec.” I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him fully on the mouth, not caring that my father was watching. “I love you more than anything. Thank you.”

Alec pulled away from my face enough to look at Rhett squarely. “No more. The Iron Colt Brotherhood is dead to us. Do you understand me? No more favors, no more connections, no more names on stones. We will never step foot in this mansion or deal with any members again.”

“You don’t have to tell me this,” my father said. “I’m not going to waste this second chance at life. I really did think it was the end, and well”—he looked around the near empty ballroom other than a few members standing around chatting—“I’m sick of these fuckers. Maybe it was good for great great grand Pappy and the other men in my bloodline, but I’m stopping it here. Forever.” Papa leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I promise you, Makayla, that your happiness is all I ever wanted for you. I’m so sorry, but I will never put you in danger again. Never again.”

Alec nodded, seemingly pleased with Papa’s response. “Good. Then I’ll see you in a couple of days. I’m going to get Makayla out of here.”

Without waiting for a response, Alec led me to the room where we had shared the night. I’m sure he wanted to get clean and wash all this death and evilness from our bodies before we made our journey home.

When we crossed the threshold to the room, and he closed the door behind us, I couldn’t help it anymore. I could no longer fight against the tears that I thought I had stopped in the ballroom. Misery was too strong. It wasn’t the abuse. It wasn’t the humiliation. It was the way he looked down upon me as I collapsed on the edge of the bed. I could see so much pain. He was in as much pain as I, and I didn’t know why.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said in an almost lifeless voice. Each syllable came out like the staccato of rapid gunfire.

He bent down and lifted my limp body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and allowed him to carry me to the bathroom in his cradled embrace. I didn’t say anything. Nor did he. I just cried.

He placed me into the shower and turned on the water. Although the water shot out of the shower head at a bitter cold temperature, Alec quickly adjusted the temperature until it was delightfully warm. So very warm. The water washed away my tears, and washed away the terror and pain—yet also a pleasure in the most taboo of ways—that had just occurred.

He discarded his clothes and stepped into the shower himself. He was naked. And except for all the exposed cocks in the ballroom, this was the first man I truly had ever seen completely nude.

I stepped to the side a bit so we could both share the streaming water. This was the first warm and pleasant shower that I had had in days. I had to relish the small pleasures in life now, because I’d had a small taste of how easily it could all be taken away.

“Hand me that bottle,” he said, pointing to a shampoo bottle.

I did so, and he squeezed it into his palm and then reached for my hair and began to massage it into my scalp.

I moaned.

I couldn’t help it. It felt so very good.

He continued to work the shampoo into my hair as the floral fragrance wafted up my nose, reviving my battered soul. His nude body was so close to mine, yet it did not touch, nor did I feel unsafe in any way. He used the rest of the soapy lather on his hands and ran it over my entire body. It wasn’t sexual. It wasn’t lecherous. It was simply a man cleaning a woman.

I looked at him as he helped me rinse the shampoo out of my hair. He continued to bathe the rest of my body and then did the same to his. Silently turning off the water, he reached for two towels and handed one to me. Once he dried his body off, he used his towel to help dry my hair. He gently squeezed the water out, massaging my scalp again.

With the most gentle of touches, he placed his lips to mine with a kiss. Heat pumped through my veins and tiny jolts of pleasure sizzled through every nerve ending in my body. My eyes fluttered open as his mouth conquered mine. His kiss had woken me from my slumber. I returned the kiss with a tiny moan as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deeper to what had become my salvation. He said that I had saved him. But this man had saved me, as well. And this kiss was forever bonding us as one.

What was once a long, dark, epic story had now finally ended. It was time to leave and go back to the lake house. To go back to what hopefully would be the light no longer draped in shadows.

22

Alec

I turned off the highway and followed the familiar road to Old Pier. Makayla was still fast asleep. At my suggestion, she had curled up under my heavy jacket and ultimately floated off to sleep. Rest was something we both needed desperately. But not nearly as much as we needed each other. We needed the reconnection, the healing time, and the time to figure out what would happen next. I needed to make sure that Makayla felt safe again. That she knew that what occurred in Georgia would never happen again. Her nightmare was over and would never haunt her again. That would forever be my life’s mission from this point on. The poor girl had been through enough.

After hours of driving, we had finally reached the restaurant that sat near the lake house. It had been a long trip home, so I’d decided to stop at the nearby restaurant, before continuing on to the house. Not to mention that we needed some level of normalcy and to see normal people who had no idea the hell we had just experienced. We needed to be a part of ordinary life almost as badly as we needed air.

I smiled at Makayla as I pondered how to wake her. Very softly, I whispered her name and kissed her warm cheek. Makayla began to stir, a moan mixing with a soft sigh. I brushed my lips against hers, feeling the loving beginnings of a smile. I pulled back enough to watch Makayla’s eyes gradually flutter awake. The smile disappeared for a short moment, but returned when she looked up into my eyes. It had been a while since I saw it, felt it, but I could see the connection was still there. The overpowering bond that would always hold us together. The love that united us always. We just needed this time at the lake to remind us of it and to wash all the ugly of the last couple of days away.

“Are we there yet?” she asked huskily while rubbing her eyes.

“We are.” I pointed at the beginning of a sunset, dipping beneath the sparkling water of the lake. “The sun’s about to set.”

Makayla’s smile widened and her eyes brightened as she sat up all the way to take in the scenery. The horizon illuminated a gold that seemed magical against the tranquil water.

I freed her seat belt and tapped the armrest between us. “Come closer to me,” I softly commanded as I enclosed her under my arm, snuggling her close. Makayla nuzzled her head against my right arm with a soft sigh.

She lifted her face as though she read my mind. As though she could hear how badly I wanted to kiss her. Her lips parted, inviting my mouth, beckoning my touch. She positioned her body closer to me, pressing tight against my strength. I gave a passionate kiss, a kiss like the times before The Iron Colt Brotherhood gripped our souls and attempted to shred them to pieces. A kiss that reminded me of why, why we were meant to be regardless of all the elements that fought to keep us apart. I tightened my hold, pulling her into my arms to keep her from slipping away. Our love felt whole again, strong again with the backdrop of the lake in the distance, but I didn’t trust anything I was feeling. We needed to figure out how to keep this feeling always. My hope was that this time back at the house would do just that.

We sat in silence until the entire sky changed from a copper flame to a dark ember. We held each other, occasionally kissing, stroking, and relishing our love. Alone in the parking lot, the simple moment gave us hope.

* * *

Makayla

At the Pier Point Restaurant, we had a table with an expansive view of the lake. The lights of the houseboats sparkled against the nighttime sheen of the water, which was illuminated by the early moonlight. Although the restaurant was crowded, I felt nearly alone since the other diners were lost in their own conversations. It was the most romantic place I had ever been with a man who had captured my heart.

I took in the scenery while fumbling with my napkin. I was nervous and didn’t know how to hide that blatant fact from Alec. He sat across a small table from me, and all I could think about was what would happen now.

“You seem awfully quiet,” he started, after the waiter had poured our wine, leaving the bottle behind.

I took a sip of the wine. It left a trail of red fingering down the crystal. The bold flavor helped ease the tightness forming in my throat. “So do you.”

“It seems we’ve both been this way since leaving the plantation house.” Alec reclined back in his chair and rubbed his thumb against the edge of the glass. “I think we really need this lake to get back to normal.”

I looked off toward the illumination on the water, trying to fight back the tears threatening to escape my eyes. “Normal? I’m not sure I even know what that is.”

“Then it’s my job to help you find that… if you allow me to. I want to.”

“I want that, too. I love you, Alec.” The words still felt right to say even when not under duress thinking the man was about to die. That was a good sign.

A smile washed over his breathtakingly handsome face. “So what do you feel is going to be our main issue? Do you think you can move on from all this? And do you feel I have a place in that picture?”

I took a ragged breath to attempt to steady my composure “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Without you by my side from this moment on.”

“Do you want to move back to New Orleans with me?” he asked, keeping his gaze locked on me. “I love the lake house, but I really do need to be closer to Spiked Roses. I’m not ready to retire from my involvement with that place yet. I enjoy it.” He chuckled. “I might be old, but not that old. Retirement is not in my near future yet.”

“Yes. I want that,” I almost whispered. “I had been so excited with the thought of moving and living in New Orleans before… well before all this happened.”

“What about your father? He seemed all right with us, though I don’t think he really understands the level of what ‘us’ really is. What if he objects?” Alec leaned toward me, reaching for my hand. “I’m old enough to be your father, and that harsh reality is going to become very obvious when we thrust ourselves into day to day life.”

“I have to live my life regardless of what my father says. But he did say he was going to join us at the lake in a couple of days, so I think that is saying something. It might take him a bit to get used to the idea, but when he sees how happy you make me… As for when we go back to New Orleans and Spiked Roses… people will assume you’re my sugar daddy.” The blush on my face began to take over. I pulled my hand away and reached for my wine, taking a large swig.

“There’s some truth to that. I don’t mind being considered your sugar daddy. Let people talk all they want. I do plan on taking care of you and giving you whatever you want. I want you to have the luxury of following your dreams in whatever way that is. Call it what you want. I call it taking care of what is mine.”

I took another deep breath. “I don’t even know what my dreams to be are. I have had such a sheltered life that I didn’t give myself that leeway to plan for a future. The only dream I truly had was to one day feel ordinary.” I paused, shrugged, and took another sip of wine. “I guess I have to find myself somehow. I’ve been lost in a sea of darkness.”

“Well,” he said after a long moment’s silence, “I want you to find yourself as I stand by your side every step of the way.”

I allowed my gaze to move from Alec to the calm surface of the lake. The unfamiliar feeling of hope seemed to ease itself into my tense body.

Alec must have read my body language and guessed my thoughts because he continued, “I know not knowing the future is scary.” He poured each of us some more wine from the bottle. “But we survived something so ugly, that we are definitely going to survive anything that can be thrown our way.”

“I hope so,” I said softly, then paused as our waitress approached and set down our dinner. Alec reached for my hand and squeezed. His eyes connected with mine, silently letting me know we were going to be fine. The waitress was quick and, in moments, gone.

“You know I love you, right?” Alec said, his voice a whispered hush that couldn’t be ignored.

I nodded as I took a bite of my salmon. “I do. But I get nervous that love might not be enough.” I stiffened in my chair and reached for my wine with a shaky hand. “The Iron Colt Brotherhood still exists and will always be there… looming in the distance.”

“Never again. We will never be involved with them again. Your father is done. I’m done.” Alec’s voice was deep and hoarse, as if he had to force the words out. He stopped eating, blew out a breath and said, “I know it’s hard to believe. But I need you to know that I am a powerful man even without the brotherhood behind me. There is nothing I won’t do to keep you safe.”

“I know… you proved that to me. You saved me. You saved my father. I owe you everything.” I took a long drink of my wine, trying desperately to clear the lump that remained in the back of my throat. I wondered if the awful memories would ever go away.

Alec shook his head slowly, staring down at his steak dinner. “You don’t owe me a thing.” Alec looked up into my eyes. “I want you, Makayla. I want you in my life. But please don’t agree to this because you feel you owe me.”

“I want you too,” was all I could barely squeak out. The man stole my breath with the way he looked at me. So powerful. So all consuming.

Alec softly touched my hand. His palm was warm, strong, and delivered chills racing up and down my spine. I looked deep within his eyes and saw a stoically confident, determined man. How could I ever resist a man like him? Alec was in my blood.

With a mischievous smile, he asked, “Do you want to get out of here? Let’s go check out the house and make sure it’s the way we left it.”

I glanced at my plate and then his. “We haven’t finished eating yet.”

“All I want right now is to pick you up, toss you over my shoulder, and carry you out of this restaurant. I want you alone, so I can show you just how much I love you.” Alec pushed his chair back, grabbed his wallet and placed a pile of cash on the table.

“We didn’t get the bill yet —”

“Makayla.” Alec reached out his hand and stared down into my eyes. “Either we get out of here right now, or all these people are going to see you as I bend you over this table and fuck you like I desperately want to do. I prefer to fuck you in private,” he said with a wink. “But I’ll leave that decision up to you.”

I took a moment to think about it, playfully acting as if I were actually considering just keeping my seat. Defying him and refusing to leave, just so I could guarantee his threat would come to fruition. But I also wanted him just as badly as he wanted me. So, with a sly smile, I stood up and took his hand.

23

Makayla

I snuggled more deeply into Alec’s arms. He hadn’t let me out of his sight, or the bed, since arriving back at the lake house. I was exhausted and starving, and knew he had to be as well.

“We should go out and get something to eat,” he suggested, as if reading my mind.

The idea of an early dinner sounded great, but I didn’t want to move. I liked it right here in his arms, my body warm, melting as I thought of all the lovemaking we had just shared and no doubt would continue to. Lots of slow, lingering kisses, mixed with passionate gasps and pleas for more. I smiled against his chest. I loved the way we drove each other crazy.

“I’m not hungry,” I lied. I wanted to sit here like this, in his arms, until one of us was forced to move.

“I thought for sure we worked up an appetite. Is it time for another round?” he suggested.

Another smile pulled at my lips. “I’m not sure I can. I think you’ve truly worn me out.”

“Then dinner it is.”

I raised my head to look at him. “Okay, just give me a few minutes to get ready.”

“You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

“I’m naked.”

“Exactly,” he chuckled.

I sighed and collapsed against his muscled chest once more. “Do you want to eat dinner or not?”

“Fine.” He moved free of me, and stood naked at the side of the bed. “We need our energy for later. We will have the entire night ahead of us.”

I laughed. “You’re crazy.”

He bent down and kissed the tip of my nose. “Promise me you won’t move. I have an idea.”

I rolled onto my stomach, propped up on my arms and smiled up at him. “Shall we have dinner in bed?”

“You’re reading my mind.” Alec smiled. “Stay right there. I’ll be right back.”

He kissed me in that slow, sweet way of his, and I nearly forgot all about the growl of hunger in my stomach. I just wanted him to keep kissing me.

Alec was gone long enough to make me want to break my vow of staying put. When he finally returned, he carried a tray laden with a variety of cheese, crackers, and meats.

“Here you go.” He placed down the tray and backed toward the door. “I just have to get one more thing.”

I nibbled on a piece of cheese. He was back in an instant, with a simply wrapped gift in his hands.

Alec sat it on the bed in front of me. “Open it.”

I looked at the box with surprise. Looking up to Alec, I searched his eyes for some hint as to what was inside.

“Open it,” he urged.

I slowly removed the silky white ribbon. I lifted the lid and smiled at the piles of rose petals that acted as tissue paper. “What’s this?”

“You’ll see.”

I dug through the petals, finally finding a citrine ring with the stone in the shape of an oval. I gasped and instantly burst into tears. It was my mother’s. I recognized it. I remembered it from so many years ago.

“How did you get this? Where did you find it?”

He pressed a fingertip to my lips. “Do you like it?”

I placed the ring on my finger and stared with admiration. It fit just like it had fit my mother. I nodded. “It’s so beautiful! But how? This wasn’t in her belongings after she died. I know all of her jewelry by heart. This wasn’t in the collection I have back in Georgia.”

“That’s because she lost it here at the lake one year. It was one of her favorites, and she wore it all the time,” Alec said.

“I remember. She wore it on her middle finger every day. I still have pictures of her with the ring showing.”

“She did,” Alec said with a nod. “But then she lost it. She thought it was when she was swimming, but she was wrong because I found it. When I was downstairs in the basement getting us a bottle of wine, I saw it shining up at me.”

“It had been there all the time?” I asked, wiping away at the tears streaming down my face.

“It was never lost. And now it’s here for you.”

I was like my mother was giving her blessing on this relationship. Her blessing on my choices to move to New Orleans and be with Alec. Like she was looking down and telling me it wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t taboo. That it was what she would have wanted for me all along. She wanted me to be happy, and now that I was… she was giving me her blessing by this gift of one of her most prized and precious possessions.

“I think she would have been happy for us. She would have supported our love, and I think this was her way to let us know that.” I looked at him and smiled. “Do you think I’m crazy for believing that?”

“Not crazy at all. I agree, and I know this ring will make you think of your mother, but I’m hoping it will also remind you of our time at the lake… together.”

I tugged him down onto the bed. Forgetting about the food, I kissed him with the passion that exploded from my heart. “You have given me the best gift.”

He kissed my hand. “One of many… if you will allow it. I love you, Makayla.”

“And I love you. Promise me that we’ll always have this love. Promise me that we won’t lose this.”

“There’s no question in that. I love you. Always will,” he replied in a thick voice.

“What if leaving the lake house changes all of that? What if it changes us? What if all those dark shadows we just escaped find us again?”

“Never. Trust in us. Trust in me to protect you and never allow anything like that to happen again. I will give you normal. Trust me.” He reached for me, dragging me into his arms, holding me with all his strength.

“I do.” I looked at him hopefully. “But can’t we just stay here at the lake forever to be sure?”

With a warm smile he said, “We will always have the lake house, but we don’t need the lake house to be safe. Not anymore. You have me, and I have you.”

I raised my face to him and he lowered his head, his lips coming down on mine for a long, ravenous kiss. A kiss that made me feel more loved and protected than I even thought possible. I knew that no matter what, Alec was going to make sure I had my happily ever after in what was a dark and terrifying world. And even when we had to leave and face our new reality, I knew we would always have our lake house… our past, our memories, and our home.

The End

Top Shelf Series

TOP SHELF SERIES:

BASTARDS & WHISKEY

VILLAINS & VODKA

SCOUNDRELS & SCOTCH

DEVILS & RYE

About the Author

Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling author of hot, dark and dirty romance. She is also an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Being a multi-published author in the romance genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.

For More Information on Alta
www.altahensley.com
alta@altahensley.com

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Also by Alta Hensley

SCOUNDRELS & SCOTCH

I'll stop at nothing to own her.

I'm a collector of dolls.

All kinds of dolls.

So beautiful and sexy, they become my art.

So perfect and flawless, my art galleries are flooded by the wealthy to gaze upon my possessions with envy.

So fragile and delicate, I keep them tucked away for safety.

The dark and torrid tales of Drayton's Dolls run rampant through the rich and famous, and all but a few are true.

Normally I share my dolls for others to play with or watch on display.

But not my special doll.

No, not her.

Ivy is the most precious doll of all.

She's mine. All mine.

*Scoundrels & Scotch is a dark billionaire romance. If you don't like a splash of shock, a dash of taboo, and a heavy dose of sex, then don't take a sip of this TOP SHELF cocktail.

* * *

VILLAINS & VODKA

My life is one long fevered dream, balancing between being killed or killing.

The name Harley Crow is one to be feared.

I am an assassin.

A killer.

The villain.

I own it. I choose this life. Hell, I crave it. I hunger for it. The smell of fear makes me hard and is the very reason the blood runs through my veins.

Until I meet her…

Marlowe Masters.

Her darkness matches my own.

In my twisted world of dancing along the jagged edge of the blade…

She changes everything.

No weapon can protect me from the kind of death she will ultimately deliver.

*Villains & Vodka is a dark billionaire romance. If you don’t like a splash of shock, a dash of taboo, and a heavy dose of sex, then don’t take a sip of this TOP SHELF cocktail.

* * *

Captive Vow

I take you.

To honor and obey.

Till death do us part.

This is my solemn vow.

I am caught in the madness of a deep obsession. Stolen away to become his perfect and dutiful wife.

Trapped in a twisted and dark courtship. Forced and trained in the wifely duties of an obedient bride.

I am his.

Captive ever after…

***Captive Vow is a dark romantic thriller. If you don’t like a sprinkle of shock, a dash of taboo, and a heavy dose of sex, then don’t take a sip of my cocktail.

His Caged Kitty

Here kitty, kitty…

His voice.

His command.

I became weak.

He became my Master the day he saved me and stole me away. I was his pet. His property.

A caged kitty so I would not run away.

In a dark and futuristic world, where civilization has to start over, I have no other options. I must submit to a new way of life.

But if the cage unlocks, will I truly be free of my captor? Or will something far greater keep me contained?

** His Caged Kitty is a novella that is very dark, very taboo, and very dirty. There is graphic sex, and strong BDSM elements. This is not for the faint of heart reader wanting champagne and roses. The only roses in this book are covered in thorns. But with dark comes light, and there will be a happily ever after.

* * *

Bad, Bad, Girl

How can it be wrong when it feels so, so right?

What happens when you are a very bad, bad girl?

What happens when he is so alpha that he demands complete surrender?

What happens when your body, mind, and soul betray you?

You submit.

You utter the words you never thought you would say.

“Yes, sir.”

They should resist. They should say no. They should walk away and never look back.

But they won't.

Three women. Three men. Three tales of carnal delight that push the comfort zone.

Includes: Traditional Love, Traditional Terms, and Traditional Change.

**bad, bad, Girl is an erotic romance that pushes the boundaries of taboo. It is far from a Traditional Love romance. There is graphic sex, there is content that will certainly make you blush, and there are scenes that could cause grandma to have a stroke. If this is not your cup of tea, then please do not take a sip.

* * *

Delicate Scars

Is it possible to pick that one defining moment in life that fucked you up? Can anyone look back on their life and pinpoint the exact minute it happened? I used to believe that I wasn’t fucked up. I had absolutely no reason to be.

Until I met him.

Axel Rye.

Yes.

He fucked me up.

He really fucked me up.

It all started so simply. I only wanted to write a book about the dark, gritty world of nightclubs, booze, drugs, and sex. I didn’t expect to be sucked in to the point where I could no longer see the light. But I became weak. Axel Rye made me weak.

He was wrong in every way. He was a drug dealer, a criminal, and the kind of man your parents told you to stay away from. Yet, he became my drug, and I shook in need until my next fix.

I was delicate.

He was scarred.

But together…together we became delicate scars.

* * *

Maddox, The Black Stallion Trilogy #1 (with Maggie Ryan)

USA Today Bestselling Authors Maggie Ryan and Alta Hensley join forces to bring you the first novel in this action-packed, romantic suspense trilogy full of bad boys and the women who love them.

Power… danger… desire

Maddox Steele, along with his two brothers and father, lives by one code: Help all in need. No questions asked. Even if it means saving those who walk among the most sinister criminals in the world. Known as The Black Stallions, their mission is simple – provide rescue and safety to the underground.

Adira Nazar has no idea her entire life is about to explode into a million pieces. With her life in extreme danger, her only choice is to hand over complete trust to a dark and mysterious man she has never met before… Maddox Steele.

Just another job…

Someone to protect like all the others…

But when Maddox sets eyes on Adira, all bets are off. She is his save, and he's determined to make sure that nothing happens to this exotic beauty trapped in a ruthless world.

Tucked away at The Black Stallion Ranch, and with the few clues they have, can the Steeles put together the pieces in time to save her, or will they lose Adira to the clutches of darkness?

* * *

Stryder, The Black Stallion Trilogy #2 (with Maggie Ryan)

USA Today Bestselling Authors Maggie Ryan and Alta Hensley join forces again to bring you the second novel in this action-packed, romantic suspense trilogy full of bad boys and the women who love them.

Dark… seductive… promise

Stryder Steele, along with his two brothers and father, lives by one code: Help all in need. Even if it means saving those who walk among the most sinister criminals in the world. Known as The Black Stallions, their mission is simple – provide rescue and safety to the innocents drawn into the evil depths of the underground.

Zoya Morozova has been kidnapped and ready to be sold at an underground human auction in Moscow. Being sold to the highest bidder, she has no idea her life is about to change when her new Master is the dark and mysterious… Stryder Steele.

Bad boy Stryder remembers the pain of being unable to save another but he’ll put his life on the line to save this beautiful Russian farm girl. When he buys Zoya with the purpose of rescuing her, he has no idea that she may have the power to rescue him as well.

Flown to The Black Stallion Ranch, and with the help of Zoya and the knowledge of the human sex trade she has, can the Steeles put together the pieces in time to save all the innocent women who had been sold to the monsters of the underground, or will they lose to the mastermind of it all?

* * *

Anson, The Black Stallion Trilogy #3 (with Maggie Ryan)

USA Today Bestselling Authors Maggie Ryan and Alta Hensley join forces again to bring you the third novel in this action-packed, romantic suspense trilogy full of bad boys and the women who love them.

Sinister… passion… freedom

Anson Steele, along with his two brothers and father, lives by one code: Help all in need. Even if it means saving those who walk among the most sinister criminals in the world. Known as The Black Stallions, their mission is simple – provide rescue and safety to the innocents drawn into the evil depths of the underground.

Natalia Alvarez has been sold to the leader of one of Argentinian’s largest drug cartels at an underground human auction. Having been purchased by the highest bidder, she is now nothing more than a possession of Juan Montez and hidden away deep within the walls of his South American compound.

Anson Steele has been on the hunt for Natalia since the day he first saw her at the auction and helplessly had to watch her while not being able to do a thing about it. But he has made it his life’s mission to find this woman and pull her out of the depths of hell – at whatever cost. She will be his save one way or another.

With the backdrop of the mission being the unforgiving jungles and the dangerous streets of Argentina, and escaping a foreign country near impossible, is Natalia doomed to be locked away forever?

While fighting against a powerful drug cartel and their ruthless leader, will Anson Steele be able to rescue Natalia before it is too late? Will they both be able to find refuge in The Black Stallion Ranch and put this awful nightmare behind them?

* * *

Dark Feather

USA Today bestselling author Alta Hensley brings you an erotic and dark story that transports you to a gritty and ruthless world...

Commander Rigby Moss was the leader of the Cyan army, and I was now his captive. Forced to learn the art of submission, as well as the art of war, I became his soldier. From the moment I was captured, I became a mighty warrior amongst a cast of men.

But I had a curse that haunted me daily. I was nothing but a mutant who possessed the answer for warmth, waterproofing, and ultimately, survival—feathers. They marked my skin, forever branding me as a Penna no matter how hard I tried not to be. I hated them. They shamed me. And although the feathers kept me alive, I was dead on the inside.

But I was HIS. And he would do whatever it took to battle my demons as we battled the enemy. Could a dark and broken woman come to terms with friendship, trust, forgiveness and love?

Could a woman taught to remain strong at all times, learn to submit? Could I let go of the darkness, the hate, the death, and all I knew? Was it possible to truly be his DARK FEATHER?

Disclaimer: Dominance, submission, and erotic discipline elements are weaved throughout, including breath play. If such material offends you, please do not purchase this book.

Caring For Citrine

In the Palace of Lazar - Harem (Book One)

Conquering Lazar - Harem (Book Two)

Traditional Love

Traditional Terms

Traditional Change

Poppa's Progeny

Captured by Time (with Carolyn Faulkner)

A New Forever (with Carolyn Faulkner)

Enrolling Little Etta (with Allison West)

The Nanny (with Allison West)

Little Secrets (with Allison West)

For more of my books check out my Amazon Page!

http://amzn.to/2CTmeen

Dark Fantasy Series

SNOW & THE SEVEN HUNTSMEN

RED & THE WOLVES

QUEEN & THE KINGSMEN

Snow & the Seven Huntsmen

* * *

This is no fairytale…

They’ve been sent to break me.

Not one, but seven.

They plan to steal my beauty, my innocence.

Seven Hunters to track me down and claim me as theirs.

I try to run, but it is hopeless.

They have caught me.

I am their prey, their prize, to do with as they please.

But I will capture something far more precious… the Huntsmen’s hearts.

Red & the Wolves

* * *

This is no fairytale…

As the Blood Moon rises, I’ve been chosen.

Chosen to serve, to obey…to die…for no one survives their time with the Wolves.

As I am dressed in the ceremonial Red Hood, all I can think of is escape.

But there is no escape.

The lives of my village depend on my submission to the accursed Wolves.

There are five of them.

Five men cursed to live as Wolves.

Cursed for generations, forced to protect my village from the dark forces.

But they demand a heavy price for their protection. Me.

Five against one…against me alone.

My only hope for survival is to tame the wolves…but submission is not in my nature.

Queen & the Kingsmen

* * *

This is no fairytale…

Captured and imprisoned.

They seek to break my curse by breaking me.

But I will not submit, no matter what tortures they have planned.

I am stronger then the Kingsmen.

Not just one man, but six.

For I am the powerful and feared evil queen.

My curse will stand.

Newsletter

ALTA HENSLEY’S HOT, DARK & DIRTY NEWS

Do you want to hear about all my upcoming releases? Get free books? Get gifts and swag from all my author friends as well as from me? If so, then sign up for my newsletter!

http://www.subscribepage.com/i0n8g9

HAVE YOU READ CAPTIVE VOW?

Chapter One

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

My momma used to hum that nursery rhyme. She used to hum it a lot. And on days she was stressed, anxious, or short fused, she would even sing it with a high-pitched, haunting voice over and over again like a stuck record. It was the sound of my childhood. I hated that song.

I still remember the day I asked her why she loved it so. I wanted to know why two people climbing a hill and then falling off it was so important to her. Who was Jack? Who was Jill? She had looked at me stunned, as if surprised I had noticed and had paid attention to her humming and singing it all these years. Or was she shocked I didn’t know the answer to my question? Whatever it was, she studied me for several minutes before answering me.

“It was your father’s and my song. It reflects us. Our love we once shared.”

My mother never spoke of my father. I had never met him nor ever saw a picture. Whenever I asked about him, for stories describing who he was, my momma was quick to shut it down. She said he was ‘gone’ and that was the best answer I would ever get.

“A nursery rhyme?” I had asked. “That was your song?”

“Yes. It’s about two lovers who beat all the odds holding them down. They climb above it all, but only to be crushed again.”

“I don’t understand. Why do they have a pail of water?”

“A pail of water is a euphemism for having sex. For finally being in love and able to be together. But then Jack dies… and Jill soon follows.”

“They die?”

She nodded, appearing so deep in thought. “Yes, they both eventually die.”

* * *

The sound of the phone ringing in the middle of the night was never a good thing. It’s always the sound of bad news, an emergency, or even death. The shrill resonance cutting through the night’s air is like a town crier announcing impending doom.

My heart thumped against my chest as I reached for my cell phone sitting on the nightstand beside my bed. The number on the screen showed unknown, which only intensified my panic.

I cleared my throat, not wanting to sound as if I had been woken from a deep slumber and answered, “Hello?”

There was an operator’s voice on the other end. “This is a collect call for Demi Wayne from The Eastland Women’s Correction Facility. Would you like to accept the charges?” I had heard this question many times before.

“Yes, I will accept the charges.” I sat up in my bed and turned on the bedside lamp, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

A clicking sound was followed by, “Demi?”

“Hello.” I felt sick. I wanted to vomit. Her voice on the other end always made me feel ill, but tonight was worse. So much worse. I scanned my nightstand, wishing I still had the emergency pack of cigarettes I kept for an occasion such as this. Why the fuck did I decide to quit?

“How are you?” she asked.

What did she expect me to say? How was I supposed to be when I was getting a call from my mother in the middle of the night from a prison where she’d been incarcerated for the past six years? I needed a goddamn cigarette is how I was.

“Fine,” I lied.

“Have you been watching the news?”

“No.” Ever since my mother was arrested for blowing up a building and killing the five guards on that night’s duty, I avoided the media completely. I couldn’t take it. The pictures of her. The pictures of me. The pictures of us together and how the media would say I was a spitting image of my mother. They would say we looked like angels with our blonde hair and blue eyes, but then in the same sentence, say my mother had nothing but the devil inside of her. I didn’t want to look like her. I didn’t want to be the devil. I hated the media. I hated them all. I couldn’t handle all the awful things being said about my mother.

Demon.

Murderer.

Monster.

And they were all true. Everything they said was true.

There was a long pause of silence. “I’m calling to say goodbye,” she said with a wavering voice.

Bile built up in the back of my throat. “Goodbye?” We had already said our goodbyes when she was handcuffed and escorted off to prison. So what could she possibly mean by saying it again?

“I lost the final appeal.”

I remained silent. I struggled to comprehend the information being fed through the phone line. It was as if my body was protecting me from processing the words threatening to shatter my soul. Lost. Final.

“I’m being sentenced to death tomorrow. Lethal injection. The lawyer says today was my final attempt at overturning the guilty verdict. I lost again.”

Guilty.

The judge and jury had deemed her guilty.

She was guilty. She had placed the bomb in the building. She had killed those men. When she was asked why, she had said it was for the cause. The company housed in the building was testing against animals. She had been the judge and jury in that case, deciding that the experiments they were conducting deemed them worthy of being destroyed. ‘A cause,’ she had stated over and over. She was proud of her cause. She was proud of what she did. Not once did she say she was sorry. Not once did she glance over at the wives and families of the men she killed and beg for their forgiveness. Not once did she look at me and tell me she had made a huge mistake and wished she could take it all back. Not once did she show even an ounce of decency in her actions. When I had asked her why she would kill those innocent men, praying to God it was an accident, she simply shrugged and told me it was collateral damage. The price to pay for a bigger and better cause. So yes, what the media was saying about her was true.

Demon.

Murderer.

Monster.

My momma.

Yes.

So, I had no choice but to carry the shame for the both of us, and what a heavy weight it was. On my eighteenth birthday, I sat in the crowded courtroom and watched my mother stand with an aura of defiance and pride while the judge sentenced her to death for five counts of murder.

Happy Birthday to me.

“Demi?”

“Yes?” My voice cracked. I glanced around my bedroom at the piles of dirty clothes strewn about as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. My room reflected my life. Dirty, neglected, disarrayed, shambles. My life was in chaos, and all I wanted right now was a fucking cigarette. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be real… yet, it was.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yes.”

There was a long pause as darkness suffocated me. As darkness stabbed at my heart over and over. As darkness bludgeoned me to a bloody pulp. Darkness destroyed me as I sat there with the phone to my ear.

Dead man walking…

Correction.

Dead woman walking…

“It’s okay, Demi. I’m at peace. I finally get to be with your father.”

I said nothing as I struggled to breathe. The small room of my one-bedroom apartment shrank in size as the walls appeared to be closing in on me. I was trapped in this nightmare that I couldn’t elude. There was no escape from my life.

“Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown. And Jill came tumbling after,” she sang softly as she had done so many times in my youth. She paused, as if she were waiting for me to say something. As if wanting me to ask for clarification.

I wanted to scream for her to stop. I didn’t want to hear that awful nursery rhyme ever again. I wanted her to shut the fuck up! Yet, I didn’t want those to be my last words to her. No matter what, she didn’t deserve that. I didn’t want her to die hearing my cruel—but honest—words ringing in her ears. A daughter’s truth to a mother who had done her wrong… so very wrong. So, I remained silent. Silent like all the times I watched her and others meet in my living room planning to take down a government agency or corrupt company. These strangers plotting and planning in my childhood home all spoke as if they were the good guys, and everyone else were the villains. I had grown up to distrust our government due to all the conspiracy theories I heard growing up. I never questioned. I never disagreed. I never told a soul of their plans. I only remained silent as a good little girl would do.

“I’m proud. Your father died for his cause, and now I get to tumble down after him.”

I had finally learned all about my father after my mother was arrested. Not from my momma, but by the television. The media had informed me that my father—who I was simply told was ‘gone’—had died in a blaze of police gunfire when he refused to surrender after trying to blow up a nuclear power plant. He was a leader of a terrorist group. He had died that day, leaving behind a grieving widow and a three-month-old baby. I can still remember the news anchor who stared into the camera while video of my father played behind his profile. The anchorman’s gray hair, perfect suit and blue-striped tie, his firm, emotionless expression as he spoke into the camera were still so clear in my memory. Did he know that behind his head on the television screen was a gruesome image playing of a man losing his life as he was gunned down? A man who was my father? Did the news anchor have any idea there was a young woman watching her father—who she knew nothing about—for the first time while he died on old video footage? I often wonder if that news anchor had any idea a piece of me died that day. I had to meet my father, watch them describe my mother as the devil, and come to terms with the fact that I was nothing but an orphan with a dark and twisted family tree. I was a fool. Fooled by my past.

“When?” I asked, swallowing the lump in the back of my throat. “When do you die?”

“They said two o’clock tomorrow.”

Two o’clock.

Two o’clock and my mother would be dead.

How odd it must be to know the exact time you are going to die.

Was she afraid? I would be afraid.

The first hot tear fell from my eyes. “So this is it? The last time I get to talk to you?”

“Yes.”

“Momma…” The rest of the tears followed as I slipped into a deep hole. At that moment, I wanted to be a little girl with her mother’s soothing arms around her, comforting her, telling her it was all going to be okay. But nothing was going to be okay. Nothing at all.

“Promise me one thing,” she said. “Promise me you’ll find your Jack, and you will climb that hill. You deserve happiness and love. You deserve so much more than I was able to give you.” She cleared her throat. “I have to go now.”

Panic attacked. “Wait! Now?” Oh God! Was this the last time I would ever hear my mother’s voice? Would these be our last words? “Is there anything we can do? Can we hold it off a little bit longer? Maybe hire another lawyer? Get a new judge? Anything? There has to be something!” I felt as if I was hanging on a cliff by my fingertips and the weight of my body was just too much. I was about to fall into the abyss.

“No. The time has finally come. Just know that though you may not have agreed with my cause or what I did, I at least stayed true to myself. True to what your father and I believed in. All I ask is you stay true to yourself, Demi.”

“Momma…”

“Goodbye.”

With a short metallic click, the phone went dead, and Jill came tumbling after.

* * *

Get your copy now:

Captive Vow