The Unfortunates(11)

“You’ve got a good slave there,” Henry said, strolling up to Kade with his hand extended.

Henry was a friend of Kade’s father, one he had known since he was a small boy. Henry was a sly man and tended to over-indulge in his alcohol. He claimed his large belly had to be filled regularly or he’d simply fail to move. Kade stood up and shook Henry’s hand, taking note of his excited grip.

“Courtesy of my father,” Kade replied, smiling a little.

“Twenty five already? Gone are the boy years.”

Kade nodded. “I’ll be twenty five in a few days.”

“Ah, I trust there’ll be a large party in your honour?”

Master Kade knew exactly what Henry was fishing for. Free alcohol. The thought made his lips twitch.

“Bigger than large,” he replied. “I’ll have to make extra room for your stomach.”

Henry stepped forward and playfully jabbed Kade in the stomach. “You’re still funny, boy. It’s good to see that hasn’t disappeared with age.”

“It has only increased, I assure you.”

Henry laughed, his neck fat jiggling along with his stomach. When he recovered, Henry asked, “Well, are you going to show her off?”

Kade’s jaw clenched. He’d never been one to flaunt his possessions. That was more his brother’s forte. Besides, Henry had hands that liked to wander and Kade couldn’t formulate the sentence ‘touch her again and I’ll fucking kill you’ politer than that.

“You know me better than that, Henry. Vince is the show off.”

Henry looked over his shoulder. “I can’t see your brother anywhere.” He smiled wolfishly. “I won’t touch. I know how you feel about fingerprints on your things.”

Kade analysed him before giving in. It wouldn’t hurt to allow himself to become the envy of another Fortunate for a little while. He turned to Nine. She looked up at him before he called for her, like she sensed his eyes on her. He flicked his head in his own direction and she swallowed hard before stepping down from her pedestal. Kade watched her bunch her dress up at her knees as she lifted the fabric so she could see her feet as she walked down the steps. Beside him, he heard Henry rub his fat hands together. Nine lowered her dress and approached them with as much discipline and grace as she was meant to. It actually shocked Kade. He hadn’t seen her do anything right since she got here and he was worried he was going to have to punish her in front of Henry. Not that he could bring himself to hurt her or any female, for that matter. He’d never hit her. He was much stronger than she was, he knew that, and her face was too pretty to mark. Kade didn’t care much for bruised slaves representing his house, anyway. Everyone in his house needed to be perfect. Nine’s behaviour wasn’t perfect, but her looks were damn near close.

Pride surged in Kade’s chest as Henry’s gaze raped her from head to toe. Nine kept her head down, ignoring his prying eyes.

“Perfection,” he mumbled.

It occurred to Kade, as he watched the fat, lust-filled Fortunate, that he could forfeit Nine for himself and use her to gain power instead. He saw the way the Fortunates watched her, licking their lips like the air that surrounded her was delicious. Using her as bait, he could probably make any powerful man do whatever he wanted—like Albert Knowle, for example. Kade didn’t need her, it’s not like sex was hard to come by—but power, on the other hand, that was a rare treat for a Sario these days. If he was going to use her, he needed to protect her and then present her to the one person who could offer the Sario family the most. It wasn’t a bad idea, he thought.

“What I wouldn’t give—” Henry groaned under his breath.

And then he reached out and fucking touched her.





Chapter Four





Nine



I stood still as Master Kade’s friend ran his chubby fingers up my arm. They’re warm and soft, unlike his cold, rough eyes, and I clench my jaw as his green and brown irises send large quantities of uneasiness through me.

“Fingerprints,” Kade says through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on his glass.

Henry pulls his hands back and threads them together in front of him. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“I forgive you,” Kade says, taking a quick sip of his drink. “Do it again, though, and I’ll break your fingers.”

Henry laughs, shrugging Master Kade’s words off and treating them like a joke. I glance at Kade and the look on his face is anything but humorous.

“Eighteen years young?” he asks me, raking his fingers through his grey hair.

I nod and fight the urge to cringe. I don’t like how excited I’m getting him. You’d think he’s never seen an Unfortunate before.