“Where is she?” he shouts, his voice booming, sending my heart rate through the roof.
I want to call out to him, to run to him and have him take me away from all of this, but I don’t. I sit, shaking on a table top, waiting for him to see me. Then, I see him push through three Fortunates and step into the light. His eyes widen as he looks at me from head to toe. He looks taller than before, meaner than before, and as he approaches the table, he ignores Vince. The closer he gets, the more I see in his face.
The rage.
The disgust.
Even in the dim light, I see his eyes darken and his eyebrows pull together. He hates me… Slowly, he turns his attention to the other Unfortunate and he takes a small, regretful step back. I want Kade to hurt him, to make him suffer the same pain he made me suffer.
“You touched her?” The question rolls of Kade’s tongue quietly, but I know it’s the calm before the storm. Kade can do a lot of things, but controlling his anger is not one of them.
The Unfortunate lifts his hands, exposing his palm to Kade like he’s a wild animal. “Please, sir, I was only doing what I was told.”
“You touched her?” He booms and in the distance, I hear a few chairs scrape the floor as random Fortunates flee the scene.
“Please—”
Kade launches forward, driving his fist into The Unfortunate’s face. Electricity crackles through the room and the gathering of Fortunates grow excited as they watch a Fortunate beat an Unfortunate. As the Unfortunate falls and hits the ground, Kade grabs him by the scruff of his neck and punches him again. The Unfortunate curls into the fetal position, whimpering as hard as I am… and strangely, it makes me feel better. It makes me feel… content.
“Who told you you could touch her?”
“Relax, brother. It’s only harmless fun.” Kade’s shoulders square and he drops the Unfortunate. As his body becomes rigid, he turns around, slowly, like he’s giving himself a few seconds to calm down. “You’re not using her, and I feel bad Father spent his money on something you refuse to use.”
From the side, I watch Kade’s jaw clench and relax, clench and relax. “You have no business touching my things.”
Vince smiles a menacing smile. “We’re brothers, we’re meant to share.”
Kade snaps around to me and I flinch, swallowing hard. He steps forward and reaches out for me. His arms scoop under my thighs and under my arms, and he cradles me close to his chest. His smell eases my stress levels and makes me feel safe, so I grip his black tie and bury my face in my hands to prevent me from crying. Underneath my ear, Kade’s chest vibrates.
“Touch something of mine again, a slave, a chair, even a fucking cup and I will kill you.”
Vince laughs—and others join him. “You’re awfully defensive over an Unfortunate… maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are using her the way Father intended and her tight cunt is screwing with your head. Should I let him know your slave is defective?”
“My slave is fine. You are defective.”
I keep my eyes shut as Kade’s heavy steps rock me into temporary comfort. I don’t ever want him to let me go. Outside, the cool air clings to my naked body and more tears begin to fall.
“It’s all right,” he mutters, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you.”
It feels like an eternity has passed before we’re back at the Sario manor and in Kade’s room. When we’re alone, I feel better, as if I can finally feel sorry for myself and cry without fear. So I do. When Kade sets me down on the couch and disappears into the bathroom, I draw my knees to my chest and cry. My head still spins, rolling faster than ever before. I feel like I’m in a swing and it’s twirling faster than I want it to. I don’t know how long passes before Kade returns and picks me up again, but when he does, he’s no longer wearing his jacket and the sleeves of his black formal shirt are rolled up to his elbows.
“What did he give you?” he demands, but the question refuses to resonate with me and all I can do is shake my head and cry a little more.
I black out until Kade lowers me into warm water. I panic then and shoot up, desperately clawing at the edge of the bath. His hands restrain my shoulders in a gentle but firm grip and for a moment, it doesn’t feel like this is happening… it’s like I’m watching it happen from the sidelines, witnessing the event unfold. There’s a girl in the bath who looks like me. I can see the fear in her eyes, the absolute terror she feels is reflected in the way her chest raises and falls, but on him, I see the determination. He has the entire situation under control and all of it is evident by the way he looks at her and strokes her hair in an attempt to soothe her. At his touch, she takes deep soothing breaths and her knuckles are no longer white as she holds onto the bath. Then, I float back into myself, and see Kade front on.