Chapter 6: The Brother

NINE

I stand still as Master Kade's grotesque friend runs his chubby, oily fingers up my arm. They're warm and soft, unlike his cold, rough eyes. I clench my jaw as his hazel irises send uneasiness barrelling through me.

"Henry," Kade grinds through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on his glass.

Henry pulls back and threads his fingers together, but he doesn't take his hungry eyes off me. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

I glance at Kade, and the look on his face is anything but humorous. His dark, coal eyes are thinned into slits, his strong jaw tight.

"Eighteen years young?" Henry asks me, lifting onto the tips of his toes only to drop back onto his heels. I nod. "Virgin?"

I open my mouth to speak, but Kade cuts me off. "Those questions, and the answers they yield, are not for anyone's ears but mine."

"Of course, sorry." Henry surveys me with his beady eyes for a few minutes longer before he releases me from his intense appraisal and finally looks at Kade. "I don't suppose you will put her in the Cat House?"

I tense. Cat House?

"Absolutely not."

"Shame. You could make a lot of money off her." He clicks his tongue against his teeth. "She seems so… alive, doesn't she? I know many people who'd pay top dollar for her."

Kade slams back the rest of his drink, his fingers whitening around the glass. "She's not for casual use. I have plans for her."

"I bet you do." Henry chuckles a deep, throaty chuckle. "Lucky son of a bitch."

I cringe and drop my head in fear of Kade seeing it. The attention I've received since my arrival is off-putting. I feel like a bloody piece of meat dangling above a lion's den. What will happen to me if Kade leaves my side, even for a second?

"More whiskey," Kade demands, extending his glass to me. "The one I like is in the kitchen."

Me? I lift my head, then my eyebrows. Oh. I take the heavy-bottomed crystal glass and stroll away. As I walk, I feel Henry's seedy gaze stick to me like sweat on a hot summer's night.

I detour from the stone path that leads to the Sario Manor, and I kick off my cloth shoes. I leave them behind as I press the bottoms of my bare feet into the grass. It welcomes my soles like fluffy clouds, and I stop. Holding my breath, I crouch and run my fingers over the freshly cut blades. They tickle my palm, and I smile, tears welling in my eyes.

Whiskey. I remind myself with a sniffle. Get the whiskey. Touch the grass later.

Straightening myself, I stroll into the manor, turn left down a narrow corridor, and right into a busy, brightly lit kitchen. Unfortunates work hard, cooking food and filling drinks. Scents of freshly cooked meat waft up my nostrils, and my stomach roars with hunger, my throat burning as saliva pools under my tongue.

Three Unfortunates dressed in crisp, white tunics push past, carrying large trays of sparkling beverages. I step into the chaotic kitchen and set Kade's empty glass on the counter littered with different bottles. I stare at them, and it occurs to me that I don't know what whiskey is or what it looks like.

"Need help?" someone asks.

I glance over my shoulder at another Unfortunate. She pulls her thick, tightly curled hair into a messy bun and saunters closer. Unlike the white tunics of the three Unfortunates who pushed by me when I arrived, her tunic is aged, like she's worn it for years.

"Master Kade," I mutter, turning back to the dizzying variation of bottles. "I don't suppose you know which one of these he drinks?"

"That one." She points at a black and gold bottle in the centre of the counter. "No ice."

I reach for it, committing its long, slender neck and bulbous bottom to memory. As I reach across, my elbow clips another bottle, and I gasp as it falls over, spilling a deep red liquid across the counter. Is it blood? I jump back to avoid getting the dark liquid on my dress as the Unfortunate dives for it, setting it upright before its entire contents are lost. Everyone in the kitchen pauses to stare, and their fear slams into my gut. Oh, no. What have I done?

Gripping the counter, the honey-eyed Unfortunate points across the kitchen to a darkened hall. "Go down the hall and fetch some towels from the linen closet. I'll pour his drink while you're gone."

I flee in her pointer's direction, desperate to escape the stares. I walk quickly, worried I've already taken too long to get Kade's drink and pray he isn't mad.

I approach the only cupboard in the hall and yank it open. It's filled with rolled, black towels, so I grab a bunch of them and close the door. I stack them against my chest, careful not to drop any.

"Yes." A feminine sigh blows into the hall. "Oh, please."

Frowning, I still, my fingers tightening around the fabrics in my hold. Am I hearing things? A distinct male groan reverberates around my skull, followed closely by a crude command.

"Spread your legs wider. Yeah, just like that."

Heat as hot as hellfire spreads up my body to pool in my cheeks. I step closer to the sound, toward the cracked door on the opposite side of the hall. I move closer and closer until the towels brush the doorjamb. I peer into the room through the small slice, and my vision is bombarded by an explicit moment between two lovers.

The woman's cheeks are flushed, her face twisted into an expression of pure pleasure. I move my gaze down her slim body, over her soft hips, to her backside. It's red and welted like her flesh has been slapped a hundred times.

I watch as the Fortunate grips her flesh in his large, manly hands, using her hips as an anchor as he violently thrusts into her. She drops her cheek to the table and parts her lips. She sips at the air, her quick pants visible against the lacquered surface of the desk. My breath picks up as she grips the table's edges, her knuckles white.

An unfamiliar sensation stirs between my legs, and I squeeze my thighs shut. This is wrong, but I can't bring myself to look away. I'm hypnotised by the intimate moment unfolding in front of my eyes.

"Yes," she cries out, reaching behind her. She grips the black cloth of her lover's jacket in her dainty fist. "Harder."

Groaning, he hunches over her and grabs a fistful of her blonde hair, forcing her neck back on an unnatural angle. He hovers his mouth over hers, and she moistens her lips, eagerly awaiting his kiss. He teases her, touching his tongue to her lips, but he never seals it with a kiss.

She whimpers in delight as his groans become more pronounced. I watch, completely mesmerised, by her body as her muscles ripple and shudder under the man's weight. With one last guttural moan, the man collapses against the woman, and the room falls silent, releasing me from its spell.

I let out a rush of air and step back. The sudden movement causes the towel on the very top of my stack to roll off. My heart leaps into my throat, and I swing for the cloth as it falls. Not fast enough to catch the towel, my fingers graze the edge of the fabric and connect with the heavy, wooden door. My breath hitches as the door is thrown open, and it slams against the wall, startling the two lovers.

I flick my wide stare to the young man, and my heart stops cold as the man pulls away from the woman. He turns to me, exposing his long, still-semi-erect length, and I recognise Vincent Sario immediately.

"Nine?" His surprised expression melts to vicious amusement as he stuffs himself back into his slacks. "Were you watching?"

The Fortunate female laughs and pushes herself up off the table. Painful tendrils of anxiousness burrow in my chest, and I cringe, taking an unintentional step back.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..." I rush out on a breath as my chest caves. "I didn't mean to intrude."

With calculated and predatory steps, he closes the distance between us and towers over me, cruel and unwavering.

"Did you see my cock?"

Fire blooms in my cheeks, and I clear my throat. "Y-yes. Yes, I did."

"Did you like it?"

I open my mouth to tell him no, but I purse my lips instead. I shouldn't be having this impolite conversation with another Fortunate. It's betrayal. Vince pinches the skin of my forearm, and I wince as he tugs me closer until the towels press against his chest. He smells of citrus and musk, tinged with a gentle sweat that isn't offensive to my nose.

"Why don't you join us, hm? I won't tell a soul."

I step back, pulling my skin free of his pinch. "I'm sorry, but I shouldn't keep Master Kade waiting any longer."

I whirl on my heel and flee, leaving the fallen, unravelled towel behind. My pulse kicks up, and tears sting my eyes as the weight of my actions settles on my chest. I rush into the kitchen and throw the towels at the Unfortunate I met earlier. Catching the mess of towels with one arm, she opens her mouth, but I snag Kade's drink from her and hurry from the kitchen.

I march over the grass, desperately scanning the crowd for Kade. I spot him not far from where I left him, talking to a beautiful, blonde woman equal in height to him. If I can just make it to his side, then—a warm hand grips my elbow and yanks me to a stop. The abrupt halt causes a few drops of Kade's drink to hit my skin.

"Where are you running to, Unfortunate?" Vincent's baritone tenor crawls into my ears, carving burrows of dread as it goes. "My brother?"

He circles me, leaving little space between us as he stands in front of me, blocking Kade from view. My spine quivers, and I push my tongue to the roof of my mouth. I focus on breathing out my nose to prevent the dams behind my eyes from bursting.

"You think he'll protect you from me?" he asks, his voice low and threatening as he glides a finger up my neck and under my chin, lifting my face towards his. "Protect you from the punishment you deserve?"

"No, sir."

I turn to stone as he touches my hair, then my shoulders. I keep my stare on him as he glides his hands down the length of my body to my hips. My organs move slowly as if his toxic touch seeps through my pores, poisoning me from the inside.

"Did you like the show?" he asks, tugging me toward him.

More droplets of Kade's drink spills over the rim and wets my skin.

"Please, don't—"

"I asked you a question. You best answer it."

I rake my teeth over my trembling bottom lip. "I'm not sure if I liked it."

"You're not sure?" He laughs, and the sound is too beautiful to come from someone like him, someone whose aura is suffocating, like smoke. "If I touched you between your legs, would I find you wet?"

I shuffle uncomfortably, pressing my thighs together. Wet? Is that what the funny feeling between my legs is? If it is, then yes, I suppose I'm wet, but I don't understand it. There's no lust in my blood for Vince even though I watched him give pleasure to a woman and know he could do the same to me if he were so inclined.

"I don't know."

"I think you do. You look innocent with your big violet eyes and plump pink lips, but I don't think you're innocent. No, I think all you want is a good, long, hard fuc—"

"Vincent." I jump as Kade's voice rings loud and clear, full of warning and fury. "If you want to keep your hands, you'll take them off her."

Vince's eyes flash. "I think she wants to be touched by me."

Keeping his hold on my hips, he turns me around. My gaze meets Kade's, and I've never seen irises so dark. I lose my breath.

Vince moves closer, pressing his body against my back. Images of him pressed into his lover flash through my mind, making me feel strange all over.

"Tell him, Unfortunate. Tell him you want to stay in my room tonight."

I hear the threat in his tone. If I don't play along, I'll be punished for what I've done, but I'd rather receive a brutal whipping from Kade than have Vincent Sario, naked and thrusting, on top of me.

"It doesn't matter what I want," I say, then moisten my dry lips. "Only what Master Kade wants."

Vince clenches me in his hold, and Kade's brittle obsidian eyes flash with pleasure. I stare at him. I stare into him, trying to communicate how bad I don't want to be left alone with his brother.

"Don't be unreasonable, brother. Perhaps you and I can strike a deal?" Vince suggests, and Kade smirks, shifting his attention to Vince.

"If I wanted to share Unfortunates with you, brother, I'd use the ones already lingering around the house."

"Need I remind you that you didn't want an Unfortunate to begin with? Why the change of heart?"

"I don't want an Unfortunate. I don't want her or anyone else." Kade extends his hand, and I give him his drink. He sips his whiskey and swallows. "But you want her, and that's all the reason I need to keep her for myself."

"Are you sure that's wise? With your history?"

Kade flinches. What history? My tummy rolls. Has he hurt someone? Killed someone? Kade grips the hem of my dress at my breasts, his thick fingers sliding between them. I make a noise in my chest as he yanks me toward him and out of Vince's hold until my chest hits his torso.

"You don't know a damn thing about my history."

"Know it? I lived it. It's my history too." Vince is at my back again, so close I feel his breath in my hair. "Why do you want her so bad, Kaden?"

"They're all talking about her. Fussing over her. Lusting for her." Kade pauses for a beat. "Look at her. No Fortunate in their right mind would pass her up."

Vince snorts. "You've gone mad. The sooner Father realises that and makes me his successor, the better."

A cool breeze blows against my back as Vince saunters off. I peer over my shoulder, watching him retreat to the manor. He collects a skinny glass off a passing tray as he goes.

Burying his fingers in my hair, Kade bunches the strands in his fist and yanks my head to his.

"Avoid my brother at all costs, do you understand?" he snaps, his sweet breath blowing across my lips.

"Why?" I ask, instead of saying yes, like an idiot.

I can't help it. I want to know their history. What makes Kade so angry and Vincent so deadly? He squeezes harder until my scalp burns, silently demanding the answer he wants, and I wince.

"Yes, Master Kade."

"Good." He releases me. "If he so much as lays a finger on you, you are dead to me. Do you understand?"

I nod.

"Go get salve and ice for your shoulder. I want it healed as quickly as possible, then go to your quarters and remain there until I call for you."

"Yes, Master Kade."

With that, he turns away and storms off, disappearing into a throng of Fortunates.