“Do everything Vladik tells you, you hear me?”
“Yes, Sir.” My voice quakes as I say the words. I don’t want to do this, but I agreed to. I volunteered, and I won’t leave Ares’ sister in the hands of a monster. I’ll free her, and as many others as I can.
“It’s okay to be afraid, Pet.”
I relax against his embrace and give up control. As of this moment, any control or dominion I thought I had over my life is gone. The trembling I’d tried so hard to hold at bay breaks free, and I quake in his arms.
“You’ll be there no more than a week, and you have your tracker, so I’ll be close by.”
“You will?”
“Yes, Pet.” He smooths his long fingers over the collar at my neck, and gives my leash a little tug. “He will treat you as his possession, but you must never forget that you are mine. You’ll always be mine. Vladik will beat you. He’ll punish and fuck you, but you’re mine.”
My head swims with all of the horrors that await me. There are so many things that could go wrong.
“Listen, this is imperative, Pet. You need to find Athena and tell her Hermes is coming for her. From the intel we gleaned a few years ago, Vladik doesn’t keep her with the other slaves. You must be quick and clever, and never, under any circumstances, get caught. If you do, I can’t promise I’ll be there to help you in time.”
“I’ll do my best, but . . . what if he doesn’t buy me?”
“He won’t be able to resist. You were chosen because you’re perfect.” He kisses my head, his lips lingering longer than they should with so many other vehicles and guards around. “We’ve never had better bait.”
That’s not as comforting as he might think.
Ares takes my mouth by force, spreads my thighs with one brusque hand, and thrusts inside me. I open for him, instantly spreading my legs and welcoming his warm, talented fingers. I moan into his mouth, and his thumb gently strokes my clit. The feeling is strange. I’m used to pain and brutality from my master, not sweet caresses.
“Do not fight him, Pet. Things will go much worse for you if you do.”
I let out a shuddering breath. “I’m so afraid, Sir.”
“I know.” He presses another kiss to my forehead and unseats me from his lap. “If you behave, you will earn his trust. Be a good girl and do what he orders.”
“Yes, Sir.” I sob.
“No more tears.”
I nod and wipe the salt water from my face. Hermes pulls the limousine to a stop, and Ares whispers, “Be good, little one. I’ll come for you soon.”
He climbs out of the limo and doesn’t look back. I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath. I meet Hermes’ eyes in the rear-view mirror. He darts his gaze back to the road, and then to me again.
“What?” I snap.
“I didn’t think you’d go through with it. When you came to me that night, I didn’t believe you had the courage to do it.”
“I had the courage to knock you out and escape, didn’t I?”
“And yet, you came back.”
I frown and glance through the tinted window. “I came back because I can’t live without him. It wasn’t living at all.”
Hermes pulls away from the curb and continues around the corner of the building. “And this is?”
“Do you want me to save your sister or not?”
“She’s my lover, little mouse.”
“She’s also your adopted sibling.”
“That sickens you, doesn’t it?” He meets my gaze in the mirror. “That my twin brother and I fucked our sister.”