My bare beet silently pounded the cemented steps as I descended. The entire basement turned out to be an entire hallway of rooms, and at the very end a sliver of light streaked out from under the door.
The cries came from the same place, and they weren’t so tiny or soft now.
Terror clawed at my body.
I knew the only thing left to do was to walk towards the room and open the door so I could confront my fears.
For better or for worse.
But I couldn’t.
I just couldn’t.
And so I waited. I wished. I hoped. I prayed.
Until the words were no longer coherent, and my thoughts were a complete mess—-
Until all I could do was just breathe.
When the door finally opened, a laughing, naked girl came out—-
A cry escaped me.
The girl turned towards me in shock, and then her eyes sharpened into slits before she lifted her head with a toss of her hair.
She sauntered towards me.
And I found myself backing away.
The girl laughed, and shame devoured me.
“Someone like you can never satisfy him.”
Behind her, Marcus came out of the room, and he jerked when our eyes met.
He was fully clothed. But it didn’t matter. I knewthat face.I GODDAMN knew that face—-
And I knew he had just come.
Marcus started walking towards us, his eyes never leaving me as he said curtly, “Get out.”
The girl bowed. “Yes, Master.” But her eyes smirked at me before leaving, and I had never felt so low in my life.
That girl was – what – a decade younger than me?
My head snapped towards Marcus, and I didn’t even have the strength to scream at him. I didn’t even know if I could be mad. How could I be mad when I just didn’t—-
I just didn’t...
“Marcus.”His name came out a broken whisper. It was the only thing I could say, and I knew – when he stiffened and his face hardened – I knew he knew what was it I really wanted to say.
Why?
But Marcus only gazed at me with dark eyes that were no longer anything I recognized.
“I don’t understand,” I choked out.
His lips twisted. “You were never meant to.”