Page 23 of Black Ledger

“No,” I screamed. “Nikochka, watch out.” But of course, she couldn’t hear me.

The figure turned slightly, and I caught a glimpse of the side of his face. It was Sergei Volgin.

Nika’s head guard.

Every muscle in my body trembled, and a hollow, shattered cry tore out of me.

“You see how far we’ve infiltrated your world?” the Headmaster asked. “You see what we can do?”

“Yes,” I said, barely audible. “Yes.”

“Great.” He smiled. “I’m glad you’re so cooperative already. Now, to be clear, if you ever step out of line, I’ll begin killing the people you care about one by one.”

He motioned to the Gold Mask, who hit the space bar, and the next livestream popped up, showing Katya, my childhood friend. Gold Mask hit the bar again, and Abigail, my college roommate, popped up. It went on like this until they had made it through every person I’d ever cared about.

They had been incredibly thorough, and the only way they could have known all of it was if someone close to me had betrayed me.

“If you try to escape, I will bring in Abigail, and she will become a member of the Forgotten. I will force you to watch as I let my Lethe rape her. Over and over again, knowing that you are the reason for her pain. Do you understand?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat was so tight and thick. It felt like I was drowning in quicksand.

“Do you understand me?” He slapped me hard across the face.

“Yes.”

My stomach twisted so hard I thought I might vomit.

“Good. Now, my darling. Some ground rules.” He motioned to the guards with two fingers. “To keep you in line, I’ve installed monitors in your cell, which you can use to view your family and friends. You will be able to see them and know that as long as you follow our rules, they will remain safe.”

The Headmaster nodded, and one guard bent down to my feet and unlocked the manacles while the other unlocked my wrists.

They fell to the floor with a harsh, loud sound. My wrists burned where the metal had sat, and the absence of the restraints suddenly felt wrong—as if wearing them had been some kind of protection.

I didn’t move. I held my head high and waited for orders—waited for whatever vile thing they were going to do to me.

Because I would be the sacrifice that kept my friends safe.

My shoulders locked with tension as he said, “On your knees.”

I nodded and slowly lowered myself to the floor, the concrete digging into my kneecaps.

My pulse stormed violently beneath my skin.

“Good girl.” His smile widened. “Now, I would fuck you to break you in, but unfortunately, we haven’t prepared you yet for that. Soon, after you leave this room, you’ll be taken to the medical chambers where we will microchip you, place an IUD, and check for STDs. Our Forgotten are clean, pristine creatures—at least at first. And we will make you ready for any of our Lethe to rent.”

Sweat gathered beneath my dress despite the cold.

He ran his thumb along my bottom lip. Instinctively, I opened my mouth for him. I figured he wanted to use me as Aleksandr had, but he clicked his tongue.

“No. None of that. Not yet. I don’t fuck in public.” His gaze moved to the guards surrounding us. “You are no longer Xeniya. From now on, you will be called Calliope. You’re our muse. Our little fuck toy to do whatever we please with. All the Lethe are different, but you will serve them to the best of your ability. You will become the vessel they want. Some of them will want to chase you and want you to fight back, while others will chain you up, and some still will seduce you and make you cum. Whatever they need, you will be. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now go get prepared because I’ll visit you tonight and sample the goods.”

He snapped his fingers again, and two guards forced me up, escorting me out of the room and into a much, much worse one.

The infirmary.