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Chapter 17
CHRISTY
The Masks take their seats whilst Thirteen stands before me, her unusual grey eyes watching me carefully. She reaches for my face, her fingertips sliding over my skin as she cups my cheeks, and presses her mouth against mine, the act taking me off guard. I want to push her off me, then I remember who she is to The Masks and how they whipped me for talking back earlier, how they just flayed the skin on Twelve’s back, so I don’t.
Her fingertips gently stroke my skin as the tip of her tongue edges its way between my lips. Around us some of the Numbers giggle, and I hear one of The Masks clear their throat, a sound that is more warning than anything else, but she ignores them all. My lips part of their own accord as I accept her kiss even though I’m confused by it. My heart hammers in my chest as her tongue slides over mine and warm liquid rushes into my mouth. I struggle a little, but she holds me firm until I have no choice but to swallow or choke. The sweet taste of watered down honey, and something else I can’t place, washes over my tastebuds. When she’s certain I’ve swallowed whatever she’s just fed me, she strokes my tongue gently with hers once more then pulls back. Something shifts in her gaze and without opening her mouth, a thousand words are spoken, some innate understanding passing between us.
Trust me,her expression says.
With an almost imperceptible nod, she draws her hands back and steps away, taking her place at the table. The skin on my back smarts, and my pulse thrums with a truth I’m yet to uncover.
“Now that we’re all here, the feast can begin,” Leon says, his eyes focusing back on me. Despite the pretty hue, there’s a darkness to them that’s undeniable. Whatever chivalry and respect he’d shown to Thirteen, it’s gone now, completely obliterated by the deviant need he hides within. “Lay down,Nought.”
“W—what?” I stutter.
Konrad smirks, picking up the discarded leash. “You heard him. Lay down.” I see the threat in his eyes, and the desire to whip me again. It reminds me of my recent debasement and I bite down on the sudden cry of pain as I shift position, obeying their command. I do it not because I can’t take another punishment but because I don’t want to be humiliated in front of these people. “Five, if you please,” Konrad says.
From the corner of my eye, I see Five stand and move around the table, as comfortable in her nakedness as I am wearing clothes. A thread of jealousy assails me. I may have accepted who I am, but I’ve never been completely comfortable in my own skin. This woman isn’t confined by her looks, she commands attention. The jealousy I feel is quickly replaced with trepidation as she reaches for a knife from her leather strap. What do they mean to do to me?
Sensing my urge to bolt, I feel strong hands wrap around my ankles and know without looking that it’s Jakub. His callouses scrape against my skin, sending shockwaves of sensation through me. I can’t quite figure out if his touch is revolting or, God forbid, pleasurable. Either way, that brief physical reaction is replaced with fear as Leon presses his hands on my shoulders, pinning me to the table.
“You might want to keep still,” Leon says, drawing delighted laughs from some of the Numbers, though, tellingly, not all.
“What are you going to do to me?” I whisper, hating how afraid I sound.
Konrad chuckles. “We’re here to eat dinner… so that’s what we’re about to do.”
“You mean—” Tears burn my eyes, pooling on my lashes as disbelief washes over me. Surely they aren’t going to…? I struggle against their hold, a burning desire to fight is raging beneath my skin. I willnotdie like this.
Konrad pins down my bucking hips, his smile widening as he looms over me, his dark hair flopping forward over his blood-red mask. “We’re not cannibals, if that’s what you’re thinking, Zero.”
“Oh God,” I exhale, instant relief making my body go lax. For a terrible moment Ihadtruly believed that I was their dinner.
“God won’t help you, though if you ask for the Devil you might be rewarded,” Leon says, his upside-down face smiling down at me as he rests his hands against my shoulders.
“As you know, Zero, we do have a thing for blood,” Konrad interjects. “There’s something so carnal about making a woman bleed, don’t you think?”
“No,” I bite out, swallowing hard, my anger only tempered by the feel of a sharp, cold blade at my throat.
Five appears above me, her long braid tickling my cheek as Konrad and Leon lean back, giving her space. “Keep still,” she warns, her dark eyes flashing with sympathy. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Okay,” I whisper, something in her gaze telling me that I should trust her. Maybe it’s because I know she’s a victim like me, or maybe it’s because of the warmth in her dark eyes. Either way, I don’t move.
Gripping the high collar of my dress, she holds the knife vertically towards my throat then slices through the material. When the tip of the knife kisses my breastbone, she pulls back just enough for me to breathe again. My pulse thrums loudly in my ears, and before I can even take a breath, her deep berry lips are pressed against mine in a kiss so warm and kind that I barely feel the nick of the blade as she makes a tiny cut in my skin, just over my clavicle.
“I’m sorry,” she mutters against my mouth before pulling back and resting the knife on the table beside my head.
She just cut me!I want to ask her why, but she steps out of the way, returning to her seat as Konrad removes his hands from my hips, grabs the material at my throat, then yanks hard. The dress splits down my middle, the sound of cotton tearing, reverberating around the hall.
A sudden rush of cold air rolls over my skin, fear and the change in temperature causing my nipples to harden into puckered points. My chest heaves, and I automatically reach up to cover my breasts, but Konrad is back, pinning my arms to my sides. He leans over me, his mouth just a centimetre above mine.
“Jakub may have locked up your cunt, but we all get to feast on your skin whilst we eat tonight, Zero. So be good, accept what’s happening, and we’ll make sure you’re rewarded.”
I want to tell him to go fuck himself, but my tongue suddenly feels heavy, my limbs too, as warmth spreads out from the place Five cut me. The need to fight back recedes to some distant place in my mind as a languid sensation washes over me in its place. I feel everyone’s eyes on my exposed skin, but I don’t try to cover up. Instead, I bask in this feeling as he sits back down, never once taking his gaze off of me. My toes curl, my skin tingling with the strangest sensation. It’s as though I’m lying in my garden back home, nothing but the summer sun warming my naked skin. I’m relaxed, content. The heat of his gaze, oftheirgazes, feels good. It feels better than good when it should terrify me.
“Everyone,” Jakub says, an instruction to do something, though I’ve no idea what.
I’m vaguely aware of Jakub and Leon removing their hands, and a frown creases my forehead in the absence of their touch. Why do I want it back? Why do I let out a whimper as though I can’t bear to not have them touch me again?
