Chapter Eleven
Cheri
I hadn’t noticed that the driver was still in the manor until the man nodded at him. “I’ll take it from here.” He looked down at me and gave a fiendish smile. “As soon as I go over the ground rules and have her broken in.”
When the front door closed, I adjusted my weight to relieve the pressure on my knees. The small movement was not a good idea, however. The man, who still had a handful of my hair in his grasp, jerked me up to a standing position. The sting on my scalp had me crying out, but I didn’t resist in any way.
“First rule in this manor,” he said between clenched teeth. “You do nothing without permission. Nothing at all. I don’t care if you are uncomfortable, in pain, or just in the mood to do something of your own free will. You won’t do anything without a direct order, or you will suffer the consequences.”
He paused and waited for some type of response from me. I couldn’t talk. I was so terrified all I could only stare and nod. What consequences? But I wasn’t about to ask that question out loud.
Still holding my hair, the man led me to the stairs. “You will be expected to pay your penance into our world. You will gain your freedom from this manor and officially be initiated into The Iron Colt Brotherhood by earning diamonds. The Iron Colt Brotherhood has sentenced you to one hundred diamonds owed. Once you pay those diamonds, you are free to go and will be an honorary member of The Iron Colt Brotherhood as long as you remain married to Prince Roman Cassian. Failure to earn them, or failure to earn them at a speed that The Iron Colt Brotherhood feels is appropriate will end in death. So, the choice really is up to you.”
“You want me to pay my membership with diamonds?” I tried to turn my head to look at the man in desperation but was rewarded with a sharp pull of my hair as he led me up the stairs. “I can do that. How much are the diamonds? I will pay you all whatever you feel is fair. Whatever you want, I will pay. I’ll find a way. I swear.”
No way could I afford even one diamond, let alone several, but if diamonds were all it would take to be initiated, I was sure Roman would help me out in that regard.
I stumbled up the stairs to try to keep up with his stride. In the corner of my eye, I could see the man smirk. “Oh, you will pay. You will definitely pay.”
When we reached the landing, I tried not to focus on the cries of women I could hear coming from other rooms down the long expansive hallway. My head spun as I was trying to process what this man was telling me. What else was expected? I didn’t quite understand. Diamonds?
“The Iron Colt Brotherhood created this manor for women exactly like you. Women who need guidance, structure, and a firm hand teaching them the way of our secret life. This manor is to break the old you, so that you can accept the new way of living. Royal blood does not run through your veins, so we must force the royal into you. Old money and lineage do not make up your bones, so we must shatter your current, and brittle ones, and then heal you to have the spine of The Iron Colt Brotherhood. We must feel that every woman in this manor is ready. And you are far from ready.” The man opened up a bedroom door and shoved me across the threshold while he remained in the hallway. “As long as you earn your hundred diamonds, you will come out of this alive. Your prince will be here soon. But remember… in this manor, your prince is dark, cruel, harsh, and unforgiving. In this manor, your prince is not your knight in shining armor.”
Looking around the room, it surprised me to see that it looked like any normal guestroom that would be in such an elegant manor of its day. I was expecting a prison or dungeon of some sort by the way I had been treated so far. Instead, a large canopied bed mastered the room with lush bedding and pillows. There was a floor-to-ceiling window draped with heavy velvet curtains. Antique furniture adorned the room and was even accentuated with a large oriental rug that covered most of the marred wooden floor. The room was lovely, elegant, and welcoming. Quite the opposite of what I was anticipating.
I turned and looked at the man, who stood by the door watching me examine the room. “How do I earn the diamonds?” I was almost too scared to ask the question in fear of what I would hear.
“By doing every single thing your prince says without protest. If you argue or put up a fight, he will still act out what he intended to do, but you won’t earn a credit for it.”
“Where is Roman now?” My voice cracked, and I thought I would have to run to the small bathroom I saw attached to the room and throw up.
“He’s in the manor.”
“When do I get to see him?”
The man took a step toward me. “You’ll see.” He reached into a leather holder on his belt and pulled out a knife. The silver of the blade glimmered beneath the light cast by a small chandelier above. “But it’s time we begin.” He took another menacing step toward me as my heart stopped. “Remove all your clothing.”
His command was accented by the scream of a woman in another room, as if I needed a reminder of what would come if I said no.
I reached for the top button of my blouse and slowly unbuttoned it. “Am I to be a whore to earn these diamonds?” I asked, staring him directly in the eyes. “So, I have to fuck all the brotherhood if you ask in order to be free—to earn the diamonds? Is that what I am understanding?” Roman had told me that wasn’t the case, but maybe he had been wrong.
The man closed the distance between us and placed the knife at the side of my neck right below my earlobe. “Fucking you would give you pleasure. And the last thing any of us plan on doing to you right now is give you pleasure.” He ran the knife along my collarbone and down until it reached my fingertips holding the button of my blouse. He then forced the blade between the button and the fabric and started plucking the buttons right off, disrobing me his way.
I remained perfectly still. The knife was so close to my flesh that I worried the slightest move would have it slicing my skin instead of the blouse.
The man used the knife to cut through the thin band connecting my bra between my breasts. He paused and looked me directly in the eyes as the cool air kissed my now exposed nipples as he ripped the material of the bra off me.
He took a step back and said, “Now remove the rest of your clothes and stand naked before me. I will give you your first opportunity to earn a credit.” When I didn’t move right away, he raised one eyebrow and added, “You will be naked standing before me one way or the other. I’m giving you the opportunity to at least earn a credit toward your debt for the act. Your choice.”
Glancing at the knife in his hand, and then at the way his jaw clenched while he waited, I decided it best to do exactly as he commanded. At least for now. I had to regroup. Think everything through. I needed time to process, but I needed to be alive to do so. So, if all I had to do was stand naked before this complete stranger, then so be it. Trying to not overthink, or allow my pride to get in the way of my survival, I disrobed as fast as I could.
“Leave your panties on,” he instructed. “We will allow Prince Roman to take it from here.”
I froze at the sound of another pair of heavy footsteps approaching a few moments before his deep voice broke my spell of compliance.