Better Off red
“Take the hand of the one beside you.” The tone was formal, but I could tell it was Barb.
Amy hadn’t let go of my hand since we’d left the dorm, so I reached to my left in a clumsy attempt to grab at the nearest person.
A soft, warm hand with thick fingers intertwined with mine just as Barb told us to stand. We were led off the bus slowly. Barb had probably been warned about my spill.
I tried to take in everything about my surroundings as we walked, but I couldn’t. Amy was still shaking, and once we were inside, we were led through several halls, each with sharp turns.
When we finally came to a stop, our hands were separated and then we were gently turned so we were standing shoulder to shoulder. I could feel Amy take a few deep breaths, and slowly, she stopped trembling. The girl to my left was taller than me. Her arm felt like her hand, warm and soft and a little bit doughy. When my blindfold was removed, I wanted to look to see who it was, but what I saw in front of me told me I should wait.
It didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the dim candlelight.
The dark marble room around us was definitely set up for a ceremony, but I ignored the details. I couldn’t focus on anything but the woman standing on the other side of the wide marble floor. The one I wanted the most, the one with the gorgeous red lips and the beautiful hazel eyes. There were other women standing beside her. To her left was a tall female with white-blond hair cut sharply along her chin and bangs trimmed bluntly across her forehead. Beyond her stood a muscular woman with wavy brown hair down to her waist. Her skin was pale and her eyes were big and the same deep brown color as her hair. A short woman who looked Native American stood beside Hazel Eyes on her right, and on her other side there was another woman of African descent, whose hair was in perfectly shaped locks that hung past her shoulders. The last woman was Asian, and she had the most seductive look about her. Something about the curve of her mouth and the way her hair was swept up in an elegant loose bun. All six of them carried an erotic air, lustful and lethal.
• 35 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
I wouldn’t have noticed any of the others at all if it weren’t for the fact that they were nearly naked. A delicate weaving of black chain mail laced with small rubies barely covered the spot between their legs. Each woman was beautiful in her own way, but I couldn’t keep from staring at my Hazel Eyes.
From across the room, I could tell she was just a little taller than me. Her red lips were just as plump and full as I’d remembered them. Her proportions were flawless. I gazed over her golden skin, tracing the curves of her perfectly shaped thighs up to her full breasts tipped with dark brown nipples that were meant to be worshiped.
My heart was racing again and my palms started to tingle. If I hadn’t been under the watchful eye of about three dozen other people, I would have made a move to touch her, or at least ask her her name.
A movement to her left snapped me out of my trance. The woman with the white-blond hair stepped down from the elevated marble rise where the six of them stood. Her eyes were bright blue and she wore the same red lipstick as Hazel Eyes. When she spoke, a thick Eastern European accent dripped from every disinterested word.
“We are going to do things a little differently tonight. You will have three chances to leave. If you decide that you must, no one will stop you. There will be no repercussions, but you will not speak unless you are asked. Unless you are asked individually, you will answer as one. Is this understood?”
To my surprise, we all replied with a confident “Yes.”
“We are not like the other organizations on campus,” she continued, her tone unaffected. “If you choose to remain with us through this night, you will remain with us always. Is this understood?”
Another “Yes” filled the air. I don’t remember mustering any effort to agree, but my voice was there joining in the reply.
“Now is your first chance. If there are any of you who wish to leave, please step forward.” Nobody moved. “Are we to understand that you all wish to remain?”
Again, “Yes” echoed off the marble.
“Wonderful,” she continued. “My darling Danielle, you may begin.” The woman turned and walked back to the platform. When she was back with the other women, my gaze shifted to Hazel Eyes.
• 36 •
Better Off red
I nearly gasped as her eyes settled back on me. Even as Danni began to speak, her eyes held mine.
Danni’s voice came from just behind me. I could feel that she was standing just between Amy and me.
“My Queen. If you will allow, it is my honor to present to you thirteen potential donors. None are without fault, but all are pure of heart and of clean body. They will all serve you as we and our sisters before us have served you. And when they have completed their term, they will go forth willingly and serve our master.”
It took me a moment to register the exact words Danni had said.
I was too busy staring at the woman in front of me, but finally they clicked, and I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with what they meant.
Danni hadn’t mentioned anything about serving anyone, master or otherwise. It was time to grab Amy and go.
As if she could read my mind, Hazel Eyes’s gaze narrowed and her nostrils flared. Fear pierced through me, fear and arousal, which scared me even more. My hand twitched toward Amy’s, but for some reason I jerked it back before I touched her. Hazel Eyes’s expression returned to normal and I realized I wasn’t in control of my own body. She was. When she seemed confident I wouldn’t run, she took a step forward. She must have been the queen.
“Do they understand the true nature of their purpose?” the queen asked. Her voice was like silk, deep and smooth, so much better than I’d imagined it. I felt myself sway a little as I blinked, before refocusing on her face.
“No, they do not,” a group of voices called out from behind us.
“And do you believe once they discover the true nature of their purpose, they all will remain?”
“We do,” the sisterhood behind us said.
It seemed to take some effort, but the queen looked away from me and focused on a girl far to my left. If I glanced in that direction, I could only see the thick neck and shoulder of the girl beside me. I had no idea who the queen was looking at.
“Anna-Jade, tell me why are you here?”
A shy voice replied, “I’ve wanted to join a sorority. Layna and Heather were really nice to me so I accepted the invitation.”
• 37 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
The queen nodded then looked to the other end of the line and addressed a girl far to my right. Her name was Laura and she gave pretty much the same answer. Two of the sisters of Alpha Beta Omega had reached out to her and shown her the upside to making friends through Greek life.
The queen carried on like this, back and forth down the line, asking each of us why we had accepted our bid. Even though we hadn’t been given the option in writing, we could have turned Danni down when she showed up with our dresses, but we didn’t. Danni and Cleo had completely won us over. Now I was terrified about what they had gotten us into.
Finally, the queen spoke to a girl named Samantha, a few people to my left.
“Samantha, tell me why you are here.”
“I just got a position on the university paper. There was a rumor going around that ABO was involved with some underground secret society involving vampires and demons.” The queen burst out laughing, a rich, intoxicating sound. The others beside her laughed as well, but they let Samantha continue.
“We all knew it was bullshit, but my editor wanted me to get in and see what rumors I could confirm.”
“We welcome you, Samantha. Although, I doubt any of this will end up in print,” the queen replied with a slight shake of her head. I couldn’t believe the girl had admitted to spying. She could have been born without a filter, or maybe she felt the same pull toward the truth that I did.
The queen went on with her questioning, a slight grin on her lips. “Benita, please.”
The girl next to me tried to speak up, but her voice was still low and shy. “My mother is married to your master. He felt this was the right place for me.”
“Ah, so you are the one. Do you feel this is the right place for you?”“Yes, my Queen. I do. Danni and Cleo have made me feel less anxious about being away from home,” Benita replied with a little
• 38 •
Better Off red
more confidence. She was the only one of us to address the queen so directly. The queen seemed to enjoy it.
“I have to agree with your father. This is the perfect place for you. And you prefer to be called ‘Benny’?”
“Yes, my Queen.”
“Benny it will be. Amy…” she went on with a teasing tone.
“Why are you here?”
Amy’s breathing had calmed completely. There was still nervous energy coming off her body. She inhaled deeply before she answered. “I wanted to get into all the good parties,” she replied.
“But that’s not why you accepted our invitation?” the queen asked.“No, ma’am.”
“Have you ever been with a woman before?” the queen asked bluntly.
“No, but I do have a crush on Danni.” It took everything I had not to turn to Amy. She’d never mentioned anything about liking Danni like that. I didn’t think it was something she would freely admit, ever. Forget confessing it to a room full of people she’d just met. I knew then I was totally screwed. I wasn’t a liar and I didn’t have anything to hide, but this confessing of the truth was beyond embarrassing. The queen gave me about two seconds to figure out what I was going to say. My name coming from her lips wiped the response from my mind immediately.
“Ginger.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted to look out for my roommate, and lately, I’ve been questioning my sexuality. My brother suggested joining a sorority might help me find some other girls who feel the way I do about other women.”
She relaxed slightly. “Is that right? I’ve heard there are a few girl bars downtown. You didn’t start there?”
“No, I didn’t, but I did like hanging out with Cleo and Danni.”
“They are very special. Are you attracted to my favorite pets?”
She winked at Danni behind me.
• 39 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Yes, but…”
“But what?”
“I’m more attracted to you.” I couldn’t believe what I’d just said, but I couldn’t take the words back. They were out there for everyone to hear and analyze, everyone including the queen. Quiet laughter filled the room. I swallowed again, keeping my eyes focused on her. Her nostrils flared slightly as she licked her bottom lip. I felt a small rush of moisture between my legs.
“I see,” she said. She swallowed then and tipped up her chin to address us all. I exhaled, glad I hadn’t pissed her off.
“We will proceed.” The queen’s eyes closed as if in a brief moment of prayer before she looked at me again and spoke. “I thank you all for your honesty, and now it is my duty to reveal the truth in your presence. Samantha’s editor may have had some valid suspicions.” She paused, then started pacing in front of us. “Our kind wandered and scavenged for centuries, taking of the innocent and the evil, the undeserving and the unaware, to feed our bodies and maintain our survival.”
I didn’t want to believe what she was saying. This wasn’t a cheerful “welcome to the party” type speech. The queen was talking about something ancient and deadly. She could have been trying to scare us for the sake of the ceremony, but the intense green and golden glow of her eyes told me she was being completely serious.
And there was something else. I watched the queen as she talked. I hadn’t noticed at first, but as she went on, her canines grew larger and longer. The tips were sharpening, and the length was making it harder for her to close her mouth all the way when she paused. Those teeth were real and they kept growing.
“Our kind grew tired of the death and the pain, the destruction of lives and families. We humbled ourselves at your ancestors’ feet and we were given all that we would ever need in return for our undying loyalty.” I turned these words over in my head as quickly as possible. I looked at the mouths of the five other women flanking the queen and saw their lips were parted now to make room for their elongated teeth. My eyes shot to back to the queen. I didn’t know what she truly was—vampire, demon, overzealous comic book fan.
• 40 •
Better Off red
Either way, I knew she and the other women were not human and we’d been brought there to feed them.
I did a quick scan for the exit but couldn’t find one. I focused ahead again as the queen and the others stepped from the platform.
I hadn’t noticed before, but there were large cushions on the floor.
The six women sank to their knees on the cushions in front of us.
They bowed their heads and turned their palms up as if they planned to worship us.
The queen went on. This time her tone was low and somber as if she were begging for forgiveness and asking for permission at the same time.
“We need your trust and we want nothing more than to offer our own. Your sacrifice is a gift, and in return, we pledge to honor and protect you.” Her voice dropped even lower. “I will ask for a second time. Those of you who have been brought before me and my sisters, do any of you wish to leave?” The queen lifted her head and scanned the line of girls beside me as she spoke. Again, her gaze settled back on me. Nobody moved. I knew we all had our reasons.
I was too scared.
“Layna, Heather, please. Make your presentation to your sister-queen.”
For the first time, I got a good look at one of the other new girls.
This must have been Anna-Jade, the first girl who was questioned.
She was much shorter than me with jet-black straight hair to her waist. She had on the same see-through slip. I’d forgotten how exposed we all were. She was shaking. Layna and Heather were wearing long black hooded robes that dragged behind them on the floor. The hoods were down, covering their shoulders. Their hands peeked out from under the draping fabric as they led Anna-Jade forward with a gentle touch to her elbows. Layna carried a knife.