The Unfortunates (Unfortunate #1) (21 page)

“Please,” I mumble and my head begins to spin.

I can’t see properly—can’t tell which way is up. Then, weightlessness overcomes me as I’m thrown over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Wait, what about your brother?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got someone else that can take the rap for it. He can’t touch us.”

“Kade!” I call out, but his name is only a pathetic whisper on my lips.
My eyes grow heavy, so heavy they hurt to keep open.
He’ll save me. I know he will. He has to… he’s my protector. My lion.

Then my eyes close.

∞

“Don’
t go sticking it in. Warm her up, touch her first.”

My eyes shoot open and the blurry lines of the world begin to sharpen. I peer at the wooden banisters that hold up the ceiling and then tilt my head, focusing on the small to medium gathering of people to my left.
What the hell?
Something brushes against my vagina and I jolt upwards on my elbows. My brain rolls violently in my skull, blurring my vision again. I quickly lay back down, hoping to make it stop.

“Wh—what’s happening?” I groan and attempt to roll onto my side, but heavy hands on my thighs prevent it.

I freeze then and peer down the length of my body. I see him, the Unfortunate poised between my legs with an excited gleam in his eyes. I shriek and pull my knees up before sending my feet crashing into his chest. Despite my rolling head, I roll off the table and crash to the floor. Pain shoots over every inch of my body, but I can’t pinpoint where. I hear scrambled laughter as I desperately try to crawl to my feet. I can’t, my head is woozy, my limbs sluggish and drugged. As I manage to force myself onto my hands and knees, I see two leather shoes, no, one leather shoe by my face, and then I hear Vince’s voice.

“Nine, what are you doing?”
he asks, his voice light with amusement.

“I-I’m l-looking for Kade. Where is he?”
My voice doesn’t sound like my own. It’s slurred, incoherent.

Vince chuckles, but I don’t see his face. I can’t muster the strength to lift my stare from his shoe. “
Don’t you worry about him, baby. You have a show to put on.”

Weightlessness seizes me again as Vince scoops me into his arms and
lays me back on the table. I phase in and out of the situation. I hear myself call for Kade every now and again, but he never comes. Surely, he knows where I am. He said Vince would be here… hasn’t he put two and two together? Where is he? I squirm as the Unfortunate’s finger brushes against my entrance, slowly, a touch that is barely there. I shoot up and he keeps his hand lingering on my centre as he uses the other to untie my dress from my shoulder. The fabric slides off my shoulder and he pulls it from my body, leaving me bare and exposed. After that, I’m pushed back down and my head hits the wood, causing my brain to roll.

“Move
,” Vince demands. I open my eyes enough to see the Unfortunate move back.

I
close my eyes again and even now, I feel Vince’s gaze crawling over me. “You’re quite the woman, Nine. It’s a shame Kade doesn’t let us see you like this more often.”

I open my eyes at the mention of his name and desp
erately search for my Fortunate’s face in the crowd. I see Albert, then, watching intently from behind Vince’s chair—his throne. Surely, Albert wouldn’t let this happen to me? I wince and scream as a dry pain shoots from my centre with no warning. I dig my heels into the table, desperate to get away from the pain and I snap my attention to the Unfortunate’s face. A lump chokes me when my stare manages to focus on his heavy eyes and slight smirk. He pushes his finger in deeper, as far as he can, and grabs my hip with his free hand, pulling me even closer to him. This doesn’t feel like it did with Kade at all and the palm of my hand burns as I slap his hand away from my hip and try to sit up again.

“
You will lie still!” Vincent booms, making everyone in the room jump.

Tears
begin to pour from my eyes and burn down my cheeks as I let my hands fall by my sides. I close my eyes and sobs choke me, cramping my throat. The Unfortunate pulls his finger out torturously slowly—the complete opposite of the sudden, fast entrance. It’s almost all the way out until he thrusts it back inside of me with speed to match the first. Pain burns me and I dig my fingers into the wooden surface. Nothing has entered my vagina before, ever, and the sudden friction is causing me more pain than anything I’ve ever felt.

“Please
…” I whimper only to the Unfortunate torturing me, feeling more tears trickle down my cheek. “Please stop.”

The U
nfortunate ignores me and I don’t know if it’s because he’s doing what he’s told and trying to save his own life or if he’s actually enjoying it.

“You think she’d at least pretend to enjoy it
,” I hear a woman mutter somewhere in the crowd and my chest constricts. I bet she’s never had to do something she doesn’t want to do. I bet she’s never had someone she doesn’t even know—or love—shove dry, hurtful fingers inside her. No. They get what they want and force me to have things I don’t want. I’ve never wanted to die… I’ve never thought I could hurt myself, until now. I want to die. I want to drive a knife through my heart or jump off a cliff to save myself from this humiliation and pain.

“Get it over with
,” Vince orders my abuser and my chest heaves as heavier sobs shake my chest. “If Master Kade isn’t going to use his plaything for what she’s intended for then someone else will.”

The spectators murmur
their agreement.

“
What a waste. Father should have given her to me. I would have seen her to proper use, but now we have to waste her on this… Unfortunate.” He spits the word and my stomach clenches as the Unfortunate pulls his fingers from me. I don’t have time to squeeze my legs shut before he’s forcing himself between my thighs.

“No!”
I shout, trying to slide back, I will protest this even if it kills me. “No!”

“Shut her up.”

The Unfortunate backhands my face and I feel my lip split against my teeth as my head is tossed to the side. Blood trickles into my open mouth and rolls out again as I cry. I feel him… his penis, poised at the apex of my thighs, and there’s no stopping what is about to happen. He drags it up and down the outside of my lips in an attempt to draw moisture from my core. He doesn’t get anything. My body rejects him and I clench my jaw against a bout of nausea. Hot flashes come in bouts as anxiety begins to rear its ugly head.

“
Please… anyone.”

I pee
r bleary-eyed at my crowd. They’re watching intently—completely aroused by the scene before them—by my rape—and I’ve never felt so sick in my life. How could I have walked around so blind? Just because I’m Kade’s doesn’t mean I’m untouchable… I was so naive thinking I was safe being his.
Where is he? Why did he leave me alone?
I close my eyes and bite my lower lip against my sobs as he strokes me with his penis one last time. My hands involuntarily tighten around the edges of the table and my entire body is taut and rigid, waiting for him to enter me… then, the sound of a wooden door splintering as it slams against the concrete wall forces my eyes open. I snap to a sitting position, dangerously teetering on the edge of the table. I draw my knees to my chest, cowering from the angry growl that rips through the room. My blood sings, calling out to him. He’s come to save me. Our spectators gasp and move out of the way as Kade yells and swears, demanding to know where I am. Sudden, irrational panic grips me. He’s going to hate me. He’s never going to touch me again…

“Where is she?”
he shouts, his voice booming, sending my heart rate through the roof.

I want to call out to him, to run to him and have him take me a
way from all of this, but I don’t. I sit, shaking on a table top, waiting for him to see me. Then, I see him push through three Fortunates and step into the light. His eyes widen as he looks at me from head to toe. He looks taller than before, meaner than before, and as he approaches the table, he ignores Vince. The closer he gets, the more I see in his face.

The rage.

The disgust.

Even in the dim light
, I see his eyes darken and his eyebrows pull together.
He hates me…
Slowly, he turns his attention to the other Unfortunate and he takes a small, regretful step back. I want Kade to hurt him, to make him suffer the same pain he made me suffer.

“You touched her?” The question rolls of Kade’s tongue
quietly, but I know it’s the calm before the storm. Kade can do a lot of things, but controlling his anger is not one of them.

The Unfortunate lifts his hands, ex
posing his palm to Kade like he’s a wild animal. “Please, sir, I was only doing what I was told.”

“
You touched her?” He booms and in the distance, I hear a few chairs scrape the floor as random Fortunates flee the scene.

“Please—”

Kade launches forward, driving his fist into The Unfortunate’s face. Electricity crackles through the room and the gathering of Fortunates grow excited as they watch a Fortunate beat an Unfortunate. As the Unfortunate falls and hits the ground, Kade grabs him by the scruff of his neck and punches him again. The Unfortunate curls into the fetal position, whimpering as hard as I am… and strangely, it makes me feel better. It makes me feel… content.

“W
ho told you you could touch her?”

“Rel
ax, brother. It’s only harmless fun.” Kade’s shoulders square and he drops the Unfortunate. As his body becomes rigid, he turns around, slowly, like he’s giving himself a few seconds to calm down. “You’re not using her, and I feel bad Father spent his money on something you refuse to use.”

From the side,
I watch Kade’s jaw clench and relax, clench and relax. “You have no business touching my things.”

Vince smiles a menacing smile. “We’
re brothers, we’re meant to share.”

Kade snaps around to me and I flinch, swallowing hard. He steps forward and reaches
out for me. His arms scoop under my thighs and under my arms, and he cradles me close to his chest. His smell eases my stress levels and makes me feel safe, so I grip his black tie and bury my face in my hands to prevent me from crying. Underneath my ear, Kade’s chest vibrates.

“
Touch something of mine again, a slave, a chair, even a fucking cup and I will kill you.”

Vince laughs—and others join him. “You’
re awfully defensive over an Unfortunate… maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are using her the way Father intended and her tight cunt is screwing with your head. Should I let him know your slave is defective?”

“
My slave is fine.
You
are defective.”

I keep my eyes shut as Kade’
s heavy steps rock me into temporary comfort. I don’t ever want him to let me go. Outside, the cool air clings to my naked body and more tears begin to fall.

“It’s al
l right,” he mutters, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you.”

It feels like an eternity has passed before we’re back at the Sario manor and in Kade’s room. When we’re alone, I feel better, as if I can finally feel sorry for myself and cry without fear. So I do. When Kade sets me down on the couch and disappears into the bathroom, I draw my knees to my chest and cry. My head still spins,
rolling faster than ever before. I feel like I’m in a swing and it’s twirling faster than I want it to. I don’t know how long passes before Kade returns and picks me up again, but when he does, he’s no longer wearing his jacket and the sleeves of his black formal shirt are rolled up to his elbows.

“What did he give you?”
he demands, but the question refuses to resonate with me and all I can do is shake my head and cry a little more.

I black out until Kade lowers me into warm water. I panic then and shoot up, desperately clawing at the edge of the bath. His hands restrain my shoul
ders in a gentle but firm grip and for a moment, it doesn’t feel like this is happening… it’s like I’m watching it happen from the sidelines, witnessing the event unfold. There’s a girl in the bath who looks like me. I can see the fear in her eyes, the absolute terror she feels is reflected in the way her chest raises and falls, but on him, I see the determination. He has the entire situation under control and all of it is evident by the way he looks at her and strokes her hair in an attempt to soothe her. At his touch, she takes deep soothing breaths and her knuckles are no longer white as she holds onto the bath. Then, I float back into myself, and see Kade front on.

“You’re in a bath, i
n my room. You’re safe. You’re safe, I promise.”

My lips part as my hammering heart finally stops pounding my lungs. I can breathe. Oxygen begins to flow more smoothly, calming my scratchy throat instead of irritating it.

“What did he give you, Nine?”

I flinch at his question
and search through my hazy memories. “A pill… I think. It-it was too dark to see.” I let my hands falls from the tub and I slowly inch backwards, leaning against the white enamel. My voice sounds distant and quiet and I want nothing more than to fall asleep. “He pushed me down and dropped it into my mouth… the next thing I know alcohol is being poured down my throat…” I close my eyes and let my head loll to the side. Quick, thick fingers tapping on my cheek is the only thing to keep me awake. “I thought I was going to drown,” I mumble, my eyes threatening to close. “It filled my stomach, my throat, my mouth… it went into my nose.” I shake my head.