Chapter 24

Harder he pushed until I didn’t have a choice to lower. I glanced back to Bram, only to find him gone.

“Open your mouth. I want to see how wide you can stretch it. I’m not so sure my cock will fit.”

Fingers shoved into my mouth, spreading my cheeks as the widened inside of me. Tightly, I clenched my fists, trying not to bite or gag as he pushed them deeper. Julie’s cry stole my attention and she jumped as the other master trailed his hand up the back of her thigh.

“Have you paid for that?”

At Bram’s voice, my head jerked over, dislodging the master’s fingers. The knife at the man’s throat had my eyes widening.

“No, Main Master.”

“That right, because if you had, I’d have the money sitting in my account. Which I do not. Until you buy, keep your hands off of what is mine. You can look. You can speak to it. You do not touch what I own.” “Understood, Mr. Whitlock.” “Get up,” Bram growled out to me.

I didn’t hesitate to push to my feet and follow him to the stairs. The whites were halfway down now and Julie and I clung to each other as we took our place in the middle of the staircase.

“I was so scared,” she whispered. “I don’t want him as my master. I want to go home.”

“I know. I wish you could.”

Silence drifted between us as I took the steps. When I got to the grass, it was the only happiness I harbored. Memories of a time that didn’t seem real played before me. A yard, a swing set. Me swinging while a man I knew as my father pushed me. We were laughing … and joyful. The flashes were so dulled that I wasn’t even sure if they real or if I had somehow invented them in some desperate hope that my life had held something more than this. It was heartbreaking and comforting at the same time. It drove me forward almost desperately. As the cool earth connected against the bottom of my feet, it took everything I had not to bend down to touch it. The color of the grass, the unfamiliarity of it, called to me.

“I will not lie about the dangers this place holds. Some of you have already got a taste of what disobedience will get you. It’s no different than what will happen with your new master. He has every right to do what he pleases with you. He can beat you, rape you, cut you, burn you, or kill you. It will be his choice. As for out here, your safety belongs to him and yourself. I urge you to be careful. If you think to try to escape or stand up to anyone of authority, I promise you will not like what happens. You may even die because of it. Unless you have a suicide wish, don’t.”

The line began to move again and my fingers broke from Julie’s. She glanced back and I bit my bottom lip. Before I could stop myself, I scooped my hand to trail along the short blades of grass. They were so soft that I couldn’t help but smile. Footsteps pounded up behind me and I tensed, straightening myself. Within seconds the guard had me by the back of the neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” A hand forced mine opened, searching my palm.

My eyes rose to a guard I’d never seen before. He was young, maybe thirty, with dark skin and even darker eyes.

“I wanted to feel.”

“Feel what?”

“What is going on here?”

The slaves were all staring. Bram’s massive form came swiftly in our direction and I wanted to hide at once again drawing attention.

“She …” The guard paused. “She bent down. I thought she was grabbing something from the ground.”

“Slave?” Embarrassment sent heat to my cheeks. “I asked for your side. What were you doing?”

“She said she wanted to feel.”

“Feel what?”

The growl had me wiggling out of the guard’s loosened grasp. “The grass. I …”

“You’ve never felt grass before?”

“Of course I have. Just not since I’ve been here.”

Bram’s stare darted to the guard and he waved him away before his attention came back to me.

“Dammit. Make it quick.”

He meant to sound angry, but I heard the softening of his words. His hand flicked at me and I bent my knees, lowering to run my fingers back through the soft blades. I quickly stood.

“Thank you.”

“Fucking grass.”

His head shook as he yelled to the slaves to turn back around. We started to walk again and the redhead, Julie’s, hand reached back to me. She seemed so in need of contact.

I slid the tips of my fingers along hers and she bent them toward her, holding to me as we moved along. The buildings grew closer, as did the crowd. The number of people left me nervous. There were slaves and few masters present. Most of the slaves wore long, loose dresses with matching veils covering the majority of their face. Others wore scarves like ours. There were even a few who had nothing on at all to hide who they were.

I swallowed hard, stepping into Julie as we got even closer. A group of men laughed in the distance and I looked only long enough to count how many. Five. Some were strangers, but I didn’t miss Master Pollock at the end. He bought more slaves than any of them. At least a good seven to last him the six weeks before the next auction. Most didn’t live but a few days. It was a blessing. Only a few months back he’d tortured a slave for almost three weeks before he finally killed her. My old master said he’d heard the body was unrecognizable by the time he had dumped it outside of his door for the guards to collect. I wasn’t supposed to go around him. Ever. Not even open the door if he showed up. My master didn’t have to tell me twice.

The man terrified me.

“Clothing, collectibles, home décor, food. Whatever you need, you will find here. At the end there’s a movie theater. I suggest you not attend without your master. Veteran slaves are allowed to work there or in the shops, but again, only if their master allows it. For those who live long enough, remember that.”