Chapter 10 Performing For The Pitbulls
Serena
Lara led the way like a queen escorting a prisoner to execution, slow, savoring every second of my terror.
She didn't need to speak; her smug little smile said it all. She was loving this. Finally, she had me exactly where she wanted me: alone, powerless, and about to pay for daring to exist in her world.
The "cage" loomed ahead, it was a reinforced steel enclosure tucked at the far end of the estate's lower level, hidden behind a heavy door that looked more like it belonged in a prison than a billionaire's mansion.
It was bigger than I imagined, easily twenty by twenty feet, chain-link walls rising to the ceiling, concrete floor stained dark in places I didn't want to think about.
And already, the low, guttural growls rolled out from the shadows inside. Pit bulls. Their eyes glinted like coals as they paced, their muscles rippling under sleek coats.
Oh, God. Help me. Never in my life did I ever imagine I'd end up here.
Lara stopped at the gate, her fingers toying lazily with the heavy latch.
She turned to me, her full lips curling into something that wasn't quite a smile.
“I hope you're ready, sweetheart,” she purred, “Because the second I open this door, you walk in, or I shove you in myself. Your choice.”
I tried to hide the fear in my eyes. She wasn't bluffing. The hatred in her eyes was real. Pure, venomous jealousy.
I'd taken something she believed was hers: Sin and Saint's attention, their obsession, their bed. And now she was going to make sure I regretted it.
She flicked the latch. The gate creaked open with a metallic groan that echoed down the hall.
I forced my legs to move, taking only two steps at first. The growls deepened, turning hungry.
At the last possible second, right as my bare foot crossed the threshold, Lara's hand shot out and clamped around my upper arm like a vise. She yanked me back just enough to unbalance me, then dragged her palms roughly over my arms, my chest, my stomach, my thighs.
Her touch was slimy and cold. The smell hit me instantly. The raw, metallic smell of blood and fresh meat.
She'd smeared it all over me, thick, wet streaks soaking into the thin silk of the nightie the twins had dressed me in this morning, clinging to my skin like guilt.
With a final, vicious shove, she pushed me hard into the cage. I stumbled forward, my knees hitting the concrete. The gate slammed shut behind me with a deafening clang. The latch clicked home.
I scrambled upright, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The dogs circled closer now, their noses twitching, low whines mixing with growls.
They could smell it, the meat she'd rubbed into me like bait.
I lifted my arm and sniffed. The stench was overwhelming: fresh, raw beef mixed with the copper tang of blood. She'd turned me into their dinner.
My eyes flew to Lara on the other side of the bars. She leaned against them casually, her arms crossed, watching me with cold satisfaction.
“Enjoy your playdate,” she said sweetly. “The boys will be down soon… if the dogs leave anything for them to find.”
Then she moved away from the bars and walked away, swaying her hips exaggeratedly.
One of the pit bulls, the biggest, with a scarred muzzle and eyes like black pits stalked forward first, its paws silent on the stained concrete.
I took a single, shaky step back, my spine hitting the cold chain-link wall. There was nowhere to run.
The others followed in perfect, eerie sync. Their teeth flashed white as they bared them together, like they'd rehearsed it. A coordinated warning.
Drool glistened on their jaws, stringing down in thick ropes that hit the floor with soft plops. The metallic stink of meat on my skin mixed with their hot, panting breath, turning the air thick and suffocating.
My lungs burned. I couldn't breathe right. The lead dog lunged fast, his jaws wide open.
I twisted at the last second, ducking low. Teeth snapped shut inches from my shoulder, the whoosh of air ruffling my hair.
A scream lodged in my throat, coming out as a choked gasp.
They circled tighter now, a ring of muscle and menace. My vision tunneled. Hyperventilation clawed at me, and I took short, frantic breaths that made black spots dance at the edges.
Think. Think, Serena. Don't just die like this.
No help was coming for me.
Lara was long gone, probably laughing her way back upstairs.
I was the only one who could save myself here. So I did the most insane thing my panicked brain could grab onto.
I started to sing. Yeah, I was that crazy. Getting locked in a cage with seven menacing pitbulls will do that to you.
Voice trembling at first, barely above a whisper, I belted the opening lines of "Unholy" by Sam Smith.
"Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot… at the body shop… doin' somethin' unholy…"
My hips rolled instinctively, like I was on a dimly lit stage instead of a blood-scented cage. I closed my eyes (because I couldn't look at those teeth) and pictured it: a shadowed room, velvet curtains, two massive silhouettes in leather chairs.
Sin leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, that wicked smirk playing on his lips. Saint watching with dark, unblinking intensity, fingers drumming the armrest like he was counting down to when he'd snap and drag me onto his lap.
I danced for them in my mind. Hips swaying to the filthy rhythm, hands sliding up my own body over the ruined silk nightie, pretending the meat smears were just body oil, pretending the growls were low moans of approval.
The words poured out stronger now, and my voice was clearer too.
"He lucky, lucky, lucky… he like it, like it, yeah…"
I spun carefully, my bare feet scraping concrete. The silk clung wetly to my skin, but I kept moving, rolling my hips in time, letting the beat I imagined carry me.
I didn't even know I'd shut my eyes until I cracked one eye open. All four pit bulls had stopped circling.
They sat. On their haunches. Heads tilted. Their ears pricked forward. Their eyes were locked on me, but they didn't look hungry anymore. They looked nearly curious. Almost… entranced.
Did I imagine that?! They were watching me. Like I was performing just for them.
The biggest one, the scarred leader, let out another soft whine, his tail giving a single, tentative thump against the floor.
This was insane. These weren't pets. They were trained killers. And yet… here they were, sitting pretty, drool still dripping but aggression dialed back, replaced by something that looked suspiciously like fascination.
I didn't dare stop because I was terrified of what would happen if they came to their senses.
I picked up the chorus again.
"Mummy don't know… doin' somethin' unholy…"
My body moved on autopilot, my hips rolling, arms lifting, a slow twirl that made the nightie flare.
The dogs' heads tracked every motion, their wet tongues lolling now in what might have been canine confusion… or enjoyment.
One even lay down fully, chin on paws, staring up at me like I was the most interesting thing he'd seen all day.
I finished the verse, my voice fading into shaky laughter that bordered on hysteria.
The dogs whined in unison when the "song" ended, like disappointed audience members wanting an encore.
I stood there, my chest heaving, sweat mixing with the meat residue on my skin.
A loud round of applause from outside the cage startled me and I whirled, nearly tripping myself.
All the dogs lifted to their feet and began to jump and bark excitedly.
Saint and Sin stood only a few feet away from the bars, watching me like I was the prettiest thing they'd seen in all their entire lives.
They'd been watching me all the while.