Chapter 31 ON THE ALTAR
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“What do you want from me?” I asked, my voice shaking despite how hard I tried to steady it.
He smiled.
A cruel, lazy smile that made my stomach churn.
“What more would I want other than to shove my cock in your pussy,” he said casually, like he was discussing something decent.
The words hit me harder than a slap.
Before fear could take over, before logic could stop me, I spat at his face.
The sound was loud.
The entire hall gasped.
Every eye turned to us.
For a second, he just stared at me. Shock flickered across his face as the spit slid down his cheek. Then he wiped it off slowly and laughed.
“Feisty,” he said. “I see why Kane keeps you.”
The slap came out of nowhere.
His hand connected with my face so hard my head snapped to the side. Pain exploded across my cheek and I screamed, the sound tearing out of me before I could stop it. Warm blood filled my mouth and I tasted iron as tears sprang to my eyes.
Around us, the other mutates bowed their heads.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
No one tried to stop him.
Was this what they expected from me? Silence? Submission? Acceptance?
At least I belonged to someone now.
At least if anyone had the right to touch me, to hurt me, it should be my master.
I straightened slowly, my face burning, my jaw throbbing. I glared at him through my tears.
“How dare you place those dirty hands on me, you moron,” I said, my voice trembling with anger.
He chuckled, clearly entertained. “I see Kane has given you so much freedom that you’ve forgotten your place,” he said. “You’ve forgotten your limitations. And the lack of rights you have.”
My heart dropped.
“Take her away,” he ordered suddenly. “To the altar of the sanctuary. I’ll have her there. In front of everyone. And after that, anyone who wants her can have her.”
My eyes widened in horror.
Before I could react, strong hands grabbed me. Rough fingers dug into my arms as they started dragging me away.
“Let me go,” I screamed. “Let me go. Let me go.”
I fought with everything in me. I kicked. I twisted. I clawed at their hands until my nails broke and my fingers burned. But it was useless. The more I struggled, the more I realized how weak I truly was.
As they dragged me through Nocturne Haven, my eyes caught scenes I wished I could unsee.
Women bent over tables. Women pinned against walls. Some already naked. Some crying. Some staring blankly like their souls had already left their bodies. Men waited their turns like animals at a feeding ground.
This was the life Nocturne Haven prided itself in.
This was their freedom.
By the time we reached the altar, my body was trembling violently.
The crowd noticed me immediately.
Cheers erupted. Whistles filled the air. Drunken voices called out obscene things about my body, my dress, what they wanted to do to me.
My red dress was wrinkled and torn in places. The same dress I had planned to wash carefully and fold neatly in my drawer. The most expensive thing I had ever owned. Something I wanted to keep as proof that my life had changed.
Now it was ruined.
They threw me onto the large table at the center of the altar. The surface was cold and hard beneath me as laughter and jeers surrounded us.
I didn’t know what to do.
All I could do was pray.
Pray for Kane to come. Pray he wasn’t too late. Pray I would survive this.
I wondered bitterly how I ever thought I could save other women when I couldn’t even save myself.
“Let the sacrifice begin,” the man shouted.
Fear flooded my veins.
I looked around desperately for the widow collector, but he was nowhere in sight. My heart pounded harder. If he wasn’t here, then what exactly were they about to do to me?
The man lifted a goblet and began sprinkling something around the altar. I didn’t know what it was, but the smell was sharp and strange.
I tried to sit up. Tried to fight again.
Hands pushed me back down.
They tied my wrists to the altar, spreading my legs apart without care. Panic took over. I screamed and thrashed, but it only made them tighter.
He grabbed my dress and ripped it apart.
The sound of fabric tearing echoed through the hall.
I screamed, trying to cover myself, but it was useless. My body was exposed, vulnerable, stripped of dignity. I felt thousands of eyes on me, devouring me.
Tears streamed down my face as shame and fear wrapped around my chest.
The man began unbuckling his belt.
I shook violently, sobbing as I stared at him. My mind went blank. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t scream anymore.
I closed my eyes.
I waited for the worst.
Then a loud gunshot rang through the hall.
Everything stopped.
I opened my eyes immediately.
Kane was walking toward me.