Page 65 of Deadmen's Captive

I inhaled sharply. “She’s controlling you with this, isn’t she Paige?”

Paige nodded. “But only for this year, and then I’m free.”

I looked at her for a moment. She still looked tired, but her eyes had lit up as she’d spoken about the showcase, about getting out from under her mother. Not for the first time, it occurred to me that this life trapped people in different ways. I knew about mine and Tristan’s cages, and could guess at Nate’s, but now I was starting to realise that Paige had her own cage too, and I felt a sudden determination to free her from it, whatever it cost me.

“Paige,'' I said slowly, not wanting to push her. “If you didn’t apply for the Persephone role, has Tris told you what you get at the end of the year?”

“You told me you could get me in with gallery owners, but I want to earn my chances, not buy them.”

I nodded. “I remember, and that’s an admirable trait, Paige. Maybe not sensible, but admirable. No, I meant the financial reimbursement.”

She frowned at me. “No, he didn’t mention anything like that.”

I took a breath, wondering how to phrase this properly. “Because the role of Persephone can be quite… demanding, and time consuming, obviously the student who takes on the role cannot devote any time to a part time job, as many students do. So the club pays them an allowance throughout the terms, and then a stipend at the end of the school year. It's a lot of money, Paige. More than enough to allow you to move out of your parents house and live for a while, even if you didn’t get spotted at the showcase.”

Paige’s eyes widened. “It would? Thats… wow…”

I stayed quiet, my heart beating faster. I wanted her to agree to be ours so much, but I wanted her to come on her own terms.

“But the role, it’s… sexual.” She blushed as she said the word, and I felt my cock stiffen at the sight.

“It is, yes. Performances in the rituals, ranging from serving drinks to sexual acts, and then the Persephone usually moves in with Hades and his Knights so she can be… available… whenever they need her.”

Paige bit her lip, her eyes fixed on a point on the duvet cover. “You know I’m a virgin, I don’t have any experience with any of this. I might not be any good.”

I smiled. “I’m fairly certain you’re a natural, Paige. And we have a lot to teach you.”

Her eyes met mine, and she blushed again. “I’ve never even…” She began, her voice almost a whisper. “I wouldn’t want… what about the others?”

“What others?”

“The other society members. Am I supposed to… I don't think I could do it with all of them…”

I laughed. “Oh, no. They get to watch some of the rituals. That’s all. You won't be shared, Paige.” I moved closer to her, tilting her chin up so that she was forced to meet my gaze. “You would be ours, yes. But it would be our choice who touches you, who you are intimate with. It wouldn’t be anyone except, me, Tristan and Nate, and we would never make you do anything you didn’t want to." I paused, allowing her to absorb my words. "This is about your pleasure as much as ours. You are not a toy, Paige. You are not something to be used and discarded. You are a woman, with desires and fears and needs. And we can teach you to embrace your own desires and discover your limits. When you find those limits, we will respect them. It's about trust."

She swallowed hard at that, a flicker of something dark and haunted crossing her face before she quickly looked away.

"Trust," she repeated in a whisper.

"Yes," I agreed gently, "trust."

“And if I wanted…something…” Her gaze flickered across my lips, her own parting slightly.

“If you wanted to try something, then just ask. It might not be for all of us, but I’m sure at least one of us would be happy to try something with you. We want to know you, Paige. All of you. Even the stuff you’re ashamed of.”

Her eyes held questions, maybe even a trace of fear, but there was an undeniable spark there too—a flicker of something more. It was like standing at the edge of a precipice, the air charged with electricity before a storm. I reached out, brushing my fingers down the side of her cheek.

"You're so beautiful, Paige. Say you’ll do it."

For a moment, there was silence. She blinked, once, twice, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks. The tension stretched between us, a tangible force that made my heart hammer against my ribs.

"Ok, Bast."

I leaned forward, brushing my lips gently over hers. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

She breathed the word against my mouth, and I closed my eyes as I kissed her, my heart leaping at that one simple word. The kiss was soft, exploratory. Paige let out a small sigh, leaning into me as she deepened the kiss with an unexpected fervour. A rush of desire swept through me as I gently pulled her closer, my hands cupping her face. The taste of her lips was intoxicating, filling me with a hunger I hadn’t known existed. I had yearned for this moment, for the sweet surrender in her gaze. I wanted to explore every inch of her body, to learn the language of her sighs and gasps. But I had to pace myself. Paige was new to all this, and I didn’t want to rush anything.

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