Page 23 of Trapped

Sounds float my way when we reach an open door, filling my ears with a cacophony of voices and instruments. A piano, for sure. But there’s also some sort of drum that resonates effortlessly through the buzzing in my ear. I blink but my eyes are dry, hesitating for the first time.

“Where are we?” I ask. I don’t think I’ve ever been here before.

“The playfield of the Alpha Fraternarii, butterfly. Regardless of what they might tell you about the South Wing being reserved only for personnel, this is where the real fun takes place.”

“This is where I had my meeting and signed my NDA,” I remember.

“Exactly.”

Reaching the threshold, Arsène stops me with a hand on my shoulder. He shows me his palm, on which the white pill sits, shoots me a wink, then tosses it back and into his mouth.

“Let’s go crazy together.” When he sees me frowning, he adds, “Don’t worry. We make those pills ourselves. I know exactly what’s in them, and they’re not strong. They’re just meant to take off the edge a bit.” He leans over me and I can’t stop myself from inhaling his skin, now adorned with a layer of sparkles, his scent, that combination of wickedness and ginger. It’s addictive.

I gasp when he presses his hand on my clothed ass, right where the plug sits. The sense of ownership that washes over me brings a new whiff of desire that tickles my balls and makes my cock slowly fill.

“When we get in there, you’ll get introduced to our brothers by the Elder,” he explains. “I will then take off our masks.” Lifting his other hand to my face, he cups my chin and dips his mouth so we’re practically touching. His eyes are blown, and his stare is intense, hungry. “I will take everything you’ll give me, Robin. Your snarls and thorns, your awkwardness and assertiveness. Your shyness and soft, hesitant approach. And these walls you have to keep you safe inside and everyone else out? I’ll tear those walls down and capture you. You won’t need them anymore because I’ll keep you safe.”

I blink. My initial reaction is to shove him away, both physically and mentally, but both my mind and body are tired of fighting him. My stupid heart wants to believe that his words could be true, that this could perhaps be the start of something new. Something I have secretly craved for for so long.

“This is what’s going to happen.” Arsène grabs hold of something that has been placed against the wall. When I give it a good look, it’s like the rope spins and twists into his hands. Still, I immediately recognize what it is.

“No,” I blurt. It’s the copper thread he used for the spiderweb in the forest.

Arsène smirks. “Yes. Right there, at the altar.”

“Altar?” My eyes dart from the rope to the open space waiting for us. I wince when I catch sight of the number of cloaked guys inside the dungeon. Some of them are standing in circles, talking and laughing, others are seated. All are waiting, that much is clear. For us to make our way inside.

You are here for our entertainment, and entertained we shall be.

“Could this all be a joke?” I wonder out loud. My mind is toying with me.

Arsène frowns, his arm still wrapped around me. “A joke?”

What if I’m the joke? What if my father and brothers are behind this?

“You are so beautiful.” I look up at Arsène. Those curvy, plush lips, his strong, square facial features. He tucks the hood a little further over his head, covering up his features, but I know what’s underneath there. I’d recognize those dark, sleek strands anywhere. “So, so beautiful,” I hear myself murmur. He smirks at me knowingly, hand cupping my hardening cock. “You’re out of it, papillon. And hot for me once more.” He squeezes my shoulder, gesturing for me to enter the room. “Allez.”

“No, wait.” I freeze, and Enzo bumps into me with an apology. Zin turns around, eyeing us with a frown. “From where I sit, I look right at you in class,” I rush. He’s right, I am out of it, my brain can’t catch up. And then the words come tumbling out of my mind. “Do they—” Arsène nods. I clear my throat. Zin opens his mouth to speak, but Arsène raises his hands, silencing him at once. My hands turn to fists, putting pressure in my palms to keep my mind from going crazy. Suddenly I’m feeling so hot, my body scorching with need.

“Do they know it’s me?” I blab, then look away as I let out a shuddering breath.

No one speaks.

“These guys here. Do they know it’s me?” I finally repeat, slowly looking back at Arsène. “Are they classmates?” I dare a glance at the room. To the now silent room. Fuck, these guys are intimidating. All of them. But… school mates? Brothers? “I should never have come here tonight, should never have left the art academy for Saint-Laurent.” I gesture around me, then huff out a choked chortle. “So it is a joke after all.” My chest clenches when I ask him, “Is this why you chose me?”

To make fun of me.

Fuck, that thought hurts. I wince.

His arm has dropped from my shoulder and has taken the warmth with him. I shiver, cold creeping in. At least it helps sober my mind, or at least I hope it does.

“You know why I chose you,” Arsène continues. He sounds annoyed, matter of factly. Slowly, I nod. It’s not enough. “Say it,” he hisses. “I want you to hear yourself admitting it to your stubborn self.”

I take in a long breath, feeling my shoulders deflate. “Because you like me.”

“Because you fascinate me, butterfly,” he corrects. “And now you’re finally doing it.” His gaze caresses mine with something soft, framed by the possessiveness I have come to recognize over the past hours. “You’re finally showing me what really frightens you. You’re finally fluttering your wings, testing freedom.”

I frown, irritation boiling up. “You can’t just throw around these cryptical words, you know? I’m a nobody, Arsène. If my dad—”

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