Page 138 of Master of My Heart

“Wh-What kind of slaves do you have?” she asked.

“Mostly sex slaves. Men are more easily controlled when there’s a beautiful woman encouraging him.”

“Is... that what you want from me?” she asked, twisting her fingers around themselves and looking around the room.

“No, Sabrina. It’s not,” Richard said, reaching out to pat her hand. “Let me back up a bit, all right?”

“Okay.”

“We’ve told you a bit about the Brotherhood. You’ll learn more about us, regardless of what you choose. Chase will be Elder someday, and if you decide to remain unmarried and become an Elder-Mistress, you will pass on to him when I am gone.

“As a Koriathanati, you have certain desires that are stronger than the average woman. Sexual desires. I’m sure you know this, but I want to assure you that it’s normal.” He paused, seemingly waiting for a response from her, so she nodded. “Immortals are sexual beings. Their daughters are, as well. More so than humans. Much more so. You could actually be driven insane if you’re not—if you go without sexual satisfaction for an extended period of time.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.” Richard smiled. “You also have certain innate abilities that are useful to Elders, including being able to read people incredibly accurately and use that knowledge to gain the upper hand, almost controlling them in a supernatural manner.” Richard sighed. “Most likely, it was for this purpose that your Master had you bred for him.”

She nodded. What he said made sense. Ramon liked to use her for that when he had difficult or stubborn clients.

“Men who go into politics generally have strong egos and sexual drives, so we use that to our advantage. To, well, control them. Not overtly,” he added quickly. “More of a guiding hand to ensure the right things are done.”

“So you’d use me to do that?” she asked nervously.

Tom nodded. “Yes, but not in a disrespectful way. Not how you’ve been used before. You would be treated with the utmost respect. You would be, well, worshiped.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Worshiped?”

“Sabrina, you are a goddess,” Richard said earnestly. “A beautiful, seductive creature who has abilities that can help us a lot. You could make a real difference in the world.”

“They wouldn’t hurt you,” Chase said. “You’d probably feel quite comfortable once you got used to it.” His face was impassive, making Sabrina wonder if he wanted her to take the option Richard and Tom offered.

Since Richard and Tom knew what she was, was there even a chance they would let her have her own life? Or would they lock her away and only let her out when they wanted to use her? Tears burned her eyes. “I don’t want to be locked away in a room for the rest of my life.”

Chase shook his head. “No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. No one.” His eyes hardened at the last words. “But...” He sighed. “I’ve met other Elder-Mistresses. They’re... different. They don’t want to be tied down to one man.”

Sabrina was now certain that Chase was just being kind earlier. He didn’t want her. Maybe he just wanted to keep from hurting her feelings? Her head was starting to hurt and she wanted to go to bed. Would they even let her go home after what Theo had said? Would she be taken somewhere for “safekeeping?”

“We have Gatherings where business is taken care of, relationships are built and strengthened,” Richard continued. “We’d like you to attend one and see what it would be like to be where you are meant to be.” He grinned. “I assure you, you would be well attended to by the men there. And the women, if you’re interested.”

She felt sick and confused. She didn’t want to go to this thing Richard was talking about. Right now, she just wanted to be left alone.

But she couldn’t tell them that. She nodded and continued listening to Richard’s explanation. “I’m not going to force you to attend, Sabrina,” he said kindly. “I understand if the idea is frightening or unappealing in any way. But I also don’t want to hide what it would be like.” He glanced at Chase, then back at her. “I know you have feelings for one another. Neither option will work if you have hesitations. Either way, the Brotherhood will be a part of your life. Chase is an Elder-Son, so he has obligations that go along with that. But your participation in the organization is your choice, Sabrina.”

Why are they assuming Chase and I have any sort of future? She didn’t want to contradict anything Richard said, though, so she kept quiet.

“If you choose to work with us, you would become what is called an Elder-Mistress. You would belong to all the US Elders, not just me. It’s not safe to have you under the control of only one man.”

“Of course, the other option for protection is for you to marry an Elder-Son,” Tom said. “It’s not an ‘official’ means of protection, but a marriage bond is very strong and can offer a great deal of safety.”

Sabrina glanced at Tommy, who laughed and held up his hand. “I’m already married with seven kids. He’s talking about Chase.”

She blinked, staring at Tom, then looked at Chase. “Is that... why you said what you did in the car?”

Chase shook his head. “I didn’t know about any of the stuff Theo told us until you did. I...” He gave a small smile. “When we met, I told you I wanted to spend my life with you. That didn’t change when you disappeared.”

She stared at him, but didn’t read him. If he wanted to marry her, why would he extol the positives of becoming an Elder... whatever Richard had said it was?

She looked back at Richard. “Can he protect me?”

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