Page 66 of Heartless Prince

“Right,” I muttered.

I wanted to know what the differences between the second and third levels were, but I knew Mellie would never tell me. She wasn’t even supposed to know. The only reason the society hadn’t killed her for discovering their secrets was because she was able to convince them she had a necessary service to provide.

She was always a smart girl.

She sat me down at a dark mahogany vanity and set about waxing my legs, underarms and pussy. I endured the pain silently as she ripped the strips away, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing she hurt me.

When my skin was smooth and hairless, she rubbed some sweet-smelling lotion on me to soothe any redness and irritation. Then she put some makeup on me—dark brown eyeshadow, thick lashings of mascara, pink lipstick. For the finishing touches, she swiped some golden highlighter over my cheeks.

“Time for the hair,” she muttered, mostly to herself. She brushed my hair until it was tangle-free and shiny, and then she styled it into loose waves that hung around my face. As much as I couldn’t stand Mellie, I had to admit she was talented at this stuff.

“Nearly done,” she said, inspecting her handiwork in the mirror. “We just need to get you dressed now.”

She crossed over to a wardrobe on the other side of the room and returned with a gauzy white robe. I stood and let her slide it over my head. The light fabric billowed out around me when I moved, and it was thin enough so that my nipples and pussy were visible under the light.

She topped the outfit off with a ring of white flowers on my head. I looked like some sort of virgin sacrifice victim from an ancient cult.

“Perfect,” Mellie said. “You’re due out there at seven-thirty, so we have some time to kill. Do you want to watch a movie with me?”

I gaped at her. “A movie?”

She frowned impatiently. “Yes, a movie. You haven’t forgotten what they are, have you?” she said. She motioned toward a laptop sitting on the bed. “We aren’t allowed out of this room until it’s your turn, so we may as well do something.”

“I don’t know if I’m allowed,” I said softly.

“Jesus, they’ve really done a number on you,” she muttered. “You’re allowed to tonight, okay?”

I went and sat down on the bed. Mellie joined me, opened the laptop and put a Netflix movie on. I watched in a dreamy silence. This was all so surreal. I was just sitting here watching a rom-com with my old best friend as if nothing ever happened. As if I wasn’t going to lose my virginity in some strange ceremony in two hours.

I’d never really been one of those girls who made a big deal about virginity. I didn’t want there to be some big special evening after my high school prom with candles and red rose petals everywhere. Honestly, I just wanted to get it over with and see what it was like. Granted, I never wound up having the opportunity, but still, that was my general attitude toward it. Maybe not the best attitude, and definitely not the one society expected of girls my age, but hell, I’d never really fitted in properly anyway.

If I ended up going on a date and sleeping with a guy I barely knew, and he wound up already having a girlfriend or having some sort of sexually transmitted infection, then yes, that would show poor judgment on my behalf and end up being a bad decision compared with all the girls who waited for a special guy and a special night. But at least it would be my bad decision.

Here at the Finishing School, the decision was out of my hands. I would lose my virginity tonight whether I liked it or not. And suddenly, just like that, I no longer had the attitude of ‘getting it over with’. I wanted it to be special. I wanted it to be my decision. I wanted it to be with someone I cared about…

I bit my bottom lip, thinking of Elias. It occurred to me that I did care about him in a twisted way, and in different circumstances, it would be beyond special. Back in the real world, losing my virginity to a guy like him would be memorable and incredible. Here? It could be the same if I made the most of it. He was sinfully sexy and made me melt like no one and nothing else, and just the other day, I’d practically begged him to fuck me.

Tonight probably wouldn’t be any different. As soon as his lips were on mine, all those lustful feelings would stir within me again, and I’d be putty in his hands. I’d beg him to make me feel good, beg him to make me feel better. After all, he was the only one who could…

“Tatum.” Mellie nudged me. “Time to go.”

With shaky legs, I stood up and followed her over to the mirror for a quick once-over, and then she led me out of the room. She left me at the end of the hall with two guards. They blindfolded me and guided me out of the mansion.

It was cold outside, but I felt fine. Excitement was bubbling through my veins, warming me, and I almost felt like I wasn’t really here. As if this were all a dream where I was looking down at myself from above, watching myself walk down that dark path to the amphitheater in the woods. I couldn’t see, but I knew that was where we were going. I could hear the low rumble of the ocean on my right, and on the left there was the sound of wind blowing through branches. In the distance, I could hear the steady rhythm of drums.

The sound grew louder and then suddenly stopped. There was nothing but silence. Darkness. The guards took my blindfold off, but it was still pitch-black. There was no moon to cast a glow over the world tonight, barely any stars visible through the thick canopy of branches. The excitement in my stomach boiled down to a hum of nervous energy.

“Go forward,” one of the guards said in a low mutter. “Keep going until they tell you to stop.”

I took a deep breath, then started forward, stumbling slightly. Without the men to guide me in the darkness, my feel felt alien and awkward, and I wasn’t sure if I was even going the right way.

A sudden chill made me shiver. I wished the drums would start up again, just so I would know I was going the right way, but aside from the moaning wind, there was nothing but an intimidating silence from up ahead. I felt simultaneously alone and watched.

A voice suddenly echoed out of the darkness ahead. “Stop.”

Directly ahead of me, a torch was lit. In the flickering light, I could see I was standing in the amphitheater. The flame dipped to the right and flared again. Around in a circle it went, until I was surrounded by a ring of burning torches twenty feet across.

Beyond the circle, I could make out a group of people sitting on the amphitheater steps. There was a hood over each one, hanging low over masculine cheekbones and jawlines. One of them stepped forward, and a creeping fear took hold at the base of my spine.

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