Page 22 of Vicious King

“Anyhow,” Mellie said, finally sitting down. “We need to go over the house rules. There’s a lot, so pay attention.”

I rubbed my eyes and sat up straight. “Fine,” I muttered. It wasn’t like I had a choice.

“You’ll get a tour later today so you’ll know where everything is,” she began. “Anyway, rule one is that breakfast is served to all the girls between seven and nine each morning in the second floor dining room. It’s in the east wing. The only exceptions to this rule is if a member has invited you to share breakfast with him instead. Happens occasionally.”

“Right. Breakfast, east wing, seven and nine. Got it.” That seemed simple enough.

“Lunch is at twelve, dinner is at seven. Unless it’s a party day or night, in which case you don’t get lunch or dinner. You’ll bloat up too much, which no one wants to see. There are canapés at the parties, though, so you won’t totally starve.”

Great. “Uh-huh.”

“There are several gyms on this floor. All girls must exercise between nine and ten. You can also go for walks through the mansion and around the grounds, but you must not disturb anyone, and you must stay within the grounds. There are guards patrolling everywhere, so don’t even try to defy that rule.”

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Got it.”

“You have your weekly beauty rituals on Tuesdays. Waxing, eyebrow threading, manicures, teeth bleaching, and so on. You don’t have to get all of those done every week, of course, but you still have to attend. Gotta maintain those polished looks. Not that you seem very polished at the moment.” She sniffed, casting a disparaging eye over my frizzy hair and bare face. “There’s also monthly testing for sexually transmitted infections, and your contraceptive shot must be updated every three months. Don’t need any unwanted pregnancies while you’re still in use.”

My stomach lurched. In use. Like I was just an object or a machine.

“You must attend all parties, unless you are sick or injured.”

I wrinkled my forehead. “What exactly is a party? Is it like what I saw yesterday, in that huge room on the way in?”

“Yes, exactly like that. Not always in that particular room, but if you saw yesterday’s proceedings, then you already have a decent idea of what it all entails.”

I nodded miserably. “Got it,” I said, my voice barely above a murmur.

“Next rule: you must obey the man you’ve been given to. In your case, Elias. Everything he wishes is your command. And I mean everything. Even if he wants something like double anal with two massive toys, you grit your teeth and bear it. And you never, ever complain. You must always seem happy and compliant.”

“Right.”

“It’s up to your master to choose whether or not he wants to share you at parties, but most of the members do. So if he chooses that and other men approach you for anything, you must say yes. Failure to do so will result in punishment.”

“Uh-huh.” The taste of bile returned to my throat at the idea of letting some twisted, evil old man force his way inside me.

“And lastly….” Mellie leaned forward. “This is the most important rule. You must never talk about how you’re here as a captive. Ever. Even if someone asks, you smile and deny it. You say you are here consensually and that you are very happy. Or else.”

A shiver ran through me, like a bolt of electricity. “Why?”

She smiled, baring vicious white teeth at me. “Because not everyone is aware of what really goes on here.”

“What?” My heart began to pound.

“Only trusted members are let in on the truth of the Lodge,” she said smugly. “Others come here to enjoy the parties and the girls, but they have no idea where they really come from. They think you’re all just happy hookers.”

I was immediately reminded of Tobias and Elias mocking me behind my back all those weeks ago, secretly laughing as Elias pretended not to know that I was a captive. Fury bubbled up inside me all over again.

How could that man be the same one who yanked me out from the cold, creeping arms of death yesterday? How could someone so malicious be so caring at the same time?

I suppose I couldn’t entirely blame him for his nasty past behavior, though. He thought I killed Ben, and he’d subsequently held a vendetta against me for a long time. But when he saw me slip and nearly plunge to my death from a cliff, something else took charge in his mind. He said it himself yesterday: he was supposed to hate me for what I’d done, but he just couldn’t.

“Isn’t that funny?” Mellie went on. “That so many of them don’t even know?”

“Yeah. Hilarious,” I said in a voice laced with sarcasm.

She slapped me right across the face. I winced and touched a hand to my smarting cheek.

“I told you I’d only let that attitude slide once,” she said, eyes narrowed. “This isn’t Roden, Tatum. We aren’t buddies who mess around with each other between classes. This is real, and you are no longer my equal.”

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