Page 61 of Cruel God

Her eyes dropped to the blood that stained my sleeve and slowly dragged her gaze to my chest. “Sir, do you not need me for anything tonight?”

It was there in the sound of her voice, the gentle ring of desperation, the need to be a good fucking pet to her owner. To do what he demanded, and in turn, get the security women like her craved. They needed it as much as they needed air.

“I could be of service to you tonight, master.” She bit her lip, and I noticed Hope react by glowering at Piper through thick lashes.

I cleared my throat. “Not tonight, Piper. Go to your room as I instructed.”

The door opened, and I got out in front of Hope, holding out my hand to help her step out of the limousine. Rain started to pour down, and I tried to lead her to the back entrance, but she didn’t move. Instead, her eyes met mine, her hair already soaked. “May I speak freely?”

I blew some wetness from my lips. “You may.”

She clutched my jacket around her shoulders and turned just as Piper got out of the limo and then stepped closer. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

Piper frowned. “Should I?”

“You don’t recognize me at all?”

Jesus Christ. Does she know?

Piper looked at me with confusion, then back at Hope. “I don’t…I don’t recognize you.”

I wiped the rain from my face as I watched them, my mind a whirlpool of thoughts, wondering if Hope really knew.

“Your name,” Hope started. “It’s not really Piper. Is it?”

Piper’s eyes narrowed, and through the downpour, I could see her cheeks pale. “Who are you?”

I couldn’t see Hope’s face as she crouched down and picked up a stone before straightening, holding it out to Piper. “You owe me a chocolate milkshake.”

Piper’s eyes grew wide; her lips parted as she gasped. And I couldn’t believe that Hope had realized who Piper really was.

“Hope?” Piper whispered.

“Yes, Lily. It’s me.”

“Oh my God.” Piper placed her hand in front of her mouth as she gasped. “I knew…there was something about you that seemed…familiar.”

I was starting to feel nervous. This wasn’t part of the plan, and I didn’t think Hope would recognize her friend, especially since Piper—or rather Lily—wore a mask the entire evening.

“I’m so happy you’re alive, Hope.” She tried to hug Hope when Hope simply stepped back and held up her arms.

“We were friends once, Lily. Best friends. But we aren’t anymore.”

Intrigued, I stepped closer, wondering what the fuck was happening right now.

“I’ve watched you look at him. I witnessed your jealousy as he placed me before you tonight. But, if our master is okay with me saying this.” She looked my way, silently asking for permission to speak her mind and say what she had to say without risking punishment. I nodded, figuring I had put her through enough trauma tonight, and I owed her this one reprieve.

Hope faced her long-lost friend. “Stop trying to seduce him, Lily. He’ll come to you when he wants to.”

My heart swelled, and my chest expanded. Jealousy among women in this house was never tolerated. They didn’t have the right to feel anything other than the need to please their master. They were nothing. Mere numbers. But Hope…she was something. And tonight, I had finally come to realize what she was…

She was the woman I loved.

Chapter 22

BUTTERFLY

Ihad forgotten what it was like to feel the rain on my face, how the drops would dance across my cheeks. As a little girl, I imagined their sole purpose was to transport me to another world where I could be free and dance all day—not having to worry about my mom, who used to cry at the kitchen table in the middle of the night. It was in the rain, under the moon, that I felt like something other than a cross my mom had to carry. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have had another mouth to feed. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have had to work three jobs and come home with blisters on her feet. If it weren’t for me, she could have bought herself a new blouse instead of a new shirt for me whenever I had grown out of my old ones.

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