Page 29 of Lust

My mouth falls open when I witness the scene in front of me. There’s a massive screen that wasn’t there before and in glorious Technicolor is footage of Ro bringing down a frying pan on the heads of the two demons.

I feel her stiffen beside me. She leans into me and whispers in my ear. “You were saying?”

15

MANACLED

QUINN

Keeping any emotion out of my face is almost impossible as Dade and I line up to enter the second challenge. It’s not difficult to figure out what the next challenge will be. Last time it was me who was vulnerable. This time it’s going to be him and I have to deal with it in a way that gives us enough points to go on to the next round. It should be easier this way round, but I know it won’t be. Last time I was delirious with desire and barely registered anything over the thrum of want and need. This time I’m going in with a clear head and I’m not going to have the luxury of being half out of my mind when I do whatever I have to do to sate Dade’s fantasies.

He won’t even look at me, and his aura has been as thick and dark as night since we all gathered down in the atrium.

I sneak a look at him as Remy and Candice head into the Earthery in front of us. Remy is who I should be thinking about. My ex-boyfriend is going in there to have mind-blowing sex with a woman that looks like a model. I bet Candice knows BDSM; I think bitterly, as Noémi calls out our names.

There’s equal amounts of boos and cheers as we step forward. Dade’s fan club has turned up then. I wish they knew that I’d literally do anything to swap places with them, watching this rather than having to participate. Then I could go back to my room and pretend none of this is happening, and they can swing from the chandelier upside down, hanging on with only their legs wrapped around Dade’s neck and their mouths on his cock.

Or whatever!

I swallow back that particular image and step up to the door. I hold my head up high, and when the doors open, I step through them.

Nerves fill my stomach with dread, but nowhere in my imagination could I have pictured how awful Dade’s deepest fantasy is. We’re in a room that looks like… no, it is a torture chamber. I swallow back as I take in the objects of torture. Chains with manacles line the walls and there’s something in the corner that could be a bed of some kind, but no one would sleep on it. It’s hard and has leather straps on each corner. I guess I’ll not need to worry about knowing about BDSM after today. I’m going to get a crash course. That’s if I survive.

My mouth falls open as I take it all in.

“Do not worry, Valentine.”

That’s easy for him to say.

I back up slightly, knowing that the doors we walked through will no longer be there. I’m trapped. My back hits a wall and a trickle of dampness seeps through my shirt, making me leap forward in shock. It’s only the dampness of the walls. Wherever we are, we’re underground. In a dungeon.

Dade strides forward to the opposite wall, which can’t be more than ten feet away. It’s a small room which makes it even more claustrophobic.

“What is this place? A Victorian sex torture club?”

Dade’s eyes are dark and shadowed. “I did not think of this place.”

Terror flickers at my soul as I hear the lie. He must have thought about it. “In the last part of the trial, it was my brain that conjured up the bathroom. You know you did this.” I gesture around me. It’s cold and damp and has a wet earthy smell that isn’t exactly unpleasant, but hardly has the perfume of flowers either.

He doesn’t even look at me when he answers. “Never the less, this is a place not known to me.”

“So it’s a fantasy, then?” I press, feeling queasier with each passing second.

“My only fantasy is to get out of Hell and find my daughter. You already know that. This is not me. Perhaps it is your fantasy?”

I snort. “Damp torture dungeons are hardly high on my sexual fantasy list.” Then, with a horrifying realization, I remember I did think about a place like this. Briefly, in the first part of the trial, I felt relief we didn’t end up in a sex dungeon and this is exactly where we’ve ended up. I may vomit.

He steps across the room and lifts one of the manacles from the wall. The sound of the chain echoes in the small space. “Then it just is.”

I shake my head, but I can’t shake off the terror I feel.

As he binds his hands to the wall, securing the metal cuffs around his wrists, I find myself fixated on his actions. I’m so out of my depth here, and yet I can’t cower in a corner and pretend this isn’t happening. We’re so close to the bottom of the leader board that we’re in danger of not getting through to the next circle. I need to get control of my fear and pretend I’m enjoying this. Noémi is watching.

“Do I have to lock my arms up too?” I ask nonchalantly, as though being locked up in sex dungeons with a possible murderer is an everyday occurrence. I keep my eyes leveled at Dade. It’s clear this isn’t turning him on any more than it’s turning me on. His appearance is a picture of misery, and against my better judgment, I feel for him. Unlike me, he doesn't have the luxury of ignorance about what lies ahead. He's fully aware of the impending ordeal, and his torment is palpable.

“Take a seat.” He nods to the bed in the corner. I gulp as I wonder how it’s used to torture people. The leather straps are clear, but there’s a wheel of some sort at one end.

I give him a curt nod. So he still wants to be in charge. That’s fine by me. I have no clue what I’m doing. The bed is pretty obvious. I push myself up onto it and lay down, splaying my legs out to the corners. As I begin to tie one leg up, threading the leather strap over my ankle, Dade’s voice stops me.

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