Page 8 of Beautiful Delusions

“Oh, brill. I was worried for you all night. I’d better go, but if you fancy grabbing dinner later, a few of us girls are going into town?” I keep the smile plastered on my face.

“Ah, next time - Mrs. Patrick has given me extra coursework for disturbing her class earlier. I’ll be in the library at every possible chance I get.”

“That bitch!” Letty’s jaw drops. I shrug to hide the way I’ve begun chewing on the inside of my cheek. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so eager to start rumors about my tutors, but the alternative was to admit I’ve been commanded to spend time in the Thorn’s company, and even if I hadn’t, I can’t afford to eat off campus anyway. Being messaged through her smartwatch, Letty balks.Drawing me in for a quick hug, she grabs her bag and leaves, promising to catch up properly with me soon.

Once the coast is mostly clear, bar the dinner ladies, I slink over to that bulletin board. Around the outside are the type of flyers one would expect, cheerleading try-outs, upcoming dances, charity events, and apprenticeship opportunities. But smack bam in the center, taking president over everything else, is a poster for ‘The Thorn Pet Internship.’

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity? In the market for quality personal references and various job offers upon graduating? Do you take pride in your appearance?

Enquire below to be considered for the Thorn Pet Internship program. The successful applicant will need to live-in, obey orders, and remain enthusiastic throughout the agreed term. A decent pain threshold, tolerance for exercise, and high sex drive are essential.

One vacancy per semester.

“Well,” Jazzie leans her head on my shoulder. “Here I was thinking they couldn’t get any more shallow.”I feel the walls closing in, an alarm ringing between my ears. This is a legit advertisement, with a QR code to apply online. Naively, I thought the brothers were just messing around, seeing how far they could push me before I went feral. Testing my limits as the new girl, or trying to scare me into running for the hills on my first day. But this… This is bigger than I ever expected, and something I don’t have the time or patience to be a part of.

The shutters over the serving hatch slam closed, jerking me back to the present, where I’m undecidedly late for class–again. But as my feet start moving, my backpack heavy on my shoulders, I already know it’s pointless. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate now anyway, and I don’t want to give anymore professors the wrong idea about me on my first day. So as muchas I hate to use ‘Lucas’ free pass,’ I enter the hallway and stride in the opposite direction of where I’m supposed to be.

The manor looms before me like a monument of past sins, its whitewashed walls a façade to anyone who doesn’t know better. It’s three masters waiting inside, holding my future in their grasp. I wish I hadn’t read the billboard. I wish my mind would have blocked out the trepidation I’ve felt all afternoon while trying to lose myself in a book. Not even reading helped. The Thorn Brothers are looking for a new pet, and I’ve done the one thing I swore not to. Drawn attention to myself. My heart hammers against my ribcage, a prisoner trying to escape.I've only been here two days, but Thorn Manor feels like the inevitable conclusion to a hierarchy I don’t know yet.

"Pull yourself together, Sophia," I mutter under my breath as I approach the porch. Jazzie is with me every step of the way. Before my knuckles can rap against the wood, the door swings open, revealing Kyan, his presence like a silent storm. His endless black eyes don't leave mine, the plummeting pit of nothingness consuming me. His nostrils flare with impatience, and I’m certain a small noise leaves my throat. It's hard to tell with the way my pulse is thudding in my ears.

Looking past his huge frame, I frown at the interior. Tall candelabras light the lobby. The still silence between us unnerving. Jazzie shares a look with me at the same time I register what’s happening. An intimidation tactic: something to put me on edge. Straightening my spine, I meet his gaze with newfound determination. It seems to be enough to grant me access. Kyan guides me into the dining hall, each step of my converse echoes ominously through the vast space. Lucas is already there, looking like some sort of dark prince at the head of the table. He doesn't stand, just watches me intensely. Like I’m a sacrificial lamb brought to the slaughter. Gone is the cheerfulness to his features. Instead, a smirk lingers, but it doesn’t reach his green eyes.

"Sit." His voice is a command I instantly want to refuse. Maybe I’ve spent too long listening to Jazzie, but I’ve developed quite a stubborn streak when it comes to following orders. Kyan nudges me toward a chair, not roughly, but with enough force that resistance seems futile. He takes the time to tuck me in tightly against the table, directly opposite Ezra. It’s no surprise he’s glaring at me as if I'm a puzzle he can't solve—or doesn't want to. There's a feast laid out on the table, a mockery of hospitality, so far away from where Kyan tucks me in that I wonder if it's even meant for me.

"Lucas," I begin, but my voice sounds small, almost lost in the luxurious room. He holds up a hand, silencing me, and retrieves something from his lap—a brown envelope, worn at the edges. With deliberate slowness, he slides it across the polished wood until it stops just shy of my fingertips. It’s all very theatrical and too rehearsed to be the first time he’s put on this little show.

"Every semester, we choose a new Pet," he smirks. That word, the one I was hoping not to hear, curls around my mind like a wisp of smoke. This is bad. Seriously fucking bad. "A girl who belongs to us. To tease, to toy with..." His gaze flickers over my body, making me acutely aware of the tight-fitting sports polo and open V around the base of my throat. "…and to fuck whenever, wherever and however we like."

I swallow hard, the knot of anxiety in my stomach winding tighter. I'm no stranger to being wanted in ways that aren't exactly flattering. But this? This is different. This is a game with rules I don't understand, played by boys who see me as nothing more than a novelty. A new shiny thing to use and brake. If only I wasn’t already broken.

“W-we?” I stutter, having nothing else to say when the silence stretches on, and they all keep staring at me. Lucas nods slowly.

“You heard right. We share what’s ours equally, without limits. We eat together, fuck together, and reminisce together. If there’s one of us, the others are never far. To keep it fair, my brothers and I take turns in choosing each semester. It just so happens, it’s my turn.” His smile grows wicked, two rows of impeccably straight whitened teeth gleaming like the Joker.

"Isn’t that a little…sick? Brothers fucking the same girl?” The words erupt from me, a mix of fear and defiance. Jazzie is no help, her tongue hanging out like a dog in heat. Shaking my head, I try to find a different angle. "You can't just—"

"Can't we?" Ezra interrupts, his voice a gravelly sneer that sends shivers down my spine. "If we’re so disgusting, why are you here, sitting at our table?"

It's true. My fingers may be wrapped around the chair beneath me as if I’m worried it’ll be whipped away and I’ll tumble into the abyss, but I’m still sitting here. Teetering on the edge of a precipice I didn't even see coming. I thought I wanted to lay low, to be ignored. But the truth is, and it always has been, I’m so incredibly lonely.

Lucas, Kyan, Ezra—they're offering a twisted sense of belonging that I should despise, but what if I crave the dark allure of their world? A world where Jazzie's whispers of courage have no power, where my past doesn't matter because I'm nothing but their plaything.

"Read the contract, Sophia," Lucas says, his voice a tender caress that belies the steel underneath. "This could be everything you never knew you needed."

I look down at the stack of paper, the words blurring as I try to comprehend the gravity of what's being asked of me. What's being offered. They want to own me, control me. And the most terrifying thing? A tiny, traitorous part of me is considering it.

Gingerly touching the top page, I turn it over and force myself to focus. Words are safe, they’re steady–but not when they hold your immediate future in their grasp. Instead of feeling like a release, the weight of the contract in my hands is like a millstone around my neck, dragging me downwards. Jazzie's voice buzzes in my ear, a distant static which barely registers over the thumping of my heart. It's ludicrous, the demands printed in crisp black ink before me.

"You're seriously going to take me to court if I don't 'douche twice a week'?" My voice quivers, the absurdity of it all threatening to unleash a hysteria I can barely contain. Holy shit, if my heart goes any faster, I’ll be spiraling into a panic attackbefore I can get somewhere private. Lucas leans back, his chair scraping softly against the floor, and the sound reverberates through the tense air.

"The contract isn't intended to be lawfully binding or to force you into anything you don't want to do." His bright green eyes hold mine, steady and unblinking. "Its purpose is to provide guidelines, so we all know where we stand. Besides, anything from section four onwards was added at the request of previous pets,” he shrugs.

Surprise flickers within me, mingling with a creeping unease. Previous pets? The thought twists in my gut, a reminder that I'm not the first to be ensnared by their game. Were the rest as hesitant? Did they fight against the cage closing in on them? Dropping my gaze past section four, it would seem not. That’s where the really dark and twisted fantasies come to life. There’s a whole section on which bindings are safe to be restrained and gagged in a forest setting, and worryingly–thorny vines are noted as one of those approved.

"Give me time," I state, folding my arms to hide the tremble in my fingers. "I need to think." My gaze skitters away, unwilling to meet theirs any longer. "And to think clearly, I need my meds back. I know you have the stash which was stolen from my dorm."

There's a flicker of a smile on Lucas' lips, knowing and smug. He reaches into his pocket, and I hear the familiar rattle of pills before he places a bottle on the table. Seven pills stare back at me, a countdown to an ultimatum I never asked for. "You have until these run out to decide. After that, the decision will be taken out of your hands." His smirk is a blade, sharp and threatening.

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