"I do," I grind out.
"Why don't you tell everyone?"
"Taking her place." My voice is a hiss, and Emilian smirks at me as I help Pandora to her feet and whisper in her ear that everything's going to be okay. I allow one of the employees of the town hall to lead her away while I turn to face her father. "You're a fucking monster."
"Takes one to know one." He taps the whip against his palm. "Take her place."
I kneel in front of him, with my back turned to face him. My heart is pounding. I can't imagine what being whipped feels like. What shocks me is that I'm willing to endure it all... just so Pandora doesn't have to.
Before I can have another moment, the whip cracks against my back, hard and unforgiving. I swallow the groan on my lips and brace myself against the floor. Another slashing sound slices through the air and the whip hits me again, then again and again. At some point, I can't hold myself up anymore. I collapse on the ground, and Emilian just keeps going and going.
"That's enough," I finally hear through the fog in my mind, somehow turning around to see Lai leading Oakes off. He's wearing a self-satisfied expression I want to fucking erase off his face. That son of a bitch is sicker than any of us.
The pain is almost unbearable. The room empties slowly, hushed voices and whispers accompanying people as they slowly trickle out. Not even Audra stops to speak to me. The room stinks of shame.
After a couple agonizing moments, I realize there are only two people left in the room. Lai, and myself.
"You should go," I groan, somehow picking myself up and wincing as I wipe the blood off my back with my shirt.
"I can't leave you like this." He approaches, taking my shirt from my hands and putting it over my open wounds. It hurts so much I'm convinced I'm going to lose consciousness, but I grit my teeth and allow him to help me get up. "I called a doctor to your house. He'll sort you out."
I nod as a sign of gratitude. I can't offer him much more. He's my oldest friend and he's let me down too much with what he's done to Pandora.
"Are you going to be okay?" Lai asks.
"What the fuck do you think?" I stumble out of the room. "Look what all this shit has gotten me into. I've lost everything. Every-fucking-thing."
"You haven't," he says lamely.
"Thanks for the reassurance." I glare at him. "If only I could trust you with anything."
He stays stubbornly quiet, but the devil on my shoulder won't shut up. He wants to add more fuel to the fire.
"I hope it was fucking worth it, betraying me."
He stares me down, not saying a word. His mouth opens and closes but nothing comes out. There's nothing to say, nothing to add. He knows just how fucked up all of this is.
"Let me help you get home," he offers, not unkindly.
"Oh, just fuck off," I hiss. "I don't want or need anything from you. Just get the hell away from me."
"Calm down." Lai holds his hands up. "I don't want to fuck things up more."
"More? More?" I advance on him, grabbing the front of his shirt. "Look where your fuck-up brought us. An innocent girl getting hurt multiple times."
Lai raises his eyebrows at me. "Since when do you have a problem with that?"
His words render me speechless, and I stare him down before groaning and pushing him aside. "Forget it."
"I mean it," he speaks up again. "That pussy may be tight, but it sure as hell ain't magic. What's got you so fucking whipped for Pandora Oakes?"
I wish I could answer his question, but my silence says everything. Without saying another word to him, I walk away, wincing with every step.
***
It takes weeks for the wounds to hell. By then, Anders is back at work, but has also officially handed me his notice. Soon enough, I won't have anyone to help me with the situation at home. I'm going to need to find a different solution.
Over the past month, I've been wondering whether I still love Lily Anna. The affection is still there. The need to take care of her. But there's no passion, no lust, no deep love anymore. She isn't the girl I fell in love with. Maybe she never was.
At school, things have started running smoother, though not being at the top of the food chain has proven to be a problem for me. Easton runs Prep now. I'm just a bystander to his actions.
Lily Anna grows wilder by the day, making me miss day after day of school. Audra never stops hurting my toy, practically following her around with humiliating tasks. Pandora spent weeks being Audra's maid, for lack of a better word, because the blonde took offense to one of her answers in class. There's no way for my toy to fight it now. She just has to take what's doled out to her, grit her teeth, and pray she gets through it okay.
By the time I return to school, my back is scarred and my head is filled with ideas of revenge. I'm not only going to take down Brantley and Oakes, I'm going to bring this whole damn town down. And there's only one person I want by my side.
I pull Pandora aside in the hallway. She's wearing a thick black choker - a sign of the town that signifies she's disrespected someone above her in status. She looks beaten down, tired and pissed off.
"Where were you?" Her first words to me are accusatory. "Where have you been, Dexter? Do you see what they're doing to me?"
"Remember what I did for you," I grind out. "I had to heal. Get better."
"I don't think that's the whole truth," she mutters, and I can't even argue with her. She knows something's up. She may not figure out the Lily Anna situation, but she can sense my lies. "I think you're avoiding me."
Because you scare me, I want to tell her, but I hold my tongue and shake my head. "We need to get you the fuck out of Eden Falls."
"Don't you think I know that?" Her voice is bitter as she sighs and rubs her temples. "It's all I want, to go back home, to get away. But there's unfinished business I have to do first."
"Like what?"
"I need to go see my mother."
My eyes widen. "You aren't..."
"Supposed to know she's alive?" She smirks. "Tough luck. Brantley found her address for me. I've been saving money. I'm eighteen now. I'm free to leave. As long as I can get out of Eden Falls, I'm fucking free."
"Let me come with you." The words leave my lips on an impulse, and she knits her brows together. "Please. I'll come."
"What good will that do?" She eyes me suspiciously. "I don't need another burden."
"I'll help," I grit out. "I'll help you get away from all of it."
"I don't have time to talk about this now." The school bell rings and she snatches her hand away when I try to take it.
"Please, Pandora."
"Why do you want to get away, anyway?"
"Because this town is fucking poison," I mutter. "I need a fresh start. What's keeping me here? Fucking nothing and no one."
Especially if you leave, I add in my mind. Especially if I find a way to deal with Lily Anna.
"I'll think about it." She gives me another long look. "I have to go now, this already looks suspicious. You still got my number?"
"Yeah."
"Why haven't you called?" Her tone is accusatory, and it dawns on me what I've done - or rather, not done - has somehow upset her.
"Why do you care if I call? I thought you hated me."
Her lips purse and she stares me down. "I don't have anyone else."
It's so fucking sad. She's as alone as I am. And we can't even be there for each other.
"Look, I'll call you tonight, we'll figure something out." I search for warning signs in her face, but come up empty. "Your dad treating you okay?"
"He just ignores me most of the time," she mumbles. "Maybe he hopes if I get ignored enough, I'll just cease to exist."
"No such luck," I chuckle.
"Shut up." The smallest of smiles passes her lips and I grin in relief.
"Look, I know I've fucked up too many times to count," I tell her. "But I want to help you. Make up for everything."
"Why?"
"Why?" I ponder her quest
ion. "I'll... feel better."
"Good old selfish Dexter Booth. Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself?" I don't answer her, and she shakes her head before finally pulling away. "I have to go before you get me into more trouble. Let's talk tonight."
"I'll call you."
I watch her leave, my heart pounding in my chest like I'm some lovestruck teenager. Pandora fucking Oakes. Who would've thought she'd be the one to uncover the soft side I never knew I had.
Chapter Six
Pandora
I feel fucking exhausted as I sit in front of the vanity table in my bedroom. The black choker is still around my neck, marking me forever, and Minnie's brushing my hair with long, gentle strokes. She must've gone through it a hundred times now. All the tangles are gone, but I dread the moment she stops. It's a welcome reprieve from my reality, the pleasant feeling of the brush going through my hair, the rhythmic rise and fall of my own chest as I try to catch my breath.
But I know it's going to end soon, and sure enough, Minnie puts the brush down and leans down next to me so we're staring at each other's faces in the mirror.
"You're so beautiful," she whispers.
"I'm not." I close my eyes tightly, unable to bear the weight of the pain in my eyes. "Everyone says I'm plain."
"That's a lie if I ever heard one." Minnie puts a hand on my shoulder, and I snap my eyes back to hers in the mirror. She's never affectionate like this. Nobody is. I must be really obviously fucked up if even Minnie's trying to comfort me. "Miss Pandora, I..."
"Yes?"
"I spoke to Mr. Oakes, your father," she says softly. "He offered to pay for my scholarship at Prep. He said I could start in the fall."
I manage a weak smile. I'm happy for her, but I also know my father's offer is a bribe. Minnie will get to go to Prep in exchange for keeping her mouth shut about Father's dirty advances on her. I feel for her, hurt for her. But I can barely handle my own mess.
"Do you want me to speak to Brazen again?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. "I could ask him to get Father off your back. Maybe if we work together..."
"No," she shakes her head. "You know as well as I do it's hopeless, Miss. I just need to last a few years, until I finish school. And then I'll be free. Free as a bird."
Her pretty smile blinds me, and I fight the urge to laugh bitterly. She'll never be free. Not here, in Eden Falls, and not until my father is around. He's eager to make her his victim, and I don't think he'll ever stop.
"You'll need to be careful at Prep," I tell Minnie. "The other kids might pick on you. These boys and girls are vicious."
The thought of Minnie getting hurt like I have been pains me. I need to warn her about the cruelty of the people of Eden Falls. This town's fucked up.
"I know," she nods. "I heard what they've been doing to you, Miss Pandora, and I... well, I think it's absolutely terrible. You shouldn't treat another human being the way they're treating you."
I shrug. Of course I agree, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm well and truly powerless without my status. I've become the town's punching bag, and there's not a goddamn thing anyone can do to change that.
"Miss, if you don't mind me asking..." Minnie bites her full bottom lip, her eyes averting mine. She's nervous, and I mentally prepare myself for her next question. "What happened that night at the Brantley house?"
My hands form fists in my lap and I close my eyes tightly as the events of that night play out in my head, over and over again. I haven't told anyone the truth. I haven't been honest with anyone, not even Dexter. And now, the desire to finally come out and say it, to admit what they did to me - what I let them do - is too strong to fight. I want Minnie to know. I want her to understand.
So I open my mouth, and I start telling her the truth with my heart hammering wildly in my chest, and alarm bells going off in my head. I shouldn't trust the maid, but I do. I trust her more than anyone in this fucking city.
***
One by one they come into the room, and one by one, they get what they want.
As I lay in bed after the last time, Lai buttons up his shirt and smirks at me. "You happy now, Pandora?"
"Not yet," I mutter, pulling the sheets up. "Not until Dexter finds out what I did."
"Why are you so dead set on hurting him anyway?" He buttons his cufflinks and slips on a blazer. "What's this desire to hurt him really about?"
"You have to ask?" I push the sheets off and get up, my naked body shivering in the cool night air. "He's hurt me every single day since I've been back. He's made it his mission to fuck me up. Why wouldn't I do the same to him? Why wouldn't I hit him where it hurts?"
"Is that why you didn't want me to use a condom?"
I smirk, strolling to the window, my fingers lingering on the wooden frame as I stare outside. "You sure catch on fast, Lai."
"You know, you could be pregnant right now." He approaches me from behind, arms wrapping around me and embracing me firmly. His fingers touch my belly, gently wandering over the flat expanse of my navel. "Maybe you've got my baby in there."
I don't answer, just silently place my hand over his as we continue to stare out the window.
A moment later, I break off the embrace and motion to the door. "You better leave. All the others have gone already. I don't think you want to be here when Dex arrives."
"You think I'm afraid of him?"
I shake my head. "I'm just looking out for you."
"Why do you care?" He picks up his car keys from the nightstand. "Does it matter whether I'm breathing or not?"
I don't know what to tell him. My alliance with Lai was born out of necessity, but I do have fond feelings for the boy. He was never as cruel as the others.
"Leave, Lai." My voice is gentler, and he nods in silent understanding, raising his hand before he leaves. I wave him off, and watch him walk to the door. Then, I stare out of the window and watch him get into his car and pull out of the driveway.
I got what I so desperately wanted. Revenge is coming, and it's going to taste sweeter than I could have ever imagined.
So why am I still not happy?
***
"I can't believe it," Minnie breathes. "You... you wanted them to do that to you? But why?"
"Because it's the only way I can hurt Dexter," I mutter. "The only way to get back at him for what he did to me."
"What about the other boys?"
"What about them?"
"Don't they matter to you?" Minnie's words aren't accusatory, but confused instead. "Don't you care about their feelings?"
"No," I reply firmly. "They didn't care about mine, either, did they?"
She doesn't answer. She ponders my words as she picks up the hairbrush again and once again begins to brush my hair. Her next words are spoken so quietly I nearly miss them.
"You're going to have a baby, aren't you?"
"It's too soon to tell."
"Your father's going to kill you."
"He hasn't yet," I mutter. "Besides, that kid will be privileged. And I'll be giving Father the heir he so desperately wants."
"So you're going to keep it?"
I shrug. "I don't care. I don’t even know if it’s going to happen. But maybe if I can give Father the heir he's wanted his whole life, I can use the baby as my ticket to get out of here."
"You'd give the baby up?" Her eyes widen. I don't know whether she's appalled or impressed. "You'd just walk away from a child?"
"It means nothing to me." My hands form fists in my lap and I close my eyes firmly, pretending I'm telling her the truth. Pretending I don't give a damn at all. "The sooner I have it, the better. The moment I do, I'm a free woman."
Minnie ponders my words, and we sit there in strange, but companionable silence as she continues to brush my silky mane.
"I found out where my mother lives."
"W-What?" she stutters.
"She's alive and well, as it turns out." I deliver the words with cool indifference. As if it doesn't matter at al
l that my own mother abandoned me. That she hasn't made a single attempt to reconnect with me. It must run in the family - am I not planning on doing the same thing to my child, once the time comes? "And she lives only a couple of hours away by train."
"Are you going to see her?"
"Yes," I nod. "As soon as I can get away. But you can't tell anyone."
"So you're leaving this town for good?"
"Maybe."
"What if..." She bites her bottom lip, obviously nervous to ask the question, and I squeeze her hand to reassure her. "What if she doesn't want you to stay with her?"
"Then I have another family waiting for me in Wildwood." Once again, the memory of my parents who aren't really my parents, of my sister Andromeda, hits me hard and cuts deep where it hurts the most. "I'm sure they'll take me in, protect me from my father."
"You're underestimating him," Minnie whispers, and for the millionth time, I wonder how far Father's abuse has gone when it comes to the pretty blonde maid. "He's going to find you wherever you go. And he'll drag you back by your hair, if he has to. He has enough money and power to do that."
"I'm of a legal age now," I remind her. "Nobody can tell me what to do. At least in the eyes of the law. And I know half of the cops in Eden Falls are on Emilian Oakes' payroll, but it's not that way in Wildwood."
Minnie nods, pondering my words as she finally sets the brush down. As she does, I spot the faint hint of bruises on her wrist, barely there, but noticeable enough for me to make out the shape of fingers where someone held her.
"He did this?" My fingertips gently touch the bruised skin, and Mignonette winces when I touch her, nodding without saying a word. "I'm going to help you, Minnie."
She smiles at me, but it's not a sign of happiness. She doesn't believe me, and neither do I. Minnie has no one looking out for her. She has nowhere to run. At least I have options, places to go if all else fails. Even Minnie's mother would betray her.
"It's okay," she mutters, but the tremble in her voice doesn't escape me. "I'll manage."
"Maybe I should speak to Brazen," I suggest. "He's helped you out before and-"
A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep Page 36