by Emily Shore
She’s coiled her hand up to her back just beyond her shoulder, pressing her fingers into the skin there. Conscious of her motivation but unsure of what to say, I remain where I am and wait on whether she decides to share.
After some time, she says, “He was the only other man to see my scars. But where Force created them, Kerrick was the one who made me see how they were beautiful. Meaningful.”
I have no words for that. Mine have never been beautiful. They are all the same. Despite having so much of Serafina in me, it never helped Father to create new scars on me. Other men have admired his handiwork. They find their own creative, boundless ways to hurt my body even if Force allows none to hold a whip but himself. Part of me wonders if that will change. If he will teach Serenity.
I don’t have time to ponder because the door to the Breakable Room opens.
8
D e s S e r t B e F o r e D i n N e r
Serenity
“I love dessert before dinner. Are you the same?” my father calls to me from the lower level.
Sky is back in the rafters. Luc left in short order after our discussion earlier so he could formulate his artistry, his ‘vision’. Spending most of the day with Sky was a sort of healing for us. Except healing takes longer than a day.
I slip my hand across the staircase railing as I respond, “I’m my father’s daughter, aren’t I?”
“Excellent!” He extends a hand to me once I’ve descended. “And I’m so happy to see you’ve dressed for the occasion.”
Our banter drips with sarcasm. This will be a simple dynamic for me to slip into. I will play the role more effectively than with Luc because I know what to expect from Force. Where Luc always savored the moments where he saw the real Serenity, my father enjoys my performances. Dressing in the fine gown that looks more like silver filigree all along my curves is my way of playing along, all of which he recognizes, which thrills him.
“Hmm…” Force captures my chin, moving my head from side to side. “No makeup? You wound me.”
“My face is enough on its own.”
He secures my arm into his, linking them as he escorts me out of my bedroom. “But keeping up pretenses is so much more entertaining, I believe. Oh well, I suppose it will keep me in suspense until I witness your interaction. I do hope you will soon take advantage of all your room’s amenities. I spared no expense.” He leans in to murmur, “N.A.I.L.S is such an incredible machine, and I ordered the latest version just for you.”
I think of the body applicator. The thought of using it shouldn’t feel so intimidating.
“And you’ll discover your bed is equipped with a little something special.” Force deepens his voice as he pats my hand. “No doubt you noticed the sprite light canopy. Sometimes, you should tap into the Pleasure Program—clever little name…” my father boasts as he leads me to the door, so I guess we will not be having dinner in my bedroom. “Let’s just say I thought it would be a spectacular way to spoil my long-lost princess.”
I’m not sure I even want to know.
After a few more minutes of suspenseful silence involving an elevator descent and a walk down a long and familiar hallway, we arrive at our destination—the frosted glass door.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“Oh, dessert will be served in the Breakable Room tonight.”
My father turns the knob, then ushers me inside.
This time, I’m surprised to see Bliss sitting on the floor beside my mother just inches from Kerrick’s dead body. The sight of his corpse sends pure lightning up my spine, and I hug my arms before approaching my mother.
I don’t get a chance to take more than a couple of steps when my father grips me by the arm, preventing me from going farther. Then, he raises a hand, signaling for Bliss to come.
“What is going on?” I screw my brows lower as she reaches my side.
“I promised you, Serenity,” he says. “I am a man of my word. Mara, be a good girl and hold your sister still for me.”
Bliss quickly follows his orders. Force wastes no time in withdrawing an object from his dinner jacket—a black leather whip. He glances at me to note my shocked eyes, grins, then steps toward my mother.
“Liar!” I thrust my whole body toward him, but it barely moves an inch.
Bliss is stronger than me? How can she be stronger?
“You liar,” I scream. “Get away from her! You said you’d leave her alone.”
My mother doesn’t even move. Her eyes don’t register surprise. It’s as if she expected this.
He lifts an index finger. “I said nothing of the sort. I merely said I would not take her to my bed, and I will abide by those terms. And I did leave her alone for much of the day. Perhaps in the future, you should be clearer in regard to your specifications.”
“Bastard!”
I try to escape again, but Bliss keeps her arms cemented around me in just the precise way. No matter how much I kick and buck against her, she remains resolute. Why? How can she stand there and watch this? That is our mother he’s approaching. That is our mother he’s raising the whip to. That is our mother who is not going to fight back.
“Mom.” My voice breaks as I plead with her. “Please, you can—”
Force interrupts with a snigger. “Oh no, she can’t, Serenity. Isn’t that right, Serafina?” Bending, he drags one finger across her cheek. She shivers. “It’s time to remind you of who you are. Time for you to become the Unicorn again.”
“I’ll be whatever you want, Force,” she murmurs.
So much for knowing what to expect from Force. And my mother.
He raises the whip.
“Stop,” I cry.
“Please, Serenity.” He pauses to regard me, gesturing to Serafina. “You are interfering with my dessert.”
“I’m going to do so much more than that. I’m going to spoil your appetite!” I wrestle against my sister when he twirls the whip.
He orders my sister again. “Hold her still.”
Her grip on me wavers for one moment. It’s the first time I’ve seen the ice in her eyes crack. A hairline fissure. The recognition—the emotion—there is plain as day. I seize hold of the moment, jerk out of her arms, and fling myself at my father, grabbing hold of the whip. When his hand retains its claim and our bodies fall into a tug of war, I raise my head to see my father smiling. Grinning from ear to ear.
“All you have to do is agree to my terms,” he reminds me, giving the leather a sharp tug.
I yank back. “No!”
“Wait.”
The voice startles us both because it comes from behind us. Not in front of us. It’s so small. Just like our mother’s. She steps forward, hands folded calmly in front of her.
“Father, will you hear another option that will satisfy everyone?”
I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. It’s the first time Mom has moved. Does she know what Bliss is going to ask?
“Color me intrigued,” our father muses. “Please, Mara, endow on us your superior alternative.”
“Change the terms to give Serenity and me a dual interaction, but one where she is not touched. It will suit the roles of Yin and Yang because men always desire more what they cannot touch. It will encourage appetites. Will that settle you some?”
“Some,” he agrees. “But my appetite remains unquenched.”
He stares at our mother once more with a feral glint in his eye. I give the whip one more tug, and it comes free. I clutch it to my chest, denying him the sick pleasure he seeks.
“That is why I will play the Unicorn,” my sister offers.
“No,” Mum immediately cries in a hoarse voice as she tries to stand. Is that why she wasn’t going to fight? Because she didn’t want him to…
Force ignores her while considering Bliss’s proposal. “It is an intriguing notion.” He begins to pace.
“Force, no!”
She rushes toward him, and I want to hold her back. She can’t do anything against him. His
dominance. His control. Her sacrificial pleas are just giving him more reason to deny her because she’s showing him another weakness. Another way of bleeding her by attacking the one thing she has left—her own daughters.
Force taps his mouth, playful smile curling the corners as he appraises Bliss. “I believe we shall up the ante, so to speak. While it would be a thrill to determine if I could achieve the same power I had with your mother with you, I know it would be a guarantee if I delegated that to Serenity.”
My mother marches toward Force, but her eyes are pleading. “No,” she croaks.
“I know you’ve handled the whip before, Serenity.” My father ignores her, closing the distance between us. “Jade didn’t have to tell me anything. I can tell by the way you grip it.”
I brandish it. “I’d rather use it on you!”
Wagging a finger, he clicks his teeth. “Time to choose, my beloved girl. Your mother or your sister. If you agree to Mara’s proposition, no man will touch you in an interaction. And I will sweeten the deal. Not only will I not bed Serafina nor turn her into my Unicorn, but I will also agree not to seduce her, manipulate her, or even speak to her unless she speaks to me first. Handing down my legacy to you is more of a thrill than I can imagine.”
He pauses as I weigh the options back and forth. I glance at my mother, but she violently shakes her head. But I stare at both her and my sister. This is ridiculous. How can I choose? If I could take the whip instead I would, but swallowing an ocean would be easier.
What Bliss’s motive is in all this, I can’t fathom. All I know is that glimmer of emotion she showed. Some relationship between them must have developed in the weeks Force has kept my mother here. All I need is one look at Bliss to know she can take this. More capable than me.
It’s obvious Mother doesn’t want this. No real parent would. She’d rather take the whip. By nature, it’s the parent who sacrifices for their children, who bears pain for them. Not the other way around. But my mother spent her entire life sacrificing for me, doing whatever it took to protect me—even from herself. She spent her entire life running from a man whose ghost followed her, hunted her like she was some stag. She spent her entire life searching for Bliss. And now, Kerrick’s gone.
She’s not strong enough to become the Unicorn again.
Am I strong enough? The lightning monster deep inside me rears its head, eager, snapping at my quickening butterflies. If I do this, I run the risk of sucking my father’s poison. But I have faith it won’t overcome me. Just as I have faith in Sky. Just as he has faith in me. It’s time I prove to my mother she can, too. I will get us all out of here before I turn into the monster my father is.
By the way Force reacts, my silent nod could have been the hallelujah chorus.
9
O l d P a t T e r n s N e W I n t e R a c t I o n
Serenity
I shouldn’t be surprised Luc outdid himself again.
Despite having an automatic-body applicator, my father prefers preparers to see to my exhibit. N.A.I.L.S is for daily life.
My preparer sets to work on painting my body after she’s finished molding the gown onto my skin. She is a silly young woman. Only a few years older than me. To her, this is a career and nothing more. Belinda doesn’t savor the art; she hurries through it. The only reason my father selected her is due to her lightning-fast hands that can fulfill quotas. Quantity and quality are both important to the Temple when it comes to the higher levels, though Belinda operates on all. Her equally fast tongue prattles on, complaining she has dozens more girls to design tonight—something about how she’s more of a hot commodity than the ones she paints.
Never once does she appraise me like I am a canvas.
As usual, the gown preparation takes place behind a dressing screen before Belinda places me before a three-way mirrored vanity.
I adopt a serene expression as she rolls her eyes and mutters, “Workhorse. That’s what I am. Nothing better to do than make you pretties up all day. If they make me keep this up, I won’t have hands anymore!”
After she does my eye makeup, she applies a shimmery white glitter that encompasses my brow’s surrounding area and sweeps down to my cheekbone. Her next act is to attach tiny feather wisps to the outer curves of my lashes. They curl upward, teasing the air above my brow when I open my eyes. She applies a temporary tattoo of a tiny swan on each side of my face just on the corner of the eye, mimicking a tear. I’m almost dumbfounded when the swans begin to move, lightly fluttering their wings. A digital temporary tattoo shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
The gown itself is comprised of feathers. My father has ordained elements of both the Swan and Skeleton Flower into this costume, and Luc’s precise vision comes to life in hundreds of swan feathers interlaid over one another. Sealed tight across my lethal curves.
Revealing more expertise, Belinda adds tiny swan-like symbols to my center midriff since the feathers have parted ways at the base of my throat, plunging in a deep vee all the way down to my navel, leaving the inner curves of my cleavage exposed. The open panel effect is too much skin for my taste, but thanks to the Swan and the Skeleton Flower, I find myself accepting it. Feathers coat the sides of my body until they mingle with the skeleton flowers at my hips. Continuing the effect, the gown splits at my thighs, leaving the rest of my legs bare. Nothing but a great train of feathers and flowers sweeping the floor behind me.
Just as she did with my arms, Belinda dusts my bare legs all over with so much shimmer it looks like a million diamond shavings. She leaves my feet naked.
Then, she steps back to take stock of her work. “It’ll do.” She drags a hand through her short tufts of hair, then curses when realizing she’s smeared white paint into the dark strands.
“Why do you stay if you hate it?” I ask as she cleans up her table.
Belinda rolls her eyes. “What are you talking about? I love it!”
Turning away, Belinda bends to pick up a fallen bottle, unashamed of how her short skirt exposes her plump but well-shaped legs. Her pillowy figure is attractive, and I’m surprised she isn’t on one of these levels for another reason.
When I ask, she pops up, her ample breasts jiggling beneath the tight shirt she wears. “Well, I’m no Swan, but thanks all the same. I’m a Syndicate daughter. I could have been a display, but I chose money over fame. It keeps my shoe house well stocked.” She gestures to the elaborate platforms she wears. The ones with gold filigree coiling all the way up past her knees.
“Are you my preparer?”
“For tonight, yes. Don’t know if I’ll be back. Depends on my schedule, but if Director Force likes the finished product, then maybe. Pleasure, Swan.”
Instead of shaking my hand that is still damp from paint and shimmer, Belinda leans over and plants a light kiss on my forehead, tapping it once like giving a green light to launch a product.
“By the way, you can call me Lindy.”
I hope Lindy prepares me again.
Our familiar pattern emerges. Just as always.
Luc waits for me on the lower level, eyes marveling as I make my way down the winding staircase, careful not to get my train stuck between the railings. At first, I was confused why he didn’t meet me in the bedroom suite, but the reason is obvious. Sky’s up there, too.
Luc takes my hand and leans toward me, mouth aimed for my cheek.
I pull away, warning, “You know better than that.”
Pausing, Luc refuses to retreat, unwilling to give up that easily. “We both know what you wanted that night.”
“It doesn’t matter what my body wanted, Luc.”
“What you still want,” he corrects, pressing his thumb to my chin.
My lips part from the action, and he smirks.
I narrow my eyes. “You cheated, and you know it.”
“Because my brother fights so fairly.” Luc rolls his words in a sarcastic coating, dropping his hand.
“It’s not a competition.”
He low
ers his lethal brows. “The hell it isn’t.”
I step forward, insistent. “I’ve made my choice. It’s not just a feeling, Luc. It’s a promise. It’s something you’ll never understand because you only commit to something as long as it serves your purpose.”
“Serenity—” he tries to interrupt.
I hold up a hand. “No. Wanting something is different than knowing something. I know I want you. Anyone can see that. Some people have a chemistry, but that’s all it is. I know I want Sky, but more than that, I know I love him. I know I need him. Most of all, I know we’re right for each other. It’s that simple.”
“You won’t let me try?” His voice borders on desperate as he lifts his hand toward me. “No chance to prove you wrong?”
Shrinking, I huff, “You proved me wrong that night. Sky’s been proving me right since he first picked me up the day I was born.”
Sighing, Luc draws a hand through his hair before reaching out to cup my cheek. “I never had a chance, did I?”
“Yes, you did. I’ll always respect you for what you did with the graphickers, Gull’s abuser, and for giving up the Aviary. But all this—” Tracing a circle around my body, I finish, “—is work and nothing more. I hope you can respect that like I respect you.”
“You expect me to come this close to you, see you become my vision, but never act on my own wishes?”
“Yes.” I nod, stating the obvious. “After all, I’m just your Swan, Luc. Not your Serenity. I’m one of your Birds. I’m not asking for friendship. I’m just asking you to treat me like a human being.”
“You take impossible to a new level.”
“That she does!” Neil closes the door behind him.
I didn’t even hear him enter, but I smile as he makes his debut, hands folded behind his back. Some of his body language reminds me of Force with how he’s hunched over a little, observing my costume.