Hill, Meagan - Master Me [Masterson] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Meagan Hill

  Once again, Mandy’s mouth began forming an answer before she began choking. Mitch hurried to assure her. “It’s okay, I withdraw the question. I can see the answer in your eyes.” Mandy took a deep breath, clearly frustrated with not being able to speak freely. “Tell me what you want, Mandy.”

  Mandy apparently didn’t even have to think about what she wanted as she began to answer immediately. “I want to talk to you. I want to tell you everything. I want to spend time with you. I want you. I want you to save me.” The last part was whispered so quietly he was amazed he could actually hear it, and he didn’t miss the part about wanting him. “I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to return to the compound. I don’t want to complete my mission. I don’t want to be evil.” With this last part, Mandy had to literally force it out of her throat. Her declarations were skirting the injunction.

  “I think I know a way to remove these injunctions for you, but it’s going to take some work, and you’re going to have to make some decisions. Are you ready to hear my ideas?” Mandy nodded, a small spark of hope shining in her eyes. “The orders you are under sound like loyalty oaths. Is that correct?” With Mandy’s affirmative answer, Mitch continued. “You can be released from those oaths by only two ways. One is from the person to whom you swore loyalty.” Mandy’s eyes grew wide, and she shook her head swiftly. “The second option is for you to change your loyalty to another coven leader.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that was possible. He always told us once we were part of his coven, not even death would release us from the bond.”

  “No, not even a blood oath can override a change in fealty. This is an option for you. My father is the head of our coven, and I am positive he will offer you an opportunity to join us, if that is your wish. This will release you from your oaths and your required subservience to your old coven. They will never have power over you again. Is this something you would like to pursue?”

  Mandy sat in a daze for a moment before falling to her knees in front of Mitch again, this time weeping over and kissing his feet. Mitch was frozen for a moment at seeing her display of gratitude before the anger blew through him once again. They were going to pay for turning this beautiful woman into a petrified slave. Mitch gently took her shoulders in his large hands and pulled her up to sit in his lap. He tucked her head under his chin and held her while she cried out her relief. He could feel her tears dampening his T-shirt while her hands clasped it tightly, holding him to her as if she never wanted to let him go. At this point, he could honestly say he felt the same way. Suddenly, Mandy stiffened, the fear once again flowing off of her in waves.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you afraid?”

  Mandy struggled for a moment before changing her mind about her words, simply saying, “I can’t say.” She trusted he would know what she meant.

  “Are you afraid of something that will result from your change of allegiance?”

  Mandy nodded, appearing relieved that he was following her thought path.

  “Are you afraid Cabela will be able to hurt you?” This time, Mandy simply answered with her eyes. “Has he threatened you?” Again, she could only answer with her eyes. They’d found a loophole. As long as he kept with yes or no questions and could read her eyes, something she could not control, they could communicate more effectively. “He threatened to beat you if you left the coven?” Mandy’s facial response to that was clearly r, “Duh.”Mitch was amused at the response, so he smirked and replied, “Okay, that one was kind of dumb. He beats you often. Did he threaten to kill you?”

  When Mitch read the answer in Mandy’s eyes and saw she believed Cabela would make good on his threat, he took a deep breath to steady his emotions. He didn’t want Mandy to pick up on his growing anger and think she had caused it. “Has he followed through on that threat for others?” This time his answer was the pain in her eyes.

  “Penny was the only friend I’ve really had since being liberated.” Mitch blinked at the word “liberated.” “She was sixteen when she came to us, a little older than the norm. She did not take to her behavior training well. Less than a year after joining us, she didn’t return from a shopping trip, though I never did hear what happened to her escort. They tracked her down about a week later.”

  “How do you know they followed through?”

  “Pictures. They always take pictures of their successes and tack them up in the main hallway.” Mitch couldn’t repress the shudder that worked through him at the thought of a hallway full of pictures of murder victims. “My picture is up there in several places, too, for my accomplishments.” Mandy was learning how to talk around her injunction. “My liberation, my indoctrination, when I completed my power training. The most recent is when I graduated from the behavior training, just last week.”

  “Liberation? Is that their term for kidnapping? You were stolen from your family? How old were you?”

  Mandy answered the one question she could. “Fourteen.”

  “Indoctrination. Is that where you were beaten the first time?” Mandy’s eyes showed “yes” before a deeper pain became evident and she, for the first time since he’d ordered her, dropped her eyes from his. Pain and fury lanced through him. He’d been hoping that it had been just the physical abuse. Her response, though, confirmed his greater fear that she had been sexually abused as well. Mitch softly cupped her face in his hands, gently pulling her face back up so he could see it. His voice was thick with pain as he asked, “Mandy, were you raped?”

  Mandy’s eyes filled with tears once again, telling him what he hadn’t wanted to know. “More than once?” Mandy’s eyes filled with shame before dropping down to look at his chin.

  “How often?” Not a yes or no question, she can’t answer it, idiot, he reminded himself. “Cabela?” Her eyes came up to answer “yes.” “Just Cabela?” No. “Other members of your coven?” Yes. At this point, Mitch decided to back away from the topic. He could see that she was becoming more and more upset. Obviously it was something that she didn’t want to think about. Once she was able to speak freely, though, they were going to revisit the issue, and he told her as much.

  “When we can talk freely, we’re going to talk about everything they did to you, Mandy. It’s going to be painful, but if you do not share the pain with someone else, you will not be able to recover from it. You have to let go of the pain for its taint to wash away.” Mandy nodded weakly before tucking her head back under his chin, snuggling deeply into his chest. Mitch could only wrap his arms tightly around her, offering her the sanctuary she desperately needed. He held her tightly, rocking slightly as one might do with a baby, as her trembling finally slowed, and her body began to relax. It wasn’t long before she was completely limp, deeply asleep, content in his arms. Mitch realized he’d never felt so content in his life.

  He held her for a while longer before carrying her to his bed. He would take the couch, as the rooms that would normally be bedrooms had been converted into his office and a gym. He tucked her in, pulling the covers up to her shoulders, gently brushing the hair from her face. He smiled when she snuggled deeper into his pillow, pulling it close to her chest.

  His own chest was being buffeted by the myriad of emotions blowing through him. Fury at the way she’d been treated, sadness that she’d been hurt so badly, pain for her loss of so much, fear that she would never be whole again no matter how he tried, and determination to make Cabela and the rest of the coven pay for what had been done to her. When he’d thought it was just the physical abuse she’d suffered, he’s already planned to take down the coven. With her revelation of the sexual abuse, Mitch was convinced of the coven’s evil and knew that at least Cabela, if not the rest of the upper echelon, would have to be eradicated permanently. He needed to talk to his dad.

  After setting several crystals around the bed, mirroring the ones she wore around her neck, Mitch left Mandy to her rest. She would need every ounce of energy she could get in the coming days.

  His father answered on the se
cond ring. “Hello, son. Your mother told me to be expecting your call.”

  “Hi, Dad. I’m guessing you already know why I’m calling?” Having a precog for a mother was great sometimes and really annoying others. Right now, he was just glad he wouldn’t have to repeat everything Mandy had told him. His mother would have seen it and told his father.

  “Yes, she told me about our young Mandy. Are you positive you want to take her on? She’s been badly damaged, and even your mother isn’t sure she can be salvaged.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. I won’t know how badly she’s been hurt until after the allegiance ceremony, but I already know she’s worth fighting for. She deserves an opportunity to find some kind of happiness in her life.”

  His dad was silent for a moment before commenting, “Son, I hear something else in your voice. What are you not saying?”

  Mitch was quiet himself for a moment. “I’m not sure what it is, Dad, but she’s different. She makes me feel different. Our energy melds so easily, but then it grows to be more than what either of us could reach on our own. It’s like my body buzzes when I’m touching her. The urge to protect her is massive, like I would die if I allowed her to be hurt again.”

  “Sounds a bit familiar, but it’s not something we need to consider for the moment. Your mother made your airline reservations before she left Texas this morning, and your plane leaves at ten. We’ll have everything set up here by the time you land. Your mother tells me this will not be a simple ceremony. Its success is entirely up to Mandy’s will to change loyalties. Has she been able to tell you who her coven leader is?”

  “Yes, it’s Devon Cabela. Their compound is just outside of El Paso. I didn’t even know there was a coven in that part of the state.”

  Mitch could hear his father, Malcolm, take a deep breath. “I was afraid of that. We’ve been hearing rumors about a coven that was badly mistreating its members. We hadn’t heard anything specific enough to act on, though.”

  “Well, what I discovered tonight is enough for me to consider death too good for Cabela and his main minions. She’s been beaten repeatedly and only given medical care when she would have died otherwise. She has also been raped repeatedly, though I haven’t learned how often or how recently. I do know Cabela rapes his latents immediately after kidnapping them to establish his dominance over them. I’ve never seen anyone act so submissive, Dad. She was on her knees with her forehead to the floor and trembling almost before I’d finished telling her I was a Master. I’ve had to be careful of what I tell her because she takes everything as a literal command.”

  His father was quiet again for a few moments as he considered what his son had said. Mitch was his second in command and actually had the most level disposition of everyone in the coven. For Mitch to verbally condemn a man to death was indicative of how badly Mandy had been treated. However Mitch felt about the situation, as leader of his coven, Malcolm was bound by rules made by the Merlin. In order for Mitch, and therefore, Malcolm, to confront and eradicate the evil coven, he had to have approval from the Merlin. The Merlin required that the accusing coven have indisputable evidence against another coven before moving against them. This kept the various covens from fighting over power or territories. Contacting the Merlin was never easy, and if he was going to protect Mandy from her old coven, he needed the Merlin’s permission fast.

  “I’ll do what I can to contact Merlin. You know how difficult that can be sometimes. I understand she is on a weeklong task, so we have until Sunday to find a solution?”

  “Yeah, I think so. We haven’t been able to talk about what the mission is, other than that she doesn’t want to complete it and that it will likely finish destroying her soul and make her evil. Has Mom told you about her aura?”

  “Yes, she did. We’ll work on it while you’re here. Son, your mother also said that Mandy is going to need some physical healing, including some things only the women can do. Apparently, her sexual abuse has caused some severe damage internally. The whole coven will help with her healing ceremony, which we’ll schedule for the day after tomorrow. Your mother is unsure as to what degree we will be able to help her heal. Again, it will depend mostly upon Mandy’s strength and need for the change. You’ll want to explain the ceremony to her so she doesn’t freak out.”

  “Good point. I’ll tell her in the morning. Anything else?”

  “Son, I’m concerned about how emotionally involved you’ve become with her in such a short time. And beyond that, is she too damaged sexually to even try to see if you’re mated?”

  It was Mitch who was silent for a few minutes now. Finally, he answered, “I understand your concern, and I share the same concern. I’m not going to push her into testing us, and not just because of her circumstances. On the one hand, my attraction to her is stronger than any I’ve ever felt, and I revel in just having her in my arms. We haven’t even kissed, though the urge to do so is incredibly strong. On the other hand, I’m not sure how I’ll deal with a failed test and having to be nothing more to her than a friend. I already feel much more for her than that. I honestly don’t know what to do about our relationship, nor do I really know what she wants. She did say she didn’t want to leave me and that she wanted me, but she didn’t exactly expound on what that last one meant.”

  Malcolm chuckled before responding, “They never do, son, they never do. I’m over three hundred years old and been married for two hundred fifty, and I still don’t understand your mother, much less women in general. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Take care until then. Try not to leave Cabela a trail he can follow. I have a feeling that her showing up at a children’s camp wasn’t just by chance.”

  “Okay, Dad. I’ll see you then.” Mitch hung up the phone still feeling conflicted, though the topic of the conflict had changed. How had he gotten in so deep emotionally in less than twelve hours? He could only wonder and hope things worked out well at this point.

  Giving up on his compulsion to try to figure out the issues before him, he decided to go check on Mandy a last time before settling onto the couch. It wasn’t going to be comfortable, but he needed to recharge as much as he could. Mitch walked back to his room, opening the slightly ajar door gently. He was startled to find Mandy curled up into a tight ball pressed into the upper corner of the bed. He could tell she was still asleep, but her posture and whimpers told him that even in her sleep, her abuse haunted her. Moving entirely on instinct, he crept to where she lay, taking care to not make any sudden noises or movements that might awaken her. Keeping his touch featherlight, he placed his hand on her shoulder. She shuddered at his touch before relaxing toward his hand, pushing up toward it. Apparently, her body had recognized his touch as safe and wanted more. She allowed him to gently uncoil her, letting her stretch her body out on the bed again. This worked so long as Mitch was touching her, but as soon as he took his hands away, her frown would return, and her body would start to curl back up on itself.

  It didn’t take Mitch long to come to the conclusion that the only way she was going to get any real rest, and therefore, the only way he was going to get rest, was to lay with her. As if that was a hardship. Mitch lay down beside her, still being careful not to startle her. As soon as he was comfortable, she turned over toward him, digging her head into his chest as she pressed her body to his before draping a leg over his. Mitch’s physical response was immediate. His body ignited with a desire he’d never experienced in over 150 years of life. Ignoring the hunger drumming inside him, he merely wrapped his arms around her and settled in to, if nothing else, lay there for the rest of the night watching over her. He knew if they ever explored each other sexually, it would be when she was ready and not a moment before.

  “I’m here now, Mandy. You don’t have to be scared or hurt anymore. I won’t let anyone ever touch you again. I promise.”

  Mandy sighed deeply, tightening her arms in a hug as if acknowledging what he’d promised even in her sleep. Mitch lifted his head and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head
before relaxing back. He continued to think about her and soon found himself asleep.

  * * * *

  Mitch could hear the crashing of waves and smell sea air as he became aware of his surroundings. He took a moment to take in everything his senses were telling him. Besides the sea sounds and scent, he could feel a faint breeze brushing across his body, offering coolness in respite of the warm air that pressed down upon him. Beneath his back, something incredibly soft and relaxing supported every curve of his body. When he was ready, he slowly slid open his eyes, blinking several times as he became accustomed to the light. He was lying on a large bed covered in the softest linens he’d ever felt. Examining the room around him, he concluded he was in some type of beach house. French doors were open to the beach beyond. The finely grained sand was bleached white while the water beyond the shoreline was a piercing blue that was so brilliant it almost hurt to look at. He could see a couple of palm trees off to the left, their leaves swaying in the wind. What captured his attention, though, was the brightly colored beach umbrella stuck deeply into the sand, shading the brilliant sun from the beautiful woman sitting on a white slatted lounge chair. He couldn’t see much of her, only from the tops of her shoulders up, but he recognized her hair.

  Mitch got up, making his way quickly toward the lounger. She turned a page in a book as he came up behind her. The sand had cushioned his footsteps, so she was unaware she was no longer alone. Not wanting to scare her, he softly cleared his throat. She startled badly anyway and swiftly jumped up from her chair, only to lose her footing in the shifting sand and fall directly into his waiting arms. His heart jumped in his chest when he saw she was wearing an ice blue bikini under a white overshirt. Her body was filled out as it should be if she was getting enough to eat. Her breasts had filled out a bit with the extra weight and were the perfect size to fit into his hand. Her waist was still slim, tapering into rounded hips and ass, giving her a perfect hourglass figure. Her legs were lean and well-muscled, looking just long enough to wrap around his waist.