Page 10 of Chosen (The Registry #2)

Chapter

Eight

JAMIE

I shut out the cries of my sister and parents.

I’ve hurt them but it couldn’t be help. It’s better this way.

There was a time when I would have longed for my mother’s warm embrace and the positive affirmations my father used to say to me.

I wanted desperately to laugh with my sister.

I’d even missed our playful banter where sometimes she teased me relentlessly when we were kids.

There was a time when I would have given anything to have those moments back. But those were simply the silly dreams of a young girl who had lived in a world that was just an illusion. I’d learned reality was way grimmer for a regular homo sapien like myself.

I’m glad that my family had gained some level of peace, I really am.

But their happiness can only last as long as Magnus stays strong.

If he’s challenged and killed by someone stronger than him, that person would be the new Sector 2 Leader.

And then what? They’d most likely be reassigned, killed, or maybe even worse…

I unfortunately knew there were far worse things than death. As far as my current situation goes, the best I could do is keep my head down and make my mind wonder when he’s on top of me.

At least he’s not horrible to look at. My shoulders shiver when I think of the master I was last assigned to. I didn’t think it was possible for a superious to be so bloated and out of shape, but I suppose it happened when one lived in luxury and benefited from what was basically slave labor.

The buttery leather seats on the interior of the Sector Leader’s vehicle is so soft, I almost want to sink into it and relax but I hold myself upright, tense, awaiting before him to start barking instructions but he doesn’t.

In fact he pulls out a handheld device and pushes a couple of buttons making a holographic screen pop up. It appears to be paperwork of some sort and he proceeds to put his full attention into whatever those documents are, ignoring me.

Good, the less attention he pays to me the better, although I’m curious as to why he was so eager to collect me if this is how he intends to treat me. When he’d grabbed my wrist back at the manor, something had happened.

A jolt? A shock? I can’t quite explain it but it had sent something akin to an electric current through my body. From the widening of his blue eyes, I thought he’d felt it too but perhaps I’d only imagined it.

Besides the brief commands he’d spoken to me to follow him, he hasn’t said a word to me. It’s probably for the best.

A pain twinges in my lower back from sitting so erect in my seat, but I don’t want to give him a reason to scold me. If I close my eyes for just a bit and allow my mind to go blank I can ignore that ache and the stiffness forming in my neck. I’ll just close my eyes for a minute…

This is my first night in a new environment and I’m so scared I can barely move.

As soon as I arrived at this grand house, I was ushered into a bathing room and thrown into a shower that was so hot, I screamed when the water touched my skin.

The maid who’d refused to tell me her name had laughed and said that she had to make sure I was clean to get the stench off me.

She eventually adjusted the water to make it slightly more bearable but my humiliation had only begun.

The maid, a woman nearly twice my size got into the shower with me and proceeded to scrub me from head to toe, not missing a single inch of me with a brush.

It was almost as if she was trying to take several layers of skin off in the process.

The more I tried to resist, the rougher she became.

I didn’t have the strength to fight back because I’d barely eaten for the last several days. The maid seemed to take pleasure in my discomfort, and I couldn’t understand why she was being so cruel. Wasn’t she homo sapien just like me?

My humiliation was far from over when she attempted to fix my hair.

She took no care at all, roughly running the brush through my tangles and cursing me for having such course and unmanageable hair.

It was a blow to my pride because I’d always taken great care with my hair.

It was thick and curly and if I let it dry naturally, it raised to the sun like a crown.

If I stretch it out into the braids I favored, it rested just below my shoulder blades.

By the time this woman was finished styling my hair, however, chunks of it lay on the floor and my scalp was on fire. I’m certain I had some bald patches at this point but she’s offered me no mirror. The end result was her pulling my hair back into a bun and clipping a silver barrette in my hair.

I’m given a short sheer red strapless dress that barely covers my ass. I’m practically naked because I wasn’t given underwear.

It’s how I find myself in a row of other girls in similar attire.

They’re all roughly around my age, and we all look different from height, size, and skin tones, my being the darkest. Each of these women were stunning in their own way.

I can only assume they’re companions like me.

I have no idea how this works so I whisper to the girl standing next to me with long blond hair and brown eyes.

She rolls her eyes and sighs. “You new girls always ask a lot of questions. Soon, our Master will be coming to choose one or maybe two of us for the evening. Maybe if he’s in an adventurous mood, three women,” she laughs as if she’s just told the funniest joke.

I don’t get a chance to ask her what she means when the door to the room opens and a tall, round superious male steps into the room followed by three Enforcers.

I’d never seen anyone shaped quite like him.

Unlike the well-built Enforcers that I’m used to seeing, this man has several folds under his neck.

His eyes are small and sunken in his round face.

His lips are large and shiny and his hair is slicked back but looks greasy.

I can tell that the colorful suit he’s wearing is expensive.

I’m not so na?ve that I don’t realize what he has in store for the one he chooses. I’m no virgin but I can’t imagine this man’s hands touching any part of my body.

I hunch my shoulders to make myself appear as small as possible. Maybe he won’t notice me. But my hopes are immediately dashed when his beady gaze falls on me.

“Ah, so this is my new companion.” He licks his thick lips and my stomach flips with disgust. “You girl, come here.”

My head involuntarily shakes on its own as fear grips me.

“Why are you just standing there? Get over here? Let me look at you.”

My feet remain planted firmly on the floor.

He barks at his Enforcers. “Bring that bitch to me”

I’m roughly grabbed by two Enforcers and dragged toward their boss and thrown at his feet.

He grabs me by the hair and yanks me to my feet. I don’t get a chance to straighten up before I’m backhanded with so much force I’m knocked back down. “Listen you little bitch, when I give you a command you follow it. Now get up.”

It takes me a moment to wobble to my feet, but it’s clear it’s not fast enough because he slams his fist into my face. I fall again. But this time he kicks me so hard in the stomach, I cough up blood.

He laughs. “You’re a fucking mess. But I can still work with that…” He grins to reveal yellowish teeth as he bends over and reaches out for me.

My eyes pop open and I jolt up with a scream. I keep screaming until my throat is raw and that’s when I realize I’m no longer in the car. I’m in a soft bed covered in a fur comforter. The room I’m in is dim so I can’t make out much but I can tell the room is small.

It had all been a dream. More like a nightmare, one that I have relieved time and time again. That had only been the beginning but what came later had been so much worse.

I wanted to curl up in a ball and forgot about my past. But first there was something I needed to figure out.

Where the hell am I and how did I get here?

I don’t have a chance to dwell on these thoughts before the door opens and the room is suddenly is awash with light. Standing in the doorway is Sector Leader 10.

“What is this commotion?”

The deepness of his voice still surprises me. It makes me tremble.

I open my mouth to reply but no words come out.

“I asked you a question and I expect an answer. I don’t like repeating myself. It would behoove you to remember that.”

My lips go dry and I run tongue over them before speaking. “I…I had a bad dream.” I want to ask him where we are but I think better of it.

“We should land in Sector 10 by morning. Until then, it’s time to get some rest.”

So we’re on a plane, I gather from the context clues.

I’d never been on a plane before nor did I ever expect to experience one.

But it doesn’t have time to sink in with the Sector Leader in the room.

He’s so large and imposing, he practically swallows up the space making this already small area seem tiny.

He closes the door behind him and steps further into the room.

I clutch the blanket against my chest warily as he moves closer to the bed. He halts and stares down at me as if he’s examining an object on display and not a human being.

Though he doesn’t speak. I can figure out what he wants. This is what I’ve been selected for after all. If I can just get this over with maybe he’ll leave me alone for the rest of the plane ride.

I drop the comforter and slide out of bed. I realize whoever had placed me in bed had removed my dress.

I dare to look at his face. His light blue gaze is focused on me but he says nothing. I’m not sure if it’s his beard that makes it hard to read his expression of if he’s stony faced in general but I quickly lower my head.

This is the time when I allow the numb to take over again. It will help me get through what I need to do next.

I take a deep breath before unclipping my bra and tossing it to the side.

I push my panties down until they pool at my feet and I kick them away.

Standing completely naked under his burning gaze my heart begins to beat erratically.

I don’t know why my nerves have been activated.

I shouldn’t feel anything at all. Yet, I’m starting to tremble under his stare.

“Turn around,” he commands so softly, I could have imagined it. But when he makes a low growling noise in the back of his throat, I realize I didn’t.

I bite my bottom lip and turn to reveal my backside.

I shouldn’t give a single damn about what he thinks of what he’s seeing but I’m reminded of how it must appear to him.

I shouldn’t feel ashamed. What’s on my back is the handiwork of his people after all, yet embarrassment creeps into my psyche and my eyes well with tears that I quickly blink away.

So much for giving into the numb. I’d tried so desperately to be brave but now, coupled with the dream I’d had earlier, I’m reminded of the harrowing experience I’d suffered at my last assignment.

There had been no indication that he’d moved at all, his steps were so silent that I jump when he places his hand on my shoulder.

Still, he doesn’t speak, but instead he runs his fingers long the puckered scars on my back that trail all the way down to my buttocks.

I’d only dared to examine myself in the mirror once after I’d received these wounds and it was enough to make me vomit so I can only imagine what he thought of them.

I force myself not to flinch away from his touch which is surprisingly gentle. His hands are large and warm, yet I’m not filled with the disgust I’ve grown accustomed to when being in contact with a superiors.

He continues the exploration of my imperfections, moving his hands lower until he cups my ass in one palm. My breath hitches in my throat, and I stiffen.

Suddenly he grips my shoulders and pulls me against him, my back flush to the hard wall of his chest. He lowers his head and buries his face against my neck.

Out of habit, I instinctively attempt to pull away, but I’m no match for his strength. He hardly has to exert himself to keep me in place. My entire body begins to shake as he continues to sniff me and I’m not sure what to think.

Removing one hand from my shoulder he splays it over my belly to give me a gentle caress.

Something hard presses into my back and I immediately know what it is.

I’m all too familiar with it. His hardness reminds me of why I’m here in the first place.

Instead of that the feeling of dread, I’d expected to experience, an inexplicable heat courses through my body.

My mouth falls open as my breathing becomes shallow. What’s happening to me? I don’t understand this warmth that’s building within the pit of my stomach. He plucks one of my nipples and then the other and my thighs begin to quiver.

A low moan escapes my throat and just as quickly as he’d grabbed me, he pulls away.

“You should get some rest before we land. When we arrive in Sector 10, I’ll see that you’re given some proper clothing to cover up.”

The next sound I hear over the pounding of my heart is the door opening and then clicking with a decisive close.

Since entering the Registry, I’d suffered many indignities, unspeakable ones. But for some reason, this unexpected humiliation cut deep leaving me to wonder, what the hell just happened?