Chapter 11

Strauss

" S ir, Dilan would like to know what you want done with the girl." The door slave's annoying high-pitched voice breaks my morning gaze out of my study window. It's my moment of peace without women around. So many women. All the time causing issues and backbiting, complaining. Divisive and gossiping.

Not to mention how easily manipulated they are. Trying to stand up for whom they feel is downtrodden at the moment. Causing riots and throwing a weak person under the bus, then all ganging up on that same one like hyenas. Or they themselves claim victimhood for some sort of attention until they copy each other.

They need a master. Someone to tame them. A guide so they don't kill each other.

And they like it.

Outwardly claiming to want a man on his knees for them, groveling. Women desperately, but secretly, desire to be ruled and claimed.

It's why none of mine have run away. They know it's worse on the outside. Born to service, their willingness to please and nurture is ingrained in their genetic code.

And like the cock of a vast hen house, I guard them with my life.

"She's to be taken to the adjacent bedroom and allowed access to the shared parlor for her own use. Tell one of the guards to bring up the cross and place it near my bed."

The girl bows her head and shuffles from the room just as Sev enters with a small figure hooded with a brown cloak. She's disguising herself from Halcyon's and Lark's prying eyes, but I know it to be Tuttle. With a nod, I dismiss my guard, and he closes the door.

Tuttle tosses off her hood, allowing her long black braids to fall over her shoulder before plopping into a leather chair across from my desk and propping up her dirty boots.

I slide into my seat across from her, arching an eyebrow at her continued insubordination. "If you'd only stay, I could discipline you just the way you like, pet."

The deep scars she carries on both cheeks flex as she smiles. "I'm too old for you."

With a sneer, I raise my lip. "You heard about my wife, then?"

"At nearly twenty-three, I'm well past your preference."

Folding my fingers together, I imagine hanging her from an attic rafter. I'm sure flogging her senseless would flush her skin with beautiful red marks. "Speak," I tell her.

"Slyvious says they are disappointed you were unable to stop the funds from the Freidenberg gun trade that now flow freely into Clavius and Herodius's hands. The bear has no idea, an ignorant passenger in this parade. Of course, the West and South's income is also still being diverted to the other societies."

Swallowing, I stare at the photograph behind her head of me, aged eighteen, on the grandstand covered in my father's blood, taking my oath as consort. Just after I was escorted off the riser, a man in a tuxedo approached and explained in very plain terms that my life was now to serve Clavius and Herodius. If I did not agree, then my life would end.

I considered accepting my doom. For what was the point in living any longer…

Except revenge.

Every day for fifteen years, I only survived on raw rage and searching out my path for vengeance.

Against my father. Against their factions. Against the future that was robbed from me.

I don't care about their trades, but the money is mine . It's the city's. And I've worked to thwart their efforts in any way I can while keeping my head.

I lived as consort in name only until five years ago when this child was sent to me as a supposed slave, but was in fact an agent of an unknown faction. And despite her brutal attitude, she was the way I could gain retribution.

Standing, I face the window and cross my arms while gazing out on the gray forests to the east. "I attempted to keep the bears apart as much as I could. Even paid my old healer to inform Livia Von Dovish of supposed infertility." If Livia and Maximillian were never wed, I would have had the opportunity to create an heir with her and keep the societies off my back for longer. It would have prevented her from aiding Freidenberg in establishing his businesses.

The two of them combining only gave Clavius and Herodius more arms and funds, everything the East worked so hard for was diverted directly to their enemy. If I could have, Freidenberg would never have gotten his car washes back. Ignorant fool had no idea that his weapons were stolen out from under his nose by Wyatt Steele, ending up directly in the hands of the people who enslave us all.

When I face her again, I shrug and open my palms. "But I had no choice other than to grant the business licenses to Freidenberg when Clavius had explicitly instructed me to do so."

The dim light from the winter afternoon streams in to catch her inky hair as she shakes her head. "None of that matters now that you have the last Barrington. They'll do whatever is in their power to grab her before you can produce an heir. Let's just hope it's a boy."

"If I could just meet with your people and explain?—"

"You can't and you won't. Tiny in number compared to the other organizations, you only have a few willing allies. And they won't reveal themselves. May as well chain me in your dungeon and torture me for the information before you'd get it." She sits back in the chair and relaxes her arms on the padded sides.

Cutting through the lax air, a distant sound of a wailing siren makes us both snap our eyes to the window. Her pert lips fall open as she gasps. "They're here."

As she draws her handgun, I move to the cabinet near my back and pull out some rifles. Sev throws open the door, standing at the ready, and I toss him two, then grab two for myself.

"Move, girls!" Dilan yells from my bedroom.

A flurry of women run past, handing out guns and loading them expertly, each rushing to their designated spot. Everyone hurries to their positions and takes up at the windows. Doors slam, vibrating the portraits on the walls.

Sev grits out behind me, "We've set the explosives, sir. They won't get through the perimeter without getting hit."

"Yeah, but what if they break that barrier?"

My only concern is air attack. The crumbling turrets are equipped with some old missiles, but we haven't had a chance to try them out.

Hurrying to my bedroom, I spot my little wife with her blue eyes wide. With her arms splayed out, she turns this way and that, not knowing what to do. And despite probably wanting to murder me, she appears relieved when she sees me. Gripping her upper arm, I shuffle her forcefully out the door at my side.

"What's going on?" She stumbles, but I grab her waist and help her up before she falls. Thrusting the long barrel of a gun into one of her hands, I point straight ahead.

"March. They're coming for you."

Her steps pause in the upper hall before we can reach the tower door. "Well, I want to go with them , whoever they are. I bet they won't rape me."

Spinning her by her shoulders to face me, I pinch her chin and lift her face to mine. She gasps at the sudden closeness of our bodies, and remembering the feel of her tight cunt, my cock stirs. "They definitely will. And much worse things than that. I may be a monster, but I have a vested interest in your survival. Until you carry and birth my baby, you're a target for them."

Her lip is getting loose, carelessly forgetting her rules. Given the situation, I'll have to handle her punishment later. Although, my rapid pulse has little to do with the danger we find ourselves in and more so her daring to forget how to address me properly.

She narrows her eyes at me. As if weighing the words for verity, she takes a step back and shakes off my hold. But she moves in the direction I point to.

"Back in the tower?" she asks once we reach it.

Nodding, I open the door for her, then lock it behind us. "Up we go."

In our hurry, her feet trip on a stone, so I pick her up and toss her over my shoulder, carrying her the rest of the way up the stairs. Her voice echoes across the rock walls with each bounce of my steps. "You don't have to do this!"

"Pipe down and don't drop the gun." If my hand were free, I'd spank her for disobedience.

Once we reach the top, I set her down and hustle through to the bedroom. She follows as I lock us inside, then stuff the heavy iron key ring in my pocket. "Look around outside and see if you spot where they're approaching."

As I head to the back, a clicking sound makes me turn around slowly. The little girl points the rifle at my chest. "Listen, angel. Once I'm gone, you'll have no protection. I don't think you understand that. Even if you disappear into the city, they will find you. And if you're very lucky, the worst they will do is rape you repeatedly until you produce a male heir of their liking. Then, they'll toss you into the trade to make their money. More likely, they'll tie you up and drain your blood into vials so they can drink you for their rituals over the course of years. They'll eat your adrenal glands while you remain awake and alive, screaming in agony to sing the songs for their gods."

Her little arms shake violently as I walk forward. She doesn't even know where to hold the weapon, but does have a finger on the trigger, so that's a start. Lifting the barrel for her, I plant it over my heart. Gently, I ease her fingers off the end and place them appropriately, pressing the butt into her shoulder. "Like this. Memorize this hold. Cheek here… Now, squeeze with firm, steady pressure if you're going to kill me."

The intensity of her eyes is almost comical. Like a tiny doll trying to be a real woman. But she stops herself. Her lips quiver as she asks, "Wh-who are they ?"

" They are Clavius and Herodius. Your people were allies with them for centuries. Granted, my people were called in to eradicate yours for disobedience, but none of that matters. Because we're doing something different now."

Shaking her head, her shiny blonde locks fall away from her face. "What? Who is we ?"

"You and me. We . Mr. and Mrs. Vincente Strauss."

An explosion makes both of our heads whip to the front of the tower, then hurry to the windows, which rattle from the gust of dust blowing against it. Pointing to her desk, I snap my fingers. "Grab that chair. Stand on it."

"But the windows don't open!" she cries.

"They will if we bust them out. Hopefully, we don't need to."

Sharp pecking sounds of a machine gun spray in tiny bursts as Sev and my guards form a unit and clear out the forest's edge. One of the men bends to inspect the destruction near where a bomb detonated, but only one body is noted below. The man appears to be conscious, splayed on the ground and moving slightly, but in one piece.

The girl holds the gun at her side awkwardly, as if it's too heavy for her. My eyes rake up her figure to her baby cheeks and pursed pink lips as she studies the scene below. Watching her scan the outside with something like fear, I settle inside. She appears willing to learn to fight. I just need to tap into her resources.

"What's the something different?" Her high alto voice reverberates off the glass, and as I let the sound wave over my ears, I consider her. The snake isn't my type, but I don't need her to be.

"Astrid."

Turning her head, she cocks it to the side as if I've just called her something strange and ridiculous.

My phone rings in my pocket, and I answer. "Sev?"

"It's clear. It appears to have been either a scout of some sort or just a drunk wandering here. But we'll keep investigating. I'll get a new set of explosives in this spot in case it was a ploy of diversion. I'll put him in the dungeons."

I end the call.

Peeking up to my bride, I smile broadly. "The something different is our plan, yours and mine. That's to put a baby in you. And we need to go do that now."

I lift up my palm, and she eyes it for a moment, hesitating.

Shrugging my shoulders, I wiggle my fingers. "Either willingly or not."

She places her hand in mine, and I grab the gun from her to help her off the chair.

"Sir?" The title pops out of her mouth with trepidation.

As I unlock the door, I think about ignoring her, but ask, "What is it?"

"You said your name was Vincente Strauss, but I thought it was Vladimir. Th-that's what the minister said."

Swallowing, I shake my head. "No, angel. Vladimir was my father. But, for you, I am master or sir. Let's go."

This time, she proceeds directly behind me as we make our way back to the bedrooms. My women are already inside, waiting for me. After I put the guns back in the cabinet, I guide Astrid to the cross with my palm on her waist.

She glances up at the shackles, and I practically see her heart rise out of her chest.

"Girls, get to work." There are five women on my bed who drop their dresses and cuddle with one another, preparing each other for the evening's events.

Returning to Astrid, I lift her dress over her head. Then I place her on the cross while her innocent eyes follow my face. First, I shackle her ankles, then her wrists. "What's this for?" She breathes down my neck once I shirk off my shirt. The sensation tickles my skin as the hairs stand as erect as her pink nipples.

"To hold you in place while I do unholy things to these women. You get to watch me work them." She shifts her gaze behind me, and I tuck a finger under her jaw, then brush my lips against her little mouth. "Watch and learn how to please me. And then one day you'll get to join in."

Jutting out her chin, there's fire behind her eyes as she stares at me. "I don't want to join in."

Smiling, I give her a formidable kiss on her forehead. "Angel…look at me." She does and my heart rate accelerates. "Try not to fall in love."

Her upper lip snarls as I turn toward the bed. Slipping off my pants, they fall to the ground, then I pile pillows up so I can watch my wife while she studies my harem fucking me.

Some of the women eye Astrid with haughtiness, and I let them. A flood of jealousy streaks across Yasmina's face. Girls long for what they can't have.

And she can't have me.

Chloe lets her eyes drag over her the longest before crawling between my bare legs. "What do you want tonight, master?"

"All of you to suck me. Share my cock."

"Our pleasure," Lydia says, her role as a lesbian happily forgotten. I'll indulge her with my dick tonight, only for Astrid's sake.

Each of the women attempts to find a spot on my shaft or the bulbous tip of my dick. And as I lift my thighs, my exposed hole. "Lydia, fuck my asshole with your tongue. Get in there."

Only three can fit, but two sit on either side of me and rub their fingers over my chest and through my hair, suck on my earlobes and kiss my neck. Astrid's large eyes scan the ceiling, the floor, the furniture, but refuse to take in the scene before her.

"Angel…watch how these women satisfy me. You'll figure it out, after you learn to please them first." Shoving Nari away from me, I tell her, "Lick Yasmina's cunt. Show our latest addition how a pussy should be eaten." Astrid scans the bed briefly before darting her eyes away, her cheeks flaming red as they do.

"Yes, sir," she says a little enthusiastically. And I know it's not from her eagerness for the act itself, only to degrade my wife. I gladly allow it.

"Master, please." Sylvia's dark red hair catches across her lips as she begs me while huffing warm breaths across the head of my leaking cock. It's been a good while since I was inside of her. So I let her indulge in me.

"Yes, you may."

She climbs on to ride me, swiveling her hips the way she needs while the other two continue to fuck my ass and suck on my balls, taking turns with their wet tongues. When Yasmina yells a little too loudly, I spank Nari on the ass. "Don't make her come. She'll get me next."

Sylvia places her hand on my bare chest, and I gaze up at her green eyes. "Sylvia, hurry and get off so your sister can ride. Nari, suck my toes instead."

"Yes, master."

Sylvia doesn't take long as she hasn't had a hardened length inside her in a month, working in the kitchens mainly, but I take momentary pleasure in watching her explode on me. Smacking her thigh, I move her off, then point to Yasmina, who immediately takes her spot.

Her generous curves bounce seductively all over my hips. As she leans her soft body over my chest, I let her kiss me, but keep my eyes trained on my wife. She's still refusing to look.

Maybe she needs something to hold her eyelids open so she has to gaze at me. The fury building inside me makes me want to punish her severely.

With a hard thrust inside Yasmina, she comes undone and rides like the pro she is. I slide her off me and kneel on the mattress. "Lydia, Chloe, Nari. Bend over in front of me." The three quickly obey, and I shove inside one of their sopping cunts.

I glance up at my wife once again, and she's staring at the ceiling as if she's making imaginary patterns in the textured plaster. Snatching the flogger off the wall, I slap Chloe's ass with it until it cracks loudly to try to gain her attention.

She won't look.

"Astrid, you must watch and learn. Keep your eyes on me."

When she doesn't, I almost snap. Pushing Chloe out of the way, I'm thrusting into the next cunt as my temper flares to a riotous level. Lydia screams with her orgasm and my wife graces us with a glance. Just that small look into my eyes is enough to heat my balls until they want to bubble over with the inferno of furious lust I have brewing within me.

My hands shove the slaves out of my way, and I march straight to the girl on the cross. She gasps, the muscles of her neck tightening as she swallows audibly when I approach. The chill of her palms cools the flames contained within mine as I place them over the bindings holding her wrists.

Her plump bottom lip quivers with fear as I slot myself near her entrance. Grasping her chin, I force her face to gaze at mine. "Look at me."

Instead of doing so, she squeezes her eyelids tight, and a tear escapes the side of one. My tongue scoops it up as I plunge inside her tight, ravaged hole and expel my seed deep inside her.