Prologue

MISTRESS AC-0002

Garden of the Gods

Colorado Springs underground facility

T hroughout my life, I had come to see that there were two types of people. The ones you could kill with, that you could trust , and the ones you couldn't. Where one group overflowed in numbers, the other group always came to just a couple of close friends, usually just as crazy and fucked up as you. These were my people. My besties. My loves. Sometimes…lovers. It wasn't every day you got to spill blood together, so when it happened, it…was…everything.

"What in the hell are you wearing, Gorgeous?"

My eyes narrowed devilishly as I turned in a slow circle, looking enticingly at my husband as he walked through our private balcony door. Jack was never on time unless it concerned work, but tonight was a very special night. It was auction night, and he'd never be late for this.

"You know exactly what it is. I should punish you for not dressing up with me. It's our first themed auction, and this is my goddess costume that Vera made. Similar to my everyday wear," I said, lifting the dark green and gold silk to tease him with the slit along the side, "but this dress is special." Higher I lifted, easing my knee free, and exposing a slight glimpse of my thigh.

"Special, huh? Maybe you should show me why."

He headed in my direction, adorned in a dark suit. I should have known Jack wouldn't have dressed in the God costume I'd left next to our bed. He liked games, but other than a mask, there was no dressing up for him. Pity. I would have loved to see his powerful legs.

"No." I let go of the dress, letting the silk slide back into place as I stood straighter. "If you see any more, it'll ruin my surprise."

"Did I hear something about a surprise?"

Jack and I turned just in time to see our dear friends, Shane and Vera walk in. They were Couple One, where Jack and I were Couple Two.

"That's right." I winked at Vera. "We have the perfect night planned, don't we, V?"

"They're going to love it."

The men looked at each other, but it was the Main Master's voice filling the large auditorium that had us growing quiet and moving more toward the end of the private room to take him in.

Applauses and yells were loud as celebrities and the elite cheered. The spotlight followed Elec to the center of the stage, and I twisted my mouth at the fact that he was in a dark suit too. Wasn't this his damn costume party?

I took in his black hair and tall, powerful build. Up close, his blue eyes would have been glowing in their radiance. Here…they looked as dark as his soul. And I would know. The Main Master and I didn't just grow up together. His father and my mother were cousins. Which made us second cousins, but that didn't matter, we were close. We'd grown up almost like siblings, ourselves.

"Masters and Mistresses, welcome to the third auction for the Garden of the Gods. This is our first themed event together, and I'm happy to see you all had fun with it. Very creative," he said, pointing to someone in the first few rows.

"For those who didn't make it to the first two auctions, I'm going to recap this as quickly as possible. Before you were permitted inside, you took classes to learn the rules. You underwent tests, and you've proven yourself worthy. Some of you are still in the Beta stage while others have moved up to become an Alpha. A lot of you have inquired why. I'll sum it up right here. There can be many different reasons why I've advanced a select few. Perhaps the auctions aren't new to them. Maybe they're more experienced and accepting of who they really are than others. What it boils down to is: they've put in the time, and I trust them to be our foundation. It is not an easy rank to obtain. For some, it may take years. Only when I'm satisfied by your progress will I move you to Alpha."

" I want to be an Alpha ." I rolled my eyes, elbowing Jack as he leaned in from behind, molding his body around me.

"You're already an Alpha."

His breath brushed my ear and neck as his hand gripped my hip, squeezing to pull me in impossibly closer. "I'm the real deal, baby. What's the plan? A river of bloody fun? Fear fucking? Who do I get to scare to death? Tell me you have something good planned."

"You'll see."

Jack growled in my ear, nipping at my neck as the Main Master continued.

"Aside from the A and B attached to your name, there is a number. You are a number. Your outside status got you here, but that means nothing inside the Gardens. Your identity exists no more. Here, you have no power, nor will there be favoritism. This world is mine. If you follow the rules, your wildest, darkest dreams can come true. If not..." He looked around the room, shrugging. "You're dead."

"For those joining us for the first time tonight." The Main Master stopped. "And there are quite a new number of us: new members, old members I'm giving a chance. Previous Main Masters ." He glanced up to one of the higher, private balconies. "I don't think I need to go much into how this place is not Whitlock 1 . The rules are different. The location is different." Again, he glanced up. "I am not Bram Whitlock 2 . You cannot buy yourself out of trouble. You cannot buy me . I will die in this place, and I will never let the Garden of the Gods be taken over or fall. If you can accept that, welcome home . Just know, there is no special treatment nor any favors. I am no one's friend. We have rules, and every single one of you will follow them."

Jack's head dipped down as he tried to glance towards the higher balcony Elec had looked to. "That look Elec held was intense. Previous Main Master? Bram Whitlock isn't here, is he?"

"Nope," I bit out as he looked between me and Shane. "Not him."

"Who?"

"Hell if I know," I shrugged. "Elec wouldn't speak to me about it. He did mention something about an island. Red Island, I think?"

"Red? Blood Island is probably more like it. Sounds like heaven to me."

Jack and Shane laughed at Jack's comment but grew quiet as the Main Master continued.

"Now that we're all clear, let's recap bidding. First, we have the white, or w 3 's. These are the virgins. We also have the b's: or blue 4 . Not virgins. There are the d 5 's. These slaves are docile, trained, and good for those who are looking for a long-term slave. Lastly, come the black, or as we call them, the crows 6 . These are the convicts. The disfigured. The old. Repulsive ." He looped back around, making his way to the middle. "In this category, you'll also find the breeders. These are through contract only and cannot be bid on unless you've already met with me. If you bid and you haven't followed the rules, your bid will be revoked, and I will fine you ten thousand dollars. Breeders are special and are for only those I approve of."

"For those looking for our programmable, ‘blank slate' 7 males and females, your auction is just through that door off to the right. These slaves are for those who want someone they can control. A bodyguard. A companion. A sex slave you can use or defile by any means possible that will not fight back. They have had a portion of their memories erased. They're aware. They know who they are, but they only remember what we want them to. The best part is they obey every order. And I mean that. Every order."

Jack nuzzled my ear, and I could feel how hard his cock was against me. "Another blank slate? That was fun . The two of you had the other slaves screaming, Georgie-baby. You loved that. I loved it."

"I contemplated getting another. For after my surprise. I'm just not sure. Let's listen."

But Jack turned to Couple One as they whispered. Shane was no doubt trying to get the surprise out of Vera as well. I ignored them as I took in my cousin, who kept glancing a few booths over.

"For those who are new, pay attention. I've said this before, and I'll continue to repeat it. What you buy is yours. You can do whatever you want with it. Fuck it. Kill it. Share it. Marry it. Love it. Eat it. Destroy it." Hesitation. "I don't care so long as you follow the rules. Your business is your own. Keep it that way or you may come to regret it. I can't stress that enough."

"If you look down the arm of the chair, you will see a button. That is how you will bid. Do not press that button unless you are sure you have the money. There is no lay-a-way plan or loans. If the slave is too much for you to afford, don't bid. At the Gardens, there are no such thing as accidents. If you bid, you will buy. If you don't have the money, I will take my payment from you from the outside world, and you can stay here with me and the slave you so desperately wanted. This life can be simple if you just follow the rules. They're easy. Complete acceptance into the Garden of the Gods is not. Honor your contract, abide by it, and Alpha status will be yours."

Lights ran the length of the room, traveling over the entrances where the slaves were lined up. I couldn't keep in the smile as I turned to face Jack. With his dark hair, dark eyes, and sharp features, he had me. All of me. And he knew it. There wasn't anything we wouldn't do for each other. Since our teens, we continued to prove it. Our love didn't need testing, but our boundaries did.

I lifted my hand, watching Vera take it as we faced our husbands.

"Vera and I have spent the last few weeks planning the perfect auction night. We're not having fun with just one slave. We're not even having fun with a dozen. Think… bigger ." My smile grew as I watched the men looked between each other, only to come back to us, intrigued. I tossed out the skirt of my dress, exposing all the way up to my hip. Jack's eyes widened, and he bit against his lip at the gun and knife combo I had fastened to my thigh. I wasn't planning to wear this for our game, but it was great for show, just like the earthy colors of my gorgeous gown. "We've gathered a few friends who will be meeting at midnight. The slaves are already bought and scattering into place in the gated forest outside this mountain. They have no idea they're trapped in a cage. Now, we just give them time to hide. That allows us a few hours to buy, mingle, or just have some fun before we start. Are you ready, gentlemen?" Mine and Vera's eyes connected as we smiled, looking back at our husbands. "Tonight , we break into teams and hunt slaves like animals. The rules will be laid out when we all meet up." I glanced between them knowing how competitive Shane and Jack were. " May the best predators win ."