A Cruel Confession # 2

He’s brutal, cold and dangerous. She’s a naïve virgin who doesn’t know how to follow his rules.

Ella

I’ve been groomed my whole life to become his wife.
He’s brutal, cold and dangerous.
The rules are set in his home. Rules we must obey.
Each time I break them, I draw his attention.

He sends fear pulsing through my body, but also a desire that I don’t understand.

I decide I no longer want to become his wife.

He decides that I will become his obsession instead.

It’s a deadly obsession, one I fear I won’t survive.

Lucas

She’s a naïve virgin who doesn’t know how to follow the rules.

I want to hurt her and claim her.
She becomes my every thought and I know that’s dangerous.

I can’t lose focus on what’s important. I have an empire to rule.

But each time she crosses me, I want to punish her.

I want her in my bed; I want her to be mine.
But claiming her comes with a price that just might cost me my throne.

***This is book two in The Obsessed Duet.

Frustration claws at me as I take down another book. The writing is more faded this time. More rules about the members or disqualifying a member of the elite on moral grounds. I close the book on that. They have no morals.
My heritage, my life, surrounds me and the more I learn, the worse it gets. I had never cared for rules; they don’t apply to me most of the time. All I ever wanted to do was bury my pain of losing my mother and make my father proud. Two things I failed at.
I push out the chair and stand. I’m searching for a needle in a haystack. I’m not even sure what I’m looking for. I run my hand across my face. My gaze darts to the red leather notepad. Someone left it there for me to find. I just wish whoever it was would tell me what they want me to know.
That voice of doubt in the back of my head reminds me it could be my father sending me on a goose chase. I leave the room.
My father is ordering the staff around as they move some of the furniture.
“Finally catching up on studying?” my father asks without looking at me.
“The meeting will be in thirty minutes. Be here.”
I want to go and see Ella, but I nod. “I’ll be there.”
“You know I only want the best for you, son.” My stomach twists. A part of me wants to make this right with him. I’ve always sought out his praise.
“Every choice I make is never easy. One day you’ll understand.” Why don’t I believe him? I hope I never understand, because if I do, I’ll be like him.
I leave and he doesn’t stop me. I feel bare, as if I am going to war with only two small weapons and I’m not even sure how powerful they are. One, is that I could have the committee informed about Henry’s sodomy, and two, I could bring up the rule about my father remarrying. If we can’t get a nice woman, she won’t pass these laws, but I don’t have that kind of time. Each second is a second too long to have Ella stuck in a cell.
George is waiting for me when I step into the kitchen. My paranoia takes a leap into the vicinity that suggests he’s tracking me.
“Master Lucas.” He greets me with an incline of his head.
“Is that done?” I ask.
He nods.
“I need you to do something else for me.”
“Anything.” His eager words have me smiling. He might not be so eager when he hears my request.
“I need the key to the cell.”
His eyes widen, and there’s a moment of hesitation. I want to tell him it’s fine. It’s too dangerous, but I think of Ella. If George was seen in my father’s study, it wouldn’t be questioned—my appearance would be.
“I’ll try, Master Lucas.”
My heart pounds. “I need you to get it.” I hope he can hear the pleading in my voice.
He bobs his head and leaves.

***


I’m a minute late to the meeting. I’m waiting for my father to call me out, but when he smiles at my arrival, my steps slow.
“Lucas,” Aine sings warmly, and I take my seat beside Bernard and Cathal.
“We have two matters to discuss,” my father starts.
The smugness on his face boils my blood.
“We need to vote in a new member.”
“Have you anyone in mind, Master Andrew?” Brendan’s words are measured, like he has heard rumors of who might be joining their elite circle.
“I do.” My father glances at each of us. “Matthew Crowley.”
I don’t know him.
Aine smiles at me. “Isn’t that Lucas’s future wife’s father, Master Andrew?”
“Yes. He will be a very fitting member. But I’m willing to hear everyone’s suggestions.” My father turns to me. “We shall start with you, Lucas. Who would you like to nominate?”
I don’t care. “I personally think a female would be nice, since this circle is dominated by males.”
I glance at Aine, and her agreement with me shines in her eyes. Anything that will hurt my father will drive me right now. He doesn’t look pleased, and that makes me happy.
“Aine?” my father asks, but he already knows.
“I agree with Lucas, Master Andrew.”
“Brendan?”
“Matthew Crowley has my vote.”
My father smiles at Brendan, but that doesn’t surprise me at all. Cathal holds the final vote, in theory, but my father will have the final say. He’s also not stupid and understands the importance of keeping everyone happy. So my vote won’t change things, but going against him will slow the process down a bit, as he tries to convince everyone that his way is the correct way.
“Cathal?”
Cathal glances at Aine before looking at my father. “I think I would like to hear who Aine and Lucas nominate before I make my decision.” It’s a small victory.
My father frowns. “We shall move on to our second matter.” He shifts in his chair with irritation. “One of the ladies who was competing for my son’s hand in marriage has broken one of the rules.”
I hold my breath as I stare at my father. I sense the others glancing at me.
“Oh my!” I peek at Aine as her hand flutters to her chest.
“She was to marry Henry,” Father continues.
Aine’s mouth forms an O, her eyebrows rising into her hairline. No one asks questions; they all wait for him to painfully deliver what happened. My heart pounds and I hold still.
“She wasn’t a virgin.”
“Oh no.” Aine’s words have me wanting to take her hand off her chest and snap her fingers.
Hypocrites, all of them. Their sins stain far deeper than most people. I can’t imagine Aine was a virgin when she got married, or any of them for that matter.
I hate the judgment being passed on Ella. So far, my father hadn’t mentioned her name. But no doubt he would.
“Poor Henry.” Aine’s voice fills with pity.
I clench my jaw.
“He was devastated.” My father lies so easily.
My heart pounds heavier in my chest as he exhales loudly, like the next sentence is taking a lot from him. “She must be punished.”
“I don’t think the chair should be used, Master Andrew,” Aine says.
My chest aches as I picture Ella strapped to the chair.
“I do agree, Aine. It won’t be. The rule once was that she should be hanged.” My father lets that linger, waiting for objections, but no one says anything.
I glance at them all. They couldn’t possibly pass that.
“But, I think we are beyond that as educated people.” There’s a lot of head nodding in agreement, but his words don’t settle me. He has a glare in his eyes that makes me nervous. He’s excited.
“Her crime is very serious, so I don’t want to undermine our authority either. If we don’t punish her, it will send out the wrong kind of message.”
“What do you suggest we do, Master Andrew?” Brendan speaks up, and I want to leave the room. I want to go and get Ella and leave this place.
“I think she should be branded publicly. It will give us an opportunity to call the community together and also show everyone that it might be the twenty-first century, but we still follow rules.”
I’ve never heard of the whole community being called together. My father wants to flex his powers, and with Ella, he can showcase how strong he is.
“I agree.” Brendan speaks up.
“I agree.” I am surprised at how quickly Cathal agrees, but to him, Ella is faceless. A rule breaker. Not a young girl who gave me her heart.
“What about the boy who took her virginity? What will happen to him?” I ask.
My father flashes me a warning.
“It is a fitting question, Master Andrew.” Aine gives me her backing.
My father answers quickly. “My mother used to say to us, ‘If there were no dirty women in the world, there would be no dirty men.’”
In other words, his word is final and only Ella will be punished.

***


My father keeps us there, talking about the upcoming branding, about rallying the people together. He delegates all the work over to the rest, and his eyes are alive.
I’m holding still. It’s hard to bide my time, but once George gets me the key, I’m taking Ella away from here. I can’t have her subjected to any more of this madness.
Once the meeting ends, I only grab what’s necessary. My phone and my wallet. Everything else, we can buy as we need them. I have no idea where to go, but I can’t stay here any longer.
I open the filing cabinet and place the box that holds Declan’s finger into the drawer. It might help down the road. I lock the cabinet and pocket the key as the door opens.
George’s brows knit together as he pulls at the cuff of his shirt before looking up at me.
“What’s wrong?” I can sense his hesitation.
“The key isn’t there.”
“Maybe he moved it?” I would have to use something else to force the door open.
George still appears troubled. “Lucas, it was there. I saw it in the drawer earlier, when your father opened it while I was serving him tea.”
“Maybe he moved it,” I repeat.
“No. I don’t think so.”
I take a step toward George. “Say what you’re thinking.”
“I think someone else took it.”
I move past George. There was no one else who would take it. Henry? But he doesn’t like her. The moment I open the door, I’m aware of the darkness below me. My hand reaches for the switch, and I flick it up. No lights come on.
“I’ll check the switchboard.” George speaks directly behind me as I make my way down the steps. I don’t know how many more I need to take before I reach the floor, but Ella’s scream has me moving faster, and the steps disappear under my feet. I grip the banister as I land on the ground. I’m running toward her scream. Her cell door is wide open. Fear clutches me as her screams are cut off abruptly.
The lights flash on. Henry’s hands are covering her mouth. Darkness blocks out everything as I rip him away from Ella.
His face pales as I spin him around. His mouth opens to speak, and I don’t miss a beat as I slam him against the wall. My fist connects with his chin, sending his head flying back, and blood gushes as I smash my fist into his nose. He slumps, but I drag him back up and hit him repeatedly in the face.
“Lucas.” George’s voice rings in my ears.
I release Henry. His body hits the floor hard, but I can’t look away. I want to pick him back up and keep going.
“Lucas, the car is ready.”
I glance at George before reaching out to Ella. She flinches as I reach her, and I pause. I hate seeing the fear in her eyes. I hold out my hand and she glances at it, her eyes still wide with fear. Her small hand fits snuggly in mine, and I’m careful to be gentle when I close my fingers around hers.
“We’re leaving.” My words have her nodding, and she easily comes with me as I leave Henry bleeding on the floor. Once we’re out, I close the door and lock it behind us.
George moves up the stairs to make sure we’re clear. He waves us on, and we move to the garages. Ella trembles and I want to stop and assess her. After we get out of here, I promise myself that I can check every inch of her.
The car is running when we enter the garage. I open the door to let Ella climb in. She’s numb as she ducks her head down, and I release her hand.
“Thank you, George.” I’m not sure when we’ll see him again. But I will always be grateful to him for helping us.
“Go, before he notices you’re missing.”
I don’t linger any longer as I jump into the driver side. Ella stares at George, her hand plastered against the glass. I have no idea what’s going through her head as I pull out of the garage. My stomach twists as we pass the fountain at the front of the house. I’m waiting to be stopped as I continue down to the main gates. When they open, I race out of them and toward freedom.