Page 18 of Their Blood Rite

My room is dark. My window is closed. No belt or rope holds me down, and the only person in my bedroom is me.

A dream.A fucking dream?

The wet patch between my legs, the dying ache in my belly and the sensitivity of my clit tell me that dream or not, real or not, Shaw just gave me one hell of an orgasm.

That’s a first. A sex dream. Not the man I thought would feature in it, if I’m honest. But I’m not disappointed.

I slump back into the pillow, covered in sweat and still panting, looking up at the ceiling in a blissful daze.

My entire body is left with a wonderous tingle, and I find myself looking at that window longingly.

If he did climb through it, ravage me and bleed me dry, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

If I were dead, the Rite wouldn’t be an issue any longer.

None of this would be.

I should have known it was a dream.

My windows have been nailed shut for years.

Ever since I tried to run away after my mother died.

Chapter 3

Ineed to remind myself to blink. My eyes are unbearably dry as I stare in horror at the dress on the hanger. The long, deep green number is sheer, leaving nothing to the imagination. Two slits on either side will pass my hips, and the neckline will plunge to my belly button. Never mind the low back that I pray will reach my arse.

‘Where’s the rest of it?’ I ask.

‘There is no rest,’ my father replies. ‘This is what you will wear to the Rite tomorrow night.’

‘I’ll have underwear, though… right?’

I turn to face him standing by my bedroom door. His brow furrows as if I’ve said something utterly stupid.

‘No, Ashe. Of course, you won’t. What would be the point of that? Try it on,’ my father urges. ‘You’ll like it when it’s on.’

No words come out of my open mouth despite plenty being in my mind.

What the fuck is the point of trying it on? There’s no issue of it fitting. It’s designed to give me an alluring covering. That’s all. I’ll practically be naked.

‘I’m not wearing that.’

The words slip out without any encouragement from me. It was a thought so strong and overpowering that it had nowhere else to go but out of my mouth.

‘You are,’ he replies dryly. ‘All the females will be in much the same.’

‘We’re all to be naked? And what of the males? What do they wear?’

‘You’re not a male, so that is not your concern.’ He nods to the“dress”. ‘Try it on, Ashe.’

I pick it up and feel the smooth chiffon slide through my fingers. It has no weight at all. No substance whatsoever.

‘I could wear one of my mother’s dresses,’ I try.

His cane slams on the floor. A single and formidable thud that has me rigid.

‘Try it on,’ he repeats. Each word is said through his teeth with a firm warning.

---