Page 38 of Eat Me

"Come on Sweetheart.” Owen leads me to one of the chairs at the long table, his hand on my shoulder guiding me to sit down. I tense at his touch but comply, not wanting to provoke him unnecessarily. As I sit, I notice thick leather straps attached to the arms and legs of the chair.

"What are those for?" I ask warily, eyeing the restraints.

Owen's lips curve into a menacingly cold smile, "Just a precaution. We can't have anyone trying anything foolish during the test, now, can we?"

Before I can protest, he quickly secures the straps around my wrists and ankles, cinching them tight enough that there’s no way I can slip free but not so tight as to cut off circulation. I give the straps a quick tug experimentally, but there’s no give.

"Is this really necessary?" I ask, hating how vulnerable I feel. I don’t like being bound like this. I give the bindings another strong tug, before releasing a sigh of frustration.

Owen chuckles darkly as he looks down at me, “Now be good and keep looking forward.” He gives me one more look before moving over to where Elijah is. He said something softly to him before Elijah gave a nod. The other girls were being tied down by Jasper and the other man who originally brought the girls in.

I watch nervously as the other girls are restrained in their chairs, just like I am. Jennifer’s openly crying now, her body shaking with quiet sobs. Amy looks shell-shocked, her eyes wide and glassy as she stares blankly ahead. I feel a pang of sympathy for them, even as I try to steel myself for whatever’s coming next.

Elijah moves to stand at the head of the table, his imposing presence commanding attention. His green eyes sweep over us, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Ladies," he begins, his voice smooth and under control. "You've all done remarkably well to make it this far. But nowwe come to one of our most crucial tests - one that will truly determine if you have what it takes to be part of our family.”

I tense at his words, dread pooling in my stomach. After everything we've been through already, what can they possibly have planned that’s even worse? I can’t figure out what might be worse than the last test.

Just a few seconds later the door opens, I can’t see who walks in, but there’s a low murmur before a plate is set before each of us girls. I frown not understanding, and looking around at the other girls, they seem just as lost, and not knowing what this test could possibly be.

Then I watch as the seats next to each of us is filled by someone. I can hear a soft chuckle, and I see Eliijah out of the corner of my eyes. The other two girls, along with someone I don’t know, so I assume they’re another family member. Swallowing, I’m trying not to show how I’m feeling. I can tell what they put in front of us wasn’t what they usually fed us.

“Now, now, girls. We prepared something... ‘special’for you tonight.” That voice I recognize all too well. I look away from the older man, not wanting to see him. It’s his fault I’m in this situation to begin with. It’s the first time seeing him face to face since I was taken.

“This is the kind of food you will have to get used to... it’s what our family usually eats.” The older man steps forward, his eyes zoning in on me as he gives me an all too familiar smirk, “So please... enjoy. My wife worked hard to cook this for you three tonight…”

The room is quiet again as no one moves a muscle. I glance at Elijah, his green eyes looking at me with an emotion I can’t distinguish. I shiver as I see that look shift into amusement as he stares me down.

“Now be strong darling, like last time,” his voice drawls, as he picks up the fork and takes a piece of the already cut meat,bringing it to my mouth,‘Open up’.” I hear his order as I keep my gaze on him. Even when I hear the cries and screams from the other girls, I still manage to keep my gaze strong.

After a few seconds I open my mouth, not backing down even when my stomach turns in disgust. As soon as I feel the meat in my mouth, I’m trying to think it was something else. It’s cow. I have to keep telling myself that as I chew and swallow, my eyes still focused on Elijah. He smirks at me, his eyes darkening as he stabs another piece of meat on the fork, taking a bite himself. He repeats the process, this time bringing the fork back to my mouth, the sounds around me almost distant as all my attention is on this man.

“Good girl.” He mutters, as I swallow another piece of meat, my stomach rolling with sickness as I try to keep down the bile that’s wanting to come up. Taking a deep breath to keep myself together, I refuse to let the tears and other emotions go.

“A very,very,good girl,”he mutters, voice going down an octave as he leans closer to me, making me take the last bite from off the plate, “Grandfather’s definitely right about you…”

My mind is trying to keep up but all I can think of is what I was just made to eat...who,I could be eating. I snap my eyes away from him and glance around the table. All the girls are either puking or crying hysterically. I can feel all the eyes of the men on me as I make eye contact with Viktor, the grandfather of these men, the reason I’m here and the man that made this sick and twisted game up.

“You exceeded my expectations…Tori.”The nickname he calls me slips from his lips and that’s what tips me over as I feel myself starting to work myself up into a panic and then darkness.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Victoria

Islowly wake up; my head is pounding and my stomach churning. As consciousness gradually returns, memories of what happened come flooding back - the restraints, the plate of meat, Elijah feeding me, the realization of what I ate. A wave of nausea washes over me, and I barely manage to roll to my side before retching violently.

When my stomach’s finally empty, I collapse back onto what I now realize is a bed. I’m no longer in the testing room, but in what appears to be a small bedroom. The walls are a soft cream color, the furniture simple but comfortable looking. It’s a far cry from the stark cell I've been kept in before.

"Easy there," a familiar voice says softly. Turning my head, I see Elijah sitting in a chair by the bed, watching me intently. "How are you feeling?"

“I don’t think you want me to answer that.” I croak out, my eyes watering but pushing the emotions back, so I don’t breakdown in front of this man. My stomach begins to swirl again but I’m able to not throw up this time, as I glare at the man in front of me.

Elijah's lips curve into a small smile, though his eyes remain serious. "On the contrary, I'm very interested in how you're feeling. You performed remarkably well during the test."

I let out a harsh laugh, wincing as the action makes my head throb. "Remarkably well? I ate..." I trail off, unable to finish the sentence as another wave of nausea hits me.

"Human flesh," Elijah finishes for me, his voice calm and matter of fact. "Yes, you did. And you handled it better than any of the other girls."

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