Page 19 of The Caged Girl

Declan was pacing around the space, shouting at the cameras to let him out.

I glanced over at Alister and saw him eat his popcorn with a large grin on his face. He looked like he was just a normal man enjoying a movie.

Suddenly, Declan’s door opened and two girls in black gowns and masks came in, rolling a steel table that had something concealed under a white sheet.

“This is my favorite part,” Alister whispered. “He had specifically checked off on his form that he did not want this exploration. He was too scared.” Alister let out a laugh.

The two girls began explaining something to Declan, who dropped to his knees and screamed.

“No! This isn’t what I agreed to,” he screeched. The girls backed out of the room as the door slid shut.

Declan stayed on the floor for a while, and Alister pressed a button on his nightstand. “Get the fuck off the ground and do what you need to do, Declan. You know you want to. She’s put you through hell. Didn’t you say she laughed when you couldn’t give her an orgasm? Didn’t she compare you to your older brother? Didn’t she…” Declan rose as Alister taunted him. “You’ll never be man enough for your wife unless you heal here. It’s this or death. You should be so lucky that I’m allowing you to breathe.”

Declan’s fists clenched as he stood and peeled the sheet off the table.

“Oh my God.” I slapped my hands across my mouth as I slammed my eyes shut.

It was a woman in all white with blonde hair.

But she was pale in a way that I knew she didn’t have life in her.

“Alister, no,” I cried out and tugged the blanket higher.

Alister pulled the blanket down as my breathing grew shallow.

“Keep your eyes open and watch the screen, Demi.” I knew it wasn’t a suggestion, but rather a threat.

Declan swung his fists at the dead woman in front of him.

“No!” I screamed and slammed my eyes shut.

“Open them or I’ll peel your eyes out.” Alister shook me.

“Demi, the Euphoria program saves marriages. It saves these men from doing something detrimental to their wives and wrecking their families—the families that our society and world need. Look what he did to you, my raven. We’ve got to heal him.” Alister spoke calmly as tears ran down my face.

“Sage! I fucking hate how you don’t see what I do for us. I paid so much money for you!” Declan was choking the pale corpse.

“This is sick. Alister, I’m begging you to stop.”

Alister looked over at me, then leaned over, wiping my tears away before licking his fingers. “Mmm, delicious. Your pain tastes so delicious. My brother was right.” Alister sighed.

“The man and woman on the boat saved me from the ocean. They saved Bradley, too. That’s why they brought me here. You had me followed?” I shuddered as I averted my eyes from the screen.

Alister put his popcorn on the nightstand, turned, and leaned in on his palm. “I had heard of you. My nephew Bradley hated his father, and I couldn’t blame him. Ian was always an entitled asshole. We grew up in the same home and were told by our father to leave a lasting impression on the world. Ian took it too far.” Alister yawned.

I let out a dry laugh and shook my head. “Iantook it too far? What is this?” I pointed at the screen but froze.

Declan was naked and laying on top of the dead woman. My body instantly folded over as I grabbed the popcorn bucket and vomited into it. “No,” I cried. My stomach churned at the pleasure written all over his face as he dug his nails into her body and pushed inside her, at the satisfied moans as he called her by his wife’s name.

“He’s going to go home a better man, Demi. Have you seen the news recently? There are suburban husbands and fathers killing their families. There are men who are abusing the woman they swore in front of our Lord and Savior to protect.”

“Alister.”

He stood and wiped my mouth with a tissue. “The issue is you can’t see the bigger problem I’m fixing.”

Clenching my teeth, I took a step back from him. “This is not a solution. Aren’t the nightingales someone’s daughter, sister, wife?”

Alister tilted his head. “No. Some are the caged girls you chose to leave behind. I saved them. I brought them here and turned them into my beautiful doves. They are caretakers; they see sunlight and interact with guests. The nightingales are women from our society who have done nothing but hurt us. They are mostly the drug addicts I’ve collected and saved. And then, there are the breeders.” Alister took the bucket from my hands and placed it down before taking my hand and walking me to the luxurious bathroom.

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