Page 34 of Scarred Sacrifice
I snap my gaze to his. “You’re not serious?” I ask in disbelief.
He nods. “I am, and clearly Henry wants you there.”
I shudder and fight the urge to gag. I couldn’t bring myself to sleep with Henry. One, it would be sickening, and two, I don’t think I could withhold the urge not to crush his dick in my hands.
We eat dinner and I chat with Edna, mainly ignoring Nyx. I hear him chatting with the man on his left about stocks and shares in something or other. All of it is rather boring. Once the dinner is over, a few go to the billiard room to continue their night, while I go with Edna up to her room.
I slip away without Nyx knowing where I’ve gone, not that he would care.
Walking into Edna’s room, I notice she has an entire small bar set up. I’m guessing at her request. She instructs her assistant to make us both the cocktail; an old-fashioned, and I can’t help but grin as it’s one of my favourite drinks. Once it’s made, Edna hands him a large wedge of money and whispers something before he disappears out of the room.
I lift my glass and smell the aroma of whiskey and the citrus in the drink. “What did you tell him?” I ask, taking a sip of my drink and fighting the urge to moan at how delicious it is. I wonder if the Savage Sisters could hire him, or if he would be interested in being a lap dog. Wouldn’t need him for sex, but if he makes cocktails like this, then I will happily give him anything he wanted.
Edna doesn’t answer right away. Suddenly, there is a random pattern of knocking on the door. I look at Edna, then back at the door, wondering why she isn’t answering it.
She sighs and turns her attention to me. “Now we can really talk. Without being watched or listened to,” she states.
“You know they are watching?” I ask in disbelief.
She nods. “I know everything Henry does. I’m old, dear, not stupid. I know what you did just this afternoon,” she adds.
That gnawing guilt resurfaces, bubbling away in my stomach. I place my glass down and rest my head in my hands. “I, I, I...” I stutter, not sure what to say. I’m sorry doesn’t quite cut it.
“Enough of that.” she chastises. I look at her. “We have all been made to do things in our lifetime that we are not proud of, things that will live with us until the day we take our very last breath. Henry knew exactly what he was doing today. He was testing you. Seeing if you would partake. Be one of them,” she states.
“I should have refused. I just...” I pause. What can I say? I couldn’t let him think I was anything other than who I am pretending to be. I couldn’t give the game away.
“If you had refused, you would be dead,” she cuts in.
My eyes go wide, looking at her. “I, what, why?” I stutter in confusion.
She sighs, taking a sip of her drink. “These people aren’t just wealthy, they are dangerous. All of them. By inviting you here, they are seeing if you are worthy of being part of their organisation,” she states.
Shit, Betsy and Eden didn’t know. The invite list isn’t just organised by his people. It’s personally selected for this organisation. Then that would mean he either knows I’m not who I say I am, or he at least knows I rigged the invite. But if that was the case, then why still send a car for me? Why still invite me here to witness everything? I frown. Then that would also mean the same for Nyx? Unless he is who he says he is, and they did invite him? I hold my head in my hands again. This is all just one big mess. Fuck. It’s then that it hits. Did Isabella set us up?Did she know this? Did she do this on purpose? Damn it, I wish I could contact Eden and ask her. Warn her.
“Ah, I see wangling your way onto the guest list has backfired.” Edna snorts.
I look at her. “I don’t know.” I pause, trying to process what exactly is happening.
“Please, I knew you weren’t one of us the moment you walked through those doors. Everyone else on the other end aren’t as smart as this old cookie. Well, I can’t speak about Henry, because he will know you fixed the invite for yourself.” She shrugs.
I grab my drink and knock it back. “Those people this afternoon, was that real?” I ask, wondering now if everything has just been one big set-up.
Edna sadly nods. “But there is something you should know. Those people were already dying. He selects people that either don’t have long to live, or they are so lost to the drugs, their body has no way of recovering. He offers them a deal, sends their family money, promises to take care of their loved ones if they have any. For those that don’t… Well, he just offers them the best drugs that will give them their best and last ever high,” she says sadly.
I get up, unable to sit and process everything she’s just told me. I pace back and forth as my mind works overtime, rubbing at my temples. None of this makes any sense. If Henry knows I’m a fake, or even if he thinks I’m some businesswoman just trying to further my career by coming here, then he would have known Nyx and I aren’t really a thing, right? Then he must know Nyx isn’t Nyx, or Nyx is Nyx, and there is something else entirely going on that I just can’t figure out.
“Girl, will you sit down and stop wearing down the antique carpet?” Edna tuts.
I look at her, wondering if I tell her why I’m here, who I am, but I can’t risk it. For all that, Edna seems like a friend, a nice person, she’s still part of all this.
I sit back in the chair and knock back the rest of my drink, feeling the whiskey in it burning my throat. “What does Henry know?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “I don’t know, dear, but what I have heard through the assistants gossiping is that if you last the weekend, he’s going to enrol you.” She nods.
Okay, that’s good, right? That means he doesn’t know who I really am. Only that I forged my way onto this retreat.
Breathe, I’ve still got this. I am a rich and powerful businesswoman here to further my career and money.
