Chapter 15
Professor Richards
“Tell me again?I don’t think I quite understood you the first time.”
Glancing over at Grigori, I set my lips into a thin line. He knows what I’m asking for; making me beg is beneath him.
“I need her out of my life. I know you live a good bit away, and you’re always on business. You get a submissive, and I get peace of mind.”
“But, I don’t need a submissive.”
He pauses for a moment, swirling his glass of vodka around. There’s something tight about his demeanor. Nothing is relaxed or easy about him. Never since I’ve known him have I ever seen him this uptight.
“Say I do this for you. Say I take her off your hands. What then? You know I’m not a gentle man. Aren’t you worried I’ll break her?”
“She’s not my concern. I have my own submissive to worry about. As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever the hell you want with her. Just don’t blame me if John interferes.”
A smirk tilts up his lip. “John is like a mother hen, clucking about, but basically harmless.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Reaching forward, he tilts his glass up in the air before swallowing it back. “Done. I will claim her.”
I reach into my jacket, fingering the collar hidden in its depths. I should have done this the first night I claimed her. Now that she’s in my clutches, I’m never letting her go again. Relief floods through my body as Grigori talks to someone on the phone, presumably making arrangements. Melody will be safe, and Chelsea will have someone else to contend with.
* * *
A humof excitement sizzles through the main atrium; looking around, I see all the faces covered in masks, either kneeling or standing depending on their station, but there's only one person I'm interested in. Her brown hair peeks out from her cloak, and I smile at her small form huddled in front of John. Love and lust swirl around in my gut as I take in her tiny form. Looking up, I catch his smirk and pull my gaze.
There will be time for gloating, but not right now. Right now, there are more important matters to take care of. Adjusting the black hood, I shift around, rolling my neck back and forth to release the tension. To my right, Grigori stands, hands clasped in front of him with a matching hood. To my left, Nadia shifts about, her eyes shining brightly from inside her own hood. Blood pulses through my body, making my whole being throb.
Turning to Grigori, I smirk and pat him on the back. "So, kind of you to cut your trip short and help us with this…matter."
He snorts and motions to the dais in front of us. "And miss this excitement?" He interlocks his fingers and cracks them loudly. "I was born for this."
The humor doesn’t light up eyes, and I wonder if this really is the best choice for Chelsea. I trust Grigori, but he really isn’t a nice man. Maybe that’s who she needs, though, a firm hand to keep her in her place.
Shaking my head, I look back over at Melody. The mask conceals her face, but it doesn't hide her movements. Her head darts back and forth, constantly looking towards the door. Is she looking for me or a way to escape? I still haven't spoken to her since the day I saw her and Chase on the quad. At that point, I didn't know what to say. Slipping my hand inside my pocket, I smile as I finger the cool metal. I now have all the words I need. I just have to finish up some loose ends.
A pregnant hush falls over the room, and all eyes turn to the door. Chelsea and Chase, heads hanging low, walk into the room, heavy irons around their necks, the ends held by two of our Society officers. Tear streaks intersect with dirt on her face. Her hair is tousled and mussed. Judging by her appearance, they look like they took me literally and locked her in a hole this entire time. Chase doesn't fare well either. His clothes are torn and dirty, and dried blood is caked around his mouth and nose. My lips twitch. Seems like I'm not the only one that had the urge to deck him. Murmurs rise up among the members and submissives. John ambles up to the dais and raises his arms, calling for silence.
"We have gathered here to put to trial Society Apprentice Chase Ackerman and submissive Chelsea Harmon for their willful actions to entice away a claimed member. In so doing, they also lied to a Society member and attempted to put the blame on Melody, Richards’ submissive.”
The murmurs rise back up in force. Clearing his throat, he waited for silence before motioning for Chase and Chelsea to be brought up to join him. They shuffle along, Chelsea almost stumbling at the force of being pulled. My lips twitch as I watch Melody. Her body kneels there, rigid, her eyes wide behind the mask. They flit back and forth between the three. In front of her, her hands wring about. I want to go over there and put her out of her misery, yet watching her over there, her frame quivering beneath the cloak, my cock starts to take notice.
"As the injured party, I invite Society member Richards to decide the fate of these two."
I stride up to the dais, noting Melody's rapid jerk of her head to watch me. She shrinks back as I pass in front. The two hang their heads even lower as I approach. Disgust roils through my gut as I watch them. So many scenarios play out in my mind. So many things I want to do to them. The problem is, I don't want to just hurt them. I want them to forever regret what they did to my Melody and, in conjunction, me. Stopping in front of Chase first, I sneer as I look him up and down. As a Society Apprentice, he is almost untouchable. Luckily for me, the punishment I have in mind doesn't involve mere physical violence.
"Since Chase is so fond of pursuing what doesn't belong to him, I recommend that he be caged for no less than one month. I also recommend that he be stripped of all his rights and sentenced to live in the male submissive fraternity under the watchful eye of Mistress Nadia until she feels he better understands the burden of the submissive and the responsibility to care for them as we do."
John stands there for a moment, stroking his chin as he looks at Chase. "That seems fair to me. What say you, Mistress Nadia?"
She joins me on the dais. "I can assure The Society that he will not return to these chambers as an apprentice until I am fully convinced of his rehabilitation." She struts over to him and fingers a hole in his shirt for a moment before inserting her fingers and ripping it open. "I am a hard woman to convince. Chain him to the Saint Andrew's Cross."
One of the officers grabs him and drags him over. Luckily, Chase goes of his own free will and doesn't fight the command. After chaining his arms and legs, the officer steps back and gives Mistress Nadia room. She looks him up and down, circling the cross. Chase squirms a bit under her scrutiny. Stepping closer, she takes off his belt and flings it to the side. She reaches into her robe and pulls out a knife, the metal glinting in the candles.
"Don't move, and I won't hurt you." She makes quick work of his pants, leaving him in just his underwear. "Poor thing," she murmurs, sliding the heel of her palm against the front of his underwear. "Thirty days in my cage. However will you manage?"
A small bulge rises up as Nadia keeps stroking. Sliding her knife under the band, she splits the underwear and rips it from his body. His erection bobs there at half-mast until she pulls out the silver cage. Grasping his cock in her hand, she squeezes a few times before gliding her hand up and down. Chase moans quietly, his hips undulating back and forth under Nadia's ministrations. His erection juts up proud and ruddy, a pearl of precum beading at the tip.
With a wicked grin slashing across her lips, she strokes a few more times before letting go and popping him in the ball sack with the back of her hand. Air escapes through his mouth in a surprised yelp. At this point, I can't help my smile. His eyes bulge out as he tries to gulp air back into his lungs. Properly deflated, Nadia slides his limp cock into its cage, tightening everything up before giving it a small shake to make sure everything holds firm. With a flick of her wrist, she motions for the officer to lead him away; bowing before the members, she follows behind and disappears behind the large doors.
My gaze lands upon Chelsea. She looks up at me, her eyes watering with unshed tears. Before, they might have tugged at my heart, but now, I see nothing before me but a simpering malcontent, hell-bent on destroying my relationship.
"Oh, Chelsea. Whatever shall I do with you?"