The whores on either side of me had finally given up trying to entertain me. All I could see was Stella, suffering in front of me while I sat in comfort. I only remained still because of her. She’d committed fully, sacrificing herself for Teddy. I had to see it through. For her.
The devils surrounding me would pay, but I couldn’t take comfort in the promise of violence.
I had never prayed in my life. Perhaps when I’d been younger, before Brazil. But at no time in recent memory. I prayed as Cal hit her, lashed her body with his belt, split her lip and broke her nose. I prayed he would stop. I prayed she would recover. And I prayed for their deaths. The litany was on a loop in my mind, and it was the only thing that kept me sane.
Cal continued his expansive carving, ending the cut on her stomach at the edge of her jeans. He stood back and admired his handiwork as her blood oozed from the sweeping curved lines. Wiping the sweat from his brow with a bloodied sleeve, he stepped down from the platform. The attendant let Stella’s chin drop to her chest.
“I think my masterpiece is done. What do you all say?” He scrubbed the blood from his hands with a towel as the crowd cheered, though their zest had died down over the hour of torture.
“Thank you. I take pride in my work. We have a delightful lunch prepared downstairs. Please make your way down, and I’ll be there shortly after I get cleaned up. Don’t worry, I still have enough left in me to carve the roast.” He grinned and bowed as the applause swelled once again, and the guests began to leave.
Stella didn’t move even as the attendant unbuckled her manacles. She sat as if she were still tied down.
“Sin, let’s chat.”
I finally stood, but forced my feet to take me to Cal instead of Stella. Everything inside me screamed and demanded vengeance.
Instead of snapping Cal’s neck, I smiled. “Good work. You certainly have a knack.”
“I knew you’d appreciate my art.” He finished wiping the blood from his mouth, the bite marks along Stella’s right breast and upper arms still red and angry.
Once the final guest left, Cal clapped me on the back. “What’s it feel like to be the next Sovereign?”
“So, you’ve chosen?” I scrubbed a hand down my face, my relief for Teddy doing nothing to ease the burden weighing down on my mind, my heart.
“No, she chose.” He pointed at Stella who sat like a pool of water, flat and motionless.
I peered into his taciturn eyes. “I’m not sure I follow.”
He sank onto the nearest chair and let out an exhausted sigh. He stalled, wanting to provide more theatrics. I was desperate to grab Stella and run with her, get her help and save her. But, as she’d done from the moment I met her, she’d saved me, instead.
“The theme of the final trial is love for a reason. Every trial has its purpose. As Sovereign, you will tell your competitors that the purpose in the end is to break their Acquisition, to be the worst son of a bitch south of the Mason-Dixon.”
“Yes?” I wanted to know. I wanted Stella more. The quicker Cal explained, the quicker I could get her out of here.
“That’s not the trick of it, in the end. Think about it. Your mother, for example. She had a special relationship with her Acquisition. Still does, am I correct?”
“Yes.” My gaze flickered to Stella, who remained impassive.
“You won’t remember my Acquisition. She certainly had a special place in her heart for me. Redhead. Anyway—”
“Yes?” My impatience overflowed.
“She chose you. You who whipped her, allowed her to be raped, made her fight to the death, forced her through so many horrors. But still, she chose you. She chose to take your beating. Usually, the winner of this trial is the one whose Acquisition does the least damage to the Acquirer. No one knows that except the Sovereign of course, and it’s a closely guarded secret.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying the fact that you were able to mistreat Stella beyond all bounds of cruel and unusual, but that she is still loyal and protective, makes you the winner. She went one step further and actually took your punishment.” He raised his eyebrows in chagrin. “That is unprecedented in trial history. You made her fall in love with you, even though you tortured her and even though she knew you could never love a peasant like her. You have twisted and broken not only her body, but her mind, her spirit. That’s the sort of strength we need as Sovereign. Congratulations.”
No wonder Mother had won. Renee was devoted to her. How had I never seen it as the key?