"Enjoying the view, doll? I'm going to have to charge you if you plan to keep watching."

His words jolted me out of my nonplussed state. My mouth opened and closed, unsure how to respond to him. It didn't help that he was still pounding into Andreas as his lavender eyes were locked onto mine.

His eyes lit with epicaricacy at my discomfort. He seemed to enjoy it more than the man beneath him.

Andreas moaned loudly as I swooped down to gather my scattered supplies. I could feel the flames in my face surely turning it red.

I should have knocked.

Once gathered, I gripped the handle of the bucket so tightly my knuckles were white and the wire felt like it was cutting into my skin.

I mumbled an apology as I hastily exited, avoiding looking at them as he seemed to go harder. The sound of Andreas's moans and skin meeting skin grew louder. I could hear Zev's rumbling laughter follow me before turning into grunts.

I would clean his room later.

* * *

I decided to finish cleaning the floors that I had abandoned earlier before moving on to my next task. It took longer than I thought it was, so when I finished I rushed to the supply closet.

I wanted to finish my work before dinner so I didn't have to go to bed hungry once again.

Putting away the supplies, I changed into the boots that Kai had found for me and headed out to the stables. I had to clean them daily. Sometimes I had henry to help, others I was left on my own to defend against Lyria's nipping bites. Maybe she just had a thing for my ass.

Like Zev had a thing for Andreas's.

I squeezed my eyes shut to try to get the image of them out of my mind. It was useless. The image seemed to be burned into my retinas. Hopefully, the hard labour of cleaning large piles of mythical animal shit would be enough to distract me. Apparently, dirty floors weren't. The scene I had walked into had been replaying in my head ever since.

I grabbed the wheelbarrow and shovel before making my way to the empty stall that belonged to the clumsy griffin, Blue. I scrunched my nose at the scent. The sight wasn't any better. I got to work, wanting to finish before Blue was back. Most of the animals were well behaved and left me to do my work, but some, ahem, Lyria, we're more challenging to work around.

I jumped when the griffin in the next stall sneezed loudly.

Shovel gripping in hand, I dived right in. I wanted to breathe through my mouth to avoid the stench that grew as I shoved the excretes, but I'd rather smell it than feel like I was huffing shit particles. Not the most logical thought process since the air I breathed through my nose ended up in the same place.

When I finished, I moved on to the next. It was a large barn and there were many stalls. It was going to take a while.

Some time later Henry returned with the reins attached to Blue who walked by his side. It was still strange seeing all the animals. I was only instructed to handle the stalls that held the pegasus' and griffins, but I could still see the animals I was told to stay away from. Further into the barn were a few larger stalls and cages that held phoenixes, hippogriffs, qilins, and dragons the sizes of SUVs. Kai told me they also had another structure on the lake down the hill that held some water creatures.

"Greetin', lass," he said as Blue walked him to his stall.

"Hi, mother hen," I replied as I avoided stepping in shit and piss.

He scowled at the nickname. Removing the saddles from the griffin, he began brushing him.

We worked in comfortable silence, focused on our tasks, until I couldn't help but break it, bursting with the need to know since shoveling shit was not enough to take my mind off a certain encounter.

"Is Zev vampire?"

He paused with grooming for a moment before resuming. "Vampire?"

"Yeah. You know, the 'I vant to suck your blood' kind," I said attempting to put on a Dracula accent.

He just looked at me blankly.

"Zev had his face buried in Andreas's neck and when he pulled back his mouth and chin were covered in blood. The only explanation I can think of is he's either a vampire or a cannibal," I explained further, omitting the other activities he was engaged in at the time.

Understanding dawned on his face. "Lord Zev is one of the higher breeds," he said continuing to brush the griffin.

I waited for him to elaborate, but it became clear he thought that was enough of an explanation.

"What does that mean?" I inquired.

"Oh," he shook his head. "Sometimes I forget you know nothin' of this world. Higher breeds are at the top of society. They are the rulin' class over lesser breeds like myself and the other workers. Higher breeds can feed on the blood of others. They can live off of it- many centuries ago that was nearly all they consumed. Blood, while sustenance, is also a delicacy for them, a drug. The higher the breed the higher the nutrients and high the blood gives. Most higher breed women choose to soulbond men that have the most enticin' blood so they have ownership over it and can indulge when they please. Lord Zev has pure fae blood runnin' through his veins, that makes him one of the higher breeds. It's one of the reasons he and the other lords are so sought after."

I stared at him. "So they survive by feeding on blood, like vampires."

He shook his head. "They don't need it to survive, well demons do. They need to feed regularly on blood, but the other higher breeds just do it for pleasure nowadays. They can live off of blood, but that's not necessary as long as they regularly get sustenance from food."

I nodded in understanding. So Zev was a fairy who was getting high while fucking Andreas. Got it. I wonder if he had wings like Tinker Bell. Maybe they were hidden.

* * *

I rolled my head and shoulders to ease the stiffness as I headed towards my room to grab a change of clothing. It was near midnight and I had just finished my work in the barn. I smelled like shit, piss, and sweat.

My stomach rumbled with hunger. I hadn't had a chance to eat dinner once again. There was too much work and not enough time. Jaxsons stunt, my impromptu outing with Kai and Timothy, followed by the visit to the brothel, then meeting with Cassius had seriously cut into the time I needed to complete my work. Even with Jaxon's actions on their own, I wouldn't have been done on time.

I sighed as I grabbed my clothes and my bar of soap before heading for the baths. I needed the warm water to relax my sore muscles and to wash away the filth.

I walked down the few steps that led into the cave-like pools. The water was lit by faint blue light from beneath, just enough to see where the stone floor ended and it began. The torches on the walls came to life on their own as I passed them, casting a low orange glow along the walls and over the surface of the water. It was beautiful.

I grabbed a clean towel from one of the shelves near the door and headed over to my usual spot. It was closer to the opposite side of the cave from the door, allowing me a clear view of it and enough time to redress myself if someone entered so that I'd be covered before they reached me. Slipping my clothes off, I set them near in a pile with my glasses on top before slipping into the water.

I lightly moaned. The warmth caressed my body as I sunk down to my chin. Grabbing the soap, I dunked my head and scrubbed it through my hair. Surfacing, I continued to until it was lathered before scrubbing the rest of my face and body before submerging myself to rinse it off. My priority was to get clean. I could relax after I had removed the filth from my body.

Once I felt I was as clean as I could get, I set aside the soap and settled onto the natural bench that circled the pool. The water reached just under my chin. I leaned my head back against the ledge and ran my fingers through the water as my mind wandered. The first place it went was to Zev fucking Andreas, but I quickly pushed that aside as I started contemplating serious issues.

What was I going to do? Was I just going to stay here, let them treat me like a slave while they pretended I was their wife? I knew for a fact it could be worse, but I was so close to freedom. Would I really throw that away because this situation wasn't as bad as the last?

I ran my fingers over the maroon circles barely visible in the dim glow of the flames. Maybe I was their wife legally, or magically, or whatever, but it was all an act. What would happen when the play was over? What would become of me?

Ezra said he would take responsibility and make sure I was fine. Over the past few weeks, it became clear that he was serious, that he was a man who would keep his word, but... There was still a part of me that held reservations. What if he changed his mind? What if the others convinced him otherwise? What if he decided I wasn't worth it? What would I do then? I was in a world of unknowns.

I sighed. As bad as the daily manual labour, bullying, and uncertainty were here, it was far better than the life I had.

But, as they say, it's better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

With him I knew what to expect, even when it was surprising, there was always a part of me that was prepared. Here, I could only grasp what to expect from Ezra. He was the only one of my five supposed husbands who actually treated me well.

Cassius was a complete mystery. I hadn't seen him much and he gave nothing away during our meeting. Except that I shouldn't ask about the blonde in the picture he had.

I thought I was starting to figure out what to expect from Jaxon, but his unexpected spank attack had me second-guessing what he was capable of. Who knew how far he would go.

Axel had me fooled with his 'nice' act in the beginning, but I quickly realized it wasn't real during the tea incident. I had managed to avoid him most of the week and ran in the other direction when I couldn't. His excessive discussion of sexual topics and slight irritation whenever I rejected his advances had me worry the most about him proving what Ezra reassured me of, that none of them would force themselves on me, the most. Jaxon was a close second.

Then there was Zev. He was cold and cruel, acting from the shadows. He had caused me the most difficulties since his damn minions loved to torment me on his behalf. His eyes sent chills of fear through me whenever they were locked on me. He hated me. Lucky for him, the feeling was mutual. I had a feeling that I needed to watch out for him the most.

My mind drifted back to the scene I had walked in on. I tightened my thighs as heat bloomed between my legs. I may hate the man, but I could also appreciate a good specimen regarding the male body. Though he disgusted me as a person, I couldn't deny my body's reaction to the sight of his handsome features and taut, lean body, moving, flexing, and glistening with sweat as he took Andreas. I reacted biologically as any hot-blooded woman would to such a sight.

I sighed. It was better to react like this to seeing two people have sex compared to how I reacted to sex the first few years I was taken. I feared it then, but I was forced to learn to enjoy it. If I didn't, it just made everything worse.

They couldn't take it if I complied.

Sometimes I was even able to enjoy myself, even if I despised myself after. It was better than pain and fear.

I stilled as I heard a sound. Straining my ears, I thought had been mistaken until I heard it again. It was faint, but I knew it was whispering voices.

I put my glasses on, pulled myself out of the water, and grabbed the towel. I quickly dried my body and went to grab my clothes to dress. A low whistle had me dropping my shirt and rushing to wrap my body in the towel instead. I turned to find Andreas standing a few feet away from me, two of his lackeys behind him.

"What do we have here, boys?" Andreas spoke.

I clenched my clothes to my chest. Swallowing, I tried to pass by them, my shoulders bunched.

One of his lackeys, Jerry, stopped me with a hand on my arm. "Where you going, bitch?"

"Let go," I said, jerking away from his hold. I backed up a few steps. "Move," I firmly demanded.

They laughed.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Andreas asked. The last of the three men stood silently with his arms crossed.

I took another step back. This encounter was different than the other ones I'd had with them. I had a bad feeling.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my bubbling panic at bay.

"How did it feel," Andreas asked, ignoring my question as he stepped forward. "To walk in on me getting fucked by your husband."

He smirked cruelly as the other two laughed.

"I don't care," I answered honestly as I backed another step to counter his.

He hummed and nodded. "But you see, I do." His face twisted in a sneer. "I care that Zev married you," he stabbed my shoulder with his finger. "He's mine!"

I backed up, rubbing the pain away nervously. "You can have him."

He barked out a laugh. "I don't need your permission."

Clearly.

"I hate you," he said stepping closer. I couldn't back away any farther without fall into the water. "What's so good about a bitch like you anyways. He refused to marry everyone else, so why you? You just show up one day and suddenly are married to my lord?"

"It's not what you think. There nothing between us," I said, trying to pacify him.

"Oh?" he cocked his eyebrow. "If that's the case, you wouldn't mind if we had some-" he trailed his eyes down my body "-fun, right?"

"Let me go," I repeated. I tried to keep my voice strong and steady, but I couldn't hide the hint of fear it held.

"We will," he took another step. "After we've had our fun. Grab her Lee."

I pushed Andreas and tried to run, but the quiet man stopped me. He grabbed me from behind, banding his arms around my chest and stomach.

"I bet he won't want anything to do with you after he finds out about this, about how much of a whore you are. He always did despise the women who fucked men other than their husbands behind their backs."

I wanted to scream that he didn't want me regardless. But I doubted that would have much if any effect to deter them. Of course I would suffer for the position I was forced into.

Lee threw me to the ground. My head bounced off the hard ground, black spots spotting my vision. I struggled to get up to run, but Andreas was on me before I could. He straddled my torso and grabbed the top of my towel, parting it to reveal my breasts.

I screamed and struggled, lashing out, striking, and clawing at him. I didn't want this.

"Fuck," Andreas cursed as I raked my nails down his cheek, drawing blood.

He hit me, striking me across my cheek.

"Stupid bitch!"

He grabbed my hair and got off me. Dragging my naked body behind him, he approached the pool. Before I could process what he was doing, he shoved my head under the water.

I struggled hard against his grip, blindly clawing at his hand. The burn spreading through my chest made my desperation increase. My lungs were screaming for air. Just as I thought I was about to lose consciousness, he pulled my head up.

"Are you going to behave now?" He hissed into my ear as I gasped.

He dunked my head again before I could respond.

My body started to feel tired and sluggish the longer I struggled, but I could identify a familiar, cold numbness spread through my body. The feeling of defeat. The feeling that protected me when my body understood I stood no chance.

When he pulled my head up again, I nodded.

If I let them have their fun, it would end sooner and with less pain.

He dropped me to the ground on my front. I breathed in desperately, lying there limply. The stone felt cool against my cheek, a sharp contrast to the warmth emitting from his body as he straddled my bare thighs. I heard and felt him fumble with his clothing as I lay motionless, staring at the soft waves in the water.

The rise and fall.

He draped his body over mine. "Behave, whore," he hissed in my ear.

Such a good whore.

Up and down the water went, making the reflection of the flames dance.