Tempting Darkness.

Something felt off this morning. I didn’t know what, but something felt different as I glanced around the crowded room. Leering eyes watched me from where I sat alone in the mess hall. My usual spot was taken, preferring to be closest to the exit where I remained mostly unnoticed. Closer to the door was safest because it gave me an escape route.

Their sleazy gazes had me on edge as they watched me hungrily. I hated this place. There were no other women here. Most of all, I hated being the subject they loved to torment. All made worse by the fact that I was powerless to stop them.

In a room full of men, I stuck out like a sore thumb, and I did my best to keep to myself. The surrounding chatter quieted down and made me quickly glance around before I ducked my head when I noticed them. Darius had entered the room with my other three mates. They walked to the back of the room and took seats at the back, which I thought was a little odd; I rarely saw them here. It appeared they had something to talk about with their recruits because Darius spoke about some crap I showed no interest in knowing. Keeping my head down, I ate quickly, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there.

However, the moment I stood up and went to chuck my rubbish in the bin, my muscles spasmed, my feet faltered as I tried to take a step away from the table, and my entire body locked up with one command.

“Aleera, freeze,” came a voice. I recognized the voice instantly and dreaded what he would do this time.

My entire body stopped at the command. I couldn’t move an inch, and everyone erupted with laughter. Oh, how I tried, but I couldn’t so much as wiggle a toe. What were these savage men going to subject me to this time? They never usually went this far. Usually, they tormented me, chased me, hurt me. However, this was the first time they used compulsion on me, and it felt wrong as every muscle in my body tensed.

My eyes went to my mates at the back. Darius, Tobias, and Lycus watched from the far table. They were always happy to witness my suffering. Kalen, however, glanced around the room before he looked at me and dropped his head.

My stomach dropped when Zac, one of the recruits under Darius’s thumb, got up from his seat. My lungs constricted at the cruel smirk plastered on his face. Zac sauntered over before he stopped in front of me. His eyes hungrily looked me over from head to toe. Zac was the worst out of all the recruits I had come across here. The vile bastard had no boundaries. He was usually behind my worst degradation. Zac walked around me slowly and plucked the sandwich wrapper from my fingers while I remained unmoving.

“Stand up straight,” he ordered, and I gritted my teeth. My forced body was doing as commanded as Zac’s cold magic caressed me. A violent shudder ran through me in repulsion as I tried to fight against the command, but it was pointless. I was a puppet on strings, and he was the puppet master.

“Nothing to say, Aleera?” he chuckled, and the entire room erupted with laughter. Except for my mates, who watched from the back with expressionless faces.

“Nothing I say will stop you. Did you want me to beg? Beg for you not to do whatever vile thing it is you intend to do?” I spat at him.

Being trapped in this place, I learned quickly not to beg. It just made the torment worse when I did. They didn’t care that I was female; they didn’t care I was powerless. All they cared about was the control they had over me.

“You’re right. It wouldn’t stop me. The guys and I want you to put on a little show for us,” Zac said in an amused tone. I glanced around the room to find the men were all leaning forward eagerly; one even winked at me while another licked his lips.

My eyes darted to the table where my mates sat. Not a scrap of emotion was shown on their faces for what I was about to endure. They would not help me, not that I expected them to. They never did. If only they had just told them who I was to them, if only their soldiers knew. I wouldn’t have to deal with this shit daily. However, I knew they would deny it if I spoke up. Darius had threatened to kill me if I told anyone here who I was to them. So I had kept my mouth shut. They hated me, and the feeling was mutual. Yet, I couldn’t bear to see them hurt, so how could they watch my humiliation with no expression at all?

My eyes went back to Zac, who looked me up and down. Was he going to make me dance? What did he mean by a show? I was already on display. How much worse could it get?

“You could always say no?” Zac teased before he scoffed. “Oh, that’s right, you can’t. Poor helpless Aleera, always so easily influenced, so easily overpowered. Must truly suck being the weakest form of fae,” he mocked. His demonic eyes ran the length of me in a sleazy, obscene way. His gaze stopped at my breasts, and I felt my stomach drop somewhere deep and cold within me. I knew what he was going to say before he said it. I prayed I was mistaken, but his following words confirmed my thoughts.

“Strip, Aleera,” Zac said, his voice coming out like a purr. I blinked at him, trying to fight his compulsion with everything in me, even though I knew it was pointless. My eyes burned as tears threatened to spill, and my hands shook as I tried to resist doing what he asked.

“All of it. I want to see you completely bare.” My fingers forcibly undid the buttons on my black blouse. My breathing became harsher as I tried to resist his compulsion. A sob tore from my lips that sounded more like a whimper. My vision blurred as my top fell open and revealed my black bra. Zac gripped my shirt and yanked it, my shirt tearing painfully from my body under the force he used. My scars were on display for everyone to see. The worst was the burn that went from my shoulder down to my hip.

The men watching hollered and whistled, and some even poked fun at my burned, scar-ravaged skin. Was this high school? Were they truly this immature? They were fully grown men, and they were all subjecting me to this. Worst of all, my mates just watched. Although, I noticed Kalen looked away when my eyes fell on him; he almost appeared to look guilty, like he wanted to step in and stop it. My fingers were still working to undo the buttons and zip on my black slacks. My eyes stung from the tears that brimmed and spilled over as I bent over to remove my pants.

“Please stop,” I choked out as I stood upright. How could they all be so cruel?

“All of it,” Zac commanded again.

My entire body shook at his command, my cheeks burned with the humiliation, tears ran down my cheeks and dripped off my chin, and I could hear them all talking and laughing.

My bottom lip trembled as my hands reached behind my back and fumbled with the clasp of my bra. A hiccupped sob left me as it unclipped. I couldn’t handle it, so I clenched my eyes shut, so I didn’t see their faces watching me. I hoped it was stuck, but, of course, it would come undone easily and expose me more.

Zac’s hand ran down my arm from my shoulder to my elbow as he pulled the strap of my bra down. My eyes flew open at his touch, his other hand moved to my hip, and I felt the bile rise in my throat. The feel of his hands on me disgusted me. I wondered how far he would take this. Looking over at my mates, Kalen got up and walked out along with Lycus. Darius and Tobias, however, were enjoying my torment.

“Hurry, Aleera, take it off, take it all off,” Zac purred as he tugged my bra strap off my other shoulder. I stared at Darius. Was this what he wanted? Was this still not humiliating enough? His eyes darkened when Zac ran his hand up my side before grabbing my breast roughly. He twisted my nipple painfully, making me cry out, and I felt more tears spill over as my bra fell away. The room erupted with whistles and vulgar taunts.

Darius and Tobias could stop this, and I pleaded with my eyes for them to step in, just this once and not subject me to this. My hands shook violently as they reached for my panties. It was the last article of clothing I had left, the one place left untouched.