After I was taught how to apply my makeup and do my hair in a prim, proper, innocent way, I had to do it fast. I was anything but.
I grew up in a strict religious town. There was no make-up to play with as a little girl. I lived on the bare minimum, but I was expected to look beautiful once I came here. I was ugly by Aedar’s standards. He told me I was nothing unless I put the hideous mask on every night. That I should be thankful he’d taken me in, but he hadn’t sung that tune when he bought me.
He was downright giddy when he handed over the gold coins to the villains that kept me prior.
Gold coins. Who pays with gold anymore?
One would wonder why none of us fought back. We only saw Aedar and one other, who kept his face hidden. He was a tall, well over six feet, and wore a ski mask. You did not want him showing up.
One girl barely hung on to dear life as he flogged her with a paddle with “bad girl” written across it. The worst part was that her ass would be beet red. It was just enough pain for the night while she sat smiling into the screen. She had to “show her audience” what a naughty girl she was, and how her dominant had to spank her.
Of course, these nasty people would come up with something like that. I hadn’t been paddled. I wasn’t sure why they had been more lenient with me. They commented how I bruised easily, and they couldn’t risk me being unable to work. They punished me in other ways. Like by not feeding me or not letting me sleep, or even worse, coming in during a video chat and letting the viewers decide what they should do to me.
That had been the worst. And all of it had to be done with an innocent smile.
My rescuer, who had saved me from certain death, still sat patiently, holding out his hand. He wasn’t budging, and I wasn’t in the mood for any other sort of punishment that I might have to endure, so I took his hand.
Despite it being dirty, it was warm, but the electrical shock was unexpected. He drew his hand back, his knee giving way and dropping to the floor. My heart raced, watching those deep blue eyes widen for a moment until it was back to his usual glare.
“Grim, what’s wrong?” The soothing voice that spoke earlier to him tried to grab his wrist, but he pulled away harshly. My hero, now known as Grim, reached out his hand again, and I took it.
The gruffness of his face, which wasn’t at all unpleasant, had me study him further. He was covered with leather, still sticky with the remnants of blood. As much as I wanted to shy away, I let him pull me from under the bed.
Aedar was everything Grim wasn’t. Aedar looked angelic, beautiful, with sharp features and clothing that clung to his slim, muscular figure like a glove.
Grim was the most rugged of all the men in the room. The rest of the men had a five-o’clock shadow or clean-shaven faces. No blood on them at all. They all stared at me. I wasn’t sure if it was for lust or shock that I was still alive after hearing all those other women scream, but it made me uneasy.
I bit my cheek, remembering what I was wearing. Of course, they would gaze at me with lust because I was half naked, wearing a stupid kitten costume with fuzzy ears and a tail.
Letting go of Grim, I wrapped my arms around my body and hid my face in shame.
“Aight, easy there.” The one who had spoken to Grim earlier came closer. Grim snarled, causing me to jump in surprise and fall back onto the bed.
“We aren’t here to hurt you. We came to rescue everyone here, but—” his voice trailed off, and I shook my head.
Yeah, they really were gone. Part of me hoped they would still be alright, but who was I kidding? None of us knew each other. We didn’t hold any sort of prisoner bonds of friendship. As sad as it was, all those women dying may have been a blessing. They no longer had to suffer in this hellhole. We had food and water, but the internet humiliation was worse than where I was staying before.
I was a drugged up then, hardly remembering what was done to my body. It was for the best, but the ache in my body afterwards always made me cry in shame.
Grim set his eyes in a vile stare at his comrades. His lip curled, showing his teeth, setting off another warning growl. My cheeks flushed, and my stomach flipped. It was guttural, possessive. And even with my fear washing over me like a rushing waterfall, I found it comforting in a strange way.
Grim swiftly pulled off his leather vest, jacket, and black shirt. He was stripping his clothes off right in front of everyone. I went to crawl further away, for fear of what he was doing.
This was it. This is where it ended. He was going to rape me, defile what little dignity I had left in front of all these people—but he didn’t.
He pushed his black shirt into my hand. I clutched it in my shaky hands while he redressed.
“Right.” Grim’s friend gazed at Grim warily, clearing his throat. “We were sent here to rescue everyone, but you’re all that’s left. Can you tell us what youknow?” His voice trailed off.
I cocked my head at the note in his voice at the last word.
What was there to know? We were forced cam girls, hidden away in some building. What else was I supposed to know?
I stood there shaking, unable to form words.
“See anything suspicious, something almost likefantasy?”
My mouth dropped, and I hugged the shirt close to me until Grim pulled it away and motioned for me to lift my arms. He delicately dropped it over my body, and the tension in my shoulders loosened.
