I lead her down the hall to the large ballroom where the main event is already underway. Two Fraternitas members guard the door. They recognize me and wave me on. We enter a rounded hallway that feels like a tunnel. The music is already so loud, it shakes the walls and seems to press on us from all sides.
Bella hunches her shoulders, and I pull out earplugs. I thought she might need these. She lets me put them in and relaxes. I run a hand down her back to soothe her.
“Welcome to Pandemonium,” I say and pull back the velvet curtains to reveal a rave.
The room is vast and filled with people. The center is one giant dance floor, and colorful lasers slice through the air, turning the wild movements of the dancers into a stop-motion music video.
I find an open spot and pull Bella close, protecting her from the people on the edges of the moshpit. She’s quiet, taking everything in.
Above our heads are several open stories with narrow railed walkways so people can reach the floors of private rooms. Some of the doors are lit already, glowing red, blue, pink, yellow, or green.
“Can we dance?”
I nod and lead her further into the fray. I guard her back while she raises her arms and sways to the music. I can’t see it, but I know every movement makes the ropes slide over her sex. Soon she’ll be begging for release.
She ends up dancing with a woman dressed like an angel in a costume complete with feathered wings. I stay on the periphery, shoving people away when they get too close. Protecting her, always.
The dance floor is full of half-naked people writhing together, but I only have eyes for her. My captive. My fiancée.
My future wife.
Her hair is a bright halo. She looks like an angel herself, but she dances like she’s possessed. She’s glowing; she might as well be spotlit.
It’s a joy to watch her. She’s so wild and free. And I remember, it’s her first time in a club. First time on a dance floor. Her father never let her out. And now she’s here with me.
She’s mine. And everyone knows it. Because all my brothers are here, standing in the shadows. Bella probably doesn’t notice all of them, but I do. The lights reflect off their skull masks. They’re watching, and whenever one of them looks my way, they also notice the white ribbon around Bella’s throat. She’s not ready for a collaring ceremony, not yet, but tonight I’m openly staking my claim.
I used to want to hide her away. Keep her hidden from everyone. But now I want the world to see her. To stand in awe of her beauty. To worship her as she deserves.
I watch her dance, the lights bathing her in red, green, blue, purple, yellow, and back to red.
Wicked thoughts flit across her face, chased by ecstasy. She’s so expressive. All that emotion, innocence, and deviousness in one perfect package.
She’s beautiful like the sky. Like a flame.
And I want her. I wanted to own her, but now I want more. I want her to want me. I want her to be happy… with me.
She deserves so much better than me. In a few years, she’ll be able to snap her fingers and have anyone she wants kneeling at her feet.
It hurts to think about. It hurts to watch her, knowing she’s shackled to me for life and will never be free. That, deep down, she’ll always see me as her captor.
Her enemy.
Every once in a while, she gives me a calculating look, and I know she’s plotting against me. I want her to let her guard down and keep it down. To trust that I won’t destroy her.
But who am I fooling? All I do is destroy.
But in the noise and chaos, I allow myself to imagine us having more. What it would be like if she were really mine. If she looked at me with softness and longing, not just when she’s in lust but all the time. What would that be like? To give her all her firsts and watch her enjoy them. To be her husband, not just in name, but in truth.
I’ve spent my whole life fighting. I don’t want to fight anymore. I just want to be with her.
It’s impossible, but I still want it. Even though it hurts like my insides are getting shredded. It kills me, this wanting something I’ll never have, but if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s taking the pain.
The music swells, the beat drops, and suddenly, Bella is in front of me, gazing up at me with longing.
It’s only lust, but I’ll take it. I’ll take whatever I can get. I gather her hair back, noting the sweat on her brow. She’s hot and horny from dancing. The room is getting steamy from all the bodies in here, and many of the dancers have gone from grinding on each other to actively fucking. It smells like sex.
I cup Bella’s pussy over her skirt. I can feel her heat through the fabric. “You wet for me, little bride?” Her eyes go black.
