“They do if the initiate is over eighteen and the heir has claimed the heir’s right,” my uncle says.
“We are wasting time,” Carter interjects. “Balthazar has claimed the right to fuck the girl as the Stewart heir, and tradition demands we accept. Let him through.”
“Fuck you, Baz!” Jase shouts. “You’re dead. I will kill you if you lay one finger on Ash.”
“Shut that disrespectful asshole up,” Carter demands, pointing his finger at Eric Stewart. “Or I’ll gladly take him off your hands and teach him what it means to be a second son of a Luminary!” His anger is rising, and I’m terrified of what he might do to him.
I look over at Jase, softening my tone and my expression. “You need to let this go. It has to happen, and I’m okay with it.” That isn’t even remotely true. Letting Jase’s brother fuck me without protest is not something I would ever be okay with. But this is life and death, and at least it’s not his father.
“Don’t lie, Ash! I know you.”
“Then know this. If you let anything happen to yourself, I will never speak to you again. Do you understand? Stand down, Jase. This isn’t a fight you need to fight.”
My father comes up behind Jase, clamping a hand down on his shoulder in solidarity. His eyes are red-rimmed and angry, his expression forlorn, but he knows better than to argue. He’s not a Luminary. He’s not protected if he tries to stop this. He knew coming here today he had no way of preventing it. Still, his eyes convey his pain, and I know he’s beating himself up for not protecting me.
“I love you both,” I say, my gaze jumping between my dad and my lover. “This is not on you. It’s the way it has to be, and I have made my peace with it.” It takes a lot out of me to say those words, but I do it for them. Mom stands in the background, quietly nodding at me. I am so pissed at her, and we will be having words when this is over and done with.
“Enough of this!” Salinger snaps. “Get on with it, young man.”
“You’re dead to me,” Jase says as Baz begins undressing. “I will never forgive you for this.”
Oh my god, does he have a death wish?
“I’ll remove him from the room,” Eric says, moving toward his son.
“No.” My uncle’s voice projects around the room. “He needs to see this. He is far too attached to my niece. She is not meant for him. Maybe this will help him to come to terms with it.” James steps forward with a folded-up handkerchief, stuffing it into Jase’s mouth. He wraps a bandage over his mouth and behind his head, securing it in place and effectively silencing his protests.
My heart aches for Jase. If the roles were reversed and I had to watch my cousin fuck him, I would be destroyed. I don’t think the images would ever leave my brain. My uncle knows what he’s doing insisting Jase watches this, and I hate him for it. I have always liked James Manford. He was always kind, generous, and welcoming, taking interest in my hobbies and my schoolwork, and he seemed like a good guy.
I take it all back. He’s a prick. I don’t care if he helped my mom in the past.
Surely, he could have stopped all of this, and he did nothing.
As of now, he’s as dead to me as Baz is to Jase.
Baz strips down fast, stroking his dick as he approaches me on the table. Jase’s muffled cries behind his gag aren’t helping. I glance over at him, begging him with my eyes. I can’t do this if I am constantly aware of how much this is hurting Jase. I can only do this if I lie back and focus on my pain and distract my mind with happy images while his brother takes from my body.
Jase nods, his eyes filling with unshed tears as he understands my silent communication. He won’t make this harder for me. We will both suffer in silence.
Rhett Carter plants a hand on Baz’s shoulder as he brushes up against my legs. I turn to face him. “This is the last part of the ceremony,” Carter explains, staring at me. “Where you pledge your body to The Luminaries. It is ours to command as we please.”
Suck a dick, asshole.
“After this, we own you. Body, mind, heart, and soul. You exist only to obey the Luminary calling,” Salinger adds.
I don’t know if that means it’s a free-for-all when I am fully initiated because Mom hasn’t explained anything about what happens after, other than I need to obey and present myself accordingly. If it’s as lewd as it sounds, I would rather kill myself than let that creepy old perv or his vile son anywhere near me.
Horror engulfs me as I consider the other initiates went through this at age ten. My god, this is how they lost their virginity! When they were fucking ten years old?! And what about the boys? Were they fucked by men, or were female Luminary members chosen to take their virginity? I am more than grossed out. I can’t even count myself lucky I got to choose who to lose my virginity to. Or that I wasn’t scarred for life being forced into sex before my body was ready because Jase’s brother is getting ready to fuck me against my will, and I’m not okay with it.
But I must pretend. For Jase and my dad’s sake.
I avoid looking at Baz as he pumps his dick and parts my legs, stepping in between my thighs.
My eyes close when his fingers part my folds, and he rubs them up and down my slit. His fingers are slick, and I guess he must have lubed them up when I wasn’t watching.
“Eyes open,” Salinger instructs, coming up beside Jase. I force my eyes open, willing my mind to go numb. The four luminaries remain right beside the table. Got to make sure they have a bird’s-eye view. My dad is back in the circle beside my mom, and they have their arms wrapped around one another.
I focus on the throbbing pain radiating from my arm and my chest as Baz slides two fingers inside me, warming me up. My heart feels like a block of wood in my chest, and I can scarcely swallow over the messy ball of emotion in my throat. Lying here mute and still goes against my every instinct as Baz leans over me, pressing his body down on mine as his fingers work to loosen me up. His mouth grazes my ear. “I’ll be gentle, and I’ll be quick,” he whispers.
