Constricted: Beyond the Brothel Walls by Rae Ryans Read Free Book Online Page B

wasn’t her; the heartbeat thudded all wrong.
    My body fell onto the mattress, and I stared up at the ridiculous canopy. I planned this room for her when I’d first designed it. As I’d followed her about Delphia, I took notes and sent them home. Mellissa and Jobe had purchased and set the room during my long absence. One day there was a dream where she had reacted anxiously. I covered my mouth with my hand and whispered, “The dream came true; she froze up in here.”
    As if she’d seen a phantom, but it wasn’t the one haunting me. Afterward, I’d asked them to switch the rooms since there wasn’t enough time to redecorate. They’d both receive excellent bonuses this year for their help. I always rewarded them for their extra help. Co-owning the Arcadian and Delphia Alternative Energy Initiative meant money wasn’t an object.
    The admiration for my room touched me, but here was to hoping it was just the start, and she’d warm up to me before the scent and sight of her claimed my sanity.
    “Lord Petre,” Mellissa said as she knocked on the open door. I blinked and made to sit up. “Sir.”
    Her eyes darted around the room, and she kept opening and closing her mouth. “What’s wrong?”
    “I made a promise that I’m gonna break, but I canna keep it, milord.” She shook her head and twisted her hands. “I canna, no’ in the good Lord’s conscience keep quiet.”
    Had my generosity made Korrigan feel guilt? Had she lied to me? Was it the kiss? Had she her own secrets? Questions ransacked my mind, and I anticipated Mellissa’s explanation.
    “Go ahead.” My words shook, and my fingers drummed on my thigh. “You know I can’t read your mind.”
    “Milord, someone …” Tears pooled in her eyes; I noticed the red rims and her lavender stained fingers. I bit through my lip, and my fangs extended at the metallic taste. She sniffled and wiped the streaks away on her sleeve. “Someone beat her, repeatedly.” I stood up fast, knocking a book to the floor, and rushed for the door. “Lord Petre, she didn’t want me to tell ye.”
    My fingers curled around the wooden frame. Shards clattered to the floor under my grip. Why wouldn’t Korrigan want me to know? I lunged forward, breaking another piece of the frame. My chest heaved even though I didn’t require air.
    The mere thought sliced through me. “Who,” I wheezed and forced a cough. “Who did it?”
    What kind of monster lashed a child these days? When I was alive, it was acceptable, but not now … There was only one explanation. I was wrong about Korrigan, or more so, wrong about Jules. I cursed under my breath. The other girls, some of them were scarred too, but not fresh, and they didn’t belong to him. My throat stung, and my eyes burned. I should’ve known better, no, I should’ve taken her sooner.
    “Sir, please wait until she tells ye, but I wanted ye aware. Her back, below where the corset sits … ye will hurt her even with the softest touches … yer hands.” I nodded and stood upright. My cold hands would burn her wounds. My secret though, my blood could heal her, but I understood the need to keep my obscurities under wraps.
    “Where it sat,” I repeated shaking my head and resting it on the door. My teeth ground as I thought of the torture device. Her wide innocent eyes flashed in my mind. Something once beautiful Jules tainted. My hand rose, trembling as I swallowed my guilt. “I don’t want to see that thing ever again.” Korrigan was no longer bound by those false rules. “No wife of mine will wear a whore’s garment.”
    Not in public, and sure as hell, not in my house. I didn’t want to see a constricting stitch of clothing on her ever again. Yet part of me wanted answers; I needed to know who did it, because I would hunt the sick bastard down and give him a taste of his own medicine. My head slammed into the door as I punished myself. She was only eighteen. It was my fault. My head couldn’t see it. A hundred