Each of those could buy a small house, yet whoever owned this estate had twelve of them.
Evelyn and Lydia pursed their lips as I noticed them heading toward a boxy-looking wagon with two other girls. Lydia whispered something to Evelyn. Evelyn laughed. And just as Lydia climbed into the front seat, she dragged her finger along her throat and pointed at me.
One of the men placed his hand on my lower back, pushing me forward.
My headache threatened to turn into a migraine as I closed my eyes and fought the urge to blackout. I hadn’t been this stressed in years. I existed to avoid all manner of panic. I didn’t even watch angsty TV shows or read books that weren’t just fluff because the chemistry of my body had been irreparably ruined thanks to that day.
They were lucky I didn’t vomit all over the pricey interior of the G-wagon they stuffed me into or burst their eardrums with a shrill scream as they slammed the door, pulled away, and drove me and three other women toward the palace shimmering in the sun.
* * * * *
“This is where we leave you,” Marcus said in his smarmy, suave voice.
We’d all been transplanted from one gatehouse to another. Unlike the other one with its ancient stone wall wriggling over the countryside like a giant snake—blocking the estate from nosy eyes—this one looked like a prison.
Not stamped with time or weathered by storms, the rock was scrubbed clean of any moss or debris while the top glittered with broken glass. Above the jagged shark-teeth glass shards, a single metal wire glinted like a garotte.
The falsehoods of a spa weekend were rapidly disintegrating under the truth.
Whatever this place was, whoever was imprisoned inside—it wasn’t a paradise of hot springs and massage rooms.
Finally, the other women started waking up. Some fidgeted. Some nudged each other. But most of them laughed and smirked as if they knew more than the rest of us.
“Once you’ve entered Cinderkeep, it’s up to you to choose where you’d like to stay. There are multiple pavilions dotted around the grounds and food will be delivered regularly. You’re welcome to use any of the facilities and we encourage you to enjoy yourselves.”
Clasping his hands in front of his suit, he smiled. “Each of you is uniquely qualified to enter and I wish you all good luck. Now...if you’re ready.” Sidestepping, he waved regally. “Please, go ahead.”
Another set of double doors swept open, these ones quiet and well-oiled. But thick. And fashioned from iron. With multiple locks to keep us in.
“Eh...but what about the spa treatments?” a tall woman asked quietly. “Isn’t there a schedule? Some sort of menu of what’s on offer?”
“You’ll find all of that in your pavilion.” Marcus grinned, his eyes flat and cold.
“I think I’ve changed my mind,” another dark-skinned, pretty woman said. “I’d like to go back to London, please.”
“Unfortunately, all transportation has ceased for the day,” Marcus said softly. “But rest assured, come Sunday evening, we’ll have you back there in a jiffy.”
A few women glanced at each other, fear blazing in their eyes.
And yet...those showing worry were so few. Maybe only five or six. The rest of the women balled their hands as if going to war, braced their spines, and marched with full purpose through the doors without a backward glance.
What the hell is going on?
The stragglers, including me, shared mirroring concern before looking over our shoulders for escape, only to be pushed through the door.
We all winced as it clanged shut and the twang of locks slammed home.
* * * * *
This place was too lavish to be real.
Tucked tight with the group of women as clueless as me, we inched our way into the grounds, our jaws on the floor at such decadence. Which was saying something as my family home wasn’t some two-bedroom apartment in a decrepit high-rise. I’d been born into a sprawling mansion with servants and nannies and not one swimming pool but three.
Yet this place?
In the distance, the palace rose before us, looming and imposing and impossibly grand. Black stone towered above, veined with golden traceries. Window arches gleamed with gold leaf and the roof was a mismatch of curves and slopes and turrets—its slate tiles glittering with flecks of mica.
As we followed the main pathway, flanked by hedges and rose bushes, our heads swivelled left and right, drinking in the dozens of extra buildings all spilling out from the main hall.
Fields existed between each pavilion, granting privacy and distance.
Exotic in their design, the entire area, as far as the eye could see, was littered with intricate stone bridges crowning babbling crystal streams, all cutting through the emerald grass like arteries flowing from a pumping heart.
Koi carp swam in the rivers, stone walls and circular archways beckoned into private gardens, while open-air, roofed corridors linked each pavilion, decorated with lattice panels and woven with every flower imaginable.
Floral perfume permeated the air like a drug, making it feel as if we’d stumbled into ancient China where threads of wisteria clung to pillars and gazebos rested on the edges of a sprawling lake filled with snow-white swans.
Every corner whispered of wealth so extreme, it warped reality.
“I...I don’t know what’s going on,” the woman closest to me whispered, almost in tears. Her long red hair was tied in a thick ponytail, her black dress far fancier than my scruffy jean shorts.
“Me neither,” another woman muttered. “It feels like we’ve been shoved into a monster’s cage and any moment now we’re going to get eaten.”
That was exactly what it felt like.
“Let’s join the others,” the redhead whispered. “Safety in numbers and all of that.”
We picked up our pace and attached ourselves to the crowd of women who’d already arrived at the white marble courtyard outside the sprawling black stone palace.
The entrance borrowed East and West architecture, blending the double doorway with English oak trees and snarling oriental dragons.
Evelyn marched up the six sweeping steps and boldly rapped her fist against the huge doors.
We all held our breath.
Time ticked on, cranking our heart rates.
My headache grew worse and soon, I wouldn’t have a choice but to rest. My body would force me to sleep by helpfully knocking me unconscious.
I stepped back a little, ready to flee to a nearby pavilion, but the doors finally cracked open, gliding apart as if manipulated by ghost butlers.
“Hello?” Evelyn called into the dark interior. All I could see from my place at the back was a chandelier dripping from the ceiling, sending rainbows all over the girls in the front. “Mr. Ashfall?”
“Mr. Ashfall?” the redhead next to me asked. “Who’s that?”
“Hush up.” One of the girls who seemed to know why we were here spun to face us. Pressing a finger against her lips, she scowled.
And that was when the screaming started.
Chapter Five
EVERYONE SCATTERED.
My knees threatened to buckle as anxiety washed over me. I bolted back the way we’d come. I didn’t know why we were running or why women were screaming but I didn’t plan on finding out.
I managed to make it to the edge of the marble courtyard before someone yelled, “Stop running, you idiots! Didn’t you read the dossier on him? It’s his pet!”