Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“No,” I wheeze, continuing to cry. “Please.” I should be in a gown. I should be in expensive heels. Jewels should drip off my ears and hang heavy around my neck. I’m Daphne Godwin and that means something…or at least it did. He’s stripping me down to nothing, and if his intent is to break me by doing this, well then, he wins.
He removes his hand from the collar and places it on my head. Slowly, he strokes his fingers through my hair, never taking his eyes away from mine. “Shhh…just calm down. No more tears.”
“Then don’t make us go to this. Please!” He shakes his head. “We’re expected at The Vault. I can’t arrive without my pet. So dry up those tears and trust that though your dignity may not be protected tonight, your reputation and the privacy of your name will be.”
His gentle touch and petting of my hair eases some of my distress. Apollo has always been a man of his word. If he says my reputation is safe, then I’m leaning toward believing him. Besides, do I really have an option? And the one thing about Apollo and his family is they protect what’s theirs with ferocity. Their name and reputation are everything. If Apollo destroys my reputation by attending this party, he does the same to his.
“That’s a good pet,” he praises when he sees I’m no longer trying to plead my way out of this situation. “Tonight will be a night to remember.” He continues to stroke my hair. “You’re going to handle yourself just fine.”
Would I be? How could I be just fine ever again?
“I hate this,” I cry. “Why are you so cruel? How can you be so cruel to another human being? I may have fucked up, but I’m still your wife. I’m still the woman you married.”
He gives a crisp tilt of his chin. “I know.”
“So, why are you doing this to me?” I point to the cage. “Why?”
“Consequences, princess. You had to know there’d be some.”
“Do I deserve to be treated like an animal?” I ask. My words seem to make a difference, but I also get the sense that there is no use trying to convince Apollo to go against whatever twisted and dark plan he has.
Apollo places both palms on each side of my face and forces me to stare directly into his eyes. “You need to behave. Tonight’s event will start soon. You don’t want to know what happens to pets who disobey, and I promise you that this collar, cage, and butt plug will be minor in comparison. Behave. Do you understand me? You have nothing to prove. You’ll lose.”
“I’ve already lost,” I point out. “I’m wearing a collar and a tail while being held captive. There’s nothing more for me to lose.”
“But there is. I have ways of making my enemies lose so much more. Don’t push me. Just don’t.” He leans in and kisses me gently on the forehead before standing. He extends his hand to assist me up now that I’m no longer crying and having a meltdown. “We’re going to be late.”
Standing, I take a moment to allow the slight dizziness to dissipate. Apollo places his arm around my body to hold me steady while the room swirls around me. It doesn’t take long to feel back to my old self. My old self with an addition of a bunny tail and a collar, that is.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
I nod, wondering if he’s going to make me eat out of a bowl on the floor of the cage or some other humiliating act.
“Good. There will be food at The Vault.” He stands back a few inches so he can take in my entire appearance. “You look absolutely perfect, my pet. Perfection.”
Apollo picks up the chain, and the removal of the weight hanging helps ease the pressure on the collar a little. He then leads me out of the room.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Daphne
I’m naked.
I’m naked with a collar around my neck and a butt plug attached to a tail up my ass.
I am naked, being escorted by a leash into an old historic bank to what is secretly known as The Vault, full of men who watch our every move as we enter.
There is a man wearing a dark suit, a black cloak with a hood, and a mask standing behind the counter as a bank teller would. The mask is demonic and conceals who the man is behind it.
“That’s The Vault Keeper,” Apollo says as he guides us in his direction. “Get your secret ready.”
Secret? I’ve heard that giving a secret is the only way in, but I hadn’t really planned on doing it, and I have no idea what to even write down. How truthful does Apollo want me to be? I was told that once I marry a Godwin, I never reveal a single secret. Never.