Diamond (27 page)

“Why is she so important to you all of a sudden? You’re not into girls, and you don’t have a drop of Wave. What gives?” Onyx asked.

“I’m into women, what makes you think that I’m not?”

“Saw you giving head to Lip once.”

No one said anything for long moments. Didn’t really matter. Sexual preference was not an issue to them.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like girls. All that means is I’m into variety. But that’s not why I’m interested.”

“Why, then?” Diamond inquired.

Onyx looked in his direction, then back at Phyr. He didn’t remove his shades. The male wore them all the damn time.

“We need more fighters like her, and I know she’s trainable. She belongs in the program, not selling her snatch to the highest bidder.”

“I disagree.” He would still sell her, but he could also put her in the program. Two specialties were better than one. “She can do both.”

Phyr wasn’t happy with the answer, but nodded anyway.

“As long as you’re okay with it. Once she goes to the highest bidder, we need to take her off the market for a while. I’ll train her and then you can have her back to make you more money. We could use her. She could also infiltrate the Mainland. There are a lot of major plays we could make.”

What Phyr said was true. There were players on the Mainland, those in positions of power, and it was one step closer to his ultimate goal. He had to see for himself. Needed to know if there was a home to go back to. Cisco wouldn’t be there, why would she? She probably thought him dead. It took Diamond a long time to admit he longed for the Mainland. He spent a lot of resources in order to see that need to fruition. Was it stupid on his part to even care? Probably, but he was willing to face whatever was on the Mainland. The urge to know was stronger than his will to not know. When he’d first realized he couldn’t return to the Mainland, he’d resolved himself to the fact that he may never leave. But as the years went on, he knew there had to be more than what his contact on the Mainland was telling him. It couldn’t be as bad as it sounded. His contact had made it seem like the people on the Mainland had gotten worse. He’d been told that people were dropping like flies, or worse, infected. The Red Door he hid behind kept him prisoner. If others could come in, he could go out.

“I agree. Are you sure you can handle her?”

“She trusts me more than she trusts you at this point. We need to use it to our advantage.”

The comm he was holding alerted Diamond to an incoming call.
Dasan.
He answered with a gruff, “Is she there?”

There was static coming through on the comm, and Diamond could only make out about every third word.

“Is she there or not?”

“Yes… Problem… Meeting...”

That was all he needed to hear.

“I’ll be there in two days. Hold on to her, untouched.”

Diamond ended the communication and looked to the rest of his team.

“You all do what needs to be done. I’m going to have a talk with Lindy. Emerald, I will need you with me. Bring your kit.”

Emerald grimaced and walked over to his black satchel. Diamond heard the others utter curses beneath their breaths. They knew what was about to happen. It was no one’s fault but Lindy’s.

V

The room they’d been moved to was lighter. Not as dim as the one she’d woken up in. Nadya was still shackled around the ankles and neck. Her hands were left free, but there wasn’t much she could do. She was in unfamiliar territory. The woman who was the keeper of the makeshift harem returned, asking whose name was Nadya. At first, she’d been reluctant to divulge her identity, figuring it could be Attia asking. But she remembered the look on Phyr’s face when she’d been carried away. He was horrified. Maybe it was him. Maybe he hadn’t left her.

She’d spoken up quickly, and when asked if she were one of Diamond’s girls, she nodded. Now, she and the other girls were in another room. A chamber of sorts. There were seven pillows in front of them, and they were asked to kneel. Their chains were secured to the wall behind them, limiting their range of motion.

“This is the selection stage,” a girl whispered.

“How do you know all of this?” Nadya asked.

“Dasan is my father.”

“And you’re in his breeding program?”

“Some of us are to be recycled through to breed only the purest. Unless, of course, you give him a male child. One of my sisters once did, and Father praised her above all of his other wives. She is allowed to come and go as she pleases.”

“You want this?”

The girl next to her was pale of skin, too pale. Which was typical of Sub-dwellers. She had pink eyes and aquiline features.

“It is a great honor to be chosen by Father.”

“What if he doesn’t pick you?”

The girl’s eyes widened in fear. Had she not thought about the possibility of not being chosen?

“He must,” she whispered.

“Let’s hope,” another female said on Nadya’s other side.

“What happens during the selection?”

“My father will come and inspect us. He may touch you, taste you, anything he deems necessary to make a choice. Then there will be the
Padja
, my father’s healer. She will come and do the test.”

“The test?”

“Yes, she will test to see if you are able to breed with Father.”

“She’s the one who really decides,” the other woman next to her whispered.

Before they could finish their conversation, a tall male with long, white hair and a hunched-over woman with no hair walked in. Their skin was pale, and they each had markings that glowed as they approached the women.
This must be Dasan,
Nadya thought. He didn’t look old enough to have a daughter. His skin was free of wrinkles, and he looked to be about the same age as Phyr or even Diamond. He was shirtless and wore tight-fitting pants with something draped over the front, almost like an apron or wrap.

He took a few steps back. The room was cast in a faint blue glow as he did. He took a seat in a chair, and the blue glow moved. Nadya hadn’t noticed the worms at first, but now she could see them. Mutated worms. That glowed. Their bioluminescence gave off a faint radiance. It was similar to the marks on her hips, though hers were metallic in nature; the light-emitting pigmentation of her skin was something she’d been born with. She’d told Diamond she’d gotten the tats in Tribeca, but she hadn’t. The marks had just always been there.

“Welcome. I am Dasan, your host, and future mate. Those of you lucky enough to be chosen will become part of my breeder program. Those that are not lucky, will be handed over to my Reapers to do with as they choose.”

One of the girls Nadya hadn’t noticed before cried out that she wanted to be picked, would do anything to give birth to his children. She even promised to give him all males.

“Dearest, girl. You can’t make such a promise, no one can.” He chuckled. His voice was calm and even held a bit of emotion. Like he cared for each and every girl. But if that were true, he wouldn’t hand any of them over to his Reapers. He’d keep them all. His facial features showed a caring nature, but it was his eyes that told the truth. Harsh, brutal, and calculating. He wanted everyone to feel comfortable. To feel like there was hope. Even when there was none. His daughter, the one who’d opted to be a part of the breeding program, sat up straighter. She pushed her full chest forward, her confidence evident, even as her father passed her over. He didn’t even give her a second look, and right then, Nadya knew the girl had somehow been given false hope. Maybe even told she’d be picked. It was clear her father wasn’t going to pick her by the way he dismissed her show of certainty.

“My
Padja
will bring each of you to me, you will kneel in front of me, hands clasped behind your backs unless I say otherwise. I will inspect you, and if I find you to my liking, you will sit to my left.”

The old woman walked to the first girl. She had long hair, but it was straight and the color of the sun.
Why did they cut my hair?
Maybe because hers had been a tangled and matted mess caked with mud. The other girl stood on shaky legs as she was led to stand in front of Dasan where she slowly kneeled.

“Good girl.” Dasan’s voice became darker, edgier as he stood and walked a circle around the girl. He bent low to smell her hair. Used his hands to turn her face this way and that before lifting the apron like flap in front of his pants, exposing a very large erection. Nadya’s heart beat faster, and her stomach threatened to empty itself there on the floor. She wasn’t going to be able to endure it if he put his penis into her mouth.
This can’t be happening.
She’d kill him if he tried that with her. He used the tip of his penis to trace the other girl’s lips. His hips moving in circles as he repeated the process over and over again. The girl whimpered, and Nadya could see wet streaks on her cheeks. The light from the room illuminated her face.

“I like this one.”

The girl’s shoulders sagged in relief as she was made to sit to the left of his chair. He went down the line. The second girl, the one who’d promised him males was not chosen. Her face locked in fear as she was escorted out of the room. The next two girls were also sent away, one went quietly, the other kicking and screaming. Dasan’s daughter was next. Nadya and the other female who’d spoken were the last two. Nadya’s heart continued to pound in her chest. As it was, there were only three of them left, and two spots remaining. Maybe she was safe because they’d asked about her earlier. Maybe she had nothing to worry about. Surely if they knew she was Diamond’s property, all bets were off.

Dasan’s daughter was led to stand in front of him, where she too kneeled, her arms behind her back, her chest prominently on display. She smiled the entire time as her father walked around her, inspecting her. He didn’t remove his apron like he’d done with the women before her, but he did bend down towards her ear to whisper something that made her chin tremble and her eyes close.

When he stood, he looked towards the
Padja
, saying, “Not her. She will be bred with a Reaper. Make sure my son, Fursay, knows that is my wish.”

“Father, please. No. I will breed good males for you,” she cried as her shoulders shook with her loud sobs.

“No, you will breed magnificent Reapers. Your senses are sharper than most of my children. You will be perfect for them, Daph. Do not fret. I will make sure the
Padja
gives you something for the pain.” His hand swept gently across her cheek.

The male, who must have been Fursay, stepped forward, tugging on Daph’s chains. The girl did not move; instead, she pleaded her case to her father once more. Dasan looked down at his daughter, a look of anger flashing in his eyes before he roared, “Go! Now! Or I’ll give you over to the Dark Ones.” Daph’s body jerked in despair before she stood to follow Fursay.

Nadya knew without being told that she and the other girl were to be chosen as breeders for Dasan. The
Padja
walked towards Nadya, her steps slow and deliberate.

“Come, child.”

The chains were unhooked and she stood and made her way over to Dasan. She didn’t falter. She did exactly as he asked; she kneeled and placed her arms behind her back. She waited, hoping her moment would come when she could escape.
You have no clue where you are.
She didn’t, but anywhere was better than here at this point. Dominika and Anna were likely dead. If they weren’t, Attia would abuse them until there was nothing left. Anna was too old and worn to be useful.

“This one has good coloring,
Padja
, wouldn’t you agree?” Dasan rumbled as he walked a circle around her. His hands went through her shoulder-length hair, his fingers sifting through the threads as if she were an animal of some kind. “Soft and silky to the touch. Did she come in this way?”

“No, my lord. Her hair was much longer but matted in places. It was unacceptable.”

“I see.”

He walked to stand in front of her, and Nadya was relieved when he did not take his appendage out to rub it on her face as he had with the others.

“You are Nadya, yes?” Dasan bent low, lifting her chin with his thumb and forefinger.

“Yes.”

“Diamond tells me you are his property. Is that true?”

It wasn’t, but she nodded anyway.

“Too bad. I could have offered you a place beside me. With my other wives, you’d make for excellent breeding. Tell me, what are you?”

“I am just Nadya. I was hoping to secure a patron.”

Those were the wrong words to say, she knew it the moment she’d spoken them. She didn’t know what her actual price was, but she could very well end up with Dasan as her patron. The deal with Diamond was over. She’d given him a chance. His fate had been sealed when he refused to help her get her family back. The deal had been her family in exchange for her virginity. The moment her family was no longer an option, he’d still expected her to honor the contract. There was no contract. Something shifted inside her mind. Tugging on the edges of her subconscious. There was a seductive darkness growing inside, memories threatening to break free. Dormant until now, it had stayed quiet until realization set in. She was on her own from this moment forward. All decisions made now were about what
she
wanted.