Finding Eternal Peace (2 page)

From her seated position, she gazed up and down each table in between bites of food. Thoroughly going down each seat, waiting for something to jump out and grab her attention , Megan grew frustrated.
Come on, I know you’re here, Allison. Where has Lord Stephen been keeping you all this time?

She swallowed without tasting the food. If she found Allison, she’d have to control the way she reacted, because without a doubt someone watched her every move. Cameras lined every room and drove her insanely paranoid. Even in the bathroom, she never felt completely alone. She hadn’t relaxed since the moment she walked through the doors with the other newcomers.

The skin at the back of her neck tingled, and the desire to flee to the nearest exit kept her on edge. In this place, she was always on guard. No one stood out; no one met her gaze, but someone watched her actions. She was sure of it. Something didn’t feel right.

She turned at Rosie’s gasp over the arrival of Lord Stephen, and hurried to push her plate away. Lord Stephen strolled up to the loudspeaker at the front of the room and waited until everyone’s attention came around to him.

“Good evening, my special friends, my lovers, my people.” He paused and smiled. “You are one day closer to finding eternal peace within.”

His gaze traveled down each table. His lips were cemented in an upward tilt that rang false with Meg, but the others ate it up. Under the table, her hands balled into fists. The others sat hypnotized by the drone of his words.

She steeled herself against becoming too upset. It wouldn’t do her any good if Lord Stephen suspected her of being anything but one of his devoted followers. She didn’t understand how all these people seemed to lose every ounce of self-respect and individuality around this man. He offered them empty promises and orgasms. What about love, security, and growing a set of balls…didn’t that matter to these people?

At the start of her enrollment, she’d suspected the leader of brainwashing the others, yet here it was almost a week later, and she remained fully rational. It didn’t make sense. Why had she not fallen for his pretty words, his promise of eternal peace, and the allure of what he offered?

Either her roommates partook in some form of drug, or they were the sappiest, weakest women she’d ever met. They moved around all day in a state of dreamed-up bliss where ponies came with rainbow tails, and Lord Stephen promised them the fountain of youth lived in their vaginas.

Lord Stephen turned toward the four people who stood off to the side of the podium, nodded, and removed the microphone from its perch. He strode between the tables. His hand caressed the heads of several people, and his lips moved with words not broadcast over the system for everyone else to hear.

His four chosen ones returned with trays laden with bowls that they set on the end of each row of tables. One after another, cups of dessert in the form of pudding made it to each member. She hid her distaste. Her lactose intolerant stomach rebelled at the sight. Why did the treats after dinner always have to contain milk?

Beside her, Jen finished her bowl quickly and, similar to the previous times, Meg hurried to exchange her full bowl of pudding with Jen’s empty bowl. She winked at the woman and let out the breath she held. She didn’t want to insult the leader by not eating what everyone deemed a special treat, but no way in hell was she going to eat something that sent her stomach into a great revolt.

A hand fell atop her head, skimmed the back of her hair, and landed on her shoulder. With only the sheet preventing the hand from touching her bare skin, she closed her eyes to hide her disgust.

“Now that you are all done, I have a special surprise.” Lord Stephen squeezed her shoulder and continued his walk around the room. “We all have made great strides toward finding the ultimate peace within ourselves. I am very pleased with the way you have given yourself over to Eternal Peace.”

He wove his way back up to the front of the room, stood behind the podium, and put the microphone back in its stand. “I would like to honor those who have gone the extra distance. Who’ve shown me how much they love each one of us, and who I can fully trust to join my private area.”

Applause broke out. Meg clapped along with the others. Obviously, this announcement pleased everyone.

“When I call out your name, please come forth and receive the special key that gives you permission to enter into the highest realm.” He held up a loop of string with a key dangling at the bottom. “This is the key to my bedroom. You may use it at your free will.”

The roar of clapping died down, a hush settled over the crowd, and Lord Stephen leaned forward over the microphone. “Lillian, Pamela, Julie, and…” His gaze swept the room, searching for another person to step up to the front. “Allison.”

Chapter Two

Meg’s head snapped up, and she stretched her neck to view the women walking up to the front. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth from where she bit her bottom lip. Damn that pervert for daring to utter her sister’s name.

Where was she? How had she missed her all these times?

There!

The roar of the celebratory cheer for the women, mixed with the blood rushing through her ears, muted all other sounds. She couldn’t make out what Lord Stephen announced. It didn’t matter anymore. She had found Allison.

Her eyes took in every inch of her sister beyond the bed sheet wrapped around her body. She appeared healthy, albeit too happy compared to the melancholy sister Meg had last seen.
Oh, God, sis, what have you done?

Allison never gazed in her direction, but returned to her seat. Meg pressed her palms on the top of the table and lifted her bottom out of the chair. Dammit! The back of a tall man’s head blocked her view of her sister.

People rose and moved to leave the dining hall, and Meg jumped up. Without waiting for her roommates, she pushed her way through the crowd to where she had last seen her sister, but the chair sat empty. She turned to scan the room, but Lord Stephen’s sheet-covered chest blocked her view.
Shit!

“Megan, dear, if you will follow me, I would love to have your company in my room.” He clasped her hand. Not unkind, or rough, but gentle, almost comforting.

He led her through the throng of people to a long corridor her roommates never took her down. Separated from the others, they strolled together hand in hand down the hall without a word spoken. She should be nervous, but with the new enlightenment that her sister did in fact remain within the walls of the commune, everything else meant nothing.

Her first free moment, she’d bring the place down around her ears to save her sister.

“Right this way, Megan.” He inserted a key, pushed the door open, and with his hand on her back urged her to enter his private domain.

She stopped, searched the perimeters, and found two doorways and one window that led to the outside of the commune. She marked each exit in her head in case she ran into trouble and needed to bust out.

“How are you enjoying your stay so far, Megan?” Lord Stephen dropped her hand and stepped away from her.

She swallowed. “I enjoy myself, Lord. I also like the people I’ve met so far.”

He nodded, but his smile never reached his eyes. “Very good.” He undid the belt at his waist that held his gown together. “I was hoping you would say that.” Fingering the long piece of material, he let the front of the wrap fall open. “Tonight, your training starts.”

Her gaze fell to the floor. She stared at his bare feet, not daring to look up and see what greeted her behind the cloth.
Shit.

“Come here and remove my robe.”

Her mind screamed not to do it but, keeping her sister at the forefront of her thoughts, she stepped forward and raised her chin. She’d do anything for Allison. She was the only family member Meg had left.

“Don’t hesitate. This is one of the many things I will teach you. You’ve chosen this new way of life. When I ask you to do something, you do it.” He reached out and tugged at a strand of hair hanging down in front of her shoulder. “Now, undress me.”

She reached out and slipped the cloth off his shoulders. Stepping around him, she gathered the robe and used precious time to fold the garment into a tidy square in an attempt to delay what came next. From the conversations she’d overheard, it was a common fact that you must please the lord first.

He removed the garment from her clutches and laid it on the edge of the bed. She kept her sight leveled on his chest. His very thin, bare chest. Chills shot up her back. He resembled a starving rat.

“Place your hand on my cock and make me hard.”

A storm brewed inside her head. The crash of blood pulsed in her ears. She fought to swallow the panic building inside of her. Her hand shook.
God, somebody help me.

Her fingers curled around the smooth, limp flesh. Moving her hand, she milked his dick, half hoping she’d fail to get a rise out of him. She wasn’t sure she had the nerve to go to the depth Lord Stephen asked of his followers.

“Tighter.” He closed his eyes and smiled. “Ah, yes, that’s it.”

His cock pulsed and grew under her fingers. A thousand tingles crawled up her spine and raised the hair at the nape of her neck. She wasn’t a stranger to having sex, but nothing about this man melted her insides. If anything, he made her physically sick.

“Take off your robe.” He reached out, ran his hands through her hair, and palmed her scalp. “I want to see every part of your body.”

Meg pulled her hand away from stroking his cock. She inhaled deeply, relieved to be able to stop touching any part of this man, and wishing he’d let her go. He left her feeling slimy and dirty.

She slipped the robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Lord Stephen stepped closer to her. His cock, hard and warm, pressed against her bare stomach. She shivered, making her nipples peak, but it wasn’t from excitement.

He lowered one of his hands and cupped her ass, pulling her closer and grinding himself on her body. She stared at his mouth, afraid to find out what came next, but unwilling to sacrifice her one sure way to make contact with her sister.

His lips hovered near her neck, and she turned her face away. The wet caress of his tongue licked a path from the sensitive skin beneath her ear, up, and around her earlobe. Tears came to her eyes.
Please don’t kiss me. Please don’t…

Lord Stephen pulled her face around and captured her lips. She moaned, not in pleasure, but in revulsion. Her hands came up to push him away, but the instant they encountered his bare skin, she yanked them back.

Groaning at the way his tongue invaded her mouth, making it impossible to breathe, she writhed against him. If she could wiggle her way out of his embrace, maybe she could explain that she needed more time.

“Oh, yeah, you want me.” He lowered his other hand to her ass and humped against her stomach. “Move that body.” He gazed down at her breasts and licked his lips. “I’ll make you my special fuck girl.” He groaned. “You’ll find eternal peace with me.”

An ear-splitting alarm sounded overhead. She screamed. Lord Stephen gave another groan, this time in frustration, and dropped his hands. She wrapped her arms around her waist. What the hell was that noise?

“Stay here.” He pulled his arms through the sleeves of his robe, gazed down at his now-flaccid cock, and shook his head. “This disappoints me.” Walking toward the door, he spoke over his shoulder. “I’ll come back, and you can make me hard again. I have a special feeling for you, Megan. You do the right things, and I might make you one of my women.”

Unable to decide what to do, she stood in the room staring at the wall. If she left, she’d never get a chance to talk to her sister. If she stayed, there was no way she could avoid having sex with him. The pervert got off on intimidating women.

Needing time to come to her senses and gather her courage, she turned and stepped toward the exit. The door swung open and banged against the wall. She gasped and backed up.

“Come on.” A man she’d never seen before motioned for her to follow him.

She covered her breasts, frowning. “Wh…who are you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “The answer to your prayers, sweetheart.” He glanced over his shoulder in each direction. “Unless you want to stay in here and fuck Lord Dickhead, you better get your ass over here and follow me.”

She scooped her robe off the floor and ran toward the door. Pulling the robe on, she plastered herself against his side and peered down the length of the hallway. Whoever he was, she agreed with his assessment of Lord Stephen.