Page 35 of In Darkness We Claim

I reach out and take Harper’s hand, and as I pull her to my side, she lets out a little yelp of surprise. Ryan turns to look at me as my cocky grin grows. “Isn’t it obvious? Harper is my Prize.”

Fuck, I couldn’t have sounded any more smug if I tried, but also a little proud. I have no doubt that out of all the Prizes in that room, mine is the most beautiful.

“No, she fucking isn’t,” Ryan growls, taking what I’m sure he thinks is a threatening step forward.

Just as I’m about to argue with him, Harper lifts her head high and replies to Ryan with much more confidence than I thought she was capable of. “Yes, I am. He asked, and I agreed.”

Ryan pauses for a long moment, clearly contemplating what to say to Harper’s no-nonsense explanation. When he finally speaks, there’s a vulnerability to his voice that he doesn’t even try to hide. “Why him? I asked too.”

Harper looks up at me, a sweet smile on her face, before turning back to Ryan. “Because I want to. I want Lawson.”

Fuck, those words go straight to my dick, making me twitch against my tight boxers.

Ryan looks lost for words, and also a little confused. Sienna, on the other hand, is absolutely furious. “Come on, Ryan. We need to go in before the ceremony starts.”

She practically pulls him into the Grand Hall, but all the while, he keeps casting backward glances at the girl he tossed away like she was nothing. Now she’s with me, and I don’t plan on getting rid of her anytime soon.

“Well, that felt good,” she chuckles, smiling at me as she slides her arm through mine. “Shall we?”

Her nod towards the door sends a jolt of adrenaline through me with the eager expectation of what’s to come. As we walk, I make sure Harper is truly prepared for the spectacle she’s about to endure.

“Do you remember everything I told you about the ceremony? No matter what you see or hear, you remain silent and still. Some Order Pledges may do things to their Prize that you don’t agree with; they may punish them in brutal ways to show their obedience. But no matter what happens, you are to sit and watch—nothing more.”

Her eyes widen and the soft smile she was wearing a moment before falls from her face. She pulls her lower lip between her teeth, worry getting the better of her.

“Will it be bad?” she asks, her voice so small and timid.

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know for sure, but I’ve seen some pretty bad things over the past couple of years. Obsidian Order members will do whatever they can to prove they’re in charge, that they’re the ones with the power, and sometimes that means using brutal methods that not everybody has as a kink.”

She opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, as if she’s trying to find the words, but can’t. I take pity on her and continue.

“When it’s our turn, and we’re called onto the stage, we are there to put on a show. Everybody in that room has to believe that you are truly submitting to me in every way a person can. If you show even the slightest hesitation, it makes me look weak—and I won’t fucking allow that.”

She swallows hard, her throat bobbing, before pulling in a shaky, gasping breath. “I won’t make you look weak,” she tells me, and this time, there’s no hint of uncertainty in her voice.

As we reach the doors into the Grand Hall, I take a deep breath before pulling them open. The room is packed full of Pledges from all four Houses, as well as other Obsidian Order members who have come along to watch. Everyone is in their robes and masks, except the third-year Pledges and their Prizes.

Harper tightens her hold on my arm, but keeps her gaze on the floor as she walks beside me. We stride down the aisle, with rows of chairs on either side, and I keep my voice low so only she can hear as I continue my explanation.

“The lower-ranking Pledges will go first, leaving the top three Pledges of each House until the end. There will be a lot of waiting around, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”

She looks like she’s about to say something, but before she can, I quickly grab hold of her shoulders and spin her around until she’s facing away from me. I pull her arms behind her back as I take some zip-ties from my pocket. She gasps loudly as I slide them onto her wrists, securing her hands together behind her.

I lean forward until my lips are beside her ear, my breath fluttering against her curls as I pull the ties tighter. “You’re mine now, sweetheart, and I want everyone to see that you’ll do whatever I tell you to.”

With her hands tightly secured behind her back, I walk us to the very top of the aisle, where there’s a gap on the front row just for us. I help her into the seat next to me, as I take the one on the aisle, loving the way she shuffles as she struggles to get comfortable with her arms tightly bound the way they are.

I lean closer to her again, keeping my voice a whisper, still just for her. “You better get used to being tied up, as you’ll be spending a lot of time strapped to my bed.”

My cock twitches as her mouth falls open and her breathing speeds up, the rise and fall of her chest only emphasising her great tits.

As the ceremony gets underway, Harper watches closely as some of the lower-ranking Pledges bring forward their Prizes. As I expected, they’re completely unimaginative in the way they show their control, with nearly all of them choosing to fuck the girls on the raised dais.

After over an hour of watching girls get fucked, it starts to affect Harper. A flush creeps up her neck, deepening the rosy hue on her cheeks, and her bright-blue eyes, now clouded with desire, grow darker. Her chest rises and falls in little gasps as she shuffles around, obviously trying to rub her thighs together to ease some of the ache I’m sure she’s feeling.

As I lean in, the faint scent of her perfume tickles my nose. My hand, warm and firm, settles on her thigh, and a delicate gasp escapes her lips, which brings a smile to my face. “Are you getting turned on, sweetheart?”

She turns to face me, her eyes wide as she shakes her head, but her body is betraying her. “N-no, I’m…” she trails off, not sure how to finish the lie.