Cassie sat on the metal bench of the cafeteria-style table, listening to the sound of her friends’ breathing. The seat was cold on her bare bottom, but after being whipped so many times, it felt good. A cool breeze blew in through three small vents, barely a foot square in size and the tiled floors were oddly warm. It was a strange combination of sensations.

The small group of girls had been delivered into the room after being beaten, where they were instructed to remain until called for. They were given a meal of German pancakes, bratwurst, with bread and raspberry jam, and milk to drink. They had plastic trays to eat off, a plastic cup, both with their number on it. There were cloth napkins, again with their number stenciled on the corner, and plastic spoons and forks, but no knives. Cassie assessed that even a plastic knife could be used as a weapon, though she doubted it would scratch the tough hide on their black tour guide.

As time slowly ticked away, all that could be heard in the sterile room was the sound of scraping against the trays. The girls forced themselves to eat, fearful of disobeying Liam who ordered their trays to be cleaned of all food when he returned. The fact was, they had no idea if, or when, they would be fed again, and at least the cramping from a full stomach was more pleasant than the torment they had already endured.

“How did you do it?” Justina asked in a hushed whisper, causing Cassie to look up from the pancake she had been playing with for the past ten minutes.

“Do what?” she asked with a frown, looking at the girl’s lip that had swollen to the size of a deep red cherry.

“How did you handle the beating without crying?”

“I just did.”

“I have never felt such pain in my life,” Francesca said as tears once again fell to her cheeks. “I suppose I deserved it. I called him for help, and this was how he thanked me.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Cassie told her, looking up at the camera that watched them. “He was determined to get his hands on us. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I should have played his games until I found a way to get us out of the village.”

“Do you think your friend is here?” Violetta asked, keeping her voice low enough that anyone who wanted to listen would have to strain to hear them.

“She’s here.”

“Do you think she went through this?” Isabella asked.

“Yes. I think every girl he brings here goes through the same torture. They called it our first lesson of obedience. I’m sure there will be more.”

“Why is he doing it?” Bianca asked with a deep frown. “What can he possibly earn from beating us half to death?”

“Control. Power. Domination. He wants to prove he’s superior over women, and it will continue until he’s succeeded in proving his point.”

“What if we pretend to obey him?” Violetta asked in a hopeful whisper. “Do you think he will stop?”

“No,” Cassie said, shaking her head. “I think it will make him confident enough to sell us, and then where would we be? If we’re going to get away, it must be here, and we’re going to have to make it difficult for him.”

“How?” Maria asked.

“I don’t suggest encouraging them to increase the beatings, but that doesn’t mean we have to let them think they’ve won. I’m going to make their jobs as difficult as I can.”

“Why did he take us?” Justina asked. “Just because we were the only girls in town?”

“No, I don’t think that was it, at all,” Cassie told her. “Sophia mentioned there were other guests at the lodge when she was here. She even sent me a picture of two other couples. I spoke with one of them the day we tried to leave the village, and there was no mention of anyone else missing. The man I spoke with was under the impression, Sophia was taken to the hospital, because of an appendix attack. And there was that other couple, the night we had supper. The woman was beautiful, but she’s not here.”

“Then why us?” Violetta asked.

“I’ve been thinking about that. What is it that we all have in common?” The girls stared at her with curious frowns. “We have nobody,” Cassie continued. “We have no parents, no families, no siblings, nobody to alert the authorities if we don’t return. Nobody would come looking for us. We have jobs, friends, that sort of thing, but for all intense and purposes, we’re orphans. We’re easy to mourn, and just as easy to forget. Even Sophia is an orphan.”

“Why should that matter?” Francesca asked.

“Because there’s nobody who will miss us, stupid,” Maria said. “Weren’t you listening?”

“How are we going to get free?” Isabella asked, looking up to the camera. “The entire town is on his side. You saw those women in the shower. There’s nobody who will help us.”

“Maybe, but we still have to try. There is the town priest. And that woman at the lodge. She warned me to leave before it was too late. I’m sure we can find someone to help us. I’m not going to give in until I’ve given up. And I’m never going to give up.”

Anne stood in front of Hans, her eyes cast to the floor as the guard instructed when he delivered her into the room. She was afraid of Hans’ reactions if she disobeyed and feared what he would do to the girls if she didn’t follow his orders.

Hans sat in a leather chair, next to a small wooden table. He had a glass of dark liquid next to his elbow, and a folder in his hands. He remained silent as he read the results of his background search, making Anne standstill for several long minutes. She felt weak from the beating, and her legs shook, whether out of fear or lack of strength, she wasn’t certain. She feared she would collapse to the floor if she had to stand much longer, but the fear of what the man would do to her if she did, kept her upright.

“501,” Hans said, reading aloud from the papers. “Anne Russo, age 34, born in Milan to Aldo and Nadra Russo. I have your background, but I don’t have your history. What makes a woman like you, go from being a mother to being a nun?”

“I am not a mother,” she said, fighting the urge to cry.

“You have given birth.”

“Yes.”

“Where is your child?”

“I don’t know,” Anne said in a soft voice.

“Did you give it away?”

“No.”

“Then, where is it?”

“He was taken from me when he was born,” she answered, her voice strangled with emotion. “The nurses felt I was too young to raise him.”

“You’ve never seen him?”

“No.”

“How old were you?” Hans asked, a small degree of sympathy echoing in his voice.

“I was fourteen when he was born.”

“Who was his father?”

“My mother’s second husband.”

“I see,” Hans said, standing from his chair, and moving to the bar in the corner, where he poured a single glass of wine. “So, your father…”

“Step-father,” she corrected quickly, then bit her lip. She didn’t care if he gave her a thousand beatings, she would never claim that monster as her father.

“Step-father,” Hans corrected in a soft voice. “Were you a willing participant in the creation of the child?”

“No.”

“He raped you?”

“Yes.”

“How long did he use you?”

“Two years.”

“Did he kick you out when you became pregnant?”

“No, I left.”

“Why?” he asked, taking the glass, and walking over to her.

“I was afraid of what he might do to the baby if I stayed.”

“Commendable,” Hans said, handing her the glass.

Anne frowned, but reached out and accepted the drink. She watched him take a chair from beside the small dining table and pull it forward, ordering her to sit.

“Is that why you became a nun?” he asked, returning to his chair.

“I was rescued by a priest and sent to Our Mother of Mercy. I offered my life to God for saving me from a life of hell.”

“And now you’re here,” he said with a wicked grin. “One hell for another, is that what you’re thinking?”

“We all must live a life of purgatory, so we may live with our Lord again. The style and depth of despair are ours to make.”

“I am not a religious man,” Hans told her in a soft, disgusted voice as he crossed his legs, and took a sip from the glass he picked up off the table. “I do not believe that there is a God or a hell, so don’t try and persuade me to your fanatic ideas of saving the soul.”

“I would not try to convince you of anything,” she told him. “Sometimes we inflict hell on others, to make ourselves feel better about the decisions we make.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?” he laughed. “You think this castle is my chosen idea of hell?”

“I have seen and endured many things in my life, but nothing as horrendous as what you have done to innocent young girls.”

“And what have I done?”

“Beatings, humiliation, assault. This list seems to grow by the minute.”

“I see,” he said in a thoughtful tone. “So, let us discuss your religious ideas for a moment. You believe that your God created woman from the rib of man, do you not?”

“That is what God did.”

“Do you believe Eve was guilty of the sins she committed in the Garden?”

“Eve’s sins were hers to bear, and she was punished for her indiscretions, by the Lord.”

“Why did she disobey God’s commandments and eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge?”

“She was persuaded by Satan.”

“Because she wanted to know more about the things that she was denied.”

“Yes…I suppose you could say that.”

“And in the attempt to hide her sin, she gave the fruit to Adam.”

“Yes.”

“I suppose, you could blame Adam for Eve’s indiscretions,” Hans said a moment later, watching the frown pull the woman’s brows down across her eyes. “If he had more control of the woman, she would have known to obey the rules and she would not have sinned in the first place.”

“The devil was stronger than their will. Adam paid for his sins, as God dictated.”

“But Eve was warned not to eat the fruit,” Hans argued in a calm voice. “Adam was forced to pay for the sins of the woman and was cast out of Eden for all eternity. If you believe in what the bible says, it is because of Eve, mankind has suffered millenniums of pain and grief. Eve is proof that women are conniving, evil creatures if they are not controlled. Adam realized this too late, and so his burden has fallen to his sons. Controlling the woman, helping her erase the sins her mother Eve caused, is an inherited obligation all men must obey. Women were made from the rib of man; therefore, they were made from his flesh. It is their duty, and their obligation to thank him for his sacrifice. The only way a woman can show her gratitude to a man, is with her body, just as Adam used his to create her.”

“Women were made from the rib of man, to be by his side. Not beneath him like a mattress.”

“Ah, but a woman’s body is soft and much more pleasurable to rest against, than a mattress. Have you never found pleasure in the touch of a man?”

“No,” Anne replied honestly, looking down at the glass in her hand.

“Have you ever tried?”

“No.”

“Then perhaps it is time you did,” he said, causing her to look up to him and frown.

“I have given my soul to the Lord,” she told him. “I have given away all earthly desires, physically and emotionally.”

“In this castle, I am your lord,” he assured her in a calm voice. “As a nun, you underwent lessons of obedience. My lessons are no different, except that you know what the punishment is. Your duty from this day forward is to serve me and to obey my demands. Prove to me that you are obedient, and you will be rewarded. Disobey me, and you will be punished. Failure to follow my commandments will prove painful for you, and your girls. Do you understand what I’ve told you?”

“Yes…,” she said hesitantly.

“I will test you when you least expect it, and you will obey as a woman should. Disobey me three times, and I will make your body available for the use of my guests. Do you know what that means?”

“No…not really,” she said with a frown.

“It means, you will be presented to my guests for their pleasure. You will be touched, and used, spanked, and fucked, until you no longer care if you live or die.”

“You are a monster,” she gasped with a horrorstricken expression.

“No, I am the lord of this castle, and my orders will be obeyed. You will learn the harsh reality of what disobedience means, and you will be punished severely for your defiance. Now, drink your wine, then stand up.”

Anne looked down at the glass with a frown but did as she was ordered. She set the glass on the dining table beside her and stood up, her arms to her sides, and her eyes cast down.

“Remove your garment,” he ordered, watching her hesitate. “I do not repeat my orders, without first offering a reprimand for disobeying.”

Anne reached up and slowly slid the straps of her chemise down her arms, allowing it to fall to the floor. Hans watched her with interest, then smiled when she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her breasts with her arms.

“Uncover your breasts so I can look at them,” he ordered, watching her face turn a deep shade of red as she obeyed him.

She was a lovely woman, despite the red bruises her lesson had left across her slender body. He stared at her for a few moments in silence, allowing her time to adjust to standing naked in front of him. He took a sip of his bourbon then set his glass aside and stood from his chair. Very slowly he walked the short distance to where the nun stood. A wicked grin caressing his lips.

The idea of making a holy sister respond to physical pleasure was a challenge to see if her control over her physical desires were stronger than his.

“I am much like your serpent in the biblical garden,” he said in a soft, low voice. “Tempting the woman with the promise of knowledge and pleasure is nearly as overwhelming as it must have been that fateful day.”

Anne didn’t say a word, but her hard, erect nipples spoke volumes. As much as he knew he could shake her foundation, he also knew this was not the woman he wanted.

He had to earn the beautiful blonde and work his way through the masses to get to her. Still, he had to teach this woman to obey, when she was ordered to perform as a woman should. It was his duty, and his responsibility to the castle, and his heritage.

Slowly, Hans walked around Anne to stand behind her, making his intentions, anticipation to heighten her senses. He reached out and touched her shoulders, smiling when she jumped. Hans slid his fingers down her spine, one vertebra at a time, causing her to shiver slightly. He moved his fingers down to her buttocks, smiling when she flinched and tightened her cheeks. He squeezed her butt firmly in his large hands, before walking around her again, stopping a few inches in front of her. He watched as her breath caused her chest to rise and fall at a steady rhythm, and he knew she was beginning to anticipate his touch.

Hans reached out and cupped her breasts in his hands, squeezing them gently before pinching her nipple between his fingers and thumbs. His smile grew when she gasped in surprise. It wouldn’t take much to bring this woman to her knees, but he wasn’t ready for her to be there just yet.

He toyed with her delicate flesh for several long moments, then bent his head forward and kissed her breasts. His tongue traced the outline of her areola, one at a time, before he sucked one deep into his mouth, causing her gasp to sound deep.

Moving to the opposite breast, Hans paid equal homage to it, before releasing them and slowly walking behind her again. His warm arms wrapped around her waist, squeezing a breast with one hand, as he reached down and cupped the soft curls between her legs with the other. He smiled when she gasped a third time but continued to press her up against the hard wall of his chest. He caressed the curls for several tantalizing seconds before sliding his middle finger between her labia. He chuckled softly as his touch was met with the warm moisture her anticipation had created.

“You are a beautiful woman,” Hans whispered in her ear, as he gently began to play with her clitoris. “Your body is tattling on you. You enjoyed having your breasts in my mouth, and you’re enjoying the touch of my finger against your neglected body.”

Anne remained silent as her breathing increased to a soft pant. Her mind woke to the sensations, anticipating his actions. When he leaned down and kissed her neck, she gasped again, but this time it sounded more like a growl, shocking her own ears.

“A woman’s body is a thing of joy,” he whispered. “Do you know why this is called a pussy?”

Anne remained silent, causing him to chuckle again, then lick her ear with the tip of his tongue.

“Like the cat, a woman’s pussy loves to be petted and stroked. They like to be played with and teased. They deserve pleasure, and they need to feel the heat of passion in the arms of a man to make them purr like a kitten.”

“I have given my life to God,” she whispered, causing him to chuckle as his lips moved down her neck.

“Unlike your God, I am not willing to make you wait an eternity before I reward you. I will take what I want when I want it, and you will surrender yourself on my altar. When I have finished, you will be showered with praise and rewarded with gifts only I can offer.”

Hans easily slipped his middle finger inside her wet vagina and slowly began to thrust it in and out of her. Anne tried to resist but found herself moaning as his lips moved across her shoulder to the opposite side of her neck. Her body began to quake, and she heard a small voice in the back of her mind whisper, the body is weaker than the spirit.

Anne squeezed her eyes again, trying desperately to fight the heat his touch was burning to life inside her, but it was becoming more difficult with each slow thrust. She felt suddenly very warm and sweaty, and when he slipped a second finger inside her, she nearly cried out. She could feel the heat of his desire press up against her tender buttocks, then listened to his deep chuckle, and realized she was rubbing up against his arousal.

“I can hear your purr,” he whispered against her ear. “I could make you enjoy an afternoon in my world of hell. A woman’s duty is to reunite her flesh with the flesh of man, and no rule says she should not find pleasure in it.”

He began thrusting against her more rapidly until she was panting. Hans pinched her erect nipple hard as his thumb caressed her clitoris, causing her to moan again.

“Purr for me, my kitten,” he ordered, and she moaned deep in her throat, sounding like a cat. “You cannot resist me. I make the rules, and I set the limits. I can please you, or I can bring you pain. And I can make you cum on my command.”

Hans kissed her neck and squeezed her breast, as his breath caressed her ear. He pressed her back against him, listening to her moan as she rubbed her sore bottom across his hidden erection.

“Now, kitten,” he growled next to her ear. “Cum for me.”

Without warning, the woman felt the eruption of sensations explode inside her. She let her head fall backwards, resting against Hans’ shoulder as she cried out her release. It was the most incredible feeling she’d ever had, and deep inside her, she didn’t want it to end. She felt her knees buckle then found herself cradled on his lap when he sat down in the chair behind them, his fingers continued to torment her.

Anne felt his mouth on her breast as she arched in his embrace, taking the sensations further inside her. Her hips thrust against his hand and she found the flames ignite again. She clung to his strong arm and cried out, feeling the incredible rush of heat flow through her.

“Scream, kitten,” he ordered. “I want to hear you tell me you’re cumming.”

Anne obeyed and screamed her release, listening to his deep chuckle.

“Beg me to make you cum again,” he ordered.

“Yes, please,” she pleaded. “Please make me cum again.”

Hans released his hold on the woman and stood up, setting her in the chair. He watched her for a moment as she writhed on the cushion, then walked to the set of drawers in the corner of the sitting room. He removed a small velvet pouch from the top drawer and walked back to the chair.

Kneeling beside her, Hans lifted one leg over the arm of the chair and removed a small white vibrator from the pouch. He flipped it on and pressed it against her clitoris as his mouth once again began to suckle her breast. Anne’s eruption was immediate, her breathing labored and urgent as she growled violently. She clutched the arms of the chair and moved against the vibrator, panting and moaning like a banshee.

Slowly, Hans allowed her to come down from her plateau, shutting off the small device. He reached his fingers inside her again and smiled as she gasped. Removing his fingers from her quaking body, he placed them against her mouth, caressing her lips until they were both wet with the evidence of her climax.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered in a soft growl, then quickly slipped his moist fingers inside.

Anne’s eyes opened, and she tried to pull away, but he had her pinned in the chair too tightly to move.

“Lick your cum off my fingers,” he told her, but she tried to shake her head as his fingers tightened against her teeth. “Do as you’re told, or I will tether you to the bench and whip you again.”

Anne frowned as he gripped her chin with his free hand. The threat of pain, or the deprived perversion of tasting one’s own body? The choice was difficult, but Hans helped her make it quickly when he released her chin and smacked her bare hip with his hand.

The woman gasped, remembering the torment she had gone through a short time before. Slowly, she began to move her tongue against his fingers, squeezing her eyes tight as Hans watched her. It was only natural that she would be hesitant, but she did disobey him, and he would punish her for that once she was finished. He would make certain she did not reject him the next time she found something in her mouth.

Once Hans was satisfied that she had learned her first lesson in the use of her tongue, he removed his fingers and took her by the hand, standing her up in front of him. He walked her to the sofa and sat down on the cushion, then quickly pulled her across his knees.

“When a man gives you an order, you will obey,” he told her in a deep voice. “Tell me what you did wrong.”

Anne was shocked and humiliated by the situation and didn’t know how to respond. Hans raised his hand in the air and let it fall with a sharp smack against her sore buttocks, smiling when she gasped.

“Do not disobey me or your punishment will be worse,” he warned her. “Tell me what you did wrong.”

“I…I did not…do as I was told…” Anne said, fighting the urge to cry.

“What were you told to do?”

“Lick…your fingers…” she answered in a small voice.

“I gave you satisfaction, and you repaid me with disobedience. That was not only rude, but it was also insubordinate. When a man issues you an order, you will obey without hesitation, despite your fears or inexperience. This is a lesson that would serve you well to learn now. For punishment, you will receive three strikes. You will count each one, and when I have finished, you will rise and thank me for teaching you this valuable lesson. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Anne said weakly.

Hans raised his hand in the air and allowed it to strike against her tender flesh three times, smiling as she counted each one. When he had finished, he took her by the arm and stood her back on her feet, watching her stagger slightly to regain her stance.

“Thank you,” she whispered staring at the floor as Hans stood and walked her back to the chair.

“In the future, you will refer to me as Master,” he told her, slapping her bottom once more, this time more playfully than punishing.

He picked up the phone and pressed a button, then ordered his guard to his room. Hans then turned back to face the nun, smiling at the weak, embarrassed woman before him. She was beautiful, and perhaps in time he would share her body, but for now, he was going to surrender his hold on her…for a short time, at least.

“I believe that you have been honest with me about your past,” he told her. “As a reward, I am going to give you the pleasure you have long been denied.”

Anne looked at the man with wide eyes, and he could see her fear, but it made no difference to him. He saw fear in the eyes of every woman he had known since he was old enough to know what a woman was. It was a look he had grown accustomed to, and one that assured him, he was the master.

The loud three rap knock sounded at his door, then it opened slowly and the large dark frame of his number one guard stepped in. Anne looked at the man in horror, then looked back to Hans.

“Liam is my most trusted guard and trainer,” he told her, then turned back to the man in question. “501 has only experienced the pleasure of orgasm once. See to it she learns more about it, then return her to the others. You may do with her as you wish. I give her to you as a gift but make certain she is fed and well cared for. I will not have her so weak, she cannot finish her training.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Liam said, walking to Anne, and taking her by the arm.

“Obey my wishes, Nun,” Hans told her when she hesitated, “and you will not be punished again. Disobedience receives the pain of the strap.”

Anne walked out of the room with Liam, completely naked, though she wasn’t sure how she was making her feet move. She was terrified at what he was going to do to her, and yet she was more afraid of what would happen if she didn’t give in to Hans’ orders. She’d already suffered a beating by the strap, and a spanking from the man himself. She could only imagine what he had in mind for a third round.

Once the two had left, Hans sat down in his chair and smiled. He would similarly work through the others, saving Cassie for last. He had special plans for her, and he was going to make certain he was ready when the time came.

The room remained silent as one by one the girls were taken away, then returned unharmed, just flustered and very nervous. They each reported being asked a series of questions about their pasts, questioning the report of the examination, they were told occurred while they were unconscious, and the background search Hans did on each of them. They each had endured a session with his fingers, except for Justina and Maria, then returned to the Community Room. The only excuse they had, was that they were still virgins, though Cassie was certain that condition wouldn’t last for long.

The heat of pain radiated up her spine, and into her face, and Cassie could feel the swelling from the strap across her cheek. Her jaw ached all the way up into her eye, making it difficult to see. Even her ear felt hot and swollen. Her head ached from everything that had happened over the past few hours, and she was growing weary of playing Hans’ game. The longer she was forced to wait, the more aggravated she was becoming.

“If they are taking everyone in order, then why didn’t you go first?” Justina asked Cassie who was beginning to tap her fingers on the metal table.

“I was wondering the same thing,” she answered quietly. “I was told to line up last, I was punished last, and apparently I’m left to endure that bastard’s interrogation last.”

“But you’re number 500. That should put you first,” Violetta said in a whisper.

“You would think so.”

“Do you think that means there are over five hundred of us here?” Violetta asked with a frown.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Cassie said, standing and walking to the ice machine for some water.

Maria’s interrogation seemed shorter than the others and she was returned to the room before she was really missed. She sat at the table with a scarlet red hue to her face and neck, and Cassie was certain she could see a slight purple mark on the side of the girl’s neck. Maria wrapped her arms around her torso as the tall dark-haired guard took Bianca to meet her master. Once again, that left Cassie as the final one to be interviewed.

Lunch was served on their numbered trays, while they waited, but eating was the last thing on Cassie’s mind. It had been hours, and Anne had not returned to the group, nor had the large black guard. She had no idea what had happened to her, and each girl reported that she was not in the main castle, where they were led to meet with Hans. So, where was she? What had that monster done to her?

At last, Bianca was returned to the room, and Anson opened his mouth to call for Cassie, but she beat him to the punch. She stood before the girl even sat down and marched boldly up to the man. She was ready to see Hans and wanted to have it out with him, despite how much pain her anger might cause her. She was tired of playing his stupid game of dominance and punishment, and she wanted out of this ridiculous, humiliating outfit.

The man stood beside Cassie as the elevator rose to the main portion of the castle. The soft humming sound seemed to echo in her tired brain and she drew a deep breath of disgust to steady her nerves. The lift came to a halt and the doors opened, leaving Cassie no choice but to follow the guard through the great hall.

Despite her original idea of how the castle would look, the interior was quite lovely. The floors were Italian marble, and the walls were covered with soft gold embossed wallpaper. A large chandelier hung in the center of the foyer, and a wide-set of stairs led to the upper floor. There were four suits of armor against the wall by the base of the stairs, and large paintings of men from different eras hung in the foyer.

Cassie looked around and saw two halls leading off the front entrance, each going in a different direction. The doors that opened out onto the world were a set of dark wood, with tall narrow stained-glass panels beside each one, and above it. The walls seemed alive with the dancing rainbows cast on them by the sun shining through the colored panes. She paused for a moment, looking at the doors. Her freedom was just feet away. All she had to do was…

“Don’t try it,” Anson told her, seeing where her attention had fallen. “The only way out is through a forest of wolves.”

Cassie stared at the man for a moment, wondering what he was doing in this place, abusing young women. He had a kind face, not like anyone she’d seen so far, with blondish-brown hair and dark blue eyes. He was very muscular, but not quite as large as the black guard was, and his voice wasn’t as gruff and menacing. If she had to describe her first impression of him, she would have to say he was kind. At least kinder than the others had been.

With a hesitant glance, she continued to follow him up the stairs to what appeared to be a ballroom. It was huge, and she could imagine grand parties being given in the room, with music, food, and laughter. It must have been a wonderful place to visit, long ago, before the Baron began training women to be whores.

The man walked beside her across the ballroom, and through a hallway at the back portion of the castle. They walked up another flight of stairs, not as large as the one in the foyer, but just as impressive with an ornately carved banister. She glanced over the railing as the guard led her down a hallway that looked onto the ballroom.

Cassie found herself in awe of the elegance of the room with its highly polished floor. In the center of the gleaming wood was a gold embossed coat of arms, with a winged serpent in the center, surrounded by leaves and wreaths of garland. Along the bottom edge were two sets of wolves facing each other, and along the top was two large fish with spears cast through their bodies. In a way, Cassie could imagine herself as one of those fish. She felt as helpless and as lifeless as they were.

The walk down the hall continued as it circled the ballroom. The walls were dark wood paneling to match the banister, while the carpet was burgundy and green floral design, with a double gold line border. Several paintings hung across the wall, two were of hunting scenes, three were of well-dressed women, and in the center, was a large, ceiling to floor length portrait of a man in medieval clothing.

Hanging over the ballroom were four massive crystal chandeliers, and at least another twenty or more portraits of men, a few with women, others on the backs of horses. Against the wall, directly across the upstairs hallway, was a large wooden bar, Cassie estimated to be at least twelve feet in length. There was a set of cut glass mirrors behind it, and two closed doors, one on either side. The sun shone into the ballroom through a wall of windows, and glass doors that opened out onto a veranda, and Cassie estimated it must have been midafternoon. In all, the place was truly magnificent, at least the portion she was looking at was.

At last, the guard came to a halt and Cassie found herself outside a set of double doors. She realized there were only two sets of matching doors in the entire length of the hallway, and she remembered something she heard once, of royalty having private apartments. For a moment, she wondered if it was the same with German royalty as it was with the British.

The guard turned to Cassie and silently stared at her. She didn’t feel as frustrated or as angry as she had been down below, but she was still determined to make Hans answer some questions. If he wanted to play games, he would have to find someone else to be his puppet. She had found herself at the end of her patience.

“You will stand still, your arms to your sides and your eyes cast to the floor,” the guard told her in a soft voice. “You are not to look at the Master unless he tells you to. You will speak only when spoken to, and you will answer his questions without hesitation. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she replied boldly then watched as he knocked on the door, then pushed them open.

Cassie immediately looked down, determined to follow the instructions, at least until the man left. Then she would let the chauvinistic Baron know exactly how she felt. She moved with the guard to a spot where a small rug had been placed, certain it was the designated waiting place for the women who were brought before the Master. She forced herself to remain still and quiet as the guard stepped back to the door, awaiting his next orders.

Hans’ back was to her when she entered, and she knew he was trying to bide his time, in the attempt to make her feel uncomfortable and anxious. The room was silent as he poured the liquid into a glass, and from what the girls told her, he served each of them the same wine as he interrogated them. She felt the frustration she thought she’d lost, returning with a vengeance, and she felt certain she would burst with the intensity of it.

“So, my dear woman,” he began in a soft voice that was filled with seduction. “We have saved the best, and the most interesting, for last. I must say, you are very unpredictable. You’re also quite naughty. You told me your friend was engaged, but that was a fib, wasn’t it?”

Cassie didn’t say anything as she clenched her jaw. The pain in the side of her face awoke and she felt it radiate down her neck, but she didn’t care. She had to try to retain her anger, if possible, at least until the guard left. From what the girls told her about their time in this room, there were no guards when Hans began the physical portion of his interrogation.

Hans walked around the bar, a glass of wine in his hand, a smile of anticipation across his lips. He was anxious to see how far he could take this young beauty, and he was eager to feel her soft body pressed against his.

“What the hell happened to your face?” he asked, stopping within inches of her and looking at the purple bruise beneath the halo of golden hair.

“Ask your man,” she told him as she looked up under her long lashes. Hans set the glass on the table, next to the chair the girls had sat, then gently lifted her chin, inspecting her injury.

“Anson, who did this?” he growled, turning back to the man standing by the door, and silently cursing himself for not watching the monitors better.

“Axel, My Lord,” the man said. “He lost his temper during her punishment and struck her once more.”

“Get him,” Hans ordered, moving back to the bar, and taking a clean rag from behind it. “I will meet him in the library.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Anson said, leaving the room to complete his orders.

Cassie was silent, watching him place several ice cubes into the rag, then brought it back to her.

“Sit down,” he ordered, leading her to the large, comfortable chair he had been sitting in all day. “I will deal with Axel for doing this to you.”

“He was following your orders,” she told him, grimacing slightly as she sat, then flinching when he placed the rag against her face in an act that was both tender and caring.

“I ordered him to begin your lessons, not to hurt you.”

“What the hell do you think he was going to do in that room? Slap my knuckles with a ruler?”

“I understand you’re upset, and all things considered, you have the right to be, but I will not allow you to speak to me in this manner. You are mine to command, not the other way around.”

“Then get on with it, or leave me be,” she snapped, pushing his hand away and standing up.

She walked back to her spot on the carpet and stood facing him, just as the guard had instructed her to do. Hans watched with a dumbfounded expression for several long moments, but she hadn’t seen it. All she could see was the rug beneath her feet.

“Why are you a virgin?” he asked with a frown as he straightened up and walked to the bar, setting the rag on the counter.

“Because I am,” she replied.

“That’s not an answer,” he scolded her.

“It’s the only one I have.”

“Why hasn’t a man relieved you of that problem?”

“Because they haven’t.”

“You’re about one step away from getting another beating,” he growled.

“Then do it,” she growled in a low challenging tone.

“You are a stubborn little bitch,” he said in an angry tone.

Cassie didn’t comment, or answer him, but found herself fighting the urge to smile when he growled under his breath. He took the glass of bourbon he’d been nursing most of the day and drank it in a single swallow, then filled it again.

“Let’s start over,” he said with a deep sigh to steady his anger. “You came to Hennhofen to find your friend. What was it about her death that you didn’t believe?”

“Everything,” she told him, raising her head to look at him. “I told you, Sophia is far from being careless, and the only dangerous thing she ever did, was meeting you.”

Hans stared at her with narrowed eyes. She may be beautiful, she may have an incredible body, but he was not going to stand there and allow her to talk down to him. This was his castle, and she was nothing more than a woman.

“Why did you lie to me about her being engaged to Thomas Patrick?” he asked, sitting on a stool in front of the bar.

“I didn’t. Sophia and Thomas were lovers. I never said they were engaged. I said he asked her to marry him, and he had several times, but she would never give him an answer. And I don’t remember telling you his name.”

Hans paused for a moment debating on whether to tell her his secrets or not. He knew it could be his trump card against her, or it could prove his downfall from ever obtaining what he wanted.

“You were right,” he clarified, at last, watching her closely. “Sophia isn’t dead. She’s here, and she’s mine, just as you are. I have control over her, and I will have control over you, too. She was much easier to train than you are, though, and very pleasurable. She’s learning her lessons well and obeys my every command.”

“You’re disgusting,” Cassie told him with a snarl.

Hans walked to her, grabbing her by the arm so hard, she was certain he would break it. She stared at him defiantly, refusing to allow him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting her.

“Tomorrow, you will be taken back into the punishment room, and you will be beaten until you beg for mercy,” he told her in a deep, angry growl.

“You’ll have to kill me first,” she assured him in a hushed whisper. “I will never conform to your perversion, and I will never allow you to turn me into a mindless puppet who obeys your every wish.”

“Is that a fact?” he asked, with an amused grin, then laughed, releasing his hold on her arm. “So, it is going to be a battle of wills. This might prove interesting. But I have something you don’t. I have seven women who will pay the price for your disobedience. Eight, if I decide to add Sophia to the mix.”

“Even you aren’t that cruel,” she said, watching him walk back to the bar.

Hans turned with a sneer of contentment on his handsome face. He looked her over from her bare feet to her swollen face and felt the stirring of his libido begin to twitch.

“Would you care to test me?”

Cassie stared at the man through narrowed eyes. She knew he would push her to the brink of surrender, and she would be forced to submit to protect the others. But then a thought came to her. Perhaps there was a way she could use his desires to her benefit.

“What do you want?” she asked, seeing the lust cross through his eyes.

“I want you. Obedient, compliant, and willing to do as I order. I want you in my bed, available whenever I desire, and willing to perform as I command.”

“You want me to be your private whore?”

“I want you to be my lover.”

“Why?”

“Because…that’s none of your business. Do you agree?”

“Is that all you want? For us to be lovers?”

“No, but it will suffice for now.”

“I am a virgin, remember? Why would you want a virgin when you can have any of the millions of women you’ve stolen?”

“You are untouched, unsoiled, and pure. I want to be the first and only man to touch you. I want you to give me your body, and your virginity.”

“For what price?”

“The price of your friends,” he told her bluntly. “Surrender to me, and I will give you everything your heart desires.”

“I believe that’s what Satan said before he was cast out of heaven.”

“You compare me to the devil when I offer you a life of luxury and passion?”

“You offer me a life of hell, and I am forced to accept, for the sake of my friends.”

“So, you will agree to my offer?”

“I don’t see where I have another choice.”

“You may think that way now, but in time you will see how much better your life is with me.”

“I said I agreed, but you will never own me. I am an individual, and I will never stop resisting a perverted fiend like yourself.”

“We’ll see about that,” Hans chuckled, walking back to her and picking up the glass of wine he’d set down when he saw her injury. “I suppose you think you can escape my castle?”

“I will never stop trying,” she promised him, absently accepting the glass.

“Where would you go? Wolves surround the castle. You have no one to help you, and no money to go anywhere.”

“I have money, and I have friends,” she assured him, walking around him to the bar and setting the glass on the counter.

“You had money, and you had friends,” he chuckled, watching her move about his sitting-room freely.

“What did you do?”

Cassie turned to him and glared, as she tried to clench her jaw again. The image of the memo the newspaper sent around flashed in her mind, and she could feel her heart skip a beat.

“I did nothing,” he told her in a feigned display of innocence. “But I’m afraid there was a horrible accident that has closed the mountain road, so that takes away your means of escaping.”

“What kind of accident?” she asked with a suspicious frown.

“It seems the bus was taking some guests down the mountain when a mudslide washed out the road. I’m afraid the passengers were all killed instantly. You may have met them at the lodge. A nun, an Italian girls’ choir, and a reporter from New York. They were going to Garmisch-Partenkirchen late last night but never made it. The bus rolled down the mountainside and burst into flames. It will take months, perhaps years, or maybe never, to recover the bodies. That is if the wolves don’t get to them first. The village is virtually isolated until the road is cleared. I suppose the village owes them a debt of gratitude. Hennhofen has voted to enlarge the road, so the mountain must be cut back. Once a new road is built, it will be paved, and a retaining wall built to keep drivers safe. We can only hope it is finished in time for the next ski season.”

“You son-of-a-bitch,” she growled, turning to try and find something to throw at him.

“I take what I want, and I protect what is mine,” he told her with a sneer. “Don’t challenge me, little girl, unless you’re able to accept the penalty of defeat.”

A soft knock sounded at the door as the wine glass sailed past Hans’ head, smashing into the wall beside him. The arrival ended the argument, but the look on the man’s face assured her she would pay for her actions.

Hans called out to enter, and Anson stepped into the room. He glanced from Hans to Cassie, and back again. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on, and he could feel the stress between the two radiating off the walls.

“Axel is in the library, Your Lordship,” he told Hans.

“Excellent,” Hans answered, then took Cassie by the hand. “You will come with me. It is time you see exactly what happens when my orders are not followed.”

Cassie ignored the man’s insinuation and allowed him to take her wrist. She could feel the fingers around the bruise from the straps, and she flinched for a moment. She couldn’t help but notice the look of triumph in his eyes. He was a sadist. He enjoyed inflicting pain, and she knew immediately that he intended on causing her as much as he dared.

Hans took her out of the room, and down the hallway to the back stairs. He pulled her along beside him as they crossed the ballroom, to the side hall. Cassie noticed several closed doors, and couldn’t help wondering if they were bedrooms or sitting rooms like she always imagined a castle would have. Then she shook the thought out of her head. She wasn’t planning on being around here long enough to find out the secrets of this castle.

He led her to a room at the end of the long hallway, then paused with Anson for a split second, as he opened the door to find Axel inside. He was behind the bar, a cut crystal glass poised against his mouth as he drank the amber-colored liquid.

The man looked up when the door opened, to see the Baron, the woman he had beaten, and the man he called a friend, step into the room. He silently finished his drink and set the glass on the bar’s counter, then walked around to stand in front of it.

“Your Lordship,” Axel said with a half bow.

“Sit,” Hans ordered Cassie, and glared at her with a silent warning until she moved to the end of the upholstered sofa and sat down.

“You were given specific orders to give this woman her first lesson in obedience,” he said, confronting Axel head-on. “I did not give you permission to beat her. If anyone is to beat a woman in this castle, it will be me.”

“Yes, Your Lordship,” Axel said with a tightening of his jaw. “It will not happen again.”

“No, it won’t,” Hans told him.

Cassie watched as the Baron balled up his fist and let it fly into the man’s face. Axel stumbled backwards but righted himself before his butt met the carpet. She stared at the two with wide eyes, as their movements seemed to fade in the blur of a few moments. Axel came at Hans with all the anger he had hidden inside, connecting his fist to the Baron’s lip.

Hans was barely moved by the force of the man’s arm, but he retaliated in kind, and punched him again, this time knocking him to the floor. Axel coughed and sputtered for a moment but managed to get back up. He was winded and dazed, but he was determined to get the better of the larger man. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the bar where he’d set it and came at Hans again, but the Baron was ready. He stepped aside and let his fist move upwards into the man’s stomach, once again sending him to the carpet in a kneeling position.

The fight continued for just a few short minutes until Axel lay on the floor in a puddle of blood. His neck and arm were broken, and his lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. Hans’s lip was swollen and bleeding, and he had a bruise on his jaw from where Axel’s fist had connected with him. He wiped the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand, then turned to Anson who had remained silent the entire time.

“Take care of this mess,” Hans growled through an angry stare then reached for Cassie’s hand, and pulled her to her feet.

“Yes, My Lord,” Anson answered, and stepped aside as the Baron and his woman moved to the door.

Anson turned and looked to his friend’s dead body as the door slammed shut. He shook his head in disgust. Axel knew better than to rile the Baron’s temper, and yet he insisted on allowing his anger to get the better of him. His arrogance had convinced him he was stronger than the castle’s owner, and his overconfidence proved to be a fatal mistake. Now he was dead. Another victim of the wolves to warn the village and keep them under the Baron’s control.

Taking the man’s body by the arms, Anson lifted him off the floor, and across his muscular shoulder. The sound of his broken bones crunched next to his ear as he walked out of the room. He left the house by way of the front door and moved down the ten concrete steps to the circular driveway. He continued to walk around the side of the castle, past the pool, and the rose garden, to a fence that separated the grounds from the animals.

He pulled a small switch down, turning off the electricity that ran through the metal squares, then unlocked the gate, and stepped out. He tossed Axel’s body to the dirt, with a shake of his head, before reaching for the whistle that called the animals to dinner. He could hear the growling of the beasts nearby and knew they were hungry. The scent of blood was the perfect seasoning for their meal. When they finished, he’d arrange to have the remains of the body taken to the edge of the forest for the town to find.

Anson returned to the safety of the main grounds, and locked the gate again, then lifted the switch, turning the electricity back on. As he walked toward the entrance of the castle, he could hear the overwhelming growling and snarls of the wolves as they found the man’s body. He thought of the events that had just happened with a frown.

One day, the Baron would meet a man stronger, more dangerous, and much more powerful than he was, and when that day came, he hoped he would be around to see it.