Semper: A Dark Cult Romance (Stygian Isles Book 2), page 13
Her eyes filled with warmth and affection. She genuinely meant it.
"Best friend?" I finally said, trying to keep my tone light, though there was an awkwardness in my voice I couldn’t hide. "I didn’t know we’d come that far."
Her smile didn’t waver. She just laughed softly, waving away my hesitation. "Oh, come on, Lolita. Don’t overthink it. I mean, who else do you have right now?"
The question lingered in the air, hitting harder than I expected. I swallowed, feeling the weight of my isolation creep in. She wasn’t wrong.
"Keres and Pandora?" I said though it came out more like a question than a statement.
Esther puckered her lips and shook her head. "They don’t get to be your best friends. I saw you first." She grinned, a playful glint in her eyes that was impossible to ignore.
For a moment, her light-heartedness was infectious. Then the memory of Anya crept in, dragging a wave of guilt with it. Here I was, living in luxury, sleeping in a bed that felt like a cloud, next to a man who was too gorgeous to be real, indulging in lavish meals, all while my best friend’s whereabouts remained a mystery. I hadn’t even tried to ask about her. I was too afraid to bring her up again after what had happened the last time.
I never forgot about her, though. Like now, every time I felt myself slipping deeper into Alexander’s world, I couldn’t help but wonder if Anya was suffering somewhere. It reminded me of a conversation we’d once had. "If you get on with a rich guy, bring me along for the ride," Anya had joked, flashing her usual mischievous grin.
I laughed then.
I wasn’t laughing now.
Esther studied my face and then nodded, as if confirming something. “You need to get out of this big house for a few hours. I told my brother—not Diabolus—I was coming to get you. Keres and Pandora will meet up with us in town. How does that sound?”
The offer was too tempting to pass up. The idea of staying in the house alone, with nothing but my thoughts, felt suffocating. I nodded, managing a small smile. “Yes, I’d like that.”
Esther’s face lit up with excitement. “Perfect!” She clapped her hands, then called out for Ambrose.
He appeared like he always did, quick and silent like some kind of ghost. “Yes, Domina?”
Domina?
“We’re heading out for a bit,” she announced, her tone carrying a note of eagerness.
He gave us both an amused look and then turned to me, his tone gentler than before. “You don’t have to go, Mistress. If you’d rather stay you may.”
He’d said something similar just moments ago, but I still wasn’t used to the idea that I had any sort of autonomy here. “No, I want to,” I said after a beat, smoothing my clothes.
“In that case, try not to get into too much trouble.”
Esther laughed. “I make no promises!” She grabbed my arm, tugging me toward the door, and before I knew it, we were climbing into the same sleek car that had brought her to the estate. The driver tipped his hat to me in greeting, and soon, we were off, the estate fading into the distance.
The drive was quiet at first, the soft hum of the car filling the silence. I stared out of the window, watching the Isle’s landscape pass by. It was beautiful, hauntingly so.
I turned to Esther. “Did you hear what happened to Nicolette?”
She nodded, her face softening. “I’m the one who reported her.”
My stomach dropped. I wasn’t sure how to react. I studied her, waiting for some kind of explanation.
Esther sighed, her cheerful demeanor slipping for just a moment. “I didn’t want to, but she was leading you astray, Lolita. She was trying to put ideas in your head and sow discourse between you and my brother, that could hurt you. I had to report her, not because I wanted her punished but because I wanted to protect you.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Nicolette’s words had never seemed dangerous to me. At most, she warned me….oh. That was it. Nicolette told me about Clarice and Melanie.
There had to be more to it than that though. Alexander wasn’t exactly hiding their identities or what he’d done to Melaine.
Esther’s words hinted at something deeper. Of course, she knew more than I did—she was Alexander’s sister. For all her brightness, she was deeply ingrained in the shadows of this place, in the rules and the faith I was still being educated in. On the one hand, I understood her reasoning, but on the other, it felt wrong. No. It was wrong. Yet, in some perverse way, I could see her logic.
Part of me still wanted to challenge her, to argue that Nicolette hadn’t deserved what had happened to her, but I knew that this was the way things worked here. Esther had only done what she thought was necessary. The rules of the Isle, as brutal as they were, had a certain order to them, and breaking them, as Nicolette had, seemed to lead only to suffering.
Esther gave me a small smile, her hand squeezing mine when I took too long to respond. “I didn’t want that for you.”
I swallowed and took a breath, glancing at the driver. “Do you know how she is at least?”
She brightened immediately. “Well, it hasn’t been that long, but my father tells me she should make a full atonement.”
“Your…father?”
“Yes.” She nodded happily. “He isn’t Diabolus anymore, but he still works closely with Alexander and his Magistri in running the Isle.” She tilted her head and studied me, looking even more like her brother. “I heard you finally met him.”
I nodded this time more cautiously. “Yes, a while ago now. He… found me after the service when everything happened to Nicolette. He didn’t tell me his name, though.”
Her expression softened, but there was something in her eyes I couldn’t quite place. That confirmed for me that she knew more than she was letting on. But that was the way of everyone here, wasn’t it? Layers of secrets wrapped in smiles.
“You’ll get to know him better soon,” she said, her voice carrying that same mix of reassurance, “And don’t worry,” she added with a smile that was meant to comfort me, “he’s not as scary as he looks.”
“I wasn’t scared,” I lied, forcing the words out before I could think better of it. The truth was, I was still shaken from the encounter. The eerie resemblance between her father and Alexander lingered in my mind.
Esther gave me a knowing look, one that said she saw right through me, but to my relief, she didn’t press the issue. She didn’t need to.
In the quiet that followed, I could feel the weight of the questions she wasn’t asking, the unspoken things that lingered between us. There were many I wanted to voice, but I couldn’t bring myself to mistake her kindness for loyalty or someone in whom I could openly confide. If it came down to it, she’d choose Alexander over me in an instant. The realization wasn’t new, but it was a subtle reminder of where I stood and how precarious my position really was. Unless I fully accepted my life for what it was now, there were things we’d never be able to discuss. There will always be a boundary between us.
When we arrived at the town and stepped out of the car, Esther’s bubbly energy seemed to return in full force. She looped her arm through mine as we walked down the cobblestone streets, her laughter light and infectious. It was easy to get swept up in, especially after that car ride. We made our way down a sidewalk and entered the same bakery I had visited before, its warm, inviting smell of fresh bread and pastries immediately wrapping around us. Inside, Keres and Pandora were already seated at a table.
Pandora wore her signature blindfold, a soft cream that matched her dress, while Keres was leaning back in her chair, her usual easy grin plastered across her face. Beside them were their servitors, Drita and Nanno, each quietly observing the room.
“Finally! Thought you two were ditching us,” Drita joked, her accent thick. She greeted us with a playful wink to show it was all wholesome fun. Her long dreads were tied back in a tidy ponytail, and she was dressed in a way that showed she was of lower status, her dress a muted color much like Nanno.’
“Never,” Esther laughed, her mock-serious expression doing little to hide the warmth in her eyes. “Besides, our Sponsa Diaboli needed a breath of fresh air.”
I kept my face neutral at the shift in title. I wasn’t surprised. Esther was always the first to ensure that, in the eyes of the Isle, I was addressed correctly. I felt the weight of the title more with each passing day, a reminder of what I was becoming.
Pandora, though her eyes were hidden behind the familiar blindfold, tilted her face toward me, offering a gentle smile. “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m better now that I’ve had a moment to breathe,” I replied, slipping into the seat beside her. “How about you?”
“That’s good to hear,” she said, her voice as soothing as ever while Nanno silently poured her a fresh cup of tea. “I’ve been taking things one day at a time.”
For the next hour, we sat together in the bakery, the conversation flowing easily.
It was too normal, a stark contrast to the weight of the Isle’s dark rituals looming over us. Yet, in that moment, it was comforting. The tourists passing by barely registered, their curious glances becoming little more than a distant hum in the background. We simply existed, suspended in this rare moment of calm.
Keres, Pandora, and I exchanged idle chatter, their servitors and Esther hovering nearby to join in, always attentive. As I sipped my iced Frappuccino, a tinge of curiosity gnawed at me. The way Pandora moved, her calm demeanor—there was something more beneath the surface. Her connection to the man in the deer mask—Phoenix—seemed too easy, too seamless. It made me wonder how she fit into this world.
Pandora.
Phoenix.
The names aligned in my head; their connection was obvious once I thought about it. Could they be…?
No that couldn’t be the case. Pandora was brought here the same way Keres and I were. Then again, her past could be just as murky as mine. I shook the thought away, trying not to dwell on it. I wasn’t going there. Keres caught my eye and gave me a look as if to ask, “Are you good?”
I gave her a smile as if to say, “Yeah,” but k she knew better. She understood we couldn’t speak openly where we were, if ever. That meant keeping all the heavy stuff to ourselves. Our other option was to confide in the men we belonged to. I wasn’t sure what that looked like for her. Her presence was a puzzle I couldn’t quite piece together, even less so than my own connection to the Isle. She didn’t seem like the type to bend easily to anyone’s will, and yet she was here, tied to this place just like the rest of us.
It made me question if anyone ever really escaped the Isle’s grasp.
After our coffee, we moved from shop to shop, winding up lingering in a boutique. The air smelled faintly of lavender and leather; racks of clothes spaced out like art displays. Keres picked up a jacket, inspecting it with a raised brow.
Esther reminded me that whatever I wanted could be sent back to the estate with just a word. Keres couldn’t resist making light of it.
“Look at you, living the high life. Rich and so humble about it.”
I forced a smile, but the joke tugged at something deep inside me. Rich. The word felt foreign, almost laughable when I thought about how far I’d come from the life I once knew. I couldn't help but think of Anya. If our positions were switched, would she have thrived in this world?
She had always seemed adaptable, like she could fit in anywhere she wanted to. But the Isle was different. It wasn’t fitting in—it was about survival. Could she have survived this? I wondered if she would embrace the wealth, the luxury, and the dark, twisted allure that came with it.
Maybe she would’ve found a way to charm her way into every room, spinning webs of her own. Or maybe she would’ve fought it harder than I ever had. I wasn’t sure. But I knew one thing for certain—she wouldn’t have been as trapped as I was.
That thought made the guilt twist in my gut even more.
Keres must’ve seen the shift in my expression because she leaned in slightly, her voice softer. “You know I’m always ready to be a sounding board, right? You can talk to me if you ever need to get something off your chest.”
Before I could respond, Esther, who had been busy at the other end of the boutique, suddenly chimed in, her tone light but her ears clearly tuned in. “Same goes for me, Lo. You can talk to me about anything. My lips are sealed.”
I forced a smile, my hands tightening slightly on the hem of the dress I’d been pretending to admire. I didn’t believe her for a second. Esther was many things, but a confidante who wouldn’t run straight to Alexander? That wasn’t one of them.
"Thanks," I replied to them both, keeping my tone light.
Keres gave me a look, something that told me she understood more than she let on, before shrugging playfully and turning her attention back to the racks of clothes. Pandora stood beside a display of jewelry, her fingers lightly grazing a few pieces as Nanno described the colors to her.
I couldn’t help but notice how peaceful she seemed as if she’d been living like this her whole life—navigating without sight, but never appearing lost. As we stepped out of a shop and onto the sidewalk, a woman suddenly rushed out of a nearby storefront and headed right toward us, her face flustered. She quickly composed herself, aware of the tourists, but it was clear something was wrong.
“You need to get to the Delacroix residence,” she said urgently, her voice low. “They need the closest hands.”
Esther stepped forward, a frown forming on her face. “What’s happened?”
“The babe,” the woman replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
The name Delacroix clicked in my mind. That was the couple from the Chapel—the beautiful pregnant woman who had kept her gaze down the entire time, and her husband, Jamison.
"Of course, we'll go," I found myself saying naturally, the words slipping out before I could even process them.
The woman glanced at me, did a quick double-take, and then immediately bowed her head. "Sponsa Diaboli, thank you."
"You should get back inside," I replied, noticing the growing interest from the tourists lingering around us.
She nodded quickly. "Of course," she said before retreating into her shop, disappearing from view.
As casually as possible, we began following Esther’s directions, weaving our way through the streets toward where we needed to meet the driver. He was always on standby for moments like this, ready to whisk us away at a moment's notice.
“You handled that well,” Keres remarked.
I blinked, not really understanding what I had done to deserve the compliment. "I didn’t do anything."
“No,” Esther said with a small smile. “You did right.”
I shifted uncomfortably, wanting to change the subject. "What do you think is wrong with Cassandra's baby?"
Drita, Keres’ servitor, answered. “She chose a home birth,” she said, her tone carrying a hint of disapproval as if that explained everything.
I frowned but didn’t press further. Homebirths weren’t uncommon where I was from, but there was clearly more to it here on the Isle. We continued in silence until we found the black SUV waiting for us. We all squeezed inside, the tension thickening the closer we got to our destination. The town faded behind us as the SUV carried us away, the streets becoming more secluded, the homes increasingly grand. It wasn’t long before we reached a gated neighborhood, the kind of place that screamed privilege and security.
The brick brownstones and manicured lawns marked the area as what would easily be considered above middle-class. Gated security at every turn ensured that the inhabitants were safely tucked away from prying eyes.
As we drove through the gate, Nanno, Pandora’s servitor, turned to the three of us and said, "You will want to brace yourselves."
Pandora furrowed her brow. "Brace for what?"
But Nanno didn’t answer, her expression giving nothing away. The tension in the car thickened as we pulled into the driveway of a large, imposing brownstone. The second we came to a stop, a piercing scream shattered the stillness, cutting through the air like a knife.
My stomach twisted violently, the sound triggering an immediate reaction of nausea and dread, but I followed Esther out of the vehicle, my legs feeling wobbly beneath me.
We hurried toward the front door and were ushered inside without hesitation. The screams grew louder as we made our way up a winding staircase, each step making my heart pound faster. By the time we reached the top, my body felt frozen, my hands trembling at my sides. The noise was deafening now, Cassandra's wails of agony reverberating through the halls. Without a word, Esther opened the door.
CHAPTER NINE
The scene inside hit me like a punch to the gut. Cassandra lay sprawled on the bed, drenched in sweat, her face twisted in agony, gripping the sheets as though they were the only things tethering her to reality.
She wasn’t alone.
On a bed identical to hers, across the room, lay another woman—also heavily pregnant, her body wracked with labor pains. The crisp white linens beneath her were stained with the unmistakable signs of childbirth, blood, and fluid seeping into the fabric.
Keres stepped in behind me, her voice low but sharp. "What the fuck is this?"
Before I could respond, Esther and the servitors rushed past us, moving with purpose. They knew exactly where to go and what to do, their faces set with a grim determination I hadn’t seen before.
"Stay there," Esther called back as she moved toward Cassandra. "We’ll oversee this."
Confusion clouded my mind, and instinctively, I reached for Pandora. She stood beside me, her blindfolded gaze staring ahead blankly, her hands trembling at her sides. "What’s happening?" she asked, her voice wavering.
I exchanged a quick glance with Keres, both of us unsure how to explain what we were witnessing. "It looks like..." I faltered, "two women in labor. One of them is Cassandra, but the other..." I trailed off, trying to make sense of the scene.
We carefully moved Pandora out of the way, guiding her to a chair in the corner of the room where she could sit.
