Rite of Submission - Rite 1

18: Deal with the Devil

                My arms tightened around my chest, waiting for him to make a move. With a wink, he turned and walked away back towards the chairs. Frowning at the empty cups, he pulled a new bottle of vodka from a shelf beside him. With a deliberately slow pour, the cups were refilled and the bottle placed on the table beside them. With a slight bow, he gestured to the second chair. "Let's get comfortable," he sat in his chair. "I imagine that you'll prove to be a particularly tough negotiator." His lips twitched up at the corner, as if he was trying to suppress a smirk.

Irritated by the smug look on his face, I stormed across the room, grabbed a glass, tossing the entire contents down my throat. I immediately regretted the action as the clear liquid burned like molten lava all the way down to my stomach. I slammed the glass back down a little harder than I'd planned, fighting the urge to gag as he chuckled. I flopped unceremoniously into the empty chair and folded my arms back over my chest, annoyed.

"I've bargained many deals in this room." He purred, clearly enjoying this. "Usually, it's another Alpha in your seat, and you're only the second female to ever sit here, so I'll let you start us off. What terms do you propose?"

"It would be great if you'd be so kind as to just drive me home and never return!" I huffed sarcastically.

He smiled, picking up his glass and taking a small drink. "You're free to go home, after the terms of the contract are fulfilled, and it cannot be altered further. I'm suggesting we make a new, side deal, to make if more interesting."

"How am I supposed to know what has and hasn't been negotiated for me already?" I frowned. They had told me bits and pieces of the 'contract' when it suited them, but I didn't actually know what was in the damn thing. What could I ask for that wasn't in that contract, but was outlandish enough to talk him down to what I was willing to settle for? For that matter, what was I willing to settle for?

"Would you like to see them?" he gestured toward a set of shelves on the wall, "A copy is kept in here."

"I would actually," I sat up straight, surprised when he shot out of the chair grabbing two thin leather ledgers from the shelf he'd pointed too. He dropped them on the table beside me and eased back into his seat.

"I'll make sure copies are made for you to have if you'd like to have them, but you're welcome to peruse these while we're here for now." He cradled his glass in his hands as he watched me.

One was definitely older than the other. I opened the newer one, instantly overwhelmed by the legal words scrawled across the pages. "Why can't we just tear these up and be done with?" I asked.

"They've been filed with the Council of Elders. In the original agreement, it mostly talked about how our pairing was predominately to provide a stronger heir to reign as Alpha of the pack. That was the basis Sophia used to draw up the new contract a few years back. Any children I have will have no blood claim to Alpha of this pack unless they are born by you. The only loophole is for me to find a legitimate mate, as that would be considered divine intervention..."

I laughed, making him frown. "So nothing in here, is of any real use to me right now," I frowned. "I don't even feel like a real person any more. I'm just some line in a contract, being passed back and forth between you and your sister until you get what you want. The only person who gets anything is you! The only one who wins is you!"

"You're parents are granted permanent sanctuary by the pack, providing them safety," he settled back in his chair, nursing his drink, "and you are amply provided for."