Chapter8 New toys lose their shine fast
Maeve Thorne
Silas stopped walking but didn’t bother turning fully around. He only angled his shoulder, as if Gideon wasn’t worth the effort.
"Mr. Voss," Gideon’s voice scraped from behind us, tight with pain, “your new little vassal just assaulted me and my men. Elysium rules demand punishment for that kind of violence.”
That fucking bastard. The words exploded inside my head like a scream I couldn’t let out. After he tried to hand me over to his dogs like a piece of meat, he had the nerve to stand there and cry about rules?
The hypocritical piece of shit. My blood boiled so hot I could barely keep my face neutral. If I had a scalpel in my hand right now, I’d carve that smug smirk right off his face and call it corrective surgery.
Silas finally turned his head. His voice stayed flat, almost bored.
“Mr. Adler, you seem to have forgotten something. Until she signs the contract, she isn’t my vassal. She’s a doctor you illegally detained and tried to rape. What she did was self-defense.”
Gideon’s mocking smile froze. I watched the muscle in his jaw jump as the words landed.
My heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my teeth. Silas had just ripped Gideon’s story apart in front of everyone. But the victory felt hollow. I still felt Gideon’s eyes crawling over my skin, promising payback.
Gideon forced a calm mask back over his face. "My apologies for the misunderstanding."
Then those ice-blue eyes locked on mine. "Still, as someone about to become Mr. Voss’s vassal, allow me to offer some friendly advice, Dr. Thorne."
He stepped closer. My stomach dropped.
"Don’t forget that every new vassal must pass the Elysian Gala evaluation. I happen to be one of the judges. One month from now, I’ll be scoring your… performance very carefully."
"If you fail," he continued, lips curling with ugly satisfaction, "you lose all protection and get handed back to the original authorities. No exceptions."
The threat sank its teeth in deep. One month. Even if I signed today, I had thirty days before I’d be forced to perform like a trained dog while Gideon sat in judgment.
Fail, and I’d be delivered straight to the people who wanted me erased.
He wasn’t finished. His voice dropped to a venomous whisper only I could hear.
“Everyone knows Voss gets bored fast. New toys lose their shine. Maybe he won’t even last a week with you. When that day comes, I’ll be waiting. Ninety days is nothing. I’ll have you in a black site, screaming, before anyone even notices you’re gone.”
The words punched straight into the softest part of me. Even if I survived the Gala, the contract only bought me ninety days.
After that, if Silas decided I was no longer useful, I would be thrown back into the wolf’s mouth.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. Instead I stood perfectly still, breathing through my nose so no one would see how badly I was shaking.
Silas said nothing.
He simply stared at Gideon for a long second, the corner of his mouth lifting in what might have been amusement or contempt. Then he turned away as if the entire conversation had been background static.
“Maeve Thorne. Keep up.”
His voice was calm. Too calm. That silence hurt worse than any denial could have. He didn’t refute Gideon’s claim that he would tire of me. He didn’t reassure me. He just walked away, expecting me to follow like an obedient pet.
*Why didn’t he say anything? Did he already know he’d get bored? Was I just a temporary fix for whatever sickness lived inside him? *
The questions burned like acid in my chest as I forced my legs to move. When I passed Gideon, he leaned in, breath hot against my ear.
“You won’t escape me. At the Gala I’ll make you understand real despair. And when Voss discards you like the disposable whore you are, I’ll be the one who drags you into hell.”
My skin crawled so violently I nearly vomited. I didn’t look back. I just walked faster, chasing Silas’s rigid back like it was the last floating debris in a shipwreck.
The elevator ride to the top deck was suffocating. Neither of us spoke. When the doors opened, the air felt heavier, thick with authority. The biometric doors to his sanctum parted for him without a sound.
Inside, the lights were low. Thick curtains blocked out the sea.
Silas walked to the bar cart and poured himself a whiskey, back still turned to me.
“Sit.”
I lowered myself onto the edge of the sofa. The spotlight burned my eyes. He stepped into the light, forcing me to tilt my head back to look at him. The power imbalance was deliberate. I was exposed.
He remained half in shadow, completely in control.
“Before you sign,” he said, voice low and clinical, “you need to understand the rules.”
He took a slow sip, eyes never leaving mine.
“First. The moment the Eden Act is signed, your body, your time, and your will belong to me. No one else on this ship—including Adler—can touch you, command you, or harm you. That protection is absolute.”
It sounded like safety, but we both knew it was ownership.
“Second. You will wear a biometric collar at all times. It monitors your heart rate, location, and vitals. Any attempt to run, self-harm, or endanger what is mine, and I will know instantly.”
My breath caught. A leash. A tracker. A constant reminder that even my heartbeat wasn’t private anymore.
“Third. You remain a doctor. You will treat important guests when required. But your primary duty is to me—twenty-four hours a day. When I call, you come. No exceptions.”
Are you kidding me? The thought shot through my brain before I could stop it. He’s collaring me, owning my body and my time, turning me into his personal prisoner, and he still expects me to clock in like a regular employee?
Jesus Christ, even in hell they probably give you a day off. The ridiculousness of it almost made me laugh out loud in the middle of this nightmare. At least it cracked the suffocating tension for half a second.
He set the glass down and placed a small silver jewelry box on the table between us.
“This is your biometric choker. Once you sign, you wear it. Always.”
His dark eyes pinned me in place.
“Knowing all of this, Maeve Thorne… do you still wish to sign?”
