A Master's Ring: Book 02

I grunted and leaned my head back.

"I wouldn't have allowed the Taus to do that to me if it weren't being done for you," she said quietly.

I lifted my head and looked at her.

"You make so many things easy, David," she said with a sigh. "I can even love Mel..."

She shook her head hard and took a deep breath.

"Enforcers enable nearly ten times the number of indoctrinations than any other Brother," she said. "You don't even have a crest yet, but you've brought in five new Siblings."

"They've all decided?"

"Keli needed the right push which you provided last weekend," she said. "Marie... well, she was more Melisa's idea than mine."

"What did Melisa have to do with it?"

"Your china doll blonde has a severe dislike for anything you want, living outside the Society's borders," she told me. "You fucked Marie after we gave you a black ring and that's enough for Melisa bring her in from the cold. She asked for my help since she's busy with Rachel. I did most of the work, but Melisa hooked Marie. Actually you hooked her, Melisa only attached the line."

Sometimes Siblings made me a little dizzy; specifically, Melisa-thinking made me dizzy.

"Alyssa is on the verge now," she continued. "She's enjoying the foreplay before her commitment but if you crooked your finger she'd jump into your palm."

"And now there's Sandra and Emily."

"They've been there, David," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's the name of the president of our sorority?" she asked suddenly.

I shrugged; I had known her name but...

"What sisters can you name that aren't Siblings?" she asked.

I shrugged again; she knew the answer would be Rachel, Alyssa, Sandra and Emily.

"You could name every sister if you had to; but those two have their own special place in your head and they know it. You let them know it without ever saying a word. Most of my sorority would happily fuck you silly, but you only notice the two that will accept a Sibling's ring if we offer it," she said with a wide smile.

"That makes you happy."

"It adds to my feeling of security," she replied softly.

I nodded.

"You're going to make my job of fixing indoctrination easier," she said distractedly.

"More Siblings to indoctrinate than around an average Brother," I said connecting the dots.

"Yes," Doris Alex replied. "I think Emily will be the first one I indoctrinate personally."

"Why her?" I asked.

"My first was going to be Katherine, but Bloodline indoctrination is too different for me to learn anything from it?"

"Who is Katherine?" I asked.

She snapped her head towards me and froze for a couple of seconds.

"You asked why Emily," she said ignoring my more recent question.

"Yes, I did."

"Sandra is a senior; too close to graduation for us to pull her out of school for indoctrination and her Brother tour," she said. "I'd rather she be done with her old life and start a new one completely."

"Alyssa isn't a senior," I pointed out.

"She's too far in," she replied. "She's on the other side of the verge. She's already said 'I Do'; you're choosing to let her enjoy a long walk down the aisle. I won't have the opportunity to study the decision points."

"There's Marie, even if I wasn't expecting to be with her again," I said.

In a way, it made sense Melisa did not let Marie slip out of my hands; Melisa-sense but still logical.

"For all intents and purposes, you were her First Brother, David. She didn't have to know about us to make her choice," she said. "Whether intentional or not, Marie's indoctrination began with your night together. She told me about it; I'm amazed she didn't have you wait while she packed a bag to move in here. It wasn't the sex either; it was finally being herself during sex. Although, I wonder if maybe her indoctrination shouldn't be watched. Her experiences are in a different order than the standard Sibling."

"Marie can't be the only Sibling that had sex with a Brother and then was corralled into the Brotherhood. Have Anna find one and see if the Sibling is willing to shoot one of the Foot."

"You're right," she said with a sigh. "Marie isn't unique just different."

"So Marie, Sandra and Alyssa are out," she continued. "Keli had her process worked on by Cori, and those two are almost twined which I'd rather not deal with at this stage."

"Emily is..." I started to say but did not quite have the words for it.

"I know," she said as if I had spoken something meaningful. "My preference would be for someone who had no contact with a Brother prior to my getting my hands on them. I have to start somewhere, and her schoolgirl crush shouldn't be that big a skew. Every Sibling falls in love with her First Brother."

"She's very gentle," I pointed out.

"I don't need to prove she can kill you after indoctrination, David," she replied. "I have to go through the process of indoctrinating a normal Sibling so that I, at least, know how it is done before I try to understand it better."

I nodded and leaned my head back again.

"You sent Cori to me because of Keli," I said.

"Yes," she replied. "I knew you wanted Cori so it killed two birds with one stone. You got your hands and other things on Cori; we got Keli. Cori needs her so everything worked out nicely in my opinion."

I wondered if anyone in the Brotherhood ever did anything for one reason only.

"Did you enjoy your weekend?"

"Cori is fantabulous," I said.

"You were more than she imagined," she replied. "She's very grateful for what you did with Keli and asked when you might need another vacation."

I smiled.

"I was thinking Cori, Keli, and a beachside hotel for spring break would be nice."

"For me or for you?" I asked with a laugh.

"I was thinking Melisa and I would stay in one room; those two could stay in another, and you could take over whichever bed you wanted that night."

"I like that," I said with a nod. "What about the other Siblings that live here?"

"No!"

"Really now, let's not be too opinionated," I teased.

"Sorry," she said not sounding sorry at all. "I have fantasies about Cori too, and a week on the beach with her would be very awesome. Tiny bikinis look so good on her."

"Okay," I said settling the issue.

"I have something for you," she said a minute later.

I raised my head and stared at her. She handed me the black box.

"For the rapists?" I asked taking it.

"Keli was the Siblings' last test," she said. "Every Brother is important to a Sibling, but only one is their first. Thinking of you will warm Keli through the months of indoctrination. You are Bloodline so it was fitting that in your last test for the crest, you gifted us with two new Siblings."

"Isn't this Melisa's responsibility?" I asked.

"I gave up my Rank to her so that I could do this," she replied.

I smiled knowing how tempting being top Sibling would have been for Melisa. There was more though so I looked at Doris Alex.

"I won't be your first crested Sibling, but I will be your second," she said.

I opened the box; a ring like the one I wore around my neck rested inside. This one had my new crest on it. I closed the box and squeezed my eyes shut.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Jason would have made an exceptional Sibling," she answered. "Melisa's not really your First, is she?"

I shook my head slowly.

"I think my frustration with the way Melisa handled you was caused by not understanding that. Melisa knew and accepted it. You never talk about him, but it's obvious we were blessed to have him prepare you for us," she said solemnly. "I doubt he could have been indoctrinated so there would have been two people watching your back. I'm so sorry he died, David."

"How much do you know about us?" I asked her.

"We know everything that wasn't just between the two of you," she said. "We got our hands on Jason's design for his tattoo. I'm a Sibling; I know when one of us is preparing to wear a Brother's crest."

I opened the box and stared at the crest on the ring again; a wolf inscribed inside of a moon.

"Your crested Siblings will wear the colors in reverse. It was Melisa's decision," she said standing up. "Even in that, you're different from other Brothers; their crested Sibling use the exact same design and colors on their ring."

I pulled the ring out of the box as she walked out. It felt heavy with responsibility when I put it on my hand. I sat staring at it for a long time. Jason rarely talked to me when death was not nearby so he had nothing to say about what the Siblings chose for my crest. I laughed loudly as a thought struck me. Jason did not just prepare me for the Brotherhood; he prepared them for me.

=====Chapter 36=====

I watched the airplane land. Melisa, Doris Alex and Janet stood behind me.

"That should be her plane," Melisa said sadly.

I nodded.

"You should wait here, David," Doris Alex said. "Janet will bring her to us."

I turned my head to watch Janet walk towards the terminal gate. Melisa grabbed my hand and leaned her cheek against my shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Melisa," Doris Alex said stroking my First's hair.

"I know," Melisa whispered. "I know."

A half-hour passed before Janet, followed by a woman who towered over her, returned. They walked towards us until they stood a couple of feet from me. I turned towards them; Melisa and Doris Alex slid into position behind me.

"Brother," the woman said.

I studied her. She was a couple of inches taller than Doris Alex with a deeper shade of red hair. Her clothing was chosen to display a feminine body while hiding the details. The effect was to let me know what was there but only because I already knew what was there. I reached up; her muscles tightened as I pulled her sunglasses off. The bruises had not faded completely but her makeup hid the discoloration well. There was fear in her dark green eyes, but she did not break our eye contact. I watched as she took a deep breath pulling strength from me. I put the sunglasses back on her.

"Welcome, Stephanie," I said softly.

"I have something for you, Brother," she said extending her hand.

I put my open palm underneath her hand; she dropped something into it. Melisa gasped stepping forward. I looked at the Sibling ring in my hand. The only differences between a Brother's crested ring and his Sibling's crested ring were the white and black backgrounds. My crest was composed of white and gray lines with the black of the ring being used as a third color. It would have been invisible on a Sibling ring. The artist had inverted the colors of my crest on the Sibling ring to solve the obvious problem. I smiled thinking only someone that knew about the inversion would recognize my crested Siblings.

"I will not accept this," I told Stephanie.

"David, you must," Melisa said almost angrily.

Stephanie's eyes looked lost for a second. I turned towards Melisa; her eyes were pained. She planned to be my first crested Sibling, but Stephanie's wounds were too obvious for Melisa to deny her. I smiled as the girls moved to stand in support of Stephanie.

"A Brother cannot refuse a crest," Janet said.

"Cannot?" I asked.

"Does not," Doris Alex corrected.

"Do not mistake tradition with law, Siblings," I told them. "I will not accept that ring."

"David," Melisa defended. "Stephanie needs you."

"You can't live up to what it means, can you?" I asked looking at Stephanie.

"I can," she replied weakly.

"Look at Melisa," I said. "She will bear that crest with you someday. Tell her, not me, that you will live up to it the way she will. Tell her it means as much to you as it does to her."

A tear crawled from underneath her sunglasses down her cheek.

"What about the woman you were before this happened?" I asked her. "Could you look her in the eye and say you're not trying to buy my protection with that crest?"

"What she is doing is no different than why I chose the white ring, David!" Janet insisted. "I buy what I need from the Brotherhood."

"And what do you pay us with?" I said staring at her.

All of them looked away from me.

"The white ring is a commitment; a crest even more so, Stephanie," I said. "I will live what the crest on my ring means to my Brothers, can you live what a crest on your ring means to Siblings?"

"What does it matter if she can't, David?" Melisa argued. "You would never ask her to do something she doesn't want to. Crest relationships don't have to be based on sex."

"Does it matter, Stephanie?" I asked.

She shook her head slowly. I smiled gently at her.

"Does it matter to you?" I asked.

Stephanie turned her head to shake it again but froze. Doris Alex grabbed her hand. Stephanie swallowed a sob.

"It's not about me. I'm..." I said and hesitated. "A lot of things mean nothing to you right now, Stephanie. Hold on to the things that still do."

I turned around when the girls wrapped Stephanie in their warmth.

"What am I supposed to do?" Stephanie asked finally. "I can't even sleep in my old apartment. I can't go back there. It's not my home anymore."

"I didn't say you could not stay," I said without turning around. "Anna is my Brother; nothing else is needed for you to be welcome in my home."

Everyone was waiting when we got to the house. There seemed to be some form of ritualistic greeting that Stephanie had to go through with each person; even Rachel gave her a tight hug and a kiss on each cheek. I was fairly certain Rachel had no idea what had happened to Stephanie. I ignored the question in Rachel's eyes.

Heather gave Stephanie a tour of the house with everyone following in her wake. Stephanie stepped into the room that had been assigned to her. She looked around for a second and then backed out slowly. Heather continued the tour until we reached the 'not-quite' room at the end of the hallway. The room was slightly bigger than a king-sized bed. Everyone on the second floor used it as an extra closet.

Stephanie stood in the middle of the room for a long time.

"Empty it for her," I said.

"That's not necessary," she said.

"Let's go get you a bed, Stephanie," I said. "I like a daybed for this room."

"It's not necessary, David," Stephanie insisted. "The other room is fine."

"I know a great furniture shop," I said walking out the room. "They make everything by hand so their products are solid. Something in oak, I think would be nice. It'll probably be too big but so what."

A daybed proved undoable because of Stephanie's height. They had a marvelous single bed that was low to the ground and looked unmovable. When I offered the owner a bonus to deliver it that day, he was very pleased and arranged for immediate delivery.

By sun down, Stephanie was completely moved into her new room.

-----

I was sitting in the living room surrounded by the Siblings. Rachel was keeping Stephanie company in her room. For some reason, Stephanie was most comfortable around the non-Siblings in the house.

"That's a very small room," Malia said thoughtfully. "The big one was better for her. I would think the room she picked would feel confining."

"It's easier to completely control a small space," I said without looking at her.

"I don't understand," Heather said confused.

"In a tiny room, you can choose everything's place," I said. "Even dust can be controlled. She didn't bring anything from home, not even her clothing. This is a new start, and she wants tyrannical control over everything that enters her environment."

"She only brought a carry-on bag, and the clothes she was wearing," Melisa said with nod. "I've got a huge room, and I still need a storage locker."

"You've got a lot of shit, Melisa," Malia teased. "No, girlfriend! You've got a LOT of shit."

"Take Stephanie clothes shopping tomorrow," I said. "Don't take no for an answer."

"Yes, David," Doris Alex said obediently.

I turned so that I could look at them individually.

"I don't want her left alone," I commanded. "Not for one minute. I'll tell you when there's no need to watch her anymore."

"How will you know?" Janet asked curiously.

"She'll be annoyed at you," I said.

"I annoy a lot of people!" Janet pointed out.

"Yes, you do!" Melisa sniped.

"There won't be any anger or fear," I said. "It'll be a clean burst of annoyance."

They nodded.

"She won't let any of us touch her," Melisa pointed out. "She's going to have to be alone while she sleeps."

"Susan will be spending her nights here," I told her.

"Does Susan know that?" Malia asked.

"I'm sure she was planning on it," I answered.

"David, Susan is a professor," Janet said. "People will talk if anyone finds out she's sleeping here every night."

I turned to stare at her.

"Okay, I'm wrong," Janet said with a pout. "DDLE will take care of the talking."

"DDLE?" Melisa asked, not able to help herself.

"David's Deadly Laser Eyes!" Janet said sticking her tongue out at me.

I sighed as they broke out into laughter. The Siblings whispered among themselves until Rachel entered the room. She stared at me for a minute and then passed her blue eyes over everyone else. They exited the room quickly to leave the two of us alone.

"What happened to Stephanie?" she asked with a lot of insistence in her voice.

"That's for her to tell you if she wants," I said.

"She won't tell me," she replied sitting down next to me.

"What do you think happened to her?" I asked.

"Rape."

I did not say anything.

"Stephanie's not married. No one here has a significant other. They're all very attentive of you, but only Doris Alex is committed to you."

"Not Melisa?" I asked turning towards her.

"David, I'm only here because Melisa thinks you want me."

"Melisa doesn't just think it, Rachel," I corrected.

She nodded slowly.

"That isn't commitment, David," Rachel said carefully. "The world doesn't make sense to Melisa without you in it."

I shrugged.

"Stephanie feels to me like she used to be exactly like everyone here. She looks at them with this bitterness, almost like she resents them for having something she lost. I doubt there was a boyfriend or even a serious relationship," Rachel said. "Those bruises aren't domestic violence or clumsiness. She flinched when I brushed her accidentally."

I tilted my head and studied her. Rachel did a good job of hiding her brains from other people. I wondered for a second if she realized she had never done it around me.

"I was there once," she said.

My eyes lost focus for a second and then it felt like I was looking at something behind her.

"It didn't get far," she said staring at me. "You always said you appreciated my thickness, especially in my thighs. By the way, women prefer athletic. I have athletic thighs, NOT thick ones. The asshole wasn't even bigger than me. One kick and it was off to the races. I won."

"Who was he?" I asked with a charming smile.

"I'm not stupid, David," Rachel said smiling back. "It was a long time ago. I've forgotten it so don't even think about it."

"You haven't forgotten I,t or you wouldn't have told me," I whispered.

"That's why she trusts you, isn't it?" Rachel asked knowing she was not going to get an answer. "You took care of whoever did that to her."

We stared into each other's eyes for a couple of seconds.

"I'm glad," she said fiercely.

She stood up and headed out of the room. At the door, she stopped and turned around to make sure I was looking. She smiled mysteriously before continuing out.

----

Stephanie's psychologist visited the next day.

"I don't like this small space," she said looking around Stephanie's room.

"She does," I said to her while looking at Stephanie.

"Hmmm," the head-doctor replied. She was the same blonde that administered my psych evaluation for the Brotherhood. Stephanie was very nervous around her.

"I don't want to go see you," she told the psychologist.