Vox Dominus Pt. 18

"I can go if you want," she said, sitting up and sliding off the bed. "I'll grab something for you from the café downstairs. That way you can rest up a bit."

Master held up his hand. "That's okay, I got it. The walk will help me loosen up and clear my head a bit. Besides..." he laughed sheepishly, scooping up his clothes. "It seems a little strange given our, uh, situation, but I kinda wanna do something for you, after you've done so much for me."

The sweetness in his voice made Sophia smile. "If that's what you want," she said, flopping back onto the mattress with a contented sigh. "Breakfast in bed sounds amazing."

"Coming right up. I'll leave my room key in case you have to use the bathroom or something." Seb opened the door, then paused. "Remember, if you feel anything strange or uncomfortable, I'm just a call or text away."

Sophia stuck out her tongue. "Yes Master, I'll make sure not to forget how phones work."

"Just sayin'," Seb offered with a parting smile, before closing the door behind him.

Sophia sighed, resting her head on the pillow and sinking into the quiet. The morning had been a wild and randy reeducation of sorts, and it was nice to get a chance to simply exist with her new programming. Master seemed concerned it would destabilize or disorient her in some way, but she hadn't noticed anything like that. Maybe it was because of their previous relationship, or maybe it was because she already had some pretty subby inclinations—whatever the reason, the "code" that made up her enslavement ran seamlessly with her everyday thought processes.

Well, mostly. She did notice its influence from time to time, especially when she thought about the future. It used to be that not a day would go by without her fretting about what tomorrow could hold: questioning her dreams of working in game development; wondering if she could leave her family behind if her job mandated it; flip-flopping back and forth about children and marriage. Now she had Master in her life, a reservoir of certainty to calm her churning thoughts. Whatever happened in the future, she knew that as long as she followed him, everything would work out. There was a lot she wanted to do, but all she needed to do was listen and obey.

It was so easy and natural.

A knock at the door disrupted her reverie. Sophia grinned, humming to herself as she sat up and padded over to the door. Master was back sooner than expected, and she was far hungrier than she had thought.

She leaned on her hip slightly as she opened the door, striking a silly, provocative pose to tease him. "Welcome back, Mas—"

"Sophia?" Chelsea blinked in the doorway, standing in front of a regal-looking woman and two suited men.

With a gasp, the startled slave shut the door, her pleasant morning evaporating into blistering panic.

"Sophia, is it?" a cool voice called from the hall. It was probably coming from that other woman, the one who kind of looked like Chelsea: same sharp eyes, same slightly-upturned nose, same perfect figure and haughty bearing. The voice was different—lower, more reserved—but no less deadly in its intent. "Could you please put on some clothing and open the door? We need to have a word with Mr. Wakefield."

"Y-you mean Ma—er, Seb?" Sophia repeated, stalling for time as she searched for her phone. "He's not here. He, uh, he left."

"Did he?" came the icy reply. "Well, given your little 'greeting,' I'd wager you anticipate his return. Is that right?"

Sophia hurriedly composed a text, warning Master as best she could. "I, uh, actually think he left for the day. So...maybe you can call him?"

"Sophia, don't do this," Chelsea's voice limped through the door, sounding more fragile than Sophia had ever heard it. "I know you want to protect him, but all you're doing now is making things worse. Please, just open the door."

Sophia hesitated. She didn't trust Chelsea—that much was certain. But then...why did her warning sound so genuine?

"I would heed my daughter's advice, Sophia," the other woman cut in. "This interaction is unpleasant enough as is, but I could always make it much, much worse for you."

Sophia swallowed, her throat suddenly tight and dry as she dressed with jittering hands. Had Chelsea really brought her mother here? That would explain the resemblance between the two, as well as the palpable danger dripping from their threats. All Sophia could do at this point was weather their storm, and hope Master had gotten her warning and escaped.

Sophia opened the door, not trusting herself to meet her opponents' eyes. "Y-you can come in if you want. But I-I really don't know when he'll be back."

"I doubt that," Chelsea's mother replied, leading the group into the room and wrinkling her nose. "Especially given how...thoroughly it seems you enjoy each other's company."

Sophia glared at Chelsea, hoping to goad a response or explanation. But the younger Jaeger's eyes were glued to the floor, her hands clasped in front of her and her expression blank. It was unsettling, even more so than having strangers roam around her Master's room.

The strained silence made Sophia's skin crawl. She cleared her throat. "Do you want me to, like, call him or something?"

"That won't be necessary," the older woman replied, glancing at her watch. "No doubt you've already warned him of our arrival. All that remains to be seen is if he'll show up." Her lips curved into a humorless smile. "For all our sakes, I sincerely hope he does."

If it wasn't for Master's brainwashing, Sophia would've crumbled into an anxious mess. But her focus, her devotion kept her still, even as her heart raced faster with every excruciating second.

The sound of approaching footsteps caused her blood to freeze. She said a silent prayer, begging for them to break off in another direction. But then she heard Master's knuckles rap on the door, and knew her warning had been in vain.

"Chelsea, open up!" he called. "We need to talk."

Chelsea remained motionless, but Sophia noticed the blonde's hands tighten at the sound of Master's voice, her shoulders tensing ever so slightly. Whatever lies Chelsea had spun during their time together, her exposure to the Vox had apparently been true. Sophia tried her best not to sympathize.

Mrs. Jaeger arched an eyebrow. "Well?" she prodded her daughter. "Aren't you going to let him in?"

Like an automaton coming to life, Chelsea straightened and did as she was told. Master burst inside before the door was fully open.

"I want you out of here right now," he said. "You and your...uh..." he paused, seeming to just now process the two towering suits and the poised, smirking woman between them.

"How feisty," Chelsea's mother cooed. "Care to introduce us?"

Chelsea sighed. "Mother, this is Seb. Seb, this is..."

"Elise Jaeger," Elise answered, extending her hand. "I'm glad we could finally meet."

Master accepted the handshake wordlessly, shooting a worried glance at Sophia. She gave a small shrug, trying to indicate that she was unharmed, but just as confused as he was.

"So, uh, how can I help you?" he asked, sliding his attention back to Elise.

She replied with a fanged smile. "From what I hear, you've become very important to my daughter as of late. So it seemed appropriate for us to meet before she and I depart."

"Depart? To where?" Master exclaimed, looking to Chelsea. She just turned away without a word.

Elise glanced at her watch. "I understand I've caught you rather off guard, but I'd be happy to explain. That is, if you're willing to do so in private. Alternatively, we could have a much shorter, and far more unpleasant conversation here. But," her eyes flitted to Sophia, "I can't guarantee it will stay between us."

Sophia tried to keep a brave face as she met her Master's gaze. She wanted him to know that she didn't plan to run, that she had his back and would do whatever she could to help. But the concern in his eyes told her it was no use. He had already made his decision.

"Fine," Master sighed. "Let's talk. Just the two of us."

"A wise choice," Elise purred. "Follow me. There's a place down the road that will serve our purposes quite likely."

The two suited men drew closer to Master, but he offered no sign of resistance. Instead, he offered a parting smile to Sophia, sparking a glow in her chest she tried to hold onto, even as he was ushered out the door. Elise followed soon after, with Chelsea trailing in her wake. But before the door was shut, the younger Jaeger hesitated, drawing her shattered blue gaze to meet Sophia's.

"I have to know," Chelsea said. "Did it work?"

The question was small, but the overflowing with longing. For some reason, it made Sophia's heart ache.

"Yes," she answered. "It did."

Chelsea smiled, even as tears pricked her eyes. "I knew it," she said, her voice cracking. "Take care of him, okay?"

The door closed before Sophia could respond. And for the first time as a slave, she felt alone.

______________________________________________

Late morning sun streamed through the wide windows along Dalia's far wall, bathing the upper-crust brunch crowd in a gentle, welcoming glow. But the light didn't reach the corner booth—whether by design or coincidence, Elise had chosen the one spot in the restaurant untouched by the sun, ensconcing herself and Seb in a world miles away from the bright bustle around them.

Still, Seb noted with dismay, the separation wasn't enough to safely use the Vox. Despite the illusion of seclusion, he knew that Chelsea and Elise's bodyguards were seated only a couple tables away, with clear sightlines on their icy matriarch. The only way he could get away with trancing Elise would be if she slipped into it effortlessly, without showing any signs of resistance or struggle. And Seb sincerely doubted that would be the case.

There was something uncanny about this woman, something beyond her resemblance to Seb's most enticing adversary. Not that she wasn't attractive in her own right: freed of her coat, Seb couldn't help but marvel at the way Elise's loose, flowy blouse still teased her svelte waist and full breasts, nor could he ignore how effortlessly she moved in the tight skirt bound around her toned legs. Yet his attraction to didn't inspire hunger in the Vox; it inspired caution. Seb could feel it pacing restlessly in his gut, hairs on end and hackles raised. Elise wasn't ordinary prey—she was a fellow predator, worthy of his wariness.

So when she finished sipping her wine and fixed her eyes on him, Seb knew he was in for the fight of his life.

"Now then," she said, her lips curving into an unbearable smile. "I know I promised you an explanation, but there are some points I must clarify first. Starting with your intentions towards my daughter, if you don't mind."

"My...intentions?" Seb repeated. "I don't think I follow."

"I'm sure you could if you tried." She winked. "But to put it another way, I'd like to hear your side of how your...'relationship' developed."

Seb hesitated, his eyes darting across the room to where Chelsea sat. To his surprise, she met his gaze for a moment, before quickly looking away. She was scared. It made his chest tighten.

"W-well." He swallowed. "I'm not sure how she uh, described it, but I don't think 'relationship' is really the right word."

"Oh?" Elise arched her eyebrows. "Do tell."

Seb's mind raced. He doubted Elise was aware of the Vox, but beyond that he had no idea what she knew, nor what he could safely describe without stumbling into a lie. "It's like..." he began, trying to be vague without sounding evasive. "We knew about each other through class, but we didn't really meet until earlier this year. I was part of a talent show, and she volunteered for my act."

"I see," Elise took another sip of wine. "And your talent is..?"

"Um. Hypnotism. Though I'm still pretty new at it," he lied.

"Interesting," Elise replied, though Seb couldn't tell if she meant it. "And after the show you decided to pursue her?"

"Not exactly. I mean, I guess there was...an attraction between us, but I tried my best to break it off. Honestly."

"Really? Why?" Elise asked, as if inquiring about the weather.

"Well...I knew it wouldn't work out," Seb answered honestly.

"Because you come from different worlds, is that it?"

Seb nodded cautiously. "More or less, yeah."

Elise rotated the glass in her hand, appearing to mull this over. "You may find this hard to believe, Sebastian, but I understand where you're coming from."

The earnestness in her voice gave him pause. "You do?" he asked.

"Indeed. My daughter has had the good fortune to grow up surrounded by all the privileges and power that the Jaeger family can afford. But I was not so lucky. When I first came to the Diepner campus, I was like you." She smiled wistfully. "Just another starry-eyed kid, with nothing to my name but my ambitions."

"Really?" Seb ventured, trying not to sound too skeptical. "So you weren't..."

"Born a Jaeger?" Elise laughed. "Hardly. I was born Elise Welstrom, a nobody from a nowhere town. My parents weren't wealthy, but they were smart, and taught me everything I needed to survive. It was thanks to their efforts—and my own determination—that I was able to even entertain Diepner as a college prospect. It was unlikely, to be sure: my parents and I knew that we would need several lucky breaks and some rather dubious loans to afford the tuition. But when my mother asked if I wanted to sign up for a campus tour, it felt like a dream come true."

She paused, as though becoming lost in the memory for a moment. So soft and pensive was her expression that for a moment Seb wondered if his read on her had been entirely misguided. But when her gaze met his again, the steel in her eyes skewered that notion.

"But, as Chelsea has made abundantly clear, a smart kid is still just a kid," Elise recalled, her voice as flat and sharp as a razor. "And when some of the other students snuck away to a fraternity party, I foolishly went along with them. It was there that I met Chelsea's father, Robert, a big-name donor and—at the time—the heir apparent to the Jaeger name. Of course, I simply knew him as a mysterious, handsome gentleman who was showing an uncommon interest in an oblivious girl like me. If only I had known then the real nature of his appetites, and just how common they were.

"Alas," she sighed. "As with many things, one stupid mistake was all it took. I ended up pregnant, and he threatened to ruin me if we ever crossed paths again. My parents were devastated, of course, but they forbade me from trying to escape my fate. I was going to have to bear the full weight of my carelessness, even if it meant sacrificing everything to it." Again, her lips curved into a seething smile. "So what's a girl to do, Sebastian? What do you think I did?"

Her words were spoken gently, but they felt like a vice closing around Seb's neck. "I-if you think I've...taken advantage of Chelsea like that, I promise I—"

"Your promises mean nothing to me," Elise interrupted. "But I know she isn't pregnant, Sebastian. And if you'd let me finish, you'd see that isn't the point of my story."

She took another sip of wine. Seb held his breath.

"My point is, I'm no stranger to men trying to undermine me. And I'm quite adept at dealing with it. After both Robert and my own blood had turned their backs on me, I didn't give in to despair. I went to work. I found Robert's office and used all of my talents to secure a secretarial position on the staff. It was a risk, being so close to my foe, but I knew that men like him spared little memory for the lives they ruined.

"Once I was inside his organization, it was a simple task to find his weaknesses. Confidence breeds carelessness, and it would astound you to know just how careless Robert was. By the time Chelsea was born, I had learned not only of her father's many failed investments, but also his failure to produce a suitable heir. This information was a valuable weapon, and as soon as I saw the opportunity to use it, I struck without mercy. I revealed all that I knew to his elders, and offered them a choice: correct their wayward spawn's mistakes and accept me and my daughter into the fold, or suffer whatever damage the release of his secrets would incur. I suppose you can fill in the blanks from here, yes?"

Seb nodded. "What...happened to Chelsea's father?"

Elise's slender shoulders shrugged. "Last I checked, he had been placed on a 'business scouting tour' that I doubt will ever end. As far as the family is concerned, he's just a name on a marriage license now. My work, and my daughter, are the new Jaeger legacy.

"And so you see," she continued, leaning forward and steepling her fingers. "When some insignificant upstart threatens that legacy, it can be rather....vexing to me. Do you follow?"

"Mrs. Jaeger," Seb coughed, clearing his throat. "I know you don't trust me, but I promise—everything I've said about Chelsea and me is true. There is nothing threatening between us."

"That's my call to make," Elise countered. "From what I hear, she's been rather fixated on you as of late, to the detriment of her other obligations. That sort of obsession doesn't occur spontaneously, especially to my daughter."

Under the table, Seb balled his fists. "I understand how you feel, but I'm telling the truth. I don't know what else I can say to convince you."

"I don't want you to say anything." Elise extended her hand. "I want you to give me your phone."

Seb blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. If everything is as you say, there should be nothing incriminating on it. But, if my suspicions are correct, and you somehow hold leverage over Chelsea, well," her eyes narrowed, "it would be better for both of us if I found out now."

Seb felt his stomach plunge. He couldn't hand over his phone now, not with Chelsea's pictures still on it. Why hadn't he thought to delete them by now? How could he have been so shortsighted?

Elise's hand didn't budge, her gaze unwavering. "You know there's nothing you can do to stop me. Even if my men have to tackle you in front of all these people, I'll get what I want."

Seb couldn't breathe. He was drowning in an icy sea of terror, with no help in sight. All he could do for now was surrender to the currents of her temper, and hope an opportunity for escape was on the horizon.

Without a word, Seb withdrew his phone from his pocket, and slid it across the table. Elise picked the device up and scrolled wordlessly through its contents. Seb watched for any indicators of the wrath to come, but her expression remained infuriatingly stoic.

"My my," she tutted, turning the screen so Seb could see the cascade of images in his inbox, a veritable army of Chelsea's, naked and on their knees, marked and humiliated. "Either your perversions are far deeper than I imagined, or you are rather thorough with your blackmail material."

"Th-that's n-n-not—"

Elise waved away his stammering. "Spare me your explanations," she said, reaching into her purse and withdrawing a memory stick. "I'm not sure how you convinced my daughter to do this, and I don't trust you to tell me. All that matters now," she inserted the device into Seb's phone," is that you learn your lesson."

Seb's eyes darted between his phone and its handler. Was she making copies of the photos? Taking them as evidence? "W-we didn't do anything illegal," he protested. "The police won't—"

"Police?" Elise seemed genuinely surprised. "You overestimate yourself, Sebastian. I don't need to go to such lengths to put you back in your place." She withdrew the memory stick before tossing the phone back to Seb. It appeared unchanged, save for the absence of Chelsea's photos.

But Seb knew that couldn't be everything. "What did you do?" he asked.