Whispering Suits

The car is silent, and not just the normal kind of silence I've gotten used to on my drives to and from Chris's apartment. This is oppressive, it has a weight to it. Cyrus keeps his sights set on the driver, I don't need to guess that this Faerie isn't one of the ones he trusts. If they were, he wouldn't seem so tense. I feel uncomfortable in the new clothes I have on. Cyrus said I needed to fit in when we turned up, so he got me this tailored indigo blue suit with silver embellishments. I felt weird putting it on in my run down room with the paint peeling and the damp in the corner. Without breaking his focus on the driver, Cyrus slides a black box over to me. “Put this on.” His silky voice is deeper, darker, and it's clear that he isn't making a request but an order. I look down at the box anxiously, it's too big to be a ring which is a relief. He didn't warn me about this, but I don't feel like now is the time to ask questions. Cyrus told me at our last lesson that one of the conditions for letting me come with him was that I would need to do whatever he asks me to. I open the box, sitting in amongst the silk lining is an amber coloured stone strung on a scarlet ribbon. The stone looks just like Cyrus’s eyes, and it has a golden symbol engraved into it that I don't recognise. I pick it up, holding the necklace in the air. Wait, necklace isn't quite the right word. “Is…is this a collar?” I ask before I can stop myself. Cyrus's eyes flicker to me briefly, and I feel the temperature of the air rising. Shit, I didn't mean to question him. I dip my head, being submissive isn't something that comes naturally to me but I didn't mean to make it sound like I was questioning his order. Cyrus straightens back up, I can tell he's resisting the urge to run his hand through his hair but he manages to stop himself and instead fixes his tie. He takes a deep breath. “Yes. You are to be marked as my property, I want there to be no doubt as to where your loyalty lies. Is that clear?” He looks at me, and I see a flicker of the Cyrus I know behind the facade. He's afraid. “Yes, Sir”. I reply, taking off my necklace so that I can fasten the collar around my neck. The stone feels warm and it's pulsating with energy almost like it has a heartbeat. I make sure it's fastened tightly, wouldn't want it to fall off. Cyrus gives me a satisfied nod, and for a second there's a twinge of a smile at the corner of his mouth letting me know I'm doing ok. The ride to the Summer Court base doesn't take long, but it feels an age especially with Cyrus being so quiet. During our lessons, it's usually a challenge to get him to shut up. His confidence never felt forced before, but now, it's like he's a totally different person. When the car finally stops outside an old style Victorian mansion, I'm grateful that the ride is over. Cyrus waits for his door to be opened by what looks like a bouncer, and he slides out the car with an air of superiority that seems foreign on him. He pauses once out of the car and turns to offer me a hand, I take it keeping my head bowed like we had talked about. This is how Faeries show submission. He places my hand on his arm, and I've never been more grateful to have him to lean on. There is a steady stream of Faeries walking in through the door of the building, though I notice that there are two bulky Faeries standing guard, clearly there to keep out the riffraff. Which might include me. I feel Cyrus grip my hand, and I really wish that he had Nat’s ability to speak into my mind because I have no idea what he is thinking right now. Hopefully, he's more confident about this than I am. We walk up the steps to the door, the gaggle of Faeries in our way part like the red sea and I suddenly feel as though all eyes are on us. I spot a couple of the Faeries whispering to each other, one even points at me, but Cyrus gives them a quick glare and they bow their heads in shame. It's almost hot, the way Cyrus is commanding space and respect, I'd find it immensely attractive if it wasn't for the fact that it's not how he usually acts. Don't get me wrong, Cyrus is all about that cocky confident swagger. But this, it's like…it's like how Maya behaves and it puts my teeth on edge. He pulls out a card from his pocket and shows it to one of the Faeries on the door. He's slipped it back into his pocket before I can see what it is. Cyrus pulls me forward, and the Faerie gives me a look over. I hold my head up enough to show off the collar, and cling to Cyrus’s arm with both hands like he's the only thing keeping me upright. When I lift my eyes from the floor long enough to look at the ‘bouncer’ I try my best to mimic the helpless dependent look I remember Charlie having round Maya. The guard looks satisfied, and even a little impressed with the piece of hardware around my throat. I'd have never thought I'd be grateful to be seen as a piece of property. They clear the door enough for us to walk through, Cyrus taps my hand twice. That means we're doing okay. The air feels different as soon as we walk through the door. It was freezing outside, there was ice on the pavement and the snow was getting heavier. But, we're barely the steps into the building and it feels like I'm walking along the beach during the height of summer. The mansion is huge, and each room we go past is full of Faeries. There's a swarm of flower Faeries, a collection of animal Faeries, and then we reach a room filled with the more ‘human’ looking Faeries all dressed to the nines. There are a couple of lower level Faeries wearing similar uniforms to what Cyrus wore at The Sun hotel and they're carrying trays of drinks that I'm fairly confident I shouldn't drink. One of them comes near us and Cyrus shoos them away with a dismissive hand gesture. He turns to me, not quite fully taking his sights off the room. “Touch nothing unless I give it to you” he says, his voice even and steady. I nod, and he turns back to face the room. I hadn't thought to ask what the plan was for keeping me fed. I feel the anxiety bubbling inside me, but I didn't come this far just to chicken out at the first sign of trouble. I'm doing this, I take a deep breath and squeeze Cyrus’s arm twice.