"Reiji."

If you offer yourself to the devil, who are you to be surprised when he takes your soul?

"Wise choice. Let's go, then," Reiji says, seemingly unsurprised and unaffected by my decision. The rest of the brothers sit in shock, staring. Laito's lip curls, but surprisingly, he doesn't argue. I had underestimated the power and depth of this whole choice thing, I guess. After a brief hesitation, Reiji curls his fingers around mine and not-so-carefully drags me from the living room. Once out in the hallway, he narrows his eyes at me. "You intend to be obedient and not cause me any trouble, I trust?" he says cooly. My eyes slant in return.

"Not particularly," I say, voice cracking a little from gruffness. "If you don't screw with me, I won't screw with you. I'm not gonna roll over for you or anything, though."

Reiji smirks a little and his fingers tighten over mine. I gasp a little as he applies bonecrushing strength. "I'm going to show you something," he declares as he drags me off once again. I don't resist for fear of having my bloody hand ripped off. He shows me into a room that's fairly dark. A bed with dark coverings, the floor covered in dark carpet, it's all very… dark. How eloquent of me, I think to myself wryly. Reiji lets go of my hand and strides to a dresser, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out an object and revealing it to me. It takes me a second to realize what it is. "This is a whip," Reiji says and holds the handle in one hand and lets the rope coil in his other. "I have quite a collection, and while I'm confident you don't wish to see them, disobedience will be punished severely. Am I making myself clear?"

I glare at the whip. He's not as forwardly perverted as Laito had been, but the fact that Reiji freely admits to having a whip collection is a little disconcerting, to say the least. "Yeah, sure, whatever," I mutter.

Reiji nods and puts the whip away. "Also, we must work absolutely on your manners. 'Yeah, sure, whatever' is hardly suitable language for a lady. Especially one who is to be my wife."

I pale a little at the word. "Uh… about that. Nobody has made the whole bride thing all that clear." Don't get me wrong, I'm not an idiot. I understand the word bride perfectly. I just want to know the context and how serious this whole thing is. Give me a timeline to escape, if you will.

Reiji takes his gloves off and folds them before tucking them into the pocket of his grey vest. "We will be wed in one month's time, at which point you will offer your soul to me and I will take you as my wife for eternity. You will become a vampire, if you survive." His eyes flash at me. "And I fully intend for you to survive."

Well that's… comforting. I guess. "Fantastic," I say, a little sarcastic but mostly just because I don't know what the hell to say.

"If you would like a timeline, you will be choosing your bridal gown next week… they will be brought in and tailored to you specifically. You should be honored. You must also learn how to properly dance, as well as carry yourself. I will be instructing you thoroughly, and any missteps will be punished," he adds.

This fucking guy and punishment. I look up at him and am for the first time, a little intimidated by his eyes. His gaze is intense, serious. I had pegged him as a stuck up little shit with a burr up his ass that would be nothing to get ahead of, but I honestly wonder if maybe he could be just as if not more dangerous than his brothers. I have to escape, but I have a month to figure that out. Reiji will expect me to run the second I can, I have no doubt of that. It's submission he wants… maybe if I get him to trust me, I'll be able to get out. Lowering my head, I nod meekly. "Okay."

That seems to take him aback, and he pushes up his glasses. "Very well, then. This is my room, I have no interest in sharing with you just yet. I dislike loose women with loose morals, and I trust you will understand that."

I raise an eyebrow. I wasn't exactly throwing myself at him, so that kind of came out of nowhere. "…okay?" I say, just to acknowledge him. He nods and steps away toward the door.

"You will sleep in the room next to mine. My brothers will not bother you, you are claimed property now. Even Laito will not touch you." He steps into the hall and I scurry after, realizing kind of late I was supposed to follow him. He opens a door a bit away from his, revealing a room just a bit smaller, and nowhere near as dark.

I hate to admit it, but it's cute, actually. There's a little fireplace with a comfortable looking sofa in front of it with beige throw pillows. There's a four-poster bed with a beige canopy tied to the post, and fluffy yellow blankets and pillows. The walls are a pale yellow with light wood wainscoting, the floors are wood with a woven rug in the center of the room, and there are a few potted plants and flowers. Altogether, a surprisingly inviting and effeminate room. "This is really nice," I say slowly, just looking around. I gently touch the blanket hanging on the edge of the sofa. It's as soft as it looks.

Reiji nods. "It's just one of many spares, but I'm glad you like it. There's a bathroom as well, and clothes in the dresser. I've had your old things burned. Jeans are not fit for a lady."

Happy mood gone. My hand drops to my side as my expression darkens. I stomp over to the dresser and pull it open. I groan loudly.

All dresses, skirts, and blouses. "These are so goddamn pretentious," I complain, and Reiji narrows his eyes.

"They are not 'pretentious', they are elegant. And you will have a bath and put some on, because we are playing chess and having dinner tonight, and I will not have you dressed like some heathen."

Fuck it, fine. If I have a bath, at least he'll leave. "Fine, whatever," I groan. Reiji sighs.

"I will return in half of an hour. Be prompt or you will be punished," he warns me before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Well, this is something. I look around the room once more and sigh. The bedroom is inviting, like I said, but it's a lie. This is a goddamn house of horrors and one little cornucopia won't change that. I grab the least offensive garment from the dresser and head into the bathroom. I turn on the water and while it fills the fairly large claw-foot tub, I take my clothes off. Already, I look a little more invigorated. This choice thing is a trap but for now, one brother is easier to deal with than six.

I get in the water and notice a shelf next to me. There are little vials lined up with a variety of different oils. Lemon, vanilla, lavender, grapefruit, a few others. I grab the lavender one and shake a few drops into the bath. I smile a little when the smell wafts up and I screw the bottle back and put it away. If this is 'just another bedroom', I don't understand how the ensuite would be so well stocked unless… Reiji couldn't have known I was going to choose him. Did he hope so much that he actually stocked the bathroom?