“Enter,” Caleb commands.I open the door and slink inside, careful to catch and close the door again behind me.Caleb’s office sizeable, with a wide desk and floor to ceiling bookshelves lining every wall but the back one, which is made up of windows instead. Aside from the desk, a chaise lounge sit
The guards drag me down the spiral staircase as low as it can go, down, down into the dungeon. They drag me through the narrow hallway between the rod-iron cages. Instead of going to the cell at the end of the hall, where I was once tortured with the truth serum, one of the guards unlocks a cell alo
“Sir. Are you certain?” Tristan asks.Caleb glares at his Beta, who should know better to doubt him, especially in front of a guard and a slave.Tristan, realizing his mistake, immediately lowers his head. “Apologies, My King. I spoke out of turn.”“Do it again, and I’ll have you whipped like the re
With panic, I look behind him, searching for Caleb. It’s only a small relief when I realize he’s not there.Tristan hands me the sack he’s holding. I’m confused until I unfold it and realize it’s a kind of crude tunic. It’s itchy to the touch, undoubtedly uncomfortable, but, without knowing where I’
I don’t believe my ears. I had to have misheard. So I take a moment to catch my breath. It shakes as I inhale. Then I repeat the most shocking of the things he said to me, “’Brother-in-law?’”“My wedding to Leah is already set,” Samuel says. His voice is clear and crisp, but totally monotone, withou
Fury striking through him like a lightning bolt, Caleb stands so abruptly, that his chair pushes back and falls flat against the stone tiles of his office.“How the hell was she able to make a call?” he demands.Tristan looks straight at him. “I let her use my phone.”Enraged, Caleb rounds the desk.
“Come,” the Pitmaster says. “I’ll show you where you can rest for the night.”She turns and starts walking away from me. I hurry to follow her, eager for sleep. Fear and adrenaline have kept me going since before my escape attempt. While I still feel those things, my body physically cannot handle mu
Not seeing any choice in the matter, I follow Tristan toward the stairwell that had led me down into this dark place to start with. Yet before we reached the stairs, and potential freedom, Tristan abruptly turns and heads into an office carved into the stone beneath the stairs.Inside, Caleb sits at
My heavy heart persists into the evening. I haven’t talked much since speaking with Kira, retreating to my room soon after. Not even Bethany could encourage me to speak. Kira’s words cut into me, straight down to the bone. I don’t want to believe that Caleb only wants me for sex, and that’s all he’
None of that matters now. Annabelle looks at me sharply. “What are you doing here?” I step into the room, Bethany following along, my silent support. Glancing away from her in my dream gown, I try to stoke my rage again. Remembering the letter, I retrieve it from my pocket. “I’m tired of being th
The next morning, as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, dreading another day of doing nothing, I hear a swishing sound near my door. Sitting up, I look at the door and find a slip of paper laying near it on the ground. Did someone slide that underneath? Curious, I pull myself out of bed and walk
“I want to apologize to you for how I acted before,” Annabelle says. With her head down, she also droops her shoulders, seeming for all the world like she might drop to her knees at any moment. He really doesn’t need that kind of dramatics, so he’s relieved when she continues to stand. “I let my
She looks away. “While I cannot save those condemned to the coliseum, I can help prepare them to hone the best of their abilities. I give them the best possible fighting chance, so when they step into the ring, they might survive. Many do not, but some succeed.” Looking back at me, she continues, “
I awaken the next morning to a loud, confident knock on my door. Rising up from bed, I pull on my housecoat and walk to the door, opening it. I’m half-expecting Bethany, though she doesn’t usually knock quite that loudly. Instead, I find the Pitmaster there. Her expression is severe as always but d
Much, much later, after Caleb ravaged me on the stairs again and then twice more in my bedroom, once we are relatively cleaned up, though I still carry his scent all over me, Caleb sits on the edge of my bed, staring at me as I recline there, jelly-like and sated. We need to have a talk, and I know
Seeing Caleb rush towards me, fury in his gaze, I already know what’s happened here. Bethany. She might have seemed compliant when I told her to stay behind, but I should have known she wouldn’t just sit idly by while I placed myself in danger, even if I instructed her to do so. She is my friend b
“That is a terrible idea,” Bethany says, not holding back. “What could you even hope to gain by doing that? Best case scenario, Leah has no way of delivering the message. Worst case, Samuel lures you out somewhere and has you killed.” “He won’t kill me,” I say. Despite his threats, he cares for me,