Caleb looks now at the loose teal blue top and bottom covering me and frowns. That frown remains as he looks up to my eyes.After having spent so much time away from the man, I forgot what it’s like to be in his presence. He’s a strong man in muscle bulk and stature, but even beyond that his presenc
Surely, I’ve misheard. But, no, Caleb spoke very clearly, and he wouldn’t say something like that for the hell of it.For him to announce that to me, he means it. He genuinely intends to make me part of his harem.“I don’t understand,” I admit. “Before all this, you sent me to the coliseum… now you
His hands follow the path of my gaze, tracing up from my ankles to my knees, then dip between my thighs. His forefinger rubs along my entrance, just as his thumb brushes my clit.I gasp as I toppled forward, putting more weight on his shoulders.“Lay down,” he says. “Let me see you.”Slowly, I try t
Caleb brings me straight over the edge of bliss, as he so often, so expertly does. All the while, his words remain crass and ugly, but his motions are gentle and considerate. I only ever feel a limited amount of pain.He, too, brings himself to completion and then lowers my ass back down to the carp
I look at Bethany, whose chin is down to her chest, her face pale white and from what I can see, completely miserable.An accusation of murder is a serious one. Perhaps not so much around here, where whippings and poison seem to be par for the course. But back home where I’m from, people generally d
Away from the door now, at Bethany’s side, I can’t hear them chattering anymore. It’s as good as pretending they are no longer there.“Do you want to tell me what they were talking about?” I ask.“No,” Bethany says.“Is it something I ought to know?” I ask.Bethany lowers her head again. As I debate
By now, I’ve been threatened with death so much, that it shouldn’t still bother me. But I suppose I don’t actually want to die, so that keeps me from being too blasé about it.I’ve seen with my own eyes enough to know how dangerous this place is. Just because the King hasn’t carried out on his threa
Caleb is absolutely furious. He has a mind to wake this wench up just so she can feel the pleasure he was set to bestow upon her. Does she realize how she insults his gifts?Yet as he reaches forward to shake her, something in her face stills his hand. He is used to seeing her face twisted in pain o
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,