Then, abruptly, Bethany insists that I take a nap. “King’s orders,” she says. “He wants you well rested for tonight.”After the debacle last night, I suppose I can understand why.“Fine,” I grumble.Blessedly, I do drift off to sleep rather quickly, and when I wake up again, I feel rested and refres
Bethany and I inspect the remnants of our train.“Is there anything we can do?” I ask. I’ve been around a sewing machine, but it’s hardly my area of expertise. There isn’t exactly time for it anyway. I’m supposed to be in the entryway in ten minutes.Bethany stares hard at the lace, then at my dress
When the kiss ends, I feel a little lightheaded, caught up in the whirlwind of King Caleb and his masterful tongue. As I try to catch my breath, Caleb glowers at all the onlookers, as if making sure the message was received.I am King Caleb’s. No one else is allowed to touch.I know better than to a
Only one excuse comes to mind, that might satisfy Caleb.As he leaves one conversation, moving to head into another, I lightly tap his shoulder and whisper, “I have to use the bathroom.”He gives me a long, searching look, then starts to remove his hand from my waist. He does so slowly, trailing his
The knife cuts a straight line across the backs of my arms, which I raised to protect my face. Blood immediately drips from the wound, but it is not deep. I’m fortunate.These women really do seem more intent on maiming me than killing me.“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” Madeli
Bethany continues to clean Harper’s wounds, though her mind is reeling. Why won’t Harper tell the King what he demands? Madeline, Gwen, and the others deserve whatever punishment comes their way, not just for what happened here today, but also for so many other atrocities they’ve committed against f
The woman is wearing a too-tight red dress that pushes up her breasts provocatively, and curves around her hips and ass like a second-skin, leaving little to the imagination. Her blonde hair is pulled back away from her face, but then hangs down her back in loose ringlets.She’s tracing tiny circles
Caleb drops his hand down to my side and takes my wrist. He doesn’t ask, doesn’t command, simply turns away from me and starts walking to a side door. I immediately fall into step behind him.At his whispered promises, my pussy began to feel wet. Now, with the promise of more on the horizon, I’m dri
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,