Iknewhe’d been looking for me.
“She’s pretty,” Lucas said to the room.
Miller’s mouth stretched into a smile. “She’s prettier without her clothes on. Had a bit of fun with her before I brought her in.”
Lucas looked down at the blood pooling at my feet. “Was it the sort of fun she’s going to live through, or should I dispose of her?”
“Eh. She’s still good for a ride or two if you want a taste.”
Chuckles erupted among the soldiers at the room’s periphery.
“Mmm.” Lucas’s eyes returned to mine. “Sloppy seconds. How tempting.”
Miller barked a laugh. “She’s still tighter than a drum and wetter than water.”
A flare lit behind Luke’s eyes, the rapid calculations behind them making the aquamarine gleam. “How long you had her, Miller?”
“Few days.”
The fire in Lucas burned, lighting him like neon. Red scorched over the bridge of his nose. A plan was forming in his head, one I probably wouldn’t like.
“Why is she bleeding?” Lucas asked.
“Got a little carried away.” Miller answered. “Pissed about the raid last night. It’s a pretty piece of art, though. Take a look.”
Contempt blackened my gaze when I glared at him, and he grinned.
Lucas clicked his tongue, bringing my attention back to him. His brows rose. “Spin.”
Wooden and awkward, I pivoted, showing him my bloody back. He brushed my hair aside. Several women gasped, and the soldiers broke into laughter.
“I guess you were never one for subtlety,” Lucas said. Could anyone else hear the fury in his voice?
“She needed a reminder.”
Lucas circled me. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “What to do with you now?”
“She’ll heal eventually,” said a man I couldn’t see. “Send her to the House so we can all have a taste.”
Goosebumps erupted across my body. Tears blurred Lucas’s face, but I couldn’t look away.
“Anna brings a medic weekly, doesn’t she?” Lucas asked.
Panic built in my chest, and I pleaded silently with Lucas.
Please don’t let them do this to me.
“She doesn’t need a medic,” Miller said with a laugh. “You can put those rusty doctor skills to use. She’ll thank you on her knees. Ain’t that right, sugar?”
The crowd of soldiers turned into a pack of jackals.
“I’ll take a turn with her,” one said.
“The last one you took had to be put down like a dog,” said another. “You can have her last.”
They kept going, like it was all one big joke. I wasn’t even human to these men. I was nothing more than an object to play with, and they’d play until I broke.
Through it all, I stared without blinking into Lucas’s eyes, using that familiar color to steady me.
