I lay in the middle of the mattress like a corpse riddled with rigor mortis.
Kissing my shoulder, Kes climbed beside me. The heat of his naked thigh brushed mine; something heavy and hard nudged my hip.
Oh, God!
“I’m going to place you on your stomach.” His voice was soothing; his words weredefinitelynot.
I bucked as he tried to flip me over. “No! I can’t—not that!”
He stroked my side, his fingers way too close to my breast. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. Just roll over for me.” He pressed me harder.
“No!”
He wants to steal your anal virginity.
Horror possessed me. I kicked and wriggled. I was no longer an atrophied skeleton but a furious unwilling victim. My hands remained tethered behind my back, but it didn’t stop me from doing my damnedest to hurt him. “Don’t! Don’t touch me!”
“Shush.” He placed a harsh kiss on my shoulder blade. “Obey me. Do what I say, Nila. I’ll make it feel good, I promise.”
“I’ll never obey you. Never!” I fumbled with the sheets, wishing I could see. I wanted to bite him, knee him in the balls.
“Goddammit.” Grabbing my hip, he flipped me over with a burst of power.
I cried out as he jerked the pillow away from my mouth, pressing my cheek against the mattress. My breasts flattened and tears spurted from my eyes. “How can you do this to me?” My mind filled with his kindness teaching me how to tend to Moth. How could he be two totally different people?
“No more questions. Alright?” His voice was short with frustration. “Just—for once—let a man fucking control you.”
That was the last straw.
“Whatdid you just say?” I arched off the bed. “Let a mancontrolme?” Hysteria took hold. “I’ve been controlled all my life by every man I’ve ever met! Howdareyou say that? How dare you!” I couldn’t stop tears cascading down my face, drenching the bed below.
Kes grunted as I squirmed harder.
I couldn’t move beneath his weight. His heat warmed me like an unwanted sun. Ihatedhim.
Fisting my hair, he pressed my face into the bed. “Listen to me and pay attention.Behave.Don’t fight me. Don’t make Cut believe I can’t control you or it’ll encourage him to fucking participate. Don’t make this worse for yourself.” Letting me breathe, he hissed, “Don’t believe in the evil of everyone you meet. You'd be surprised just how wrong you’d be.”
I froze.
Silence reigned while we both breathed hard.
Slowly, his grip on my hair loosened. “Now...will you be more reasonable?”
I laughed coldly, sucking in cotton from the sheets. “Reasonable?You’re asking the trussed-up girl if she’ll be more reasonable? You’re as insane as your damn brother.”
Turned out madness ran in the entire family tree. They all had to die.
“I’ll let that slide.” His fingers dug into my side. “But I need you to listen to me. Okay?”
Every instinct boycotted the idea but what he said before echoed in my ears.Don’t believe in the evil of everyone.
Could the man who taught me to ride still save me? Could I trust him enough to wait and see? Did I have the strength to hope?
Do I have a choice?
Haltingly, I relaxed.
The instant he felt me give in, he let me go. “Good girl.”
