I’m trying really hard not to read into that. It was one moment; one unexpected act of kindness. But a small, treacherous part of me can’t help but wonder if maybe he’s turned over a new leaf– if there’s still some piece of the kid I used to know still in there, buried beneath the anger and resentment.
The second that thought forms, he opens his mouth and proves exactly how misguided it is.
“Fuck this,” Raf grunts, pushing off the wall and taking a few steps toward us. “We don’t have to tell her shit. She’s not the one with bargaining power here.” His gaze settles on me, cold as ice. “Why should we protect you?”
I stand my ground, but the heat rising in my cheeks betrays me. My mind scrambles for something that might give me leverage, but I have nothing to offer. Nothing except–
The idea hits me so hard I nearly stagger. But if there’s one thing the Dollhouse taught me, it’s how to weaponize my value.
I smooth my expression, force my posture straighter, and let the words fall before I can talk myself out of them.
“Because I’ll give you something you want.”
Raf’s lip curls. “Why the hell would I want anything fromyou?” he sneers. “Better yet, what could you possibly offer that I couldn’t get from literallyanybody else?”
My stomach twists, but I hold his gaze, trying to find some glimmer of the boy I used to know behind those eyes. My childhood friend; the boy I loved before I even knew what love was.
I look Raf dead in the eye and say, “My virginity.”
All three of them freeze, seemingly caught off guard for the first time since I’ve known them. Ford’s lips part. Wes blinks, a muscle twitching beneath his eye. Raf stares back at me, nostrils flaring, pupils dilating.
I press the advantage before any of them can recover, feeling the old shame curl up in my gut but refusing to let it win. “They can’t sell me as a virgin bride if I’m not a virgin, right?” I say, keeping my tone level. “That was the whole point of their stupid auction. So if you really want to keep me safe, burn that bridge.”
Ford lets out a rough, incredulous laugh. “Fucking hell.”
Raf moves toward me, the others shifting aside automatically, giving him a clear path like predators yielding space to the alpha. He closes the distance slowly, deliberately, and doesn’t stop until he’s standing so close I can feel the heat radiating off his body and his warm breath ghosting across my face.
His dark eyes lock onto mine, bottomless and brutal. “Is this what you want, Ava?” he murmurs. “To be ruined by the devil you know?”
Before I can answer, his hand comes up and wraps around my throat, squeezing just enough to remind me how easily he could snap my neck if he wanted to.
“Say it,” he demands, my pulse thrashing violently beneath his palm. “Say you want me to take it.”
My eyes flick toward the others. Ford is watching like he just found religion, his expression feral with interest. Wes has turned away slightly, his jaw clenched tight.
Raf’s grip tightens, forcing my focus back to him.
“I want you to,” I whisper, meeting his eyes, fighting the urge to look away. “So do we have a deal?” I ask, the wobble in my voice betraying my false bravado.
He studies me for a long, heavy moment. Then he shifts his grip around my throat, thumb pressing against my chin, tipping my head back as his other fingers tighten slightly. His thumb slides higher, forcing my lips apart, the pad of it pressing against my tongue.
I taste the saltiness of his skin as he pries my mouth open wider, holding me there like he’s inspecting something he just bought.
Then he spits.
The warm string of saliva lands on my tongue and I recoil, revulsion flashing through me. I jerk instinctively, but his hand holds me firm, forcing me to take it.
For a second he just watches my reaction, something dark and satisfied flickering across his face. “Yeah,” he growls softly, the corner of his mouth twitching. “We’ve got a fuckin’ deal.”
He releases me so abruptly that I stumble, the loss of his grip making the room tilt for half a second as air rushes back into my lungs. Without another word, he turns on his heel and stalks down the hall toward his bedroom, the tension he leaves behind crackling through the room like a live wire.
I sag where I stand, my hands trembling, my body vibrating with a volatile mix of adrenaline, dread… and something that feels dangerously close to relief.
I refuse to let the others see it. I force my breathing to steady, closing my mouth and lifting my chin.
Ford starts a slow, mocking clap. “Well played, Doll,” he drawls, something like pride shining in his hazel eyes. “Well fucking played.”
Wes advances toward me, voice soft. “You sure about this?” he asks.
