I clutched her arm, wanting her to take us away from this man.
His laugh made me shiver. “Yes. But none that have the look she wears like a second skin. Coupled with that exotic skin color, it’s mouth-watering to men with a certain taste for that innocence.”
“What look?” I didn’t like the change in Zarina’s voice.
“Come now, woman.” He laughed again. “Surely, you must see it for yourself. Scared, vulnerable, like she’s seeing the world for the first time. Plenty of men here would make you a rich woman to take a bite out of her.” He pointed to his side.
Both Zarina and I looked at five men standing in a group. Although they were talking, their eyes were on me. I shuddered at the open lust on their faces. I’d seen those expressions before, from men to who Master had given my body. Greedy, dirty men who weren’t above Master’s cruelty, yet I’d be dead if not restrained by his limitations.
I took a step back, needing to get away from them.
“It’s okay, Cinder.” Zarina grasped my wrist. I didn’t like her smile or the bite of her fingers into my skin, keeping me in place. “I’m trying to save you from my brother.”
“By selling me?” I whispered, sweat rolling down my spine.
Master sold me to his brutal friends. Wasn’t she doing the same thing? I thought this woman was kind. That she’d save me, give me the freedom I longed for. I was wrong. Without thinking, I yanked my hand from her grip and backed away, shaking my head before I turned and ran. I let my feet carry me where they wanted to because I had no idea where I was or where I intended to go.
“Cinder!” Zarina called out.
I didn’t stop until someone grabbed my arms, preventing me from moving. “Hello, kitten.” His smile was eerily familiar. “We meet again.” He chuckled. “All grown up and even more beautiful.”
Trying to catch my breath, I stared at the man. Recognition came hard and fast, knocking the little air I inhaled. A different kind of dread found its way over my shivering body. This man. Those cold, evil eyes, that laugh.
I feared him.
Why?
Even as I searched my memory, only his face seemed to stick, nothing more. Some part of me hated him, I felt it in my twisting stomach and rapidly beating heart.
“No.” I shook hard enough to cause my jaw to ache, unsure what I was trying to say.
“No?” His laugh caused the tiny hairs on my arms to stand. “Come now, kitten, you must remember. How could you not? I was your first, after all.” One hand clasped tightly around my elbow, the other touched my cheek. I jerked away, but my thin body was no match for his strength.
My first?What did that mean? Again, I searched my brain, trying to remember.
“Thank you, Andrew.” Zarina arrived at his side, her angry eyes on me.
“You’re trying to sell what belongs to Kabir,” he asked, a nasty grin lifting the corners of his lips. “You’re brave, Zarina.”
He knew Master. But he knew Zarina too.
She rolled her eyes. “Figured I’d make a couple of pounds off her, but she ran.” I didn’t like the look on her face. “My brother is too stupid not to know what a gem he has with this one.”
“I agree. He’s fucked in the head. How much do you want,” the man asked.
“What do you think she’s worth?” Zarina replied.
Fear squeezed my heart. Why couldn’t I remember this man?
He patted the side of his head, drawing my gaze to the thin strands of hair covering his head. “If I take her off your hands, how will you explain her absence to your brother.”
I tried to yank my hand away, but his fingers dug into my skin. Biting the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out, I glanced over his shoulder, my eyes connecting with a man standing on the other side of the room. Even though he was speaking to three men around him, he was looking at me. Something in his expression made me feel different. I couldn’t explain it, though. It was nothing like the looks I’d received from the other men since arriving. This far, I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, yet even when my gaze roamed the room looking for an escape, I still couldn’t explain the pull back to his face.
He smiled, and my insides suddenly felt warm, a calm I’d never experienced. Would he help me if I begged? What if he were like these other men, wanting only my body?
“My brother’s getting old. She could give him beautiful babies for the black market like he used to do. Instead, he plays with her when he’s bored. I lost a lot of prospective business when he pulled the plug,” Zarina said, returning my gaze to her.
I flinched, hating her. This woman gave life to Lady Macbeth’s scheming against her husband, and I thought she was nice. I trusted her. She was the person who sold babies. Tonight wasn’t about helping me. It was about helping herself.
