It’s a simple play, but a powerful one. Dimitry gives a slow, calculating nod.
“A boy with a grudge,” Gleb grins. “Welcome to the family, Walters. Let’s hope Daddy stays in office, or your value is going to drop real fast.”
One down, one to go.
The girl.
It’s not like I’m heartless, but I’ve got to keep the peace on my block. The five women we have already cause enough headaches, and none of them are delicate little Barbie Dolls. The direct opposite in fact.
Gleb is up in the Princess’s face now.
At first she doesn’t flinch, but then the ugly Russian runs a finger down her body, tracing a line from her lips to her breast. Herhand whips around and the crack of her palm against his cheek brings a shocked, absolute hush to the yard.
Gleb doesn’t even blink. He just slaps her back, the force of it nearly taking her off her feet, before he starts circling her like a shark.
“You have a temper, 27. We don’t like that in our women. We like them submissive. Bend the knee to the Guild and you’ll always have protection from the animals over there.” He waves a hand at the Diggers.
My boys shout back, cursing his name, but I stay silent. I’m watching her chin. She lifts it higher, showing her disdain. I wish I could see her eyes.
I know there’d be fire in them.
“Get on your knees right now,” Gleb yells.
I half expect her to refuse, and even though it’s the wisest choice, I’m a little disappointed when she gracefully lowers herself to the ground.
As Gleb reaches for his zipper, the whoops and whistles from the Guild bleachers become deafening. Rice stands up and yells in my direction. “Fuck, Boss. It’s almost worth a challenge for a mouth like that. Can I?”
“No.”
Fucking Rice. I can’t wait until he’s out of here.
Gleb fists her hair, hauling her face into his crotch. He’s grinning around the yard, so fucking pleased with himself.
I want to look away but I can’t.
But the next second he’s screaming—a noise so high it sounds inhuman.
“Holy fucking shit!” Clay jumps up. “She bit his dick off!”
He’s right. Gleb falls to the floor, as the girl stands. Then she spits a mouthful of blood into the dirt and wipes her chin with the back of her hand.
Fuck.
Stupid bitch. Dimitry is not going to allow that disrespect. He can’t.
And there we go. The Guild leader stands, descending the bleachers with a rigid, cold annoyance. Meanwhile, Odessa looks on with delight, a cruel, predatory smile stretching her red lips. She doesn’t look horrified; she looks like she’s just been handed a front-row seat to a hanging, and she was going to enjoy every second of the Princess’s demise.
If King Dimitry is stepping in, her demise is possible. This girl is in more trouble than she can imagine.
“27,” Dimitry’s voice booms in his heavy Russian accent. “You have committed a crime against the Guild. For that, you will be punished.”
The girl crosses her arms, Gleb’s blood still smeared across her chin. She tosses her pale hair, looking every bit the defiant queen. “Fuck you, asshole,” her high, clear voice echoes around the space. “Fuck you, and all the assholes you rode in on.” She spits again. “And my name is not 27. It’s Aurora Drakeward. And I kneel for no man.”
Oh, shit.
Aurora Drakeward? The sister of Cosmo?
I owe Cosmo Drakeward a debt that can never be repaid. He’s the reason the stolen Ashgrave kids made it home. I picture the moment he flew into this very prison yard in his shifted form; a golden dragon, glowing with internal fire.
