Page 16 of Princess Broken

“I appreciate your earlier assistance,” I say firmly. “But you four seem well equipped to face danger, and I grant you permission to escort me to DEFTA. Once there, I will be perfectly safe, and your debt will be paid in full.”

“No.” Flame, the one with the blond hair and fair skin, shakes his head. “It is our duty to protect you—for life.”

A tremor races through me, part fear, part thrill. “That isn’t necessary.”

“That’s not for you to say,” says the one with the slight Scottish accent.

I turn toward him. “Phil, is it?” I turn up the edges of my lips in a smile. The curly-haired redhead is the biggest of the four, bigger even than the aptly named Crusher, who nearly lived up to his name when he carried me out of that massacre.

Perhaps mocking Phil’s name could form a crack in the macho attitude that’s so thick it’s smothering me. I need some kind of leverage, given the men’s size advantage.

“Let’s see if I got this straight. You’re Crusher.” I point to the olive skinned, dark haired one who held me so tightly as he carried me. “You’re Flame—” I point to the blond one “—and you’re Blade.” I turn toward the dark-skinned vampire, and then fight a slight shiver, remembering how his dagger appeared in a flash, how he deftly manipulated the sharp weapon in his fingers.

And how Flame can make fire appear out of thin air. These men are all dangerous.

I turn back toward the massive redhead. “Clearly, your partners all have nicknames to match their skills and talents. And yet your name is…Phil?”

“What of it?” His eyes narrow. “It’s my fucking name.”

“No need to feel inadequate.” I raise my palms toward him. “I’m sure you have talents too, Phil.”

“I could fill you.”

Crusher shoves Phil’s shoulders, pushing him back several feet and breaking the tight circle around me.

“Apologize!” Crusher’s deep voice reverberates through the tunnel. Even the floor seems to vibrate. “Apologize to her—now!”

Head bowed, Phil steps toward me. “Sorry, princess,” he says, mocking my name. “What I said was disrespectful.”

I suck in a sharp breath, suddenly realizing what he meant by ‘fill’. How did I not catch the lewd innuendo sooner?

Now that I have, my insides clench and pulse, making me even wetter down there. Wet at Phil’s threat. Such a misplaced reaction. Especially since, if his rod is proportionate to his body, I have no doubt he would do much more than fill me.

My eyes drop to his pelvic area, and my breath is stolen again at the sight of his mound, its impressive shape worn into the fabric of his jeans. My mouth goes dry. Apparently all the moisture in my body has migrated lower.

Phil grunts. “Like what you see?”

I shift my gaze. Now I’m the one who has disrespected him, and I feel my cheeks heat.

“What are we going to do with her?” Blade asks no one in particular. But at least he’s drawn attention from the awkward situation with Phil.

“Do with me?” I shake my head. “I have one simple request and I made it explicit. All I require is that you escort me to DEFTA. And since you all admit that you owe me, surely you will do as I ask.”

Blade frowns. “Our duty is to protect you, not obey you.”

“You might be a princess up there,” Phil folds his arms across his massive chest. “Down here, you’re nothing.”

“Nothing?” I glare at him, but his words hit harder than I expect. I’m close to a third the size of any of these men, and suddenly feel a tenth of even that.

Phil glares back at me, offering no apology this time, and there are no disagreements or rebuffs from Crusher this time, as I fight to regain my composure.

Blade shifts, capturing my attention. “What Phil means is, we don’t recognize the vampire monarchy down here. No one has authority over us. No syndicate, no king, no master. We answer to no one.”

“Not anymore,” Flame interjects. Lighting another match, he flicks it away and I watch it burn out on the tunnel floor. “No one will ever control us again.”

“Princess might be part of your name,” Blade continues. “But it’s not a title down here.”

“That’s fine.“ I nod. “My name is Anastasia, by the way. Ana.”

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