Page 40 of Princess Broken

“Ha!” Her head tips back as the sound erupts from inside her. “Not a chance. Never again.”

“Then…”

“Why would I leave one dungeon to join a secret, underground community?” she asks and then grins.

I smile back at her. “It does seem an odd choice.” The bulk of the former prisoners—the ones who didn’t deserve legitimate imprisonment—were offered full membership at DEFTA, given homes in the syndicate’s housing and financial support if needed.

“While I was trapped, the world moved on without me.” Gracen’s eyes turn wistful for a moment. “Nothing up there for me now.” She looks sad, but then her expression shifts as if she banished whatever emotions briefly took hold.

“Better question.” Her fingers drum her leather-clad thigh. “Why are you down here? Freetown seems an odd choice for a princess too.”

“Fair point.” I glance behind me again.

“Don’t worry, sugar,” Gracen says. “They’re not listening.”

“How can you know that?”

“The brothers might be psychos, but they’re psychos with a code.”

I’ve heard parts of this code, but so far there’s been no mention of eavesdropping. “Are you certain?”

“Do you think I would keep calling them psychos if I thought they were listening?” She chuckles. “I don’t have a death wish.”

I shift on the chaise. She’s clearly fearful of the men, making me think that I should be too. More than I already am, that is.

“So?” She leans forward. “How did you end up with those psycho f-boys.”

“F-boys?”

“Fuck boys.”

My heart rate accelerates and my insides clench. “Why do you call them that?”

“You don’t know what that means?” Her eyebrows rise. “Seems I’m not the only one who’s missed out on a lot of recent pop culture.”

“Does it refer to how often they take females?” Or… do the four only have sex with each other? Is it a crude term for men who prefer men? Given Gracen’s unapologetic use of the term psycho, I would not put it past her to use another slur.

“F-boys…” Her head tips to the side. “It’s a certain type of guy. It describes a set of behaviors.”

“I’ve never heard the term.”

She shrugs. “It was new to me too. Learned it after I got out of the dungeon.”

“Can you explain?”

“I don’t think there’s a dictionary definition.” She shifts. “Basically, F-boys are dudes who fuck without emotional investment. F-boys fuck like it’s a sport. A game to be won.”

“A sport?”

She shrugs. “Fuck ‘em and leave ‘em types, if you get my drift. From what I’ve heard and seen, I’m not sure your guys even notice who they’re fucking, never mind pausing to have a conversation before or after.”

“Oh.” A chill washes through me. “That seems…” I think back to what Phil did earlier, how easily he dominated me.

Heat shoots through me even though I know it should be disgust. If these men are actually rapists, I will have them arrested the moment I escape. “Are you saying they take women by force?”

“Depends on what you mean by force.” A devilish grin comes over her face.

I straighten my back and clasp my hands on my lap. “What I mean is: without the women’s consent.” I look into Gracen’s eyes, letting her know that I’m taking this seriously, that she can share with me if she’s one of their victims.

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