Page 41 of Their Dark Rose

“As I mentioned.” Mason strides in calm steps toward my bedroom’s door, opening it wide. “We’re fucking you tonight, flower.”

“I don’t—“ I start to say I don’t want to. To lie and tell the truth all at once.

“You have five seconds, little rose.” Finn’s at my side, nudging me off the bed. “I’d suggest you use them wisely.”

“For what?”

None of their faces offer any explanation.

“Briar,” Mason roars. “Do as you’re told.”

Shivers rake up my body.

The world stops spinning.

Yet I see everything in vivid color.

I also hear Mason loud and clear when he barks out one final order.

“Run.”

CHAPTER TEN

“Run.”

Mason’s command bounces around in my head. A tiny, angry ping-pong ball.

I stare at him, my mouth gaping.

Where the fuck do I run? Outside? Half-naked in the rain?

“Wait, I—“

“Five.” Falk’s behind me. I can’t see him, but I swear I can hear him flash his teeth in a snarl.

My body jolts, woken by the violence his threat holds. I don’t think anymore. I just act, taking off and out of my room.

I’m in the hallway on my bare feet in a heartbeat. My lungs burn, and running doesn’t have anything to do with it.

Adrenaline does. Pummeling through my veins. Making me feel more alive than I ever have.

The world and safety are within arm’s reach, despite what Mason said about taking my virginity.

I just have to lift one foot and the other. I have to run.

Where to, though? Left? Right? Will I even make it outside?

No, outside is too far. Hiding here would be the safest.

Thing is, as large and expansive as the house is, there aren’t too many places to hide.

I should know. I searched.

Years ago, when I was a child, I snuck into every hole and crevice in this place. When being around these frowning men became intolerable.

Until I realized trying to skip our classes in the laundry room was useless. They’d sniff me out when I crawled under Finn’s bed. They’d catch my feet whenever I stood behind Mason’s numerous suits in his closet.

One time I even made the mistake of going into Falk’s room. His bedroom design is painfully minimal without so much as a desk. He hauled me kicking and screaming back to my room. He had me sit and read for hours. Science books, to spice up the torture.

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