Page 7 of Beast

I smile. “I’d love to see the girls first.” Why wait through dinner merely wondering if any will take my fancy.

Taren nods and stands, leading me out of the room toward the basement. He’s off. Tense. Normally he’s not like this but there’s a tension in the air between him and Illeana. We walk in silence down the hallway toward the basement. Again, unlike Taren. He’d normally engage in some kind of bullshit conversation.

We reach the cell and Taren clears his throat.

“On your feet, girls. You have a visitor.”

The four girls scramble to their feet and put their arms behind their backs, staring at the floor.

“Not completely untrained, are they, Taren?”

Taren avoids my gaze. “They’ve been training for a few days.”

He unlocks the cell door, leading me inside. I keep my eyes on him, wondering why he’s acting off.

I inspect the four girls, circling them. While I do, I keep an eye on Taren’s reaction, noticing every single time I get near the beautiful, curvy girl with red hair that he tenses up.

That’s his problem.

Taren has a thing for one of the prisoners. A part of me likes the idea of taking her away from him, watching his reaction as I select the girl he craves.

“Why don’t you tell me about this one?” I ask, signaling to the girl.

The rage on his face is amusing. “That’s Alice,” he says, keeping his gaze off her. “She’s spirited.” He tries to sound detached but I can read him like a fucking book.

I chuckle. “Spirited, eh? I do enjoy a good challenge.” I move closer to Alice and lift her chin, looking into her pretty blue eyes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Taren’s fists clenching.

“But the spirit can be broken, can’t it, Taren?” I meet his gaze, smirking to make it clear I know he’s obsessed with her. Releasing her chin, I turn my attention to a dark-haired girl beside Alice.

All of the girls are beautiful in their own right, but there’s one that caught my eye the moment we stepped in here. Tall, blonde, and just downright fucking gorgeous. Even so, I give time to each of the girls. But when I get to the blonde at the end, I spend the most time admiring her. “And who’s this?”

“Blake,” Taren answers, his voice flat.

“Blake,” I say, testing her name on my lips. I grip her chin and lift it, making her meet my gaze. The defiance in her azure eyes strikes me like a bolt of lightning, igniting something within me. Her spirit doesn’t just challenge me, it captivates me. My pants tighten around my crotch as I gaze into her eyes.

They blaze with a wild defiance, unyielding and fierce. She stands there, her posture rigid with resistance, and I find myself momentarily at a loss for words. “She’s the one. I’ll take her.”

The dark-haired girl beside her gasps. “No! You can’t take her! You sick son of a bitch.”

I smirk at the insolence, watching as Taren approaches the girl and slams his hand into her face, forcing her to the floor. “Apologies for that, Gaston. We’ll sort out the paperwork over dinner. I’ll have someone prepare her for you.”

I laugh at the utter dread in my girl’s eyes. And the way her jaw clenches in barely contained anger. What she doesn’t know is any girl I buy lives in luxury. In a sense, I’m saving her. She’ll want for nothing. Her time at my home will be a far cry from this shit hole.

“Perfect,” I reply, holding Blake’s gaze. “I look forward to playing with you, beautiful.”

She glares back at me. “Fuck you!” she spits.

My smile widens at the feisty response. “I’m going to have a lot of fun with this one, Taren. Aren’t I?”

Taren nods. “It would seem so.” He turns, leading me away from the cell and my purchase back toward the dining room.

Ileana is a snake, waiting for us with a false smile on her face. “Gaston, Taren,” she greets, rising to her feet. “How did you find our girls?” she asks, looking at me.

I run a hand through my hair. “Beautiful. I selected one of them.” I tilt my head. “Usual price?” I ask, despite knowing Ileana believes these girls are worth more than the usual price.

Ileana clears her throat. “These are more expensive, as I explained on the phone.” She pulls out a seat at the table. “Come, sit and eat, and we’ll discuss the details.”

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