Page 19 of Stiletto's Savior

I grit my teeth, fighting back the tears prickling my eyes.

If I can just stay calm... but the hunger gnaws at me, relentless.

Whatever they’ve done to me, they want me to break.

“Just a prospect,” I remind myself, but that doesn’t make it easier.

It’s like a bitter pill lodged in my throat—useless.

I’m nothing but a pawn in their game.

“Please,” I say, desperation creeping into my tone. “Someone. Anyone.” But the silence answers back, mocking.

“I need to find a way out,” I murmur, clenching my jaw against the pain.

I twist my wrists, searching for any hope of freedom, but the chains hold tight—their grip suffocating.

My thoughts drift to my sister, Suyin, or as the club knows her, Siren.

Her face flashes behind my eyelids, and it almost feels like I’m home.

My lips crack as I try to wet my dry mouth. It feels like sandpaper scraping against bone.

Each breath is a struggle, the air thick with dust and despair.

I can’t remember the last time I drank water.

My throat burns, begging for relief.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” I whisper to myself, though the words taste bitter now.

A noise above interrupts my thoughts—the unmistakable sound of a key turning in the lock.

My heart races.

Heavy footsteps reverberate through the floor, each thud echoing my rising panic.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I can’t let them see me weak.

I force myself to sit up, wincing as the chains bite into my wrists even more.

The cold concrete presses into my back like a relentless reminder of where I am.

The door creaks open, shadows spilling into the dim space.

My breath catches. Adrenaline surges through me.

I scramble to brace myself against the wall, trying to appear defiant, even as dread coils in my stomach.

“Are you ready to talk yet?” A voice booms, gravelly and commanding.

“Please,” I rasp, desperation clawing at my insides. “I don’t know anything.”

Footsteps descend faster, and I feel the air shift.

A figure looms, blocking the light.

My pulse quickens, a frantic drumbeat against my chest.

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