Page 80 of Things Get Dark

“Good girl.” I tell her, encouraging her behavior.

For just a slight moment, she lets her guard drop and I can see how much my words affect her as she licks her lips.

Mikeal lets out a chuckle. “This is going to be fun.”

“Why did you pick me?” she asks.

I look at my brother and he shrugs, leaving me to take the lead.

“It was always going to be you, Reina. Since the day you defended me and stood up to Mikeal, you were ours. The Ceremony was just a convenient opportunity to put our plans in motion, though we may have moved sooner had it not been for formalities.”

Being honest and transparent now is our only hope for salvaging the trust and friendship she thinks we’ve ruined.

“No matter what, no matter who, you were always the end game. For both of us.” I nod my head to Mikeal who has let the mask he wears fall just enough to show her that this is his truth too.

He grunts. “You’re ours, Princess. From tonight until my blood stops pumping.”

Moving back towards her, he squats down to ask, “Are you going to let us take you? Because we’ll never give you back.”

Attempting to show a false sense of power, she hesitates with her response. There’s a fight going on within her.

With one word, filled with sass, she gives in.

“Fine.”

Mikeal moves quickly, grabbing one of her legs and pulling until she’s on her back. “I might make you regret that.”

Reina

Regret.

Not something I’m used to and I don’t plan to let that change tonight.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask Mikeal.

I’m on my back in the fucking dirt with sticks and other parts of the outdoors in places I don’t even want to think about. The discomfort of the ground is driving me crazy but it's the pain of my tied-up hands that’s making it hard to move.

“Stay still, Princess.” Mikeal grins manically. “Or don’t. Maybe you like the pain like I do. You want the rope digging into your skin? Marking you on the outside, like we are about to mark you on the inside?”

I hate that he’s right. The longer the pain goes on, the less irritating it becomes. What was once a sting begins to fade into something more enjoyable…

Pleasure.

The boys I’ve spent my youth with are bringing out a new side to me. Something darker and maybe even depraved.

I feel the thin underwear I’m wearing begin to stick in places, getting wetter.

Mikeal brings out a knife and my fear returns.

“What do you need that for?” I can’t help but ask.

He laughs. “Be good and I won’t need it. If you don’t want to behave, I might carve your beautiful skin.”

The edge of the knife runs over my thigh, not cutting but putting enough pressure that one flinch would leave blood staining the blade.

“Be good or get fucking Tetanus? What kind of choice is that, Mikeal?” I can’t help the sarcasm leaking into my tone.

He reaches out and grips my neck, applying pressure. “I said be good. I have other things your mouth can do if you want to use it. Enough with the smartass comments.”

---