Page 58 of Vicious King

I scoffed. I was so done with this shit. “God, we’re really still playing this game, huh?” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “The one where you pretend as if you didn’t know I was a captive all this time? As if you’re actually gonna swoop in and rescue me?”

The words poured out before I could stop them. Elias smiled thinly, victoriously. “Finally, the truth comes out.”

My shoulders slumped in defeat. Oh, hell. What was the point in trying to pretend with him anymore?

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “Yes, I’m a captive. My parents sold me here. Now go ahead, Elias. Pretend like you didn’t know, pretend you’re totally gonna help me, then leave me hanging and laugh about it behind my back like you did last time. I know that’s the plan.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“Oh, for god’s sake.” I threw my hands up. “Stop fucking pretending. I know all about your games, Elias. I know all about the time you laughed behind my back about how pathetic I was for thinking you might actually help me. Why do you think I’ve been refusing to fall for it again? I’m not stupid enough to think you actually care!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I shoved him away, hard. My anger had finally reached its boiling point, exploding out of me in a hysterical burst. “Stop lying! Your father told me all about it!” I screamed. “Do you have any idea what that was like for me? Do you know what it’s like to think you finally have an ally? Someone who might actually help you? Then you find out it was all a lie, and they knew you were a captive all along. They just wanted to fuck with your head and make you have hope so they could tear it away!”

My rage was bitter, fiery, endless. I wanted to punch Elias right in the face. Tear his hair out. Make him feel every ounce of pain he ever made me feel.

“My father told you I did that?” he said. His voice was like ice.

“Yes! Why the hell do you think I stabbed him that day?” I said. Tears were rolling down my face in earnest now, and I knew I was bright red, my skin hot to the touch. “I wanted to kill both of you! Only you weren’t there.”

I expected Elias to look disappointed that the jig was up; that I knew his game. Instead, he shook his head slowly. “That’s why you don’t trust me,” he muttered. He rubbed his jaw. “Fuck, I knew he was a lying piece of shit. But I didn’t know about that.”

I sniffed, trying to stop the flood of tears and mucus. “Are you saying it’s not true?”

He looked me in the eye. “I swear on my life it’s not true. My father made that up.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. I guess he wanted to fuck with you. Break you down. Or make sure you put up even more of a fight with me.” He ran a hand across the stubble on his chin. “Why the hell didn’t you say something sooner? If I’d known you thought I—”

I cut him off. “I didn’t say anything to you because I believed him. So what was the point? I figured you’d just mock me again.”

“I never mocked you,” he said quietly. “That was all a lie. I promise you, Tatum, I never knew you were here against your will. I never laughed about it behind your back.”

“Oh, bullshit!” I shouted, the fury returning. “How could you not know I was a captive?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, shaking his head. His face was pale, his voice ragged. “I should’ve seen the signs. But I didn’t. I honestly thought this place…” He trailed off midsentence, leaving the words hanging in the air for a moment. “I saw the contracts. I heard all about how much money the girls were offered. When I visited in the past, none of them ever approached me and said they were here against their will. They seemed happy and compliant. It all seemed legitimate.”

I narrowed my eyes scornfully. “Really? How could you seriously think so many girls would just sell themselves to your society?”

“It made sense when I was told about it. My father said the society would track down girls who were in dire need of financial aid. They’d interview them and let them know what they were offering, and if they accepted, they’d go to the School for training and then come here to serve out their contract period. If they rejected the offer, they’d sign an NDA to make sure they didn’t mention it to anyone, and then they’d go back to their regular life.”

“So you honestly thought that many girls would want to give up all their rights and let themselves be fucked and abused by gross rich men for god knows how long, just for some extra cash? Give me a break.”

“You’d be amazed at what people will do for money, Tatum. I’ve seen some shit in my life you wouldn’t believe.”

“Well, I’m not like that. I’d never sell myself. So congratulations, you got me to admit it,” I said bitterly.

He stepped closer and took my hands in his. “I know, and I told you, I want to help you. But I need you to trust me, or else you’ll never leave with me when the time comes, will you?”

I shook my head. “No. How can I ever trust you?”

He ran a hand across his face and sighed. His silence said it all.

“See? I can’t,” I said.

“Try. Please.”

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