Page 35 of Tangled in Knots

My legs hold me as I walk forward, Morris steps out of the way as he shadows my every move. His fingers brush my back, tugging down the shirt gently.

“The bandage is still in place,” he says to himself. “It’s healing well from what I’m seeing. You’ll barely see a scar.”

“How nice for you,” I tell him. Scars aren’t my concern right now. I have bigger worries.

“Thought you’d like to know,” he says with a shrug, releasing the shirt. “Out the front door, Adira.”

They rarely use my name, and my skin erupts in goosebumps. I still don’t ask questions, because I know the answers aren’t forthcoming.

It’s freezing as he opens the door, and I step slowly onto the front porch. I don’t remember seeing this area. Christmas decorations are up and reminding me of the cheeriness of children. Whoever lives here is very blessed to be so happy.

While I’m not completely sure they are, this porch just seems to radiate the Christmas spirit. I, on the other hand, missed the holiday completely due to my heat. Probably for the best if I don’t dwell on those details.

It hurts.

Wrapping my arms around my waist, Morris closes the door behind himself as he moves to lean against the railing in front of me.

“You’re healed now and we’re leaving today,” he says slowly. “Rock Dresmond still wants you to be sold. He believes you owe him for your father’s debts.”

“I don’t,” I state. “I also have nothing of value. I’m not a virgin anymore.”

His lips twitch as he regally inclines his head toward me. “Rock wants your humiliation, sweetness. He doesn’t give a shitabout your virginity,” Morris says. “Pain, suffering, that’s the shit that gets him off. My pack works for him, so we follow his orders.”

“This isn’t right,” I whisper, shaking my head. There’s nowhere to run. The front yard is a giant pillow of snow, the driveway freshly shoveled, and the SUV taunting me. I can feel a dead weight inside of me, reminding me of an alpha I’m tied to. He’s shielding from me and I glare at him from within myself.

Coward!I scream, feeling him flinch. I will gladly torture him for the rest of his days. I don’t have a sacrificial bone inside of me. I’ll bring him down with me.

“You were born to the wrong family,” Morris agrees easily, pulling a syringe and a pill out of his pockets to show them to me. “You have a choice to do this the easy way or the hard way. Which is it going to be?”

I’m trembling between a mixture of the temperature and fear, my fingers spasming with anxiety.

“They’re both going to make me sleep?” I ask, fisting my hands tightly to keep them from twitching.

“Yes,” he says. “The syringe is going to burn though, and probably make you nauseous. The pill just brings quiet and sleep.”

My heart is pounding, my ears ringing as I gaze at him. Did he really bring me out here to make this choice? I’m having trouble understanding his motivation.

“What’s going to happen while I’m unconscious?” I ask, my voice cracking with tension.

His hazel eyes don’t blink or move away from me as he holds my gaze. “We’re moving locations, and as much fun as it was to have you strangle Kane while I was driving, I don’t want a repeat. You’ll be kept at that location briefly and then transferred to the auction house for preparation,” he says.

My body shudders as I consider what that means. The dark web had very scattered information about what happens at auction houses, but I was able to read enough to know it’ll be awful.

There’s no sympathy or softness at the auctions, though every silken word from Morris’ tongue has been a lie.

“I suggest keeping the guns away from Damon,” I tell him without remorse, stepping forward to pick up the pill and swallow it dry. Gagging as I struggle to get it down, I cough as I feel it travel.

“He may swallow the barrel instead of shooting me next time.”

Morris’ eyes widen in understanding, because I refuse to go down alone. Putting the syringe away as my eyes begin to droop and my knees collapse, the beta moves in smoothly to catch me.

“Good girl, don’t stop fighting,” he rasps, his face swimming before me as a tear leaks from my eye. “Burn it all fucking down, baby.”

Whimpering, my eyes shut completely, my consciousness pulled into the darkness that’s beginning to become way too familiar.

I plan to.

CHAPTER 10

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