Page 55 of Crucible

Without warning, Khalil presses his lips against mine, and I let out a surprised sound as his hands travel up the cursed flannel. My hands rise to his strong chest to push him away, but I end up gripping his muscle shirt instead. Simultaneously, he takes my naked ass in his callused palms. The rough pads of his fingers scraping against my soft skin feel like heaven.

I’mnotthinking about the fact that my naked ass is exposed to the clearing for anyone to see when he pulls back long enough to say, “Just so we’re clear, I don’t give a shit what you want.” He resumes the kiss before I can respond.

We’restillkissing when I murmur, “Said every abusive asshole ever.”

Khalil’s grip on my ass tightens, his fingers wandering dangerously close to the arousal building between my thighs. “You think we’re abusing you, Goldilocks?

“You sure as hell aren’t romancing me, asshole.”

I’m rising onto the tips of my toes to reach his lips better when he utters between kisses, “Well, I think you like the way we treat you.”

“Excuseme?”

“You heard me.”

Khalil slaps my ass hard, and I yelp from the sting while he backs away from me to open the front door, holding it for me to step through. I glare at him for a long time, but he doesn’t say a word. The bastard knows his silence will taunt me much more effectively than his words ever will.

Grumbling to myself, I storm past him and into the cabin with the knowledge that he’s watching me with no shortage of smug male satisfaction. It’s not until the front door slams shut behind him, closing off the biting cold on the other side, that it hits me.

I didn’t try to run.

Freedom wasright there,and I just…climbed back into my cage like anidiot.

I don’t even flinch when Khalil places a hand on my lower back. He takes me back down into the basement and into the room right off the stairs. It’s next to the destroyed bedroom that Khalil tells me belongs to Seth. That tracks.

There are several jumbo metal bins stacked underneath the white plastic farmhouse sink with a spigot. What looks like a metal toilet plunger is leaning against the wall next to it, along with a large wooden paddle with grooves down the length and a short handle. Tossed over the wire hanging in the middle of the room like a clothesline is my dress—clean now but still torn.

Khalil grabs a clean towel and washcloth from the floating shelves after pointing out the pile of dirty laundry waiting to be washed.

“Why are you showing me all of this?” I finally ask him. This whole morning has been one long, confusing mess of don’t-give-a-fuck.

“Starting today,this is the shit you’ll need to know in order to earn your keep. Make us happy, and we’ll reward you. Piss us off, and we’ll punish you. It’s simple.”

“Simple?” I echo calmly despite the shiver working its way down my spine. “Right. How?”

Khalil steps closer until I’m forced to tip my head back to keep eye contact. Leaning down until the tips of our noses touch, he rumbles, “Fuck around and find out, Aurelia.”

Khalil’s warning feels like a promise. It chills my bones and warms my belly at the same time. All the more reason to get out of here before I lose myself completely.

My skin pebbles with goose bumps, and I don’t realize I’ve lowered my gaze until Khalil hooks a finger under my chin and gently forces my eyes back on him. He doesn’t bother issuing more threats once he sees the submission in my eyes. He just pushes me out of the closet and into the bathroom on the other side of the stairs.

“I thought you might want to take a shower,” he announces after setting the linen on the sink. “Extra toothbrushes are in the top drawer. That ridiculous dress of yours should be dry by now. I’ll leave it on the bed before I go.”

“Go?” I gulp. “Where are you going?”

“I showed you where everything is,” he says, ignoring my question. “There’s meat already thawing in the fridge. You should have no problem getting dinner started. We’ll be home by the time the sun touches the horizon. Don’t leave the cabin.”

Khalil’s gone, shutting the bathroom door behind him before I can even get a word out. For a while, I just stood there processing the last half hour until I heard the front door slam closed five minutes later.

He left.

Khalil actually left me alone as if I haven’t proven more than once that I’m a definite flight risk.

Running out of the bathroom and up the basement stairs, I make it to the kitchen window overlooking the clearing in time to see Khalil step over the boundary of their property and disappear through the trees. He’s covered from head to toe now in a yellow and black snowsuit, telling me he really does plan to be gone for a while.

Still, I wait a few minutes more, scanning the tree line to make sure he hasn’t forgotten something or this isn’t a trap. The three of them could be lying in wait to see if I’ll run so they have an excuse to punish me.

After ten minutes, I head to the front door and take a deep breath before I turn the knob.

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