Page 10 of A King So Savage

Ava Blue was a stubborn little thing. And that surprising spark of fierceness she revealed was intoxicating as hell. Maybe she wasn’t so docile, after all. Maybe she was more of a she-wolf clothed as a lamb.

Doctor Neil Abbott snapped his medical case close. Rising from the chair beside the cot, he made his way to Kingston. “Nothing broken. Just a bad sprain. I’ve placed it in a splint as a simple precaution, but she’ll recover quickly. Don’t let her put any pressure on it for a few days, at least.”

“Thank you, Neil.” Kingston glanced past the man to where Ava was curled up on the narrow cot. The lighting in the cell was low, but he could see she was still weeping. Fuck if she hadn’t also bitten her bottom lip until it was bleeding.

Neil rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you sure about this, Kingston? I mean, she isn’t the type one locks up in a dungeon.”

“It’s hardly a dungeon,” Kingston said, gesturing around the space. “There’s a nice bathroom, a bed, a lamp. I even had the heat turned up so she doesn’t feel the chill of the stones.”

Neil scowled. “It’s underground, has a solid wood door with a small, grated opening, no windows, and manacle rings embedded in the walls. Classic dungeon.”

“Agree to disagree.” Kingston shrugged. “Check on her tomorrow, will you?”

“Fine. You’re sure you don’t want me to put a stitch or two in that cut? It will probably scar.” Neil had tended Kingston first, placing surgical strips over the slice to his cheek before Kingston directed his attention to the girl curled up on the cot.

The bite mark on the inside of his arm was insignificant, and Kingston refused treatment for it. Fuck, he wasn’t a pussy.

“It’s fine. What’s one more scar, anyway?” Kingston waved the doctor away.

“I gave her a sedative. A mild one, since she was already tranquilized earlier today. She needed something to take the edge off the pain of her wrist.” Neil shifted his feet, obviously uncomfortable, but continued with a sigh when Kingston’s eyebrow lifted high in question. “And the other shot you insisted upon. I gave her that, too. Never mind I’ve serious problems with the ethics of that. She begged me to help her escape. To call the police.”

“You refused, so does it even matter?”

Neil shook his head. “I cannot in good conscience sanction this, King. This is some serious shit.”

“And what other option is there? The bastard refuses to pay up, and that cannot be allowed. Not with the enemies I have. Go soft on a debt and my reputation is fucked. Besides, it’s not like I’ve stolen her away from paradise. She’s surviving on the edge of fucking poverty while her brother blazes through their inheritance. He’s racking up IOUs up and down the coast. And to top it off, he wants to use her to pay those debts. I just beat him to it by grabbing her first. What’s wrong with protecting my investments?”

“For one thing, you don’t need the money. Not when you’re richer than the devil himself,” Neil argued. “It’s a fucked up situation. You know my loyalty is yours, but I amreallynot okay with this.”

“You don’t have to be okay with it. You just have to keep your mouth shut. And Neil? A word of advice. You’re my closest friend. But don’t ever think you have the right to dictate how I handle my business affairs.” Kingston smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.

Once the doctor exited the cell, Kingston stalked closer to the cot. Ava was curled into a half-moon shape, her body hidden by clean, white sheets and a fluffy down comforter. It was still a bit chilly down here. He would turn the heat up a little more.

He’d never abducted a woman before, and this particular dungeon cell was only used when indulging his own pleasure with willing partners. Everything he enjoyed when it came to sex was consensual.

Until this girl.

Nothing with her would involve consent. Nothing he intended on doing would be welcomed. And while there was a chance Carson Blue would repay the debt, Kingston prayed he wouldn’t.

Because he’d wanted Ava the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Not sexually, of course. Fifteen years old, all coltish legs and budding breasts, her body hinting at maturity, she’d been too young then. Maybe it was wrong to want her, but he didn’t care then and he didn’t care now. He waited for her to grow up. Waited for her to fall into his lap. Waited until her stupid, cruel brother provided the catalyst so Kingston could rightfully take her.

Now she was his, and he still wasn’t sure what should be done with her.

“You can’t do this to me.” Ava’s voice was soft and a little slurred from the drugs. “It isn’t right.”

Kingston sat on the edge of the cot, admiring how the glow of the lamp transformed her features into something magical. Tucking the bloody handkerchief back into his pocket, he smoothed her hair away from her face. “No, it isn’t.”

“You can still let me go.”

Kingston chuckled. “No, I can’t.”

She tried curling even tighter into herself, her left arm coming up across her chest in a protective manner. The splint was huge on her: a contraption of metal bracing and medical wrapping that swallowed her tiny wrist. A tear rolled down her cheek, and Kingston experienced an urge to lick it off her skin. To taste the unique flavor of fear and sweetness. His mouth watered with the thoughts of what else he could taste of her.

“I’m a poor return on your criminal activities, Mister Winter. You’ll never get that kind of money for me.” Her pretty green eyes were fogged with pain and tranquilizers but still glittered with distrust. Seeing the cut on his cheek, and the accompanying bruising, she sucked in a breath as if surprised by her own ability to wound a man.

When he leaned closer, her thick black lashes fluttered shut and her throat convulsed as she swallowed.

How intriguing to discover a smattering of pale gold freckles on her otherwise flawless skin. Those little flakes danced across the bridge of her reddened nose. He wanted to count each one with endless kisses.

---