Page 106 of Diamond Kisses

He collared and shocked, abused and raped.

Yet his entire operation, his verysafetyrelied on the men he armed with guns. Men who’d chafed at his law that they could never leave. Men he believed he could collar with jewels and fortune instead of realising that all of us—no matter how vile—all neededsomeone.

A friend. A lover. A goddamn pet.

Rape wasn’t enough.

Fear wasn’t enough.

Humans needed love, and this island only held hate.

My tired heart kicked with power; I looked at his guards instead. “If it’s true that his cameras are still working, take a look for yourself. See what’s truly happened out there.”

The two guards holding the guns to my temples gave each other a look.

“I was down there. I’ve seen firsthand who’s fighting on our side.” I swallowed and spoke louder, full of truth. “The guards fought on Victor’s side to begin with. They obeyed like you have. They’ve obeyed for years, just like you—”

“Enough,” Victor snarled. “Gag him.”

“But that obedience ended tonight. The remaining guards spied an opportunity. They saw a way out. And they—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Victor punched me in the jaw.

My head swung with his strike, but the pain only added to all the rest.

That welling of strength returned.

That manic ability to ignore the fact that I was dying all in order toprotect.

Ily…you better still be alive, mon cœur.

Tonguing the fresh blood from a split lip, I grinned at the guards. “They’re fightingwithus.”

The muzzle of the guns inched away from my temples.

“They’ve swapped sides. They’re not his anymore.”

Indecision filled the four men. Two brown-haired, one dark-skinned, one bald, and for a second, I no longer existed for them.

Victor no longer existed.

They looked at each other with sudden hope in their eyes.

“They’re going home,” I hissed, tasting their hesitation. “The question is—”

Victor kicked me right in the gut.

I doubled over, landing on my side. I twitched involuntarily as my organs tried to decide if they’d had enough of this abuse and if this one little kick would finally kill me. “The questionis—” I coughed up a mouthful of blood “—are you going home…with them?”

Snatching a gun out of the guard’s hand, Victor aimed at me. “Fuck it. I’ve had enough of you.”

His finger squeezed the trigger.

The ear-shreddingcrackas he fired—

The guard he’d stolen the weapon off barrelled into Victor and shoved his arm wide.

The bullet slammed into the wall.

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