Page 31 of Diamond Kisses

When he’d finished losing himself to fury, he clenched his jaw and hissed, “I’ll be okay. If you need to hear that I won’t let a little sodomy break me, then fine. I can handle it. I promise you on my life, Ily, I won’t let him break me. No matter what he does. I won’t break because I have you now, and you’re worth a thousand tortures.”

I rubbed my aching heart as tears ran hotly down my cheeks.

“I mean it,mon cœur.” He smiled gently. “I can handle it. No matter how bad it gets, I will always come back to you. You have my word.”

I shuddered with his oath. “Henri…”

His violence became a benediction. “I’m yours, little nightmare. And you’re going to have to trust me because you’re trapped in this awful place because of me and while you’re here, you’re mine, just like I’m yours. My heart and body belong to you, not him. And I’ll use every piece of myself if it means I can keep him as far away from you as possible.”

My tears turned to sobs.

Our fading fight finally woke Peter.

He came to as if he’d been deep underwater and barely knew how to swim above the surface of it anymore. Groggy eyes, tussled hair, scratchy voice. “What the—” Blinking at Henri fuming with helplessness across from us, he came awake in an instant. “What the hell did you say to her, you idiot?” With a soft groan, he crawled onto my bed and wrapped me in his chilly embrace.

None of us could get warm.

And I solongedto be warm.

I’d give anything to slip into the large spa bath in the jewel quarters.

I’d give five years of my life just to take a hot shower and then crawl into a hot bed with Henri’s arms tight and hot around me.

I cried harder.

The images of Victor bending Henri over and taking him.

The mental videos of other Masters whipping him, beating him, making him do unspeakable things.

It almost broke me seeing Peter and the others having to service men they despised. But watching the man who woke everything primal inside me? The man who seemed so invincible and immortal be diminished to a piece of meat for their pleasure…I-I can’t.

I couldn’t stop my tears now that I’d started.

Peter gathered me tighter and dragged me onto his bony lap. “Hey,jaanu, it’s okay. You’re okay. We’re all okay.”

Yes, but for how long?

How much longer before—

A noise.

A loud clang followed by heavy footfalls.

No.

Tears froze on my cheeks as Henri stiffened and Peter turned to a statue beneath me.

Please no—

Footfalls came closer, closer, echoing down the dungeon corridors, louder, louder, until…

Four guards appeared.

Crawling off Peter’s lap, I swiped at my tears and glowered at our unwanted guests.

None of us spoke as the guard in front used a ring of keys to unlock our bars, then kicked the door wide. “If you move wrong, I’ll electrocute you. If you try to run, I’ll shoot you. If you try to fight back, I’ll beat you.” The guard pulled free a black remote and gun from his utility belt. “Any questions?”

Henri stood by his bed, his hands balled. “What do you want?”

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