Page 3 of Tempted to Rebel

Rebel scoffs and rolls his eyes. “If you’re going to fuck her, do it already. Don’t do the whole—” he whines in the back of his throat—“fawning over herthing.”

“I’m not going to fuck her, and I’m not fawning over her.” Rage slips the handcuffs over one of my wrists while I’m distracted and cinches the other one around one of the bars to the cage. Tearing the gag free from my neck and dropping it to the floor, he presses the pad of his thumb against my chapped bottom lip. “WhenI give you my cock,” he murmurs, brushing the tip of his nose against mine as he leans in close, “you’re going to beg for it. Because the only way you’re getting out of this cage,Mama—” he presses the flat of his palm to my stomach—“is with a baby in your belly.”

I shake my head violently and back away from him as far as I can, the cage and the cuffs not giving much leeway. I barely move a few inches before my body bends in ways it was never meant to. “No, please?—”

His eyes darken, and my body trembles as it senses danger. The world stills, my heartbeat quieting to a whisper as he speaks. “Youwillbear my children. You begged me to fill up that pretty pussy of yours to give you what you’ve always wanted, and you don’t get to go back on your word. You made a promise—” his nostrils flare—“and so did I.” Slamming the cage door shut behind him, he locks it with a key from his pocket and hovers just outside. Lip curling, he reaches for a bundle of clothes on the kitchen island and tosses them to Rebel. “See that she gets dressed.”

Rebel pulls a face. “I’m not touching her.”

Only a week ago, Rebel wouldn’tstoptouching me.

The whiplash hits hard, but I keep my composure the way my mother taught me. Chin up. Eyes front. Shoulders back. Spine straight. I stare at Rebel while he crumples the clothing in his fists and wrestles with his emotions. The swift change in the dynamic between us is my fault, just like Rage said, because I’m the one who fled after Rebel came to my rescue and saved me from the stranger who invaded my home and took me hostage.

I wince at the reality of the situation. It’s not reallymyfault, is it? Rage is the one who is taking everything to such extremes. I’m not the one who installed a cage in my living room or had a collar made for my bride.

If he had dated me like a normal man, asked me to dinner or took me to see a movie, would we be at each other’s throats like we are now?

Rebel shoves the clothes against Ruin’s chest. “Youundress her.” A silent moment passes between the three brothers before Rebel snatches the clothes back, an unspoken acknowledgement passing between them. “Ugh,fine, I’ll do it.”

My heart hammers like a kick drum as I finally speak up. “I want Ruin’s help.” I lift my leg, pointing my toes toward the masked brother. “I choose him.” He may have carried me insideafter Thanatos tied me up and kidnapped me, but I don’t think he’ll hurt me. I can’t trust Rebel when he’s so clearly upset with me after I ran out on him. I’ve only ever seen Rebel’s sweet side—I don’t know what to make of this version of him.

He’s shaking with anger as we speak, and that scares me.

“You think you get to choose—” Rebel snarls—“anythinganymore?” He laughs bitterly and assesses the clothes in his hand. There are multiple pairs of lacy panties, a trio of skimpy bras, and a handful of different tops and bottoms to mix and match an outfit. Tossing most of the items to the ground, he approaches with a handful of scarlet lace.

My gaze flicks to Rage, but if I think he’s going to offer any help, I’m sorely mistaken. His demeanor has shifted from his usual shade of pent-up anger to cool dismissal as he shrugs on a coat and heads for the door.

“Where are you going?” I ask, wincing at the hint of desperation in my voice. Despite what I did to Rage the last time I saw him, we shared a special moment together before everything went to shit. He didn’t just agree to fuck a baby into me—he made loveto me, promising to provide for my every need if I could just…let him.

Then I shoved all of his promises back in his face with a bigF Youin the shape of a little white morning after pill.

But as soon as I swallowed it, I couldn’t hold it in. My body revolted, throwing it back up within seconds. It’s the reason I didn’t hear my attacker climb the staircase and slip into my bedroom—I was heaving my guts into the toilet bowl.

The truth crumbles like ash in my mouth as Rage’s icy gaze pins me to the floor. He doesn’t answer my question. Turning on his heel, he walks away andclicksthe door shut behind him, not sparing me a second glance as he leaves. I wait for him to walk back through the door like he did once before—to march right up to me and kiss me, to demand more, to fight for answers.

Why did you do it, Celia? Why did you betray the promise we made each other?

Shivering, I imagine a sinkhole splitting the room open and swallowing me whole. Shrouded in darkness, I could pretend that this is all one extended nightmare. That none of this is real, and I’ll wake up tomorrow as bitterly heartbroken and lonely as I was months ago before ever receiving my invitation toMidnight—before these brothers walked into my life and refused to walk back out.

But the harsh glare of gold in my peripheral makes it impossible to ignore my new reality. I’ve chosen this path, and now I have to live with the consequences.

Rebel saunters up to the front of my cage. “Take your clothes off.”

Steeling my nerves, I meet Rebel’s unflinching stare. I can’t solve my problems with Rage right now, but I can address the ones I have with Rebel head-on. Rattling the chains of my handcuffs, I reply, “I’m a little tied up here.”

“I don’t care.” His smile remains cruel. “Take your clothes off,krosotka.Now.” He grips the bars, allowing me a glimpse of the scanty panties and bralette he chose for me to wear. Neither looks comfortable or the least bit supportive, but I doubt that’s their intended purpose. Rebel licks a stripe across his top row of teeth.“Unless you’d rather be naked. I could always throw these away.” He shakes the lingerie mockingly.

Glaring at him, I kick off my boots first, struggling to undo the laces one-handed. Then I peel off my clothes layer by layer, my sweater and bra getting caught around my arm, as predicted. I twist and contort my body to pull off as much clothing as I can, then huff and collapse onto the blankets. Undoing the bra clasp at my back with one hand was a bitch, but tearing the rest off is impossible without either removing the cuffs or sawing throughthe stitches with my teeth. “A little help?” I ignore the ache in my wrist and rattle the cuffs again.

Rebel’s glare freezes on my bare tits. The air is cold in their apartment, and it shows—goosebumps trail down my arms and legs while my nipples harden to sharp points. I shiver under his gaze, locking my legs tightly together so that he can’t see anything else. I know he’s seen me naked—but that doesn’t mean I have to spread my legs and give him a show.

He grabs a sheathed knife from Ruin’s belt and crouches by my side. “Hold fucking still.” Flicking the blade through the bars, he cuts away my bra strap like he’s slicing through butter, then he does the same for my sweater. I tear the tattered garments off and toss them into a pile with my leggings and panties. He slips the lace bralette and panties through the bars, our fingers brushing.

Static jolts between us, shocking each other on contact. Rebel hisses like a cat while I recoil like I’ve been burned. My body shudders at the jolt while Rebel curses up a storm. “Goddammit!” He drops the knife and kicks it toward the wall. “Put some fucking clothes on!”

My temper flares. “I would if you’d give me any!”

Seriously,the bralette barely holds my nipples, let alone my entire boob, and the panties hardly cover anything. I’m grateful they at least stay in place instead of rolling down my hips. The bralette, on the other hand, takes double the effort to pull over my chest with only one hand available. Rebel snatches a matching key to Rage’s from a silver chain around his neck and tosses it into my lap. “Fix your damned top then give those back.”

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