Page 60 of Beg the Night

My heart raced as I stared at the underground ceiling, my blood hot with betrayal.

My only living family member.

No. I was getting ahead of myself. Surely my sister felt some sort of loyalty toward me. I had to believe that Margaret was somewhere safe, being taken care of, being protected. At least she wasn’t here.

Margaret was safe for now. And soon, Sinner would be out of here.

I would be, too.

The dungeon seemed so quiet now. Almost…empty. Now that everyone believed that Sinner and I were together, no one even looked in my direction. Mags would be proud. The last time I saw her, I was still terrified to even turn my back for a second.

If she were here, she would tell me to take a fucking shower.

I had traded the ripped ball gown for a pair of pants and an oversized T-shirt the night we were tossed back in here, but I still hadn’t showered. I was no longer afraid that one of these guys would assault me. No, now the idea of being alone was too painful to bear. Lying in bed was all I had energy for these days.

But as silence grew in the dungeon, I knew this might be my only shot. The showers would be empty, so I might as well get it over with.

So I shoved myself up off my creaking cot and made my way to the showers for the third time since being kidnapped.

They were completely empty, just as I expected. I padded through the dimly lit space to the shower at the end—the one I liked the most—and pulled the curtain closed behind me.

I didn’t leave my bra and underwear on this time. Either I had ultimately decided to give no shits, or my confidence hadgrown to a slightly stupid level. At this point, I didn’t bother questioning myself.

Instead, I closed my eyes and savored the way the hot water slid down my body. I didn’t even realize how cold I was until the steam filled my lungs and the heat brought my limbs back to life.

See, Athena? You’re alive. You’re breathing. You’re even showering. Things could be much, much worse.

I repeated those words to myself as I washed my hair, then my body, scrubbing my thighs extra hard in hopes that the memory of Sinner would swirl down the drain with the suds. I didn’t want to think about his body against mine.

But no matter how hard I tried to drown those images, there was no forgetting that we would be mating in three days.

Three freaking days.

There had to be more to the claiming, facets unseen that lingered between Sinner and me. Because ever since the other night, I could feel him. I thought I was losing my mind at first, but my chest actually fluttered when he was around. My body ignited, my senses alert to his every move.

It had to be his power. There was no other explanation. That had to have been what I felt the other night, too, because it sure as hell wasn’t mine.

I had no power. I was nothing. Nobody.

And these feelings for him? The desire to be touched by him? The need for more than just that touch? They were part of his magic, too.

Because I hated him. And he hated me. End of story.

Footsteps approached, followed by low male voices. I froze. Surely they’d seen me come in here. Surely they wouldn’t try anything stupid.

They continued to talk as they entered, at least four voices that I didn’t recognize. Then Sinner’s joined in the conversation, sending an unwanted spark of excitement up my spine.

One curtain after another was dragged along its rod, the metal rings scraping in a way that made me cringe, then one after another, showers turned on.

Okay, maybe they didn’t know I was here.

I wasn’t sure which was worse.

How come every time I stepped into the shower, shit went down?

I held completely still, afraid of what a group of men would do if they stumbled upon a wet, naked woman all alone.

As I held my breath, they chattered on, clearly oblivious to my presence. “Seven fucking months I’ve been in here,” one of them said. “If I’d known there weren’t any women for me to claim with, I never would have agreed to this.”

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