Page 66 of Beg the Night

Icouldn’t breathe as I sat on my cot and waited for the massive door to open. Our jailers would be here any minute now. The sun was setting, and tonight was the night.

The blood moon.

I’d never paid much attention to the moon before. But tonight, it felt as if the moon itself was making her presence known to every single person in this hell.

My body buzzed with anticipation. I had never been with anyone before, and Sinner was…he was surprising. When I met him, when he first volunteered to perform the claiming with me, I had been livid. I’d wanted to punch him in the face for daring to take away my autonomy. For daring to assume I’d be a willing partner in whatever he had planned.

Back then, I’d refused to let it happen. Because I’d always believed that all men were monsters, taking what they wanted by force. Like they deserved it. Like it was all owed to them.

Sinner, though, had shown nothing but…a strange level of respect for me. Yes, he ripped open my shower curtain from time to time and had a serious issue with personal boundaries. But the experiences we’d shared? The way he had pleasured me when I was drugged? When he could have done much, muchmore? It was hard not to be hopeful. Every instinct inside him had probably screamed for him to control me, to do with my body what he wanted.

Yet, he’d held back.

Was he entirely disgusted by me? Maybe.

But he hadn’t once boasted about the claiming, he hadn’t celebrated what would happen tonight, how he’d be given the opportunity to fuck me. How he’d be given the chance to get the hell out of here.

No, instead, he paced the dungeon near the door, ignoring us all. Not even acknowledging the men who tried to speak to him. Something else was on his mind. Something big.

I stayed on my cot, reminding myself to breathe.

There was no stopping this. No words we could use to convince the powers that be to reconsider, no deals we could make now.

We agreed to perform the claiming. Tonight.

In the crack of moonlight that filtered into our underground prison, I took in every sight, trying my best to sear every detail into my memory. Not because it had been a luxury or even a comfort, but because one day, when I was free, I would come back here and burn this whole place to the ground.

“Are you ready for this?” Leon asked as he approached, hands shoved into his pockets and his shoulders practically resting at his ears. His voice was quiet, but in the rare silence of the place, it nearly echoed.

“Is that a serious question?”

With a soft smile, he took a seat on the edge of Sinner’s cot. If it were anyone else, the owner of that particular bed would’ve marched over here and punched him in the face.

But even Sinner had a soft spot for Leon.

“It’s normal to be nervous.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t have any advice or anything, but I have a sense for these things. Tonight will be different.”

“Of course it’ll be different. It’s the mysterious blood moon, and apparently, it’s going to change my life forever.”

Head shaking, he lowered his forearms to his knees. For a moment, he watched me silently. Then, with a quick look over his shoulder, he angled closer. “No,” he said, his voice barely audible. “This’ll be different from any other blood moon. Something is up. You and Sinner, I don’t know exactly what will happen, but be careful. Tell him the same.”

I wasn’t exactly one for superstition, but the concern in his eyes made me second-guess my decision to agree to this. “I’ll be careful. You know I will.”

He nodded. “Be prepared for anything, okay? They might be the Ministry, but they aren’t as strong as we are. They aren’t as strong asyouare. That’s why they keep us locked underground.”

I scoffed, my heart pinching. “We both know they’re stronger than I am. This entire mess has been a huge mistake. They’ll find out tonight that they were wrong about me.”

His jaw tightened. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I see it in your eyes—you really don’t think you possess any power. But Sinner?” He peered over his shoulder quickly. “He sees something in you,” he said when he turned back, his lips turned down. “He saw it the moment you stepped into this prison. That’s never happened before, and we’ve seen a lot of ones and twos come and go since we’ve been here.”

Adrenaline pulsed in my veins. “You think I have power?”

He gave me a smile so genuine it pulled at my stupid, stupid heart. “I know you have power. You just have to believe you do. Your survival is on the line here.”

One lock on the massive door at the front of the dungeon clicked, then another. As it creaked open, the floor beneath ourfeet shook. Straightening, I squinted against the sudden influx of light.

Leon stood, and I did the same, trying my damnedest to be ready for what came next.

Eight guards—maybe more—stood at the entrance. Sinner faced them head-on, fists tightened at his sides.

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