Page 9 of Beg the Night

But there were many of them and only one of me.

The odds were not in my favor.

I finally reached the wall and pressed my back against the stone, sliding down until I met the floor. I sighed in relief, but tried my best to keep my expression neutral. I would not show weakness.

Not like it mattered much. Along with being covered in dirt from my family’s graves, blood and sweat coated my skin. I didn’t even want to know what all these men saw when they looked at me.

In reality, looking repulsive might help my cause.

Repulsive might keep me untouched.

The male voices returned, the volume pitching to a dull roar. It was preferable to the creepy silence that had taken over when I was pushed into this cavern. Water dripped nearby, and the stone was cold against my body. I ignored the chill sinking into my bones.

I would find a way out of here. Four weeks? That was plenty of time to make my escape.

There wasn’t a single other woman here. Could it be because they’d been smart enough to find a way out?

I curled myself into a tight ball and let my eyes flutter shut. Sleep was inevitable. I just hoped that the men were all as afraid of Sinner and his rules as they appeared to be.

If it came down to it, I couldn’t fight off more than one or two of these men.

So I silently prayed that they’d forget I was here.

And exhaustion took over.

“She can be such a bitch sometimes!”I picked up another log from the pile right outside the house. “It’s not my fault. You saw how she was acting!”

When I turned to look, Kylar was smiling and shaking his head, his arms laden with logs as well. “You’re too predictable, Thena. She knows how to push your buttons and you let her do it every time.”

Annoyance flared hot inside me despite the frigid temperature. “I do not.”

“Oh, really? How do you explain your bad mood, then?”

“I am not in a bad mood!” I picked up another log and stomped toward the house. “I’m sick of her getting away with treating me the way she does.”

His footsteps trudged the ground behind me. “She gets away with it because she’s better at keeping a level head. And because Mother and Father are tired of dealing with you both.”

“That’s very nice, thank you.”

All our lives, Kylar had done his best to be a buffer between my older sister and me, but he didn’t understand. Katherine had no issue with him. She was nice to him, even. Why couldn’t she treat me with even an ounce of the same respect?

Kylar stepped in front of me before I made it to the front door. “Just…” He huffed a breath. “Try to ignore her. I think it would do you both some good.”

I rolled my eyes at his optimism and stormed inside. Once the door was shut behind us, I kicked my boots off and brought the pile of wood to Father, who was stoking the fire.

“Thanks, darlin’,” he mumbled. “Your ma’s waiting for you two in the dining room. Hustle up!”

I brushed my hands off on my trousers and followed the smell of roasting chicken.

“There you are!” Jasmine cheered from the table. “Come sit by me, Thena! I saved you a seat!”

I couldn’t help but smile at my younger sister. She was lit up, beaming from ear to ear. Jasmine sat across from Katherine, whose scowl was so intense I could practically feel it as I sat. How the hell had Jasmine ended up so kind and perfect when Katherine was nothing more than a rotten turnip?

“Did you two wash your hands?” Mother asked as Kylar took the seat next to Katherine.

We glanced at each other before lying in unison, “Yep!”

Father joined us as Mother started passing around the food, and we quickly fell into the comfortable rhythm we always had. Day after day, we ate dinner as a family. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of it.

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