Page 22 of Beg the Night

God, everything was fading in and out. “I’d die before I let you touch me.”

He laughed slowly, his tone a strange mix of amusement and fury. “You better think long and hard about that before you commit to it because there’s only one way you walk out of hell alive, and that’s with me. We’re getting out of here.” He looked back at Margaret. “We all are.”

With a low snarl, he spun. He stalked to his cot and picked up his book, and when he sat again, his expression went blank, as if nothing had happened.

Okay, so maybe I did feel something. I felt a never-ending, burning hatred for that man.

He thought he could do whatever he wanted, treat me as if I were an enemy, and then convince me to perform the claiming with him so he could escape?

The joke was on him. I hadn’t survived this freaking long just to allow a man to determine my fate. I had three weeks to come up with a new plan. Three weeks to get out of this place.

And I’d do whatever it took. Even if it meant killing him.

SEVEN

sinner

An entire day later, I could still smell the blood from her thigh. Literallysmellit. The small pool on the dungeon floor had dried, but it didn’t matter. The memory of the dark, thick liquid pouring out of her made me fucking sick.

I tossed and turned, trying my best to think of literally anything else, but it was no use. My mind was fixated on her. There was no air flow in this damn dungeon, and the smell of copper was slowly suffocating me.

New Girl slept all day long, which wasn’t a surprise after how much blood she’d lost. It was better for her that way, though. The more she slept, the less she would have to live in this torturous reality.

Not that I gave a fuck.

I, however, was wide awake. The sun had set about an hour ago, leaving our dungeon of a home so dark I couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of me. I tossed the thin blanket from my cot and made my way to the showers. I’d do about anything to get away from the rancid smell of her. How Mags slept beside her, I had no idea.

It was sickening.

Most of the guys were already sleeping. There wasn’t much to do around here otherwise. This place was hell, yeah, but I supposed having a cot to sleep in each night beat living on edge, constantly in hiding. I’d spent years looking over my shoulder, waiting for the day the Ministry would find me and bring me here. And when they had, it was almost a relief. If it weren’t for my sister, I wouldn’t give a fuck about what happened to me here.

Because, though I might deserve this fate, Mags did not.

So, for her sake, I’d perform the claiming. Then I’d get her the fuck out of here.

Silently, I padded, barefoot, across the cold stone floor. I needed to clear my head, and laying so close to New Girl was making that impossible. The showers were empty, as I expected, so I quickly made my way to the first stall. With the curtain closed, I stripped off my trousers and started the water.

When the temperature was scalding, I scrubbed the filth of the day from my body. The heat should have been painful, but I’d quit feeling pain a long time ago. Instead, I let it ignite my senses, bringing my dead limbs back to life.

Three weeks. The look on New Girl’s face had been absolutely priceless when I said I would perform the claiming with her. She had no right to be flattered. My decision had nothing to do with her. That Director bitch had been wanting me to perform the claiming for some time now. I didn’t blame her. They were losing the war and they were desperate. As the only tier three in residence, I was the only thing in this damn dungeon that could help.

Well, me and New Girl.

New Girl swore she didn’t have any power, even while being tortured, but just being in her proximity made it obvious that wasn’t true. It was like I could sense it, like the air changed slightly any time she was around. If she was willing to gothrough that much pain to keep it hidden, her power must be strong.

And I had three weeks to find out what it was.

I’d finished and had slipped my trousers back on when someone entered the bathroom.

“Can you believe that shit?” a low voice muttered.

Carter.The asshole who’d messed with New Girl when she arrived. I hated the arrogant prick.

Another man huffed. “Can’t you? She doesn’t look half bad, and it’s been months since anyone around here has gotten laid.”

Imbeciles.That’s what I hated most about the fuckers I was surrounded by. They couldn’t control their desires. Or their mouths. And yet, they walked around like they owned the place, when in reality, they were prisoners to it.

These men would all end up dead.

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