Page 24 of Beg the Night

I turned away from the worthless gossips and returned to the dungeon that reeked of blood and desperation. Even monsters found no peace in hell, it seemed. But it was my fault for thinking that I had any chance of another type of reality.

Annoyed with myself for having to remember all the reasons I shouldn’t give a fuck, I returned to my cot.

The stiff woven fabric creaked as I laid back, stretching my legs until they hung over the edge and resting my head on my arms.

Sleep.

If only it were that easy.

Sleep was a trap, a sick, delusional cloud of comfort that would only bring me more pain. More nightmares.

No, sleep did not come easy for monsters like me. Sleep came like a punch to the face, unexpected and unwelcome.

Always unwelcome.

I would stay awake. This way I’d be ready for any errant thought that crawled back to me, torturing my mind with those voices.

And those damn memories.

I shook my head viciously. Thinking of the past wouldn’t help me now. Thinking of anything at all wouldn’t help me. I’d stick with focusing on the hatred and the anger. Those emotions, at least, allowed me to work on a path forward.

Mags and I were getting out of this place. I didn’t give a fuck what I had to do to get there.

I glanced at the cot next to me, only to find big, warm eyes watching. They trapped me there, sucking me in and freezing each of my muscles so I couldn’t look away.

And that pissed me off.

“The fuck are you looking at?”

She didn’t even blink. For a second I considered that she might be sleeping with those pesky eyes wide open.

I knew better, though, when she said, “I’m trying to figure out what your plan is.”

I scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not that deep.”

She shifted slightly, her small body adjusting against the firm cot.Fuck.She was in a dungeon full of monsters and she had the nerve to move her hips like that, like she wanted everyone in the fucking place to stare at her.

They wouldn’t, of course. Not while I was lying three feet from her. Not after I’d committed to mating with her.

The claiming was more than one night of sex under the blood moon. It meant that she was mine. It meant that none of these other useless imbeciles could touch her.

I was no better, don’t get me wrong. I was not a man of morals or respect. I was someone to be feared. I was someone others ran away from, and for good reason.

A killer. A demon. A nightmare.

New Girl wasn’t safe with me. But at least she’d be out of here in three weeks. That was more than any of the others could say.

She wasn’t the innocent little new girl she pretended to be. I still couldn’t place it, but I was working to dig out what she was hiding. Even being this close to her sent a primal shiver through my body. A warning, almost.

“You’ve been in this dungeon for months. Why are you suddenly so adamant about getting out of here?” she whispered.

“You’re the first new girl we’ve had in a while. And Director thinks you’re special. If she’s right, then it’s in my best interest to perform the claiming with you.”

“Because you’re a three?”

I clenched my jaw and pressed the back of my skull deeper against my wrist. “That’s right. I’m a three. Do you know what that means, New Girl?”

“That you think you’re better than everyone else?”

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