Page 50 of Whispers of the Dead

I cross my arms and wince when the knife nicks my skin again. “Hard to enjoy anything with you two assholes yelling over who gets to treat me like property. Not to mention the fact that all you bozos keep stressing out poor Lola.”

The dog in question has come to curl up on the floor by my feet. It’s really telling that she’s taken to me, a prisoner she rarely sees, over her countless humans who do nothing but stress her out and add scars to her body.

Avery shakes his head with a chuckle. “Always so dramatic, firecracker. I’d argue that I’m the only one around here treating you like a person, but it’s good to see how you view things.”

“Person?” I scoff and step closer. “You’re as bad as Eugene. The only different is you hide it better.”

His eyes glint with something unreadable flashing in them before he steps forward and closes the distance between us. “And yet, you’re still standing here, talking to me, and not bothering to reach for that knife in your bra.”

My breath hitches, which he notices. It pisses me off.

“Which brings us to the real question,” Avery muses.

I narrow my eyes. “What question?”

His body crowds mine. The heat coming off him is suffocating. I hate that I don’t back away like I should. Instead, I inhale the faint trace of his cologne. Probably the only man on earth who knows how much to put on. “Why fight so hard when you don’t have to?”

“What other choice is there?”

He rips the shirt over my head before I can blink. I gasp and stumble back, but he catches me with one firm hand against my back, while his other hand rests along my ribs. His thumb presses against my skin, right over the fresh cut where the knife bit me. When he pulls back, his thumb is stained with red. “You should really find a better hiding place for your weapons.”

Bastard.

I grab the knife and press it against his throat before I can blink, but he doesn’t even flinch. Doesn’t move. He merely lifts his thumb to his mouth and sucks the blood from it. Then he grins. What the fuck?

A thin streak of red smears across his bright white teeth. My blood. “There’s the fight. Go ahead. Do it.”

“You want me to cut your throat?”

“I want to see what you’re capable of.” When I don’t answer, his hand curls around my wrist, and he pulls the knife away like it’s nothing. “You fascinate me, firecracker.”

Then his mouth crashes against mine, and God help me, my body responds before my mind can catch up. I meltagainst him. The heat of his body burns into mine. His free hand slides around my waist and presses me closer. His lips part, his tongue teases against my lower lip, and then I rip myself away.

His grin is lopsided, his breathing heavy, his lips smeared with the remnants of my blood. Jesus fucking Christ.

“What are you doing?”

His grin is lopsided. My gaze drops and I see the bulge straining against the gray sweatpants he changed into while I was in the shower. He doesn’t answer.

“What was your question?” I ask, forcing my voice to stay steady, which isn’t an easy feat. I force my gaze back up to meet his eyes.

Avery’s amusement deepens as he watches me closely. “You could stay by my side.” His tone is light, but his pale blue eyes are dark. “No more rotting in that cell. We can even put one in here if you prefer. No more Eugene. No more guys like Wilkes. Nothing but comfort, safety, and my protection.”

My chest tightens. “And the price?”

His smile is slow and deliberate. “Loyalty.” His fingers skim just beneath my waistband.

I swallow hard. “And if I say no?”

He tilts his head with a smirk. “Then you go back to your cell, and I continue to observe you from afar. Back to being a prisoner and fighting battles you can’t win. The choice is yours.”

I take a step back and brush my fingers against the knife handle. My voice rises. “You think this is a choice? Well, it’s not. No man will ever control me. Not you, not Eugene, not anyone.”

Avery tilts his head and watches me with calm amusement. “Bold words. Are you willing to back them up?”

I lift my chin high and raise the knife. It takes someeffort, but I force my confidence to come through. “Stay back.”

His smile widens. “You intrigue me, firecracker. I’m not sure you would consider that a good thing.”

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