Page 11 of Kept to Kill
‘If there truly is no other way.’
‘There isn’t.’ He smiled darkly.
He still thought she was lying. She sighed, wondering what poor sod would be brought in for their little test.
Just then a small boy entered the tent and she gasped, a rush of gut-wrenching images flooding her mind and making her rear back.
‘I won’t do it! Kill me, torture me. Do anything to me that you want.’ She turned her horrified eyes to Quin’s. ‘I know the Brothers are cruel, but I’m not! Do you really think I’d kill achildto save myself?’
She couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes. She couldn’t murder a little boy, she just couldn’t. Memories of another boy assaulted her, his face just as innocent as this one’s, and her heart squeezed, driving the air from her lungs. She couldn’t do this.
* * *
The woman turnedhysterical within a moment. Quin regarded her, wondering what had wrought this sudden transformation. She’d been witty and halfway charming a moment ago … in her very thin chemise. How he hadn’t noticed last night that he could see everything through it, he didn’t know, but he found he couldn’t stop looking however much he wanted to.
‘Commander,’ questioned a small voice from behind him.
‘You’re late.’ He gestured to the papers on the desk that the messenger would deliver, his gaze not leaving the woman.
Her eyes flicked to the child and he realized what she’d assumed.
‘No, not him,’ he murmured.
‘Not him?’ she repeated, her chest heaving, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. At least she was no longer yelling, but she was terrified he was going to make her kill the boy. Another thing he could use to his advantage even though she was probably mad and really thought she was cursed. Well, they’d know soon enough.
‘No,’ he reiterated, glad she was getting a hold of herself, ‘but your test will be here soon, so I hope you’re prepared,’ he said coldly, still not able to help his eyes snapping down to take in those dark nipples. He eyed the ruined gown on the floor across the tent, wishing he hadn’t been so impulsive as to cut it off her last night. It had had the desired effect of subduing his captive, but it wasn’t worth what he was battling now.
A soldier stomped in, dragging one of the Rats that had been caught at some mischief in the camp the evening before. Quin didn’t know what and he didn’t care. The ragged man was thin and dirty. He looked frail and half starved, but his eyes were bright and sharp. No doubt he was memorizing the tent thoroughly in case he made it out of here alive so he could come back later and pilfer whatever he could.
Quin’s lip curled into a sneer that had the girl stepping back.Fucking Rats.Would that they could be culled once and for all, but no matter how many the Army killed, others simply took their places to follow the camp around and devour its meager leavings.
‘This is the one,’ Quin said, turning back to her.
‘Why him?’
‘Why not?’
Her brow furrowed.
‘If you want to confess to your lies now, you can,’ he said, watching for her to finally crack and admit it.
‘And if I did?’
‘I will be spending some time showing you why little girls shouldn’t lie to big soldiers. I know my Brothers – Mal at least – will want to educate you as well.’
The cruel gleam in Mal’s eye wasn’t missed, and she shivered under his overt perusal.
‘Who is he?’ she asked, looking at the Rat.
‘He’s one of many who follow the Army. Rats. They wait until we’re finished a raid and they pick over the bones. They’re ruthless and cunning. Now that he’s seen the inside of my tent, if I let him go, he’ll be back tonight with others to take whatever he can, won’t you, my ragged little friend?’
The Rat knew enough not to speak, though Quin noticed that he was staring at the girl, a look in his eyes that Quin found he didn’t like. The girl was his; no one should be looking at her save Bastian and Mal, and only because they were the Brothers of his unit.
‘You want me to kill him because he’s a thief?’ she asked, her eyes wide.
‘No, I want you to kill him to save your own life.’
He rolled his eyes, sick of this farce, and nodded at the soldier to release the Rat. ‘Rat, touch the woman and you’re free to go.’
