Page 7 of Ruthless Scoundrel
Fucking.
Chortles.
Like my captivity is some fucking joke.
“You think it’s funny,” I say, keeping my teeth closed tight.
He shakes his head. “No…I just.” He sighs with a smile. “I just didn’t expect you.”
“Well, expect that the second I can, I’ll fucking kill you,” I say, my water-fed body feeling bold.
This makes him grin. “You’re cute.”
“I’ll make you regret that,” I say, throwing myself forward.
The chains hold me back, putting us face-to-face. He doesn’t even flinch, as if my strike couldn’t hurt him.
I open my mouth to curse him and it’s stuffed full of food. I cough on the biscuit, but chew it too. I want to spit it out, I do, but I swallow instead.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, then holds up another chunk.
I bite down on it and shame rolls through me.
I want to cry.
I want to kill him.
I want to die.
“More,” he says, holding another piece to my lips.
I manage to rein in my bestial side, glaring at him instead of devouring the meager food. “Fuck you,” I say, keeping my jaw clenched.
He huffs, putting the cracker back in a pouch at his hip. He stands. “I’ll be back tonight with more.”
He’s going to leave me alone down here, hidden from the sun. Panic surges through me. “Take me home!”
He doesn’t look back as he leaves me behind in the dark.
My wrists hurt. I know it’s because I’m pulling on my bonds. It’s useless to pull, I’ll only hurt myself more. I need to conserve my energy and breathe as little of this putrid air as possible to keep my mind clear.
I can escape this.
I can escapehim.
Jasper will rue the day he took me—right up to the moment I put a blade in his back.
Chapter three
Jasper
Guilt squeezes my chest as I ascend the stairs to the deck. Itreeksdown there, and I’m sure the princess is not accustomed to such conditions. I wish this could be easier. I wish I didn’t have to make her life hell for these weeks. But she will survive. And my people will, too.
“Got all the little paydays fed?” the second-in-command asks.
I don’t give a fuck what his name is. He’s a slimy little worm beneath my notice and I’d snap his spine with ease if he ever challenged me. I avoid his smirking gaze as the other two men confirm that the slaves in the cargo hold have been fed and watered.
Once a day…
