Page 97 of Deadwood
“Why punish for it now?” he asked, the tremor in his voice practically calling to the smoke as it begged to take him, too.
“Don’t kill them,” Auria pleaded, finally speaking up.
My eyes shot to hers as I flexed my fists. She was closer now, but clearly wary to be by my side. Her defense of these pathetic men intrigued me as much as it fueled my rage. She didn’t know what they would’ve made her do had I not shown up.
Suddenly, fear shone bright in her expression, and I fucking hated it. “Please,” she whispered.
“I can’t do that.” Yet no apology rang in my tone.
“You can.”
She overestimated my sense of control, as I was finding out all too well I lost it in her presence.
On the floor, Crass had stopped moving, his skin turning a light shade of gray. By the looks of it, Nemin was shortly behind.
Like a switch, those green eyes of hers turned something in me, sending cracks through the stone of my mind. If she wanted them alive, I’d spare them. If she wanted them to rot, I’d wilt their corpses where they laid. She’d made her choice, and in that, I’d honor her.
Tendrils of dark smoke seeped from their bodies, dissipating in the air as Crass gulped down oxygen, his skin turning a deep red. Nemin choked on a cough, clouds of gray rushing from his parted lips.
I paid them no mind. It wouldn’t have deflated me in the slightest if they’d died in that moment, but Auria had wanted otherwise.
Stealing one last look at her, I said, “Come with me.”
She hesitated, debating if it was wise to accompany me. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. She knew I was dangerous. But as I opened the door, to my relief, she followed.
* * *
The late afternoonsun beat into my skin, but it was a welcome reprieve from the musty room I’d found Auria in. She stuck out like a sore thumb in Deadwood, catching the eye of everyone, whether man or woman. Unfortunately, that included Perkins and the men he had hooked under his finger. He was big into gambling, recruiting people to win big and give him a portion. Claimed he was some sort of manager. Truthfully, I didn’t give a shit what he did as long as he abided by the rules set in place. I wasn’t a strict leader by any means, but a town full of outlaws couldn’t get away with everything. They involved a woman without her consent? I’d drop them dead where they stood. Auria was the only reason the three of them still breathed.
Deadwood was a home to some, and a hiding spot to others. For Auria’s group, it was a temporary stop. Yet somehow, she’d managed to immerse herself in places she shouldn’t be in a matter of a few days, between the caves and now the gambling den. If I had to take a guess on the latter, Lander had had something to do with it. His bad habits were going to get her killed, and I wondered if that was his goal.
“Where are we going?” Auria asked, struggling to catch up as she held her dress to her chest.
I’d wanted to kill Nemin for touching her. For eliciting that scared look on her face. To tear him apart as the smoke infected his lungs, stealing all the oxygen from his body, suffocating him slowly, agonizingly, as it streamed through his veins to blacken his heart. But Auria had spoken up. She hadn’t been afraid of me, though it was clear she knew I was the one causing their pain. No, she’ddefendedthem after the pig had torn her dress. After they’d wanted her naked in a room full of men. After Nemin had perched her on his knee like a fucking trophy.
Betting or not, a woman always had a way out, and they hadn’t given her one.
I didn’t judge anyone based on their hobbies, but that look in Auria’s eyes had said it all. She hadn’t wanted to get that deep into the game. She had wanted the thrill, to do something she hadn’t been allowed to do her entire life, but she didn’t need to strip in front of sick men in order to find that.
“Bowen,” she spoke up, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I slowed my pace, shoving away the rage that fueled every step. She was the only thing stopping me from going back in there and ripping their heads from their bodies and taking pleasure in watching the blood seep from their arteries. “I want to show you something.”
She hopped on one foot, attempting to slip on one of her boots. I internally cursed as I stopped to let her put them on. My jaw ached as I surveyed the space around us, making sure no one was copping a look at her exposed corset. To the bystanders’ credit, no one dared glance this way. They valued their ability to keep their eyes in their sockets.
She straightened, brushing hair from her face before her hand went back to her dress to hold it in place. The move only put her red-tinged cheeks on display. “Show me what?”
“You’ll see.”
She huffed. “What a broad answer.”
“You don’t want to come, Princess, just say so. I’ll walk you home right now.”
“It’s not that. I just—” She shook her head, like she was finally processing what had happened in the gambling den. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Do what?” I asked, tilting my head. I wanted her to say the words.
Her lips pursed together. “You know.”
