Page 45 of Gilded Locks
Chapter 11
Marked for the Taking
Marigold’s legs wouldn’t move as Stone nudged her toward a dark room. She knew this room and couldn’t force herself to go in there.
“What are we doing here?”
“Finishing what we started,” Stone pushed the door open. “You remember The Cave.”
It had been locked earlier. He brought her here for a reason. No longer on her own terms, her curiosity died. “I don’t want to go in there.”
“I didn’t ask.” He flung her over his shoulder, knocking the wind from her lungs.
The gentle possession she’d experienced earlier was gone. Everything about him had changed since learning who she was. Even his handling was more demanding, more desperate. Whatever sense of safety she’d had was now gone.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“You said you were Mary Langford.” His fingers dug into her ass as he yanked her down and set her on her feet. His pale eyes were wild as they met hers. “Now, we negotiate from a position of complete truth.”
The implications hung between them like the blade of a guillotine. She wasn’t just their captive anymore, or even their willing participant. She was their weapon against Jordan—and weapons, she knew from bitter experience, were meant to be used.
“We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Goldilocks.”
She scowled at the childish nickname. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“Everything. Things too dark to name. Things that exist without names.”
He was one of the kinder ones, she’d thought, but now, all signs of any gentle nature were gone. “Please,” she whispered, searching his eyes.
He turned her to face the room and marched her forward. “I love to hear a beautiful woman beg, but let’s wait until you really mean it.”
What did that mean? “Are you going to hurt me?”
“Not all pain is unpleasant. And, even when it is, it only makes us stronger. If you’re going to work with us, we want to get you into tip-top shape, Goldi.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He laughed and gave one of her blonde curls a tug. “You don’t get to decide what we call you.”
He flipped a switch that kicked on lights further down the narrow space, showing off just how cavernous the room was compared to the other enormous bedrooms in the house. Several soft surfaces existed. Button back couches with velvet, jewel-toned upholstery, stripped poster beds with only satin sheets, chaise lounges, round octagonal chairs for multiple people to rest, odd benches, and padded bolsters. And there, on the farthest wall, was the large wooden X.
“Times to play.”
“Can’t we?—”
“No. You either submit or we return to plan B.”
Plan B was sending her back to her father. Back to where her brother could find her. Her brow creased as she measured her options. What if Jordan’s wrath was the easier route?
No. Jordan would punish her. He vowed to silence her one way or another, and he would never see her interference as anything other than a betrayal and an attempt to ruin his life.
Stone caught her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “Look at me.”
She blinked rapidly, feeling on the verge of tears.
“You’re stronger than you realize. You made it here on the pile of drift wood in the freezing cold. But now, you have to prove your loyalty. Tonight won’t be easy and I need you to prove to not just me, but Hunter and Ash, that you’re committed to the task. Committed to us.”
“Why does it have to be difficult?”
