Page 127 of Cavern of Silence
I stay silent, wondering where he's going with this.
"You want her to leave here tonight and go back to her old life?"
I don't think about what "old life" means. "Yes. Don't kill her. Release her."
He raises his eyebrows. "You know what I did when I branded her?"
Every ounce of restraint I have not to murder him I have to utilize in hopes of getting Julieta out of here alive.
"You want to give me your life in exchange for hers?”
"Fine. She leaves now."
"Ryker, don't!" Julieta yells.
He shakes his head. "I call the shots, not you."
"What do you want?" I yell, no longer able to control my rage or look at Julieta.
"Just like I own her, I now own you."
"No." Julieta sobs.
"You told me to choose. I chose. Uphold your part of the deal."
The devil appears on Jonas's face. "Get my tools," he yells.
"Do not touch her," I growl.
"I've got no desire to touch your whore tonight."
I try to swing at him, but his thug holds me back.
He laughs. "Tell you what, if you get down on all fours and take it like a man, I'll let her go back to her life."
What the hell is he talking about?
"Whatever I have to do, I'll do. She leaves now."
"No. She watches first."
"No."
"Then she dies."
"Do not touch her," I repeat.
Jonas's men come over with two sticks with a metal letter on one end. One has aJand the other aT. The letters are red and smoking.
Oh fuck.
"Ryker, no!" Julieta screams.
"One attempt to do anything but take it, and I pull the trigger on her," Jonas threatens.
"Let them," Julieta cries. "Don't do it, Ryker. Please."
The red-hot heat of the metal has waves of smoke coming off it. I swallow and attempt one more time. "Have your men take her away now."
