Page 21 of Taming Seraphine

Leroi takes his seat with a triumphant smirk and opens the insulated box. My throat tightens as he extracts a bottle of water that glistens with condensation, and I moan as he twists open its lid with a crack.

“Drink.” He points it at my mouth.

I hesitate.

This has to be a trick, or at least a trap. The twins used to make me earn my food and drink, despite risking my life and eliminating the targets they sent me out to kill.

Leroi’s brows pull together. “Don’t just stand there.” He tosses the bottle at my feet. “Drink. Grave digging is thirsty work.”

I snatch the bottle and gulp down half of its contents before setting it aside and picking up the shovel. The first shove into the ground doesn’t even break through the soil.

“Put a foot on the spade and use your body weight,” Leroi says, his voice lifting with amusement.

My jaw clenches, and the lining of my stomach burns with resentment. I don’t need his condescension. I need him to dig this grave. Leroi is twice my size. Three times, if you add all those muscles. He could get this job done in ten minutes. Instead, he’s cracking open a can of beer.

“Why don’t you help me?” I drive the shovel into the ground and lean on it with all my weight.

The earth gives way under the pressure, and I scoop aside the first pile of dirt.

“Did you say something, Seraphine?” he asks with a long swig.

I ignore his question and my screaming muscles, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing me struggle, and continue digging. Leroi watches in silence as more sweat runs down my face and gets into my eyes. Every few minutes, I shoot him a glare while he sips his beer like a man of leisure.

It feels like I’ve been at this for hours and the grave is showing no signs of getting any deeper. Each shovelful of dirt feels heavier than the last, and my arms won’t stop shaking. I plunge it into the ground and hit what feels like a wall, the shock of it reverberating up my arms.

“Tired already, Seraphine?” he asks.

My jaw tightens. I was tired before we entered the car. Tired before I dragged that bastard’s dead body across the pristine apartment. Tired before he made me scrub the floors, wash down the bedroom’s gray walls, and unclothe the corpse.

“Nope,” I answer through gritted teeth. “Just hit something.”

Leroi sets down his can, saunters over, and stops by the wrapped-up corpse. He points a flashlight into the hole and then shines it on the pick ax resting at his feet.

“Looks like you hit a rock. Use the other tool.”

The indignation simmering in my gut erupts into a rage that burns through my exhaustion. I snatch the pickax and start to chip away at the stone, wishing it was his skull. Each strike at the hard surface wipes away his smirk until that handsome face is a mess of blood and broken bones.

Leroi backs away. I want to think it’s because he can read my mind, but he’s probably going back to his beer. What a dick.

I’m half dead by the time the ax finally hits something soft. My palms sting, my arms burn like molten lead, and I’m cross-eyed from fatigue. Tossing the ax aside, I reach for the shovel, but the trees surrounding the clearing spin. Dizziness overwhelms my senses, and my legs wobble. I collapse into strong arms, which catch me before I hit the dirt.

Leroi shoves a sandwich under my nose. “Eat.”

“Is it cock?” I snarl, wanting to get under his skin.

He flinches. “No, it’s turkey and cheese. Sorry to disappoint, but no human men were maimed in the production of this meal.”

I sink my teeth into it, relishing the taste of something that isn’t soil. Leroi watches me eat like I’m some kind of spectacle, but I’m too exhausted to care. Hell, I’m too exhausted to even chew. He wants me to break, or at least apologize for killing his friends, when he should be the one groveling for keeping such shitty company.

“Thanks,” I croak before swallowing.

“Take another bite,” he says.

My eyes droop, and my jaw goes slack. All thoughts of proving my point drain to nothingness as the edges of my vision turn black.

Leroi scoops me into his arms and chuckles. “Have you learned your lesson, Seraphine?”

No.

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