Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“They drained you bad. You’re gonna need to feed soon. I can help with that.”
“Are you even supposed to be talking to me?”
“I can talk to whoever I want,” he answered, eyes hard, almost as if I’d insulted him.
“Sorry, I just … I was told we’re only allowed to interact with our own kind in here, so I thought—”
“That rule doesn’t apply to me,” he said, cutting me off.
“Oh,” I breathed.
“Listen, Darya, I like you. You’ve got a spark most people don’t have in here. I can protect you from Mack, but it comes at a cost.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to belong to me.”
The statement hung in the air as I stared at him. The insinuation was clear. It would be a sexual arrangement, and though he wasn’t an unattractive man, my stomach turned. The very thought of being with anyone other than Peter was unthinkable, especially as some kind of exchange. I’d be entering his protection, and for that, I’d have to pay the price, one I didn’t want to think about.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I have a boyfriend on the outside,” I told him honestly.
“The outside doesn’t exist anymore, princess. This is your world now, and if you don’t have someone to feed from, you’re gonna get weaker and weaker. If you were mine, you’d have all the blood you need.”
“That’s very generous of you, but I can’t accept.”
Serg’s eyes hardened. “I won’t make this offer again.”
“I understand,” I said, dipping my head.
“No, I don’t think you do. This isn’t a holiday camp. This is prison. And if you want to survive, you’re going to have to—”
“What do you think you’re doing talking to her?” asked a familiar, accented voice, and I shivered. Vasilios. I turned my head to see him and Sven approaching us. Serg’s shoulders tensed, and for all his talk of being able to speak with whoever he wanted, he seemed wary.
“I was just making an offer to the new inmate,” Serg replied, sounding annoyed.
“She’s with us. She doesn’t need your offers,” Vasilios shot back, and I swear I couldn’t have been more stunned. She’s with us? Was he not the same person who’d been completely ignoring me all day?
Serg was already moving away. He looked at me one last time. “See you around, princess.”
He left, and then I was standing alone with Vasilios and Sven. It felt as though every single cell in my body had tensed. I couldn’t bring myself to look at them, instead fixing my gaze on the floor.
“What do you want?” I asked in a quiet, stony voice.
My body stiffened as I felt Vasilios step closer. There were only a few inches between us now, and I could feel the heat emanating from him. My gaze flicked up. All of his fury was levelled on me, and I swallowed a small gasp. “What do I want?” he asked back, giving a joyless chuckle. His voice was an intimidating rumble as he continued, “I want to know why the fuck you’re here.”
What a load of crap. Like he didn’t already know exactly why I was there. I held his gaze steadily. “I don’t have to tell you that.”
“If you want mine and Sven’s protection, which, by the way, you clearly need,” he said, running his gaze over me disdainfully, “then yes, you do have to tell us.”
“I don’t want or need anything from you.” I turned to leave, but a firm hand gripped the back of my neck. I trembled at his touch, freezing when his heat met my back, his mouth close to my ear. “It would be wise not to turn your back on me,” he threatened. “After all, I have every reason to stab you in it. An eye for an eye, as they say.”
“You deceived me. So I deceived you in return. That makes us even,” I retorted, tearing away from him.
“Oh, we are far from even,” he fumed, his eyes alight with barely contained rage.
“Then why offer me protection?” I countered, cocking my head at him.
Vasilios shared a look with Sven before returning his attention to me. “Maybe I like to keep my enemies close, or maybe you look so pathetic right now that I’ve decided to take pity on you. Either way, being on your own here is a recipe for disaster. That scumbag shapeshifter was already trying to turn you into his sex slave, and you’ve clearly been in some kind of violent altercation.” A shudder ran down my spine at the phrase “sex slave.” “Face it, Darya. You need us.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need anyone. Now, leave me alone.”
I strode away from him, and he didn’t try to pull me back that time. I kept walking until I came to an outdoor area. The courtyard. It was busy with prisoners socialising, others working out, and some walking in twos and threes around the perimeter of the space and chatting. I guess, even in prison, it was a good idea to get your steps in.