Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45194 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45194 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
The whole thing is just a terrible twist of fate.
"It doesn't make a difference who you are," he says eventually, in a tone so cold it causes goosebumps to break out across my arms and chest. "Is that what you're hoping for by revealing yourself? Did you think we'd just step away and let you out of the terms of the contract?"
The door clicks, and even though I can't see past Kylian's broad shoulders, I can feel Lyle's and Nate's presence in the room.
Were they watching us?
It's a stupid thought because, of course, they were. Kylian might have wanted to be alone with me, but this whole thing is about the three of them. Whatever reason they have for participating in the auction and coming to Club Scarlet, it was a joint operation.
"What's going on, Kylian?" Nate asks.
I guess they were watching but couldn't hear what was being discussed in whispers.
"Our pretty little virgin isn't a stranger," Kylian hisses.
Footsteps sound against the hardwood floor until Lyle appears to Kylian's left and Nate to his right. They stare down at me, recognition almost immediate.
"Fuck," Nate mutters.
"Honor?" Lyle gasps, his throat sounds as tight as mine feels. I can still taste his cum in my mouth, and I don't know how I feel about it.
"Exactly." Kylian straightens, folding his arms across his chest, causing his biceps to bulge menacingly.
I quickly sit, drawing my legs up to cover my breasts and wrapping my arms tightly around them. If I could see myself, I know I'd feel mortified at how small and pathetic I must look, but my nakedness has unraveled any fierceness or indignation I may have had.
"How?" Nate asks.
"A sick fucking coincidence," Kylian growls. At least he's figured out there's no alternative to fate playing a hand in our lives. We've been pulled apart once and thrown back together in this terrible way.
Lyle takes a step back as though he is overwhelmed by what he did to me and what it now means. Nate's eyes lower, and he expels a long and harsh-sounding breath, unable to even look at me anymore. But Kylian isn't facing any kind of crisis, or if he is, he's covering it well. A smile flickers at the edge of his lips, and his head drops to the right.
"This doesn't change anything," he says. "The contract stands. At least now we don't need to wear masks. We can see Honor's pretty face, and she can see us through every minute and every interaction."
"NO!" I gasp quickly before I have a chance to think through my resistance and what it might mean for me. The contract is filled with clauses, and until I review it in detail, I have no idea if there is a way for me to pull out without getting into a legal tangle with men rich enough to destroy me. I started off in debt, hoping to earn enough through this exchange to start a new life but instead, my old life is dragging me down again.
I thought I'd hate what they did to me. I thought I'd despise the men who think it's morally reasonable to buy something precious and irreplaceable just because they have enough money. I feared the pain and dreaded the pleasure they might inflict on me. But they have toyed with my body until I broke apart. They made me enjoy what they did, even though the very idea of orgasming at the hands of brutal strangers should be impossible.
Kylian leans forward to rest his palm against my throat. He doesn't grip, but the threat of it is there. In my chest, my heart beats in a swift, erratic drumbeat as I gaze into his icy blue eyes, waiting.
"I think you forget that we own you, Honor. The terms of the contract are clear. Unless you want all of this to have been for nothing, I suggest you think very carefully about what you say next."
Tears burn hot in my throat, and I swallow involuntarily. I know Kylian feels it because that ghost of a smile plays on his mouth again.
"We can't," I say, keeping my voice low, hoping if I'm less definite that he'll see sense. I can't see Lyle or Nate, but their reactions to finding out I'm Little Sparrow were enough to make me feel confident they'll want to let me out of the contract. "It's not right."
Kylian laughs, and my heart feels like it has fallen ten stories. "Why? Because we used to live in the same house over a decade ago? You really think that matters to my brothers or me?"
"Kylian," Lyle says with a hint of warning in his tone, and it's enough to bring me out of my frozen state.
Swiping at Kylian's hand, I push him back and stand quickly, bending to retrieve my dress from where it was discarded in a heap. Holding it against my chest, I draw myself straight and tall, facing the three men in front of me with as much confidence as I can muster. "I've given you what you wanted, haven't I? I've given you what you paid for. But now that we know this, we can't go on. Surely you can see that?" I don't wait for a response before I pull my dress over my head.