AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I envied him for that. I longed for that kind of self-acceptance and freedom of the soul.
Life would be much simpler if I could just stop trying to be someone I wasn’t. That was easier said than done, though.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked, watching Leonard from my peripheral.
I didn’t trust anyone, but I really wasn’t feeling him—at all. The way he kept looking at me didn’t inspire warm and fuzzies.
If his disgusted glare was enough to decimate me, my body parts would be strewn all over the street.
“Don’t worry about him.”
“Huh?”
“I said it’s right up there.” Ciaran nodded with his head.
I didn’t think that’s what I heard, but okay. I skimmed either side of the empty street, overlooking a few lone cars and immaculate buildings until I found another Sanctuary.
“Another one?” I murmured.
“You prefer to keep going?” Maverick asked.
“I can’t, I need to stop,” Margo lisped, expelling a tired breath. “I’m not young like you kids, and I need a damn minute.” Her voice cracked, causing the group to go silent.
All our sympathy givers were dead. She was the last one left.
Gracelyn must have been feeling the effects of the walk, because not even she could muster any up.
I guess stopping again it was. Not that we had much of a choice. This place seemed to operate like a well-oiled machine. Doing as we were told had been the only thing keeping us alive so long. Oh, and death. The only person who hadn’t gone out like a sacrificial lamb was Susan and whoever the people were who’d died when the shuttle crashed.
We walked another two minutes to get to the entrance of the Sanctuary, this one looking nearly identical to the last.
Ciaran and I went inside together, leaving the others to follow.
Like the exterior, the interior was practically the same, all the way down to the plaque hanging on the wall. This one appeared to have an additional bedroom and a bigger kitchen, though.
The door slid shut behind us and Mel sighed. “Look at the countdown.”
“On the bright side, we’re one space closer to where we need to be,” Maverick pointed out.
“There is no bright side,” Leonard spat. He moved ahead so he could face the whole group. “Tell me, which one of you is going to die next? Who do we let them kill now that you’re out of pawns? I vote for your little girlfriend.” He glared at me.
Before I could blink, Ciaran had his hand freed from mine and Leonard down on the floor.
He crouched over his body, holding him by the throat. “Who said you weren’t a pawn? In fact, the next time we need to off some weak piece of shit, it’ll be your name getting a line through it.”
“You—”
“Did I ask you a question that warranted a response?”
Ciaran tightened his grip to the point that his knuckles turned white, cutting off whatever Leonard had been about to say. “From this point on until you die, you’re going to be nothing but chivalrous. Do you understand?”
Still unable to speak, he choked out what sounded like a yes.
“Good. Let’s not revisit this conversation.” He shoved him away and stood up, reaching for my hand again before stalking off towards the back hall. I didn’t have any option but to follow.
We entered one of the bedrooms, and he released me, using his foot to kick the door shut.
“Sit,” he commanded, motioning to the large canopy bed.
I furrowed my brows. “Do I look like a dog?”
With a dark laugh, he destroyed all semblance of my personal space and began using his body to force mine backward.
The backs of my legs hit the mattress, and he kept going.
“Ciaran,” I laughed, bringing my palms up to press against his chest.
He caught my wrist, trapping them with one hand above my head. “Don’t provoke me, puppet.”
“Maybe you should learn to control yourself,” I shot back playfully, flexing my fingers.
“That’s the last thing you want,” he countered. Using his knee to spread my legs, he settled his body between them.
I licked my lips, spreading my thighs further to feel more of him even as I said, “I’m filthy.”
“Exactly how I want you.” He dragged his tongue across my cheek, the one with dried blood on it.
“Ciaran,” I breathed, laughing softly.
He replied by pressing his lips to mine. Keeping my wrists bound, his free hand went between us, delving beneath the waistband of my sweats. He cupped my pussy and pulled my underwear to the side, slipping his tongue into my mouth when I moaned.
Two fingers thrust roughly inside me, going knuckle deep. He twisted them, pressing the pad of his calloused thumb to my clit, toying with me.
“You’re fuckin soaked, puppet,” he growled, abruptly pulling away.
I sat up, watching him back away from me, unable to hide my confusion. I knew what a hard dick felt like, and I knew this wasn’t one-sided, so why the hell was he stopping?
