Me getting married…to that old perv.
“Appreciated, Tyrus. I look forward to it.”
My stomach lurches. This isn’t happening. I’ll run away. I’ll burn this godsdamn house to the ground with everyone in it before I let that monster touch me.
“Wakey wakey, Princess. Lunch is here.”
My heart is stressed and thudding erratically, but I force the memory of my father’s cold negotiations back into the dark and sit up, trying my best to look like I haven’t just been dreaming about torching my whole family.
The first thing I see is a girl standing in the doorway. Whoa. She’s built like she smashes rocks for a living, and definitely doesn’t look like the type of person who carries a tray to serve others, but that’s exactly what she’s doing.
“Thanks, Layla,” Taliesin says. “Just put it on the table.”
Layla—the rock-smasher—stomps across the room and slams the tray down so hard coffee slops out of the mugs, soaking into a pile of gray coveralls.
Taliesin narrows his eyes at her. “Easy, Lay. I can do without the attitude today.”
She flicks a murderous glare in my direction, then mutters a sullen, “Sorry, boss,” to my asshole captor.
I decide it’s a good time to try to acquire an ally. Girl-power and all that. I mean, we’re both stuck in this hellhole, right? How hard can it be to find common ground?
“Thank you for the food, Layla. I really appreciate it,” I say, trying to sound gracious and totally-not-like-I’ve-never-spoken-to-a-prison-inmate-before.
“Oh, sheappreciatesit,” the girl repeats, her voice mocking my accent. She turns to Taliesin, her lip curling in total disgust. “Shall I find a silver spoon to feed her with, Tally? Or maybe a linen napkin so she doesn’t ruin her pretty red rags?”
My face goes hot. Okay, so the girl-power thing was a massive, embarrassing failure. Lesson learned. Shut up and stay in the cage, Aurora.
“That’ll do. Get out of here,” Taliesin grunts.
“Fine.” Layla turns on her heel and marches out.
“She’s lovely. Your people clearly adore you,” I snark, though I’m struggling to keep my eyes off the tray. The smell of the food is actually making my mouth water, and my stomach lets out a loud, traitorous rumble that fills the silence.
Kill me now.
Taliesin picks up the tray, his face tightening and his hand clutching his side as he moves. He places it on the floor in front of the bars. “There you go, Princess. A meal fit for royalty.”
He straightens up with a groan. His whole right flank is black with bruising.
Not my problem.He’s the one who chose to jump into a fight. I didn’t ask him to.
And there is absolutely zero reason for my own chest to feel tight when I see him wincing.
I grab the plastic mug first, gulping down the lukewarm coffee before snatching the sandwich through the bars. Peanut butter and jelly.
As Taliesin eats his food, he leans back against the small table and crosses his arms. The movement makes him wince, but he hides it quickly. “Time to go over the Digger ground rules, Princess. I’m not fighting another German Hulk just because you can’t keep your mouth shut.”
“Scared?” I ask, because apparently, I have a death wish and can’t stop baiting him.
He just rolls his eyes, the brief flash of amusement dying out and being replaced by a flat, hard stare that makes me want to shrink into the corner. “Rule number one: you are under my protection, which means you’re an extension of me. But if you disrespect the other Diggers, they’re going to want blood. And I’ll be the one who has to hand it to them. Rule number two: Stay at the back of your cage when I’m not here. However tightly I run this ship, there’s always going to be some asshole who wants to stick a shiv in your perky Elite tits, just to see you bleed.”
The stale bread of my sandwich sticks to the roof of my mouth. I force it down with the last of the lukewarm coffee. “So, what you’re saying is you don’t actually have control over your little gang.”
“My ‘little gang,’ as you put it, has lived its whole life under the designer heels of women like you. We’re the dregs of society even down here in the sub-levels.” Taliesin’s voice turns colder. “The Guild has the upper levels; light, space, and actual education. We get to unclog their toilets.”
A horrified realization hits me, and my gaze darts to the rust-stained metal monstrosity in the corner of my cage.
“Am I supposed to use…that… in front of you?” My voice sounds way more pathetic than I intended.
