Page 85 of Us Defiant Few

“Spoken so brazenly for a girl tied to a chair.”

“And yet here you are, asking this girl to fight your battles. I’m sure your ancestors would be proud.”

His cruel smile vanished.

The other man stepped forward and struck Khalani across the cheek. Her head snapped to the side, and she bit her lip, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.

Ansel sat with a smug look on his face, enjoying her pain.

“Are you going to behave now?”

Khalani spat blood at his feet.

He stood, calmly lifting his switchblade.

She tried pulling away as he inched closer, a sick, twisted gleam lighting his expression.

“Do you know how easy it would be to kill you?” He grazed the edge of the blade up her stomach, not sharp enough to pierce skin, but one gentle push was all he’d need to gut her like a cloned pig.

“I wouldn’t lose one bit of sleep over it,” he whispered, dragging the knife past her breasts. “If the Chief insists on calling us cannibals, then we might even see what all the fuss is about.”

Her pupils blew wide as he crouched down, relishing her fear like it was a feast.

“Consider yourself lucky that I have better uses for you,” Ansel said through gritted teeth. She flinched as he snapped the switchblade shut, the sound harsher than a gunshot in the small tent.

“We have plans to destroy their precious wall, but that could take months. But with you on our side? We could end them in days.”

“You can’t make me help you,” Khalani hissed.

“Oh, but you will. I guarantee it.”

Ansel leaned forward and gripped her chin. She shook her face, trying to dislodge his hold, but he dug his fingers deeper.

“If you choose not to cooperate, your friend will be the first one we kill. But you already know that, don’t you?”

Khalani’s heart pumped faster, her blood boiling to cataclysmic proportions. If they dared touch Takeshi or anyone else in her family, she’d find a way to use that knife to carve out his tongue and feed it to him.

“But I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Ansel’s eyes danced with amusement. “I don’t need to convince you to hurt Desert Spring, because once you find out their truth, you’ll be begging me to kill them.”

“And what truth is that?”

“Ah, ah.” He released his grip on her chin and wagged his finger. “No one ever believes it unless they see for themselves. When you return to Desert Spring, go to the Chief’s house. Make sure she doesn’t see you. She has a library, and once you open Olympus, you’ll find their photo albums.”

Her forehead crinkled, not understanding. “And what am I supposed to find?”

“You’ll know it when you see it. It should take a day to travel back to their precious city. Tomorrow night, after you discover the truth, you’ll tell the Chief to gather everyone in the food hall for an important announcement. But instead of going to the food hall, you’ll raise the gates for us. They usually only post two warriors at the bottom entrance. Handle them, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Khalani could scarcely breathe as Ansel crowded her, his fears and lies twisting through her mind like poison. A dark energy surrounded him that awakened her senses. Made her skin crawl in its presence.

She’d met many men in her short time on Earth.

Khalani had no doubt he was among the worst.

But she knew he wouldn’t let her or Takeshi go unless she agreed to his sick plan.

“Fine. You have a deal,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Smart girl.” He patted her thigh and if her legs weren’t tied to a chair, she would’ve kicked him square in the face.