Page 22 of Sold to Three Alpha Kings

“A moment with her. Alone.”

He hesitates, just slightly, before stepping aside.

I stare at him in silence, and he gets the message. He leaves the space entirely, the sound of his retreating boots echoing off the walls.

With my hands crossed behind me, I walk further down the passage until I reach her cell.

She’s sitting against the far wall when I round the corner, knees drawn to her chest with her chin resting on them. She doesn’t look up right away. When she does, there’s a flicker of something raw before she catches it and smooths it over—fear, mostly, though something harder sits underneath it.

I halt outside the bars that hold her prisoner, my eyes pinned on her. She doesn’t look away; instead, she holds my gaze in a way that raises a flutter in my chest.

Strange.

The silence between us stretches on, and as weirdly as it might sound, I forget for a moment why I was down here in the first place. Her red hair spills over her shoulders, strands framing her face.

Even in the dim light, I see her clearly.

Dirt smudges her skin—some parts of her cheeks and both her hands. Her feet are bare and just as filthy, soles blackened from the cell floor.

The hem of her skirt has torn along one side. Not badly. Just enough to show a teasing glimpse of soft, thick alluring thigh. The sight makes my heart skip a beat and arousal swells within me. I’m actually ashamed.

She tugs the fabric back down, self-conscious. I shift my gaze to her face instantly, clearing my throat.

“You haven’t touched your food,” I say, glancing over at the dish abandoned in a corner.

It doesn’t pass as a proper meal to me, but it’s enough to sustain her strength.

She hesitates for a moment. “I’m not hungry.”

“It’s not what you’re used to, I suppose.” I mean the prison food.

“Trust me, it’s better than what I eat where I come from,” she replies, her voice low and rough.

“And where’s that?”

Silence.

She stares at me as though she’s evaluating her response, like she’s measuring how much information is worth giving out.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not here to hurt you.”

“People rarely announce when they are.”

Fair. I can’t argue with that, so I don’t try.

I crouch instead, putting myself lower than her, less of a looming shape in a small stone room. “The circumstances surrounding you are rather…mysterious.”

She swallows, eyes still latched on me.

“I have questions that need answers,” I say to her. “And it’s really in your best interest not to lie to me.”

“I haven’t told a lie since I got here.”

“You haven’t told the truth either. At least not the whole truth.”

She studies me for a long moment, weighing whether that’s worth anything at all. “What do you wanna know?”

“Let’s start with where you’re from.”