Page 47 of Ash Storm

Reka

At times, she worried she’d dreamed it all up.

Maybe her mind was shattering, and she had fabricated this entire story—seeing a rescuer when there was merely a monster.

No.

He didn’t hurt me.

She remembered what his big, tough body had felt like on top of hers—everything about him had been hard, except for his cock, which had lain limp between her thighs even as he pumped his hips.

He didn’t want to be there, anymore than I wanted to be there.

And he’d taken great care not to hurt her.

Ash.

He’d told her his name.

That had to mean something.

Ash’s touch hadn’t been the worst part of the night. In fact, if she were honest with herself, the time spent in that room was the only time she’d felt safe ever since … that day.

The leering expression on the guard’s faces had been much worse. One of them had wanted to take her somewhere else. The other one, thank goodness, had convinced him not to do that.

And then one of the toothless old women had come back to examine Reka and to clean her up. She’d been suspicious, because of course there had been nothing to clean up, no come inside her or on her. She’d told the woman he came on the sheets, but with the language barrier between them, she wasn’t sure the woman understood—or cared.

It was strange how quickly being locked up with fifteen other women had become routine. Most of them didn’t speak at all, even those she now realized spoke the same language—speaking was discouraged, and nobody wanted to risk punishment. Most women sat alone or in pairs. Reka sat beside Chloe. Every so often, she encouraged the younger woman to get up and stretch her legs.

We have to be ready.

Other than that, there wasn’t much to do. They’d been given no food today, so they were all hungry, but hunger was nothing new to them now. The gnawing in her stomach had become routine as well. And at least they now had water to drink, and a bathroom to relieve themselves in. It was more than they’d had those first days, and Reka realized why that was. Those first days below ground had been designed to break them. To make them more pliable and easier to control.

The hours went by slowly. And it was so strange to be so afraid, so hopeful, and so bored, all at the same time.

She’d heard enough from the guards to understand that tonight was the night. They were going to be sold. She held on to Chloe’s hand tighter—if things went badly, they might never see each other again. She might never see anyone she’d ever known.

Panic threatened to dissolve her.

Again, Ash’s face came to her.

She had to stay strong. She had to believe he would do as he’d said—that he would get her and Chloe out.

The sun was high in the sky when four guards appeared. This was unusual, as it was usually two guards, except when they’d been taken out to the courtyard.

In her mind, she’d expected the auction would happen at night. But night was still a long way away.

“You. You. You. And you,” the man said, pointing at Reka, Chloe and two other women. “Out now.”

Reka stood up. She hesitated, found herself wavering slightly.

The water.

They put something in the water.

That’s why they suddenly stopped restricting our water.

They wanted us to drink.