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I can’t find my voice to scream, but on the inside I’m doing it.
He points a finger in my face. “I ask for one thing, Lake. Just one. Obedience. You will comply with my orders, or I will personally throw you off this keep, and you will end up as supper for the hungry creatures below.”
Alwar stands up straight, placing us toe to toe, giving me a true sense of his full size. His legs are like massive tree trunks, the thick swells of his calf muscles defined and covered in dark hair, just like a human male. I have a straight shot at his groin, which is covered in tan hide. It’s just as hulking as the rest of him.
I swallow down a lump in my throat. “Why should I do anything you say?” I eke out. If playing nice isn’t going to get me anywhere, I have to pretend I’m brave. “You murdered my parents. I have no reason to comply since you’ll likely do the same to me.”
Alwar shakes his head. “You truly think so little of us. Well, allow me to educate you, Miss Norfolk. We are the Wall Men. Our people have always guarded this wall.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I’m not hearing any assurances here.
“Your people and mine have always shared a common goal, which your people have chosen to overlook and abuse. You are the untrustworthy ones. We have never killed a human.” He bends over and pushes my sternum, sending me flying back. I land on my ass with a painful thump. “But it is not too late to start. Do as I say, Lake, or I will give you to Tiago as a pet.” He flashes a sinister smile. “Tiago enjoys torturing small animals. Drowns them in a bucket of his piss.”
I glance at Tiago, who reaches down and grabs his cock through his loincloth.
I know whatever he’s got in there is big in my world, but I think it’s big in his world, too. Somehow, I sense that sadistic fucker might enjoy whipping it out and pissing on me.
“Get anywhere near me with that dick, and I’ll climb your fucking leg and bite the hell out of the tip.” His cock is absolutely the last thing I would ever put my mouth on. The thought makes me want to gag. But I need to make it clear that I will fight any way I can if they lay a finger on me. I’ll fight even if they don’t.
Alwar chuckles and walks to the gate, pulling down on a steel lever about thirty feet up. The gate opens, and he steps through. There must be a set of stairs on the other side, because I watch Alwar disappear step by step. Gabrio goes to close us in again.
If I’m ever going to get out of here, it won’t be through that gate. So how did my mom escape? What happened to my dad?
I turn on my heel, the two remaining giants observing me with their intense eyes. Why are they looking at me like I’m the strange creature?
“Where did the painting go?” I ask. That’s how I came here, and that’s how I’m going to get home.
Tiago folds his massive arms over his smooth chest and arches a dark brow. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It stands to reason that if this world is different than mine, then it’s not just the rules of social decorum, the size of its habitants, or the smell of the place that differs.
For example, the “bridge” is nowhere to be found, but I know it’s here somewhere. How else could I be here? I also know that these men can’t possibly live on this enclosed platform. There’s no water, food, or a place to sleep. There’s nowhere to wash. And let’s face it, if these men weren’t bathing, I’d be nose deep in it.
In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, when Alwar put his giant face near mine, his scent was…well, oddly pleasant. Almost floral—sage, lavender, and spice or something. Given their lack of clothing, I can also see they bathe those huge bodies regularly. And they must be eating well, too. Men with those kinds of muscles don’t live off air alone.
Bard sure as hell wasn’t feeding them. That whole thing about the meals was a trick. A trick I fell for so damned easily that if I weren’t so scared, I’d feel ashamed. As for why Bard has such an odd collection of cookbooks, well, who gives a crap? I need to get the hell out of here.
In any case, these giants must be eating, and that means they leave here to hunt or cook.
My only option is to be a thorn in their side and get them to show me more. “I’m cold. I need a blanket. And I’m thirsty.”
