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Surelyit couldn’t be her. There was no way the Mila I knew would be careless enough to get herself captured. Of course, there was no doubt in my mind she’d still be alive – Mila had always been feisty and full of fire. The Collapse wouldn’t have stopped her from thriving however she could. But to be here, with the Kingsnakes?No.
But when she lifted her face to look up at Luke, I knew it was her. There was no mistaking those blazing emerald eyes, even from her submissive position. Her expressions warred for dominance across her freckled face, attempting to remain in control. I knew that look all too well. The look that screamed “just you fucking wait.” I was certain no one else could pick up the minutiae of her emotions like I could, watching as she relaxed into a blank mask.
Because you couldn’t look at the love of your life, the one who got away, andnotknow exactly what she was thinking at any given moment.
My blood ran cold when I realized Luke wanted me to break Mila in. First problem, you couldn’t break Mila. She would break you, shatter your heart into a thousand pieces with no remorse, then toss you a broom so you could clean up your own mess. I wasn’t sure my duct-taped soul could handle that another time.
Second, and bigger problem? We weren’t supposed to have relationships outside of breeding with the females. I wore my mask, true, and I probably looked different than the Ray she knew in university, but she would still recognize me the minute we were alone together. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be able to keep our past a secret from the Kingsnakes, which would be dangerous for both of us. And I had my sisters to think of as well.
Dammit. The shock of seeing Mila had made me forget what was most at stake here. Two young, innocent lives who didn’t deserve the fallout of whatever consequences awaited all of us if this came out.
I had two options. Suck it up, and hope Mila and I could pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary, or corner Luke before the Choosing and demand someone else take Mila this month. Make up some bullshit reason. She had hurt me, broken my heart. But I needed to keep her safe. She wouldn’t just end up with a broken heart, the Kingsnakes would try and break hersoul. I couldn’t have that on my conscience. I so badly wanted to corner her and demand answers, but… I could see my baby sister’s innocent face if I were caught, screaming as they took her away from me. I knew what I needed to do. Option two. It was safer for all the parties involved, no matter how badly my heart longed to reach out and touch her tanned skin.
So I watched from a distance as Cooper, the asshole he was, pushed Mila around. Luke had slipped up and used his real name, so I would do the same. He didn’t deserve the protection of our other names. Not that his – Dogberry – was much better.
My anger demanded blood, but I couldn’t give in. Instead, I silently crossed my arms when Mila agreed to beminefor the month – as if Mila could ever be owned by anyone. I said the words required of me, the vows tasting like pennies in my mouth.
And when Mila was lined up against the wall, expression still dull, I pulled Luke to one side. The other girls passed silently by us as we stood behind the ancient bar. “Choose someone else, Luke,” I choked out.
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I was unsure if he was more surprised at the command in my voice, or my request. “You don’t want the first turn with the new girl? I thought it would’ve been an honor for you. A show of my respect.”
“Believe me, I am honored. But I don’t think I’m ready to be a first yet. I just don’t think I have what it takes.” I couldn’t push too hard, let my real emotions slip past. I had to protect my own interests, and Mila too.
Luke narrowed his eyes at me, trying to figure out my game.
“You sure? Cooper seemed eager to take her for himself, but I thought a pretty thing like that deserved a real Kingsnake for her first. I wanted you to be that man. But if you’re certain...” He turned away from me, and in the space of no more than a second, I realized what I truly had fucking gotten myself into.
What would be worse for Mila? Having to hide her past with me, or being bred under Cooper’s rough hands? We all knew what he was like. We saw the bruises on his girls of the month, the red marks they tried to hide with cardigans full of holes. Could I really sacrifice Mila to such a brute?
“Wait.”
Luke turned back around, victory blazing in his eyes. I knew why he wanted me to be first. He wanted me to be more integrated into the Kingsnakes, wanted me to take more of a leadership role, and so far I had done my best to stay back.
Luke knew how much I despised Cooper. He also knew I wouldn’t let a girl fall into his hands at my doing. But my taking the first turn would change things, and we both knew it. I closed my eyes, muttering a silent prayer. “I’ll do it.”
“Good man.” Luke smiled and clapped me on my shoulder, but his grin didn’t quite meet his icy blue eyes. “Now let’s get these girls chosen.”
We joined the rest of our brothers, watching the girls as they arranged themselves along the back wall. It had been awhile since our last new girl, so most of them knew what to expect. We had eighteen girls in total – nineteen now with Mila – another three were pregnant. They were kept in a separate part of the motel.
Luke didn’t like how emotional the other girls got when they saw the swollen stomachs. I was happy to see Hannah doing her best to blend in with the wall.
But my face was on fire, and when I turned to see Mila standing at the end of the line I knew it was her angry gaze that was boring holes through my skin.
Every inch of her body screamed revenge, so at odds with Laura’s attempt at sensuality next to her. Laura offered me a small wave, and I did my best not to shudder. How anyone could enjoy this life was beyond me.
Luke began with his normal opening, and I tuned him out. Drew, the Kingsnake next to me, bumped my shoulder. “Hey man, lucky you getting first dibs on the new hottie.”
I clenched my fist, digging my fingernails into my palm. I liked Drew, I really did. He wasn’t the worst of the Kingsnakes, but not someone I’d call a friend necessarily either. But I didn’t want him talking about Mila like that. She deserved better. “Yeah. Lucky me.”
I pulled my hood further over my face and inspected Mila more closely. She was older than the last time I had seen her, obviously. We had barely been older than kids back then.
But there was no doubt she was still just as beautiful. Her brown hair tangled around her face, her skin, tanned and smooth.
Wherever she had been hiding out, she spent a lot of time outside. Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, calling me back to an afternoon spent in the sun kissing every single one of those freckles, reiterating how much I loved her with each kiss. She laughed and blushed, but I refused to stop.
Back when life was simple, and easy. When we could dream of more than just surviving through to the next day.
Somehow I had drowned out most of Luke’s speech, not surprising considering it varied little from month to month. Next thing I knew, he called my name, and I shook myself back to reality. “Brother Prospero, you’re first to choose.”
