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Grabbing my arm Liam pulls me back to him and reaches for something I can’t see. His hand is again clamped over my mouth, making my muffled protests all too easy to ignore. “I tried to do this the nice way,” he growls, and that’s the last thing I hear before everything goes black.
Myeyelidsmightaswell have been made of lead for how heavy they feel. That and the dryness in my mouth that’s making my tongue stick to the top of my mouth is the very first thing I register as I regain consciousness. The next is that even though I’m upright, it feels like I’m stretched as I balance precariously on my toes.
“What the hell?” I mutter, trying to twist this and that way, to no avail.
I don’t even know if I am moving, or if I’m imagining it. My body doesn’t even feel like my own as sweat beads on my skin. I try to open my eyes, and it’s then that I realize what’s going on. The blindfold is tricking my sluggish senses into believing I can’t open my eyes, when the reality is that it’s doing me no good. No light is penetrating the fabric that’s obscuring my sight.
Okay… I force myself to take deep, steadying breaths as I try to figure out what has happened. The last thing I remember is saying goodbye to… “Liam!” His name is a growl as much as a respite from the building anxiety inside me. “What did you do?” I ask, again trying to move without the desired outcome.
My only answer is three distinguished, breathy chuckles. “Ahh, so good of you to join us, Nereid.” I bare my teeth at Kai as I sense him coming closer. “It would have been a lot nicer if you wanted to spend time with us, though.”
I let loose a stream of cursed insults.
“Yes. Nothing says everlasting love, like having to drug your girl and tie her up to spend any time with her.” Gus—despite the throaty whisper, I know it’s him.
Liam is annoyingly quiet, and that makes me feel even more anxious.
“Let me go,” I croak, my mouth still dry.
Did I just think that Liam’s silence was eerie? That’s nothing compared to the harshness of his words. “Never, Acacia. That’s the entire fucking point, isn’t it? You may be done with us. You’ve shown us that without sparing our hearts, but we won’t let you go.Ever.”
Is that honestly what they’re thinking? That I’m done with them?
Even though I can’t fault their logic, it still hurts to hear them buy into the lie I’ve fabricated to keep them safe. It makes little sense, I’m painfully aware of my flawed logic.
The feeling of being prey is real as they all move closer, so close it’s like I can feel their skin humming just outside of range. It’s then, as my body tries to reach for them, that I become aware that my arms are hoisted above my head, bound at my wrists.
“What did you do to me?” I demand, not at all sounding as outraged as I feel. Though I loathe to admit it, I feel… helpless—against them, against myself, against this entire situation. “Let me go.” My voice cracks at the double meaning in my words.
“There seems to have been a misunderstanding.” Kai sounds unaffected, like he’s just reciting facts. “You said ‘I do’ and you meant it just as much as I did. Those words don’t lose their meaning just because you’ve decided on an outcome that involves all of us. And it most definitely doesn’t give you the right to decide forme.”
Without missing a beat, Gus adds his two cents. “You promised me forever, Cia. Have you forgotten our vows to each other? Or do you just not care anymore? Is it the latter, and you’re too much of a fucking coward to say it out loud?”
“You once told me my place was with you until the day I wouldn’t want to be at your side anymore. I guess we now know your word can’t be trusted, hmm?”
I whimper while I listen to the three men I love throw my declarations and promises back in my face with so much vehemence I want to cringe. “I never…” Not knowing what I can even say, I cut myself off.
For the first time I’m glad for the blindfold. It’s a barrier absorbing the wet evidence of the impact their words have on me, and I prefer that to letting them see how their mockery is slaying me.
“You never what? Never loved us?” My involuntary flinch is as much caused by Gus’ words as the rough pinch to my nipple.
“I’m naked,” I stupidly gasp, not liking that I’ve only noticed that now. “You’ve fucking undressed me and now you—”
“Yeah, your actions already clued us in on that little secret of yours.” Gus keeps talking, not at all paying attention to my outraged gasps and shouts.
Now that I know, I have no idea how I didn’t notice it sooner. I would like to blame my lack of sight, but as a Drákon that excuse wouldn’t hold up in any court. Our training also serves to sharpen all our senses, so my failure at noticing something as monumental as my clothes being gone is just fucking bad.
“What else have you done to me?” I hiss.
The laugh coming from Liam makes my hair stand. “It’s all about you, isn’t it, Acacia?” I growl as he continuously uses my full name. “And I guess you’re right. Because tonight you’ll be in the middle while we work shit out. You will listen to us—”
“The hell I will.”
“And if you don’t shut up and listen, we’ll gag you.” The last part is delivered along with a swift swat to my left tit.
“Nod if you understand,” my husband says, and I can hear the fucking smirk in his voice.
Refusing to budge even an inch, but unable to flip them off, I stubbornly raise my chin in a silent ‘do your worst.’ I don’t know why my mind has chosen now to shut up, but I don’t feel like engaging in banter when I’m bound and they have threatened to gag me.
