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My heart constricted. I tightened my jaw. I was jealous, which was insane. Brien wasn’t mine, and he never would be.
And I was fine with that.
Absolutely, freaking-ass fine.
“Don’t worry,” said Eden. “You’re new—Brien will be all over you for a while.”
All over me.
My body liked the sound of that. My nipples tightened and my belly heated. And God, that was fucked—that I was hot for Brien, even knowing he was my target.
“But don’t get attached,” Pinky said. “Like we said, he doesn’t play favorites.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Eden shrugged. “It’s a job. The best money you can make around here.”
Pinky glanced sidelong at Eden. “Your sister turned them down.”
“Because she was in love,” said Eden.
“Some guy she met on the mainland,” Pinky told me.
Eden pointed a thumb to her chest. “Me, I wanted to be a thrall. After three years, I can opt to leave—”
“Or the syndicate can let her go,” said Pinky.
“Sure, but why would they?” said Eden. “New thralls aren’t that easy to find, especially thralls willing to move to an island for three years. Anyway, my three years are almost up. As soon as my time’s up, I’m getting the hell out—I want to travel for a year, and then I’m going to open my own business.”
“Yeah?” I’d never met a pair of thralls like these two—or a syndicate like this, to be honest. Most of the thralls I’d met were trapped, even if they didn’t admit it. Vampires are possessive SOBs; once you signed a contract with one, they usually worked things so you didn’t leave until they were done with you.
Pinky lowered her voice. “You did sign a contract with Brien, didn’t you? Because it’s better…safer. Sometimes, the primus takes you anyway.”
“Seriously?” I dropped my voice as well.
“Pinky,” murmured Eden and tipped her head at Jasper. Which was all the answer I needed.
Pinky eyed me, concerned.
“Yeah,” I lied. “I signed a contract.”
“Good. Just be careful, you know?”
“There’s the path to the beach.” Eden turned down a steep, rocky trail, easily navigating it with her long legs.
Pinky rolled her eyes as we followed. “She’s an effing mountain goat.”
I chuckled and she grinned back. I had a feeling I’d made a friend—unless she was pretending to like me. Because if she was working with Kuro, wouldn’t she try to befriend me? But then, I was pretending, too.
My stomach twisted. Sometimes I hated my life.
You’re not here to make friends. Focus on surviving.
The beach was raw and beautiful, all wet sand and jagged rocks and heaving ocean. The wind whipped my hair around my face, and seagulls screeched and wheeled overhead.
A royal blue boat with a shark insignia zoomed past. “That’s the ferry to the mainland,” said Eden.
Corralling my hair, I plaited it into a makeshift braid. “There’s a ferry?”
