AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There was a flicker of fear there, like he was scared for me to know the truth. Therealtruth and not the part I knew, or thought I knew. That same sting of betrayal came roaring back and I was dragged to the fight we’d had before he left to go after Killion.
I’d been out of control then, throwing lamps and anything I could get my hands on at Caleb because all I saw was his betrayal. I couldn’t do that again, no matter how much it hurt to hear what had happened, even if the sex…Oh God,I stared up at Tobias—had been incredible.But this wasn’t about sex, not really. It was about betrayal and trust, and trust started with the truth. I inhaled deeply and nodded, letting Caleb know that I was ready.
But Tobias wasn’t backing down. If anything, he seemed to be gaining savage momentum. “Yes,brother. Ireally want to start there.”
“Fine,” Caleb responded.
“Fine,”Tobias didn’t flinch.
I shifted, panic swirling inside me, rolling under my skin. Tobias saw, grabbed me, and pulled me close. His hand moved to the middle of my back, his thumb moving in slow circles, like he needed the touch to keep himself grounded.
It was annoying at first, aggravating that coiled tension inside me…until slowly…slowly…that irritating touch seemed to ease the thrumming of my heart. My breaths slowed, moving deeper. My stepbrother glanced my way, those dark eyes searching mine. I hated how he knew what I needed better than I knew myself. “Go on,” he urged his brother.
“I contacted Evans after Ryth was taken. He’d been the one to introduce me to Killion, several years ago. Even though at the time, I’d wanted nothing to do with the kind of men they were, I knew after the capture, they’d be my way into The Order.”
The way he said it was so clinical, like he was giving us the bare minimum. Still, the mention of Killion’s name sent chills down my spine. Whatever desire I’d felt a second ago was replaced by the sickening promises Killion had snarled in my ear as he’d pushed me naked against the wall in The Order.I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll see stars, you ruined little bitch.
My fingers trembled as I touched my throat, still feeling his fingers. Tobias saw, shifting that cold stare from his brother to me. His brow furrowed, narrowing in on the movement.
“So I asked for a re-introduction.” Caleb continued carefully. “And he did, taking me to meet Killion at the same club I’d gone to that night…”
“The night your almost got us all killed.” Tobias turned back to him.
“Yes.”
But there was no edge to Tobias’ voice anymore. Instead, he swallowed and murmured. “Go on.”
“That first time, he made me sit and watch while a woman of The Order was raped and degraded.”
The temperature in the room plunged. Tobias scowled, and that glint of rage danced in his eyes again.
“It was a test,” Caleb continued as Nick stepped closer, drawn to the darkness. “My first test…but not the last, or the worst. I made it through that night, knowing if I so much as flinched at the things they did, that I’d lose my only way in. So I played along.”
“Something you do very well,” Tobias muttered.
“And thank God for that,” Caleb bit back. “We got her out, didn’t we?”
Tobias was the one to flinch that time, but he didn’t give Caleb an inch, pushing him again. “The rest, C.”
At least we were back to calling each other by our names, and Caleb noticed. “The second test was another woman, one Killion expected me to fuck, and not just fuck, either. He wanted to see how I‘played’.”
I turned away, unable to look at him.
Still, he continued, even though I heard the pain in his voice.
“He wanted proof I was one of them. That I liked to humiliate and degrade.”
“And did you?” Nick asked. “Did you fuck and degrade?”
I wrenched open my eyes, turning to Nick.
Caleb glanced my way and swallowed hard. “Fuck her, no…”
But he did degrade her, right?
I tried to stop the onslaught of images that followed, where Caleb had his hand around the throat of the woman at The Order, growling in her ear how he was going to choke her and ride her until she passed out. My stomach hardened and my clit throbbed, my senses at war with each other.
“Evans fucked her instead,” Caleb whispered carefully, regret staining his words. “He didn’t want to. He was sick doing it. But he did, because he knew what was at stakefor us.”
