He presses particularly hard on a cut, drawing a hiss from between my teeth.
“No. Now, shut up, or I’ll leave your wounds to fester.”
I snort but leave him alone. His threats run hollow now, and we both know I’m not scared of him anymore. And I think we both know he doesn’t want me to be, either.
“Francesca said weeks until I’m his. How many?” I ask, my voice still hoarse from my time with the man in question.
“Three.”
I close my eyes and nod my head, gritting my teeth when he cleans another sore spot.
“New girls are coming in next week,” Rio continues.
“How many?” I whisper.
“Three. Plenty of room now that it's just you and the loco one.”
My heart pangs from the reminder. Gloria and Jillian were sent off to auction a week ago, leaving Sydney and me alone with each other. After the night we were forced to end Phoebe and Bethany’s lives, our training became more intense.
Just because we were considered worthy, doesn’t mean there still wasn’t an opportunity for us to fail. Francesca put us through grueling etiquette classes. How to address our masters, how to speak, eat, and sexually service them.
They’re specifically designed to break us mentally. We were whipped, raped, and starved if we made mistakes. And just like the night of the Culling, we were forced to punish each other. By the time those two girls were auctioned, we could barely stand one another.
Even after Jillian and Gloria were successfully sold, the grueling lessons haven’t let up. The bruises have faded, and the stitches have been removed, leaving two large white lines marring my back, yet Francesca wouldn’t allow for me and Sydney to be auctioned. And still, I have no idea why.
Although I’m spoken for, Francesca is still required to follow protocol. I have to stand on a stage, and others will be given a chance to bid on me. It’s just guaranteed that Xavier will win.
He’s one of the richest men in the world, he claims. Not even sure what he does for a living, or if he’s even a citizen of the country, but I suppose it doesn’t matter.
Despite what Rio thinks, I am never going to give up. I have no plans of skipping off into the sunset with Xavier, but I do plan on letting him take me out of here.
They’ve made it their mission to keep me exhausted, compliant, and ignorant. I haven’t been outside these walls since the Culling. Haven’t felt the sun warming my cheeks or the snow on my tongue. They’re scared of Zade and what he can do, so the safest bet is to keep me holed up, never to see the light of day.
Three weeks. That’s when Xavier will have no choice but to take me out of this house and risk Zade finding me. And that’s when I will do everything in my power to make sure he does.
Rio finishes bandaging my back before rolling me over and moving on to the wound on my stomach next, keeping his eyes fixed on his task. Not even a peek at a nipple.
“Try not to miss me when I’m gone,” I murmur, staring up sightlessly at the ceiling.
I feel him glance up at me before focusing back on a particularly deep wound. He'll need a butterfly bandage for that one.
“I’ll pray your life is short,” he responds finally. I smile, the first real one in months. Turns out I didn’t need that red lipstick after all.
That was sweet of him to say.
Francesca’s footsteps pound down the hallway, but Rio and I don’t bother moving considering he still has a few wounds to clean.
I meet her stare when she breaches the doorway. For a brief moment, she glances down at my body, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.
Do I look pretty, Francesca?
“Finish cleaning her up quickly, Rio.” He stops and tips his chin over his shoulder to look at her, her face cast in a severe expression. “Claire’s here, and she wants to speak with her.”
Chapter 19
The Hunter
One Week Ago
Rubies and emeralds drip from the woman’s body, clasped around her curves with thin metal chains. Aside from the jewels, she’s bared completely, open to the males’ demeaning gaze.
“Going bid, two hundred thousand dollars,” the woman’s voice announces through the speaker built into my leather chair. Her voice sounds just as hollow as the woman spinning around on the stage looks.
These auctions are luxurious. The bidding area is one massive pinwheel made up of fifteen glass cubicles surrounding a small stage in the center, providing each bidder with privacy while they fight over stolen women. The glass is heavily tinted, allowing bidders to see the stage clearly, while still keeping us hidden from those looking in. Jay and I have found that the tint on them is adjustable and can allow each bidder a clear view of one another.