The Camp (Chateau 2)

I stared at her, amazed that she knew how much that had hurt me, how much it had killed me to lie there and listen to her and feel like I’d failed her. My hand moved to her cheek then slid into her hair, pulling it from her face and holding it there, just looking at her, watching her regard me like I was the only man in the world whom she wanted to protect her.

“Is Melanie here?”

I shook my head.

“So, he did that for you.”

I nodded.

“I was surprised.”

“I was more surprised.” My fingers gently shifted in her hair, feeling its softness. “His hatred for you is unmistakable, but his love for me…is greater.” Raven trusted me to be there for her through the best and the worst of times. That was exactly how I felt about my brother because he would always be there for me…no matter what. If I let her go, I wasn’t sure if my brother really would make good on his threat and kill me, but our relationship would never be the same. He might ostracize me and tell everyone else I was dead…because I would be dead to him.

She studied my gaze, seeing the emotions on my face. “I can’t even imagine the conflict you must feel.”

I felt it every day. I knew Fender as my loyal brother, but I also knew him as the man who did all these terrible things. I still remembered the day he conjured the idea to steal innocent women, put them in the camp, and work them until they died. The Red Snow came later. I had other suggestions that left innocent people out of it, and when he dismissed those ideas, I still tried to talk him out of it. But nothing worked. It was hell, not only to live in this world, but to participate in it…and damn myself to hell.

I tied the rope around Eric’s wrists then pushed him to the ground.

He landed with a thud, directly beside Nathan, groaning at the impact against his chest.

I did the same to Karl then shoved him to the ground.

A wooden pole stood erect in the dirt. Alix had his hands tied above his head, and he was standing there shirtless, the first one to go.

Fender stood at the edge of the clearing, looking at Alix. Then he turned to me. “Have fun.” He took a seat in the chair the men had brought for him, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, waiting for the show to begin.

I was tired of granting mercy.

Alix had had a lot of chances to do the right thing—but he never did.

I stared at him, ready to beat the shit out of him.

Alix held my stare and refused to show fear, refused to look weak in front of the other guards.

This seemed too easy, to just stand there and take a beating.

I pulled off my shirt and tossed it to my brother.

He caught it without even looking at it.

I pulled a blade out of my pocket and walked toward Alix.

Alix immediately flinched at the sight of the blade.

I stood in front of him and let him squirm, let him stare at the blade that could carve him like a roast on Christmas Day. Pain wasn’t a sufficient punishment, not when there were worse things. I moved behind him and cut the ropes.

He dropped his hands and massaged his wrists, immediately turning around so his back wasn’t to me.

Fender raised an eyebrow in curiosity but didn’t question me.

I threw the knife down into the soil, the hilt sticking up. “Fight me.”

Alix backed up, glancing at the guards that stood behind Fender and had come to watch the sport.

“You beat me, and I don’t move on to Eric. If you don’t, I fight Eric. If he doesn’t beat me, I move on to the next…and then the next. So, you can either end the punishment now…or you can lose. Admit defeat, or I will beat you to death.”

Fender gave a slight nod in satisfaction. “This should be interesting. Let’s begin.”

I rushed Alix immediately, ready to turn my knuckles bloody beating the shit out of this motherfucker.

He quickly dodged to the left, his eyes wide and full of fright because he hadn’t expected this. There was an audience to witness the showdown, and he already knew how our previous fights had ended—even when he was armed and I wasn’t.

I followed him, cornering him at the edge of the clearing. “You afraid of me, asshole?” I grinned because we both knew exactly how this was going to end. I would beat his fucking ass, and he would have to ask for mercy in front of everyone—or die. He was a fucking coward so I knew what his answer would be, and I would enjoy every second leading up to it, savor his shame as he chose life over his reputation.