Dark Need (House of Sin 3)

Whatever it is that we’re chosen to do, we will be better than the best.

And to be one of the trained ones is an honor I should not take lightly.

“Good,” my trainer says when the boulder is in place. “Now pick up the knife.”

I do what she asks without questioning why. This is what’s expected of me. My heart and brain must be turned off in order to be what they want me to be: a warrior out for blood.

I grab the knife off the stump and take it with me as we walk into the barracks on the far end of the establishment. A man kneels chained to the floor, his head resting on a pillar, eyes closed.

“Cut off his finger,” my trainer says.

I comply without saying a word.

The man cries out in pain as I cut off the flesh and take his finger, holding it up for him to see.

I don’t know what his crime was or why he deserved this, but I know he deserved it.

Our system only punishes the sinners, not the righteous.

And sinners deserve every ounce of pain they receive.

“Please …” the man begs. “No more …”

He’s already lost three fingers to other trainees I sparred with the other day.

And it won’t stop until all of them are gone.

“Do you want to know what he did?” my trainer asks.

I shake my head.

She smiles. “Good. Because you don’t need to know, do you? You punish when you’re told.”

I nod.

“And once your training is done, you will do whatever your owner requests from you. Is that understood?”

Again, I nod.

Her fingers curl around my shoulder, and she whispers into my ear. “We will be so proud of you. You will make the maidens very happy.”

Present

I open my eyes again and turn my head toward the sound of her breaths. She’s still sitting against a tree, watching me from what she thinks is a safe distance. But nothing is safe when it comes to me.

I was born a fighter, a killer … I was not born to play bodyguard to a girl whose very goal is to escape my grasp.

Especially when that same grasp put me in the position I am right now.

I sigh out loud and force myself to put my emotions aside.

There is no point in dawdling because it will only make things harder.

So I get up and grab my shirt, putting it on again, before stuffing all of my belongings back into the bag.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

I throw her a glance and then tug at the rope.

She’s pulled forward on her knees. Her blanket barely covers her body, an inch of skin peeking underneath catches my attention, and I immediately look away, biting my tongue until I can taste the blood.

“What the …? You can’t expect me to walk when I’m not even dressed?!” she yelps. “Jesus Christ.”

“Stop,” I growl at her, and I pick up her shirt and pants from the ground and throw it at her.

She scowls at me before saying, “Turn around.”

I roll my eyes but do what she asks. Some rumbling and muffled sounds ensue, so I glance over my shoulder to make sure she’s not doing anything stupid. But all I catch is her shirt being pulled over her belly button … and her eyes staring straight into mine.

Fuck.

I look away again right as the chucks the blanket at my face.

I pick it up from the ground and stuff it in the bag before tugging at the rope. “Come.”

The rope tightens as I walk away, while she’s standing there with a bold look in her eyes as though she means it. As if she could ever defy me.

But in these woods, I make the rules.

“Follow me,” I bark.

“No.”

Her defiance isn’t like before. It’s tamed and controlled, and her eyes are watery. Like she’s upset, but I don’t know why. I’ve given her the chance to put her shirt on. I’m not making her walk around naked.

I could.

Especially if she keeps talking back like that.

“You treated me like shit,” she adds.

I frown.

Out of all the things she could protest … she chooses this to be the hill to die on?

“Tell me why.”

My eye twitches. “No.”

When I try to move again, she doesn’t budge, and I’m contemplating whether to drag her with me, but she wouldn’t last long if I tried. So I sigh and turn around to look at her again.

“Yes. You owe it to me,” she says.

I roll my eyes and rub my beard. “Fine. It was a dream.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she retorts. “I saw you. You were wide-awake.”

I can’t deal with this. I don’t know how to react to this woman.

On the one hand, I have to bring her to our destination, and on the other hand, she’s driving me nuts to the point where I’m not sure we’re going to make it.