Chapter 2
Myles
Lucky me, finding the prettiest little toy to play with.
How the fuck a girl could just wander into our town, is another question. She’s lucky it’s been a while since we reinforced that side of our perimeter. Could’ve been a different story if she triggered one of Zane’s traps.
She must’ve travelled far. There’s no way a girl of her calibre was living in this shithole before society imploded around us.
She’s got some fire in her too. Wouldn't stop fighting me the entire way back to our makeshift home. Even when I threw her over my shoulder, her tiny fists still pounded at me relentlessly.
The inside of my mask is slick with sweat. Every breath feels hotter, thicker. Suffocating. I need to rip the damn thing off!
But Phoenix and Zane insist on the masks. To protect our identities and strike fear into the hearts of those who hear rumours.
Sure, people whisper about us for miles around. Settlers benefit from living nearby because of our vendetta against flesh traders. Most raiders and scavengers know better than to test our lines or they learn the hard way.
But this girl chose our town anyway. Why?
Her struggling is getting annoying. She just keeps squirming and twisting as if she has a chance. Like she hasn't just been yanked out of the dirt like a toy I dropped and decided to reclaim.
But the way she tried to take a swing at me with that knife… That was almost cute.
Almost.
“You really don't know when to quit, do you?” I growl, tightening my hold as she kicks the air. “Keep squirming, little doe. See how far that gets you.”
I’m going to enjoy slowly breaking her. At least until she accepts her new reality.
Finally, the abandoned police station comes into view. Ugly, familiar, and so poorly insulated.
It’s the only building with both solar panels and rainwater tanks, so we made it our base. I got the power running again and Phoenix handled the generator, though he still uses the fireplace in winter.
Phoenix is still nowhere to be seen now. Probably sulking somewhere. But Zane follows behind me quietly.
I drop her to her feet and shove her towards the front steps. She hesitates like she has a choice, and I see her instinct to run in the way her body tenses. To try an escape while she still can.
She should.
Because once I get her inside, she won’t be leaving again.
And then… in a last-ditch effort, she comes roaring back to life. I almost lose my grip on her when she bites down hard on my wrist. Gritting my teeth through the pain, she sinks her sharp little teeth deeper into my skin.
Zane sees her latching onto me like a rabid dog and steps in just as she tries to bolt. She bounces of his chest and stumbles back into my arms. He growls and she shrinks into me, whimpering at his wordless warning. His huge war-torn body and burlap mask, enough to scare her back into submission.
Yanking her away, I kick the door open with a sharp crack, my patience fraying to the last thread.
I can barely even see through the fucking eyeholes of my mask anymore. I’m suffocating in here.
The rusted hinges scream as the door slams into the wall and the girl screams too. But there’s no one for miles around to hear her cries. We own this town.
Inside, the air is damp and thick with mildew. I stalk down the hallway, dragging her along, past all the rooms Zane decked out like a home over the past three years.
Her hair keeps getting in my face, wild, blonde strands that smell too clean for someone who's been sleeping in a fucking car.
It messes with my head and makes my dick twitch, piercings catching on my zipper. Makes me want to wrap that hair around my fist.
Dragging her all the way to the back of the building where the old holding room is, she digs her heels in, attempting to delay the inevitable.
Never thought these cells would be useful. We’re not the type to take prisoners. Guess they’re good for something after all.
Kicking the door open, I pull her in. Her breath hitches when she sees the room. But at least she’s done with that pointless screaming.
Good. That shit was giving me a headache.
Dusty desks, discarded chairs and old paperwork sit like forgotten relics, the only trace of life in the otherwise forgotten space. Even the walls are flaking, shedding layers of paint like dead skin.
Three small cells line one wall, thick iron bars offering full view into the concrete cubicles—no place to hide.
Yanking one of the cell doors open, it creaks obnoxiously, and I don't hesitate to throw her in. Not hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to make a point.
She hits the ground with a sharp yelp, scrambling away until her back hits the wall.
Slamming the cell door shut, I lock it and lean against the bars. Hanging my arms through them, I peer down at her, still catching my breath.
She shrinks away, looking up at me with fearful eyes. Those big doe-like eyes with long eyelashes.
All curled up like she thinks this cell will protect her.
Stupid.
“You should show a little gratitude. You have a proper bed in here,” I grin, gesturing to the tiny cot, wedged between the bars and the walls.
The cell is cramped with the bed and the steel toilet. But she's small, it's plenty for her. A working toilet is a luxury these days and she still has room to stand.
She should be on her knees, thanking me.
But she just trembles, mud caked on her knees, sweat on her flawless skin, plump lips slightly parted.
“You'll be mine, little doe,” I tell her, voice low and full of promise. “If you try to escape, I'll hunt you down. You try to fight; I'll tie you up. And if you even think about biting me again, then I'll gag that pretty little mouth of yours. You got that?”
Her breath just hitches like a wounded animal. So I slam my fist against the bars, watching with satisfaction as she jumps.
“I said… Do. You. Got that?” I snarl, louder
Her head bobs in the faintest nod.
I sigh, dragging my hand down my mask-covered face.
Guess I'll have to be satisfied with that answer.
She won’t even meet my eyes now. I choose to believe it’s because she’s trying to act obedient and not that she’s terrified of what might be under my mask.
Adrenaline is still running hot through my veins so I can imagine it’s pumping through hers as well.
She'll be much safer in here. Protected from the vicious world out there. I’ll look after her, she just needs to be obedient and resist the urge to try and run. To try and leave me.
Bitterness creeps into me at the thought. My fingers tighten around the bars and squeeze the rusty metal before I push off and step up to the cell door.
The sound of the cell door clicking open feels louder than it is—sharp and final in the silence of the holding room.
She flinches as if she thinks I’m here to punish her. Her eyes dart to the door before returning to me.
I grit my teeth and step in slowly, deliberately letting the weight of the moment settle around us like thick smoke. She’ll learn not to fear me.
She’s curled up in the corner, arms wrapped tight around her knees, all big eyes and shaky breaths.
Fuck, she’s beautiful. Fragile. Watchful. I can see the rise and fall of her chest, the flare of her cute little nose. The flutter of her lashes as she keeps her gaze locked on me as if she’s staring down a predator.
She’s not wrong. But where’s all that fight gone?
I crouch in front of her, close enough that her scent hits me again—sweat, dirt, and something soft underneath. Something sweet.
I smirk, letting my gaze drag down her petite body, slow and lingering.
“You got no idea how lucky you are, little doe,” I murmur. “Could’ve been someone else that found you. Could’ve been worse. Way worse.”
My throat closes up at the thought. But she doesn’t answer. Of course she doesn’t. Doesn’t even move. She’s just frozen, like a bunny in the clutches of a wolf.
I kinda like that.
It seems… submissive. She hasn’t even screamed once since I got her inside.
She’s learning. She’ll be mine in no time.
I reach out and brush a strand of that shiny gold hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. It feels so silky. Like something that doesn’t belong in my hands.
She jolts as my fingers brush her skin, her breath catching. So responsive.
Her reaction shoots straight to my dick, lighting something up inside me—some twisted sense of protectiveness tangled up with hunger. I want to tear her apart and cradle her in the same breath.
“You’d be dead by now… or worse” I murmur, voice low. “You wouldn’t have lasted a week out there. A girl like you?” I click my tongue. “Too soft. Too sweet. They’d eat you alive.”
My fingers are drawn to her soft skin again, trailing gently down her cheek, over her jaw, across her throat. Her skin is so fucking soft. I can imagine sinking my teeth into the warm flesh, marking her pretty skin like she marked me.
“You’re safer here,” I whisper, breath hot in my mask as I lean closer. “Safe with us. With me.”
She stays silent. Her gaze shifts away from me, eyes seeming to glaze over.
My knee brushes her thigh, and she stiffens. But not in a good way.
Still so fucking scared. Why can’t she see I’m trying to protect her?
I let my palm flatten against the side of her neck, thumb sliding over her fluttering pulse. God, she’s so warm. Fragile. I want to feel it against my lips next.
“You don’t have to be scared,” I murmur, leaning in until my nose brushes her hair, breathing the intoxicating scent of her fear. She smells like a fight. Like prey. My little doe.
“Are you scared?” I whisper, lips brushing the edge of her ear.
Still no response except her staccato breaths.
“Well don’t be,” I snap before reigning myself in again. “You belong to me now. I’m gonna look after you.” I say sweetly. “And in return, you’re gonna be my little plaything. You’ll be begging me to play with you every time I walk through that door.”