“Trust me, Wynter, it’s not that great. Your mother was right about one thing—bad people do live here. The order in the village is what the rest of the world needs.”
“But they make warriors fight,” I argue.
“They’re beasts,” he tells me. “What do you think their life would be like out here?”
I shrug. “They wouldn’t have to fight or . . . take part in ceremonies.”
He laughs, and I feel myself blush. “You’re so innocent,” he says. “They love all that.”
“Really?”
“One thing you should know about those beasts, they love sex. It’s what they crave, and if they were out in the normal world, they’d be a danger to innocent women. They’d prey on them. In the village, it’s controlled well. Their urges are met in productive ways.”
“Did my father say that?”
“Your father is a good man, Wynter. He has a lot of responsibility and does a good job at looking after our village. Along with the other three forefathers, they’re saints in my eyes.”
I choose my next words carefully. “Is it true they take young boys from the outside and bring them to the village to train as warriors?”
He stares at me for a few silent seconds before nodding. “But only the boys who need us,” he adds quickly. “Boys who have no parents. They’re usually unruly and misbehaving. Nobody can handle them.”
“So, how do we help?”
“We take them in and give them a home, a purpose.”
“I guess that’s a good thing.” But it doesn’t feel right, not really.
Once we’ve eaten, we rejoin the others, and I’m handed a fourth drink. This time, I take my time, and once I’ve drained my glass, I feel even more dizzy. I push to stand and almost fall, but Leonie jumps up to steady me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m a little . . . I feel really dizzy,” I mutter, realising my voice doesn’t sound right and my eyes are heavy.
“I’ll take her back,” Lenny offers, pulling me against him and wrapping an arm around me.
“We should all go,” Leonie suggests.
“He’s got this,” says Jax, grabbing her arm and tugging her to sit down. She looks worried, so I offer her a smile, giving a little wave before I’m led away.
The deeper into the cave we get, the worse I feel. My head spins, and there’s a ringing sound in my ears. Lenny keeps us moving, practically dragging me along until we get into a small clearing. “Let’s rest,” he says, dumping me on a large stone in the centre. I lie back and close my eyes.
“I had a good time tonight,” I tell him, even though my words sound funny.
I feel him crawling over me and open my eyes. My smile soon fades when I see him staring down at me with a suggestive glint in his eye. He looks fuzzy, like there’re two of him. “Now, it’s time for my payment,” he says with a grin. Before I can protest, he presses his lips to mine. They’re too wet, and I turn my head to avoid them. “Come on, Wynter, don’t tease me.”
“I’m not,” I mutter, trying to shake him off as he grabs my face and forces me to look at him. His fingers dig into me, hurting, but he doesn’t seem to care as he kisses me again.
I lie still, praying he’ll take the hint, and when he gets up, I’m relieved.I’ll talk to him tomorrow when I feel better, set him straight.
But then I feel his hands travelling up my thighs and under my dress. “Hey,” I mutter, batting them away. It doesn’tdeter him, and he settles himself between my legs. “What are you doing?” I mumble, trying to shove him off but missing completely.
“I got you dinner,” he snaps, slapping my hands away. “It’s the least you owe me.”
I panic, knowing there’s no way I can stop him.He’s so much stronger than me.“No,” I whisper, clamping my legs as closed as I can with him between them.
“You’re a fucking tease,” he snaps, and I shiver at the harsh tone in his voice. He’s angry. “All you have to do is lie there. I’m gonna do all the hard work.” I feel his hands pulling at my underwear.
“I don’t want to,” I snap, and I know it’s loud enough for him to hear, but he continues to try and remove my underwear.
He takes my hand and shoves it against his groin. “Feel how hard I am,” he growls. It’s warm, and I yelp in surprise. “Just touch me,” he snaps, forcing me to wrap my hand around him.
