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That’s not one of Brandon’s sketchy guards. I’ve studied all six of them, know every inch of their pasty skin, and how they walk.

A light shines on the pudgy jaw and balding scalp of Brandon Keller himself, the man who kidnapped me from Aunt Helena’s apartment on Christmas Eve. Killed the guards who went by Sloth, Lust, and Envy, then shoved a drugged rag down my throat until I passed out.

Brandon holds the cage’s lock key and swings the ring on a calloused finger with dirt under his nails. Sickening.

With his phone recording me, he says, “I’m here to ask you one more time. If I let you out, will you marry me?”

He’s been asking me for months. Faking a marriage license, or marrying me while I’m unconscious, or with a gun to my head won’t bode well with my brothers, who heneedsa truce with.

Brandon needs me to agree. And his method is to break me.

In fairness to the idiot, he had his bases covered for a while. With that truce agreement from Ares, Troi would have no choice but to recognize his bastard son as the heir.

But now his father is dead, and I’m stuck in this cage. At Brandon’s mercy.

In hindsight, I should have said yes months ago and married him, let his father refuse to name him heir. Then tell Ares:‘Whoops, sorry I can’t marry someone else. I already have a husband.’

Then disappear again since I’ll be of no use to Brandon.

This time I’ll go ghost to such a remote location, no one will find me.

“I asked you a question, bitch.” Brandon kicks the cage.

My gut pays attention to the dangling key while I gaze into his murky dead eyes. He never comes down here to let me out for my morning break. After the first few times, they came to get me, I ran at the guards with my fingernails and tightened fists. That’s when they started tasing me first. Now, I just comply and let them shackle me.

I stopped feeling pain. And I don’t feel fear. I’m livid and thirsty for blood. But I’ve never seen the key to this cage until now, and Brandon isn’t holding the taser.

Odd.

“Brandon, we talked about this.” I soften my voice.

“What will it take, Ava?”

“You’ve got a lot to make up for, asshole. You killed my guards. You gagged me and stole me from my bed. Kept me chained. Now, I’m in a cage. And you want to negotiate our marriage?”

He flushes, looking enraged. “There was no other way to get to you. I tried talking to your prick of a brother. You were there.”

That is true... But Ares would never have backed the claim of a bastard.

“We’re here now. For five months you’ve had—” I stop. “What’s happened?”

“We’re leaving,” Brandon barks. “I spotted a fucking drone flying over the roof. Someone knows we’re here. Either your brothers or someone else who wants my goddamn throne.”

My brothers found me! I take a breath and consider that I’m getting a do-over. Sort of.

“Wherever we go next, I promise it will be worse for you if you keep refusing to marry me,” Brandon seethes.

That I don’t doubt. At least here, I got to look at the stars each night through a window. Without being chained, I did pull-ups, crunches, and squats. But with little to no protein, I’m breaking down.

“Fine, Brandon.” I give in and step back.

“You, you mean it?” He sounds shocked. “You’ll marry me?”

I thought I could escape. Everything I learned in the military made me think I could beat this.

I couldn’t.

“Yes, Brandon, I’ll marry you,” I lie.