Page 8

"It's more than we had yesterday," Elise finishes, taking the smuggled food with gentle hands. Her eyes meet mine, understanding passing between us. She knows what it costs me to bring these small mercies.
I slide a small vial from my bodice. "And this. For infections."
A younger girl—couldn't be more than sixteen—presses against the wall, watching me with suspicious eyes. "What did you have to do for it?"
"Jessie," Elise warns.
"No, it's alright." I meet the girl's gaze. "Whatever it takes."
The stark truth hangs between us. In this place, my body is currency—a resource to be spent carefully for maximum return.
"The captain says he'll have proper blankets brought down," I add, loudly enough for all to hear. "And he's agreed to more regular meals."
Hope flickers across tired faces. Small victories, but they matter here where expectations are measured in crumbs.
I spend the day helping where I can—washing faces with our meager water ration, braiding tangled hair, listening to fears I cannot ease. Despite my better accommodations, I try to help here. But when the guards come to fetch me that evening, I'm almost relieved. I feel disgusted with myself.
"Captain wants you prettied up," the demon guard grunts, tossing a bundle of fabric at my feet.
I unfold it to find a dress of emerald silk. Expensive. Sheer in places meant to reveal rather than conceal.
"How thoughtful," I murmur, the words bitter on my tongue.
The women help me dress, their fingers deft despite their malnourishment. They know the drill. My success is their survival.
"You shouldn't have to do this," whispers Mara as she helps arrange my hair.
I squeeze her hand. "None of us should be here at all."
When I step into Drez'kor's private chambers an hour later, I'm Trinity the Desirable again. My smile is bright, my posture inviting, my eyes promising pleasures I have no desire to deliver but will.
"There's my pretty human." The captain's eyes rake over me, lingering on where the silk clings to my curves. "I've been thinking about you all day."
"I hope they were pleasant thoughts," I purr, sauntering toward him despite the screaming in my mind to run.
He reaches for me, thick fingers encircling my waist. "I've arranged something special tonight."
My stomach tightens with dread, but my smile never falters. "Oh? You spoil me, Captain."
"A private dinner in my quarters." His hand slides lower, cupping my ass possessively through the thin fabric. "Just the two of us."
I force a delighted laugh as his fingers dig into my flesh. "How intimate."
"And after..." His breath is hot against my ear, his grip tightening painfully. "After, I want to try something new."
I swallow my revulsion and trail my fingers along his chest. "Anything you desire."
His eyes darken with lust as he pulls me against him, hand now moving to my breast. The touch is rough, proprietary. "You feel that?" He presses his hardness against me. "That's what you do to me. Just looking at you."
I arch into his touch, playing the role to perfection. "I'm flattered."
"You should be." His mouth crashes down on mine, demanding and harsh. He's never been so rough with me, but I knew that his act had to be only a matter of time. I part my lips obediently, letting him explore while I try to dissociate from the moment.
When he finally breaks the kiss, he looks pleased. "The other demons are jealous, you know. They all want what I have."
"And what's that?" I ask, stroking his ego while his hands continue their possessive exploration.
"The most fuckable human on this rock." He pinches my nipple through the dress hard enough to make me gasp. He mistakes pain for pleasure and smirks. "And I've been thinking... maybe it's time we made things more permanent."