Page 38

Or was I finally getting a glimpse at the real Tamson?

I scrambled to my feet, peeking over his shoulder at the newcomer. Up close, I could see that he was entirely bedecked in black army armor. His helmet was off, revealing a strong jawline and dark hair. Wrinkles hinted that he may have been a few years older than us, but his body was the epitome of perfection with muscles clearly accentuated through his dark clothes.

He leered in my direction, hunger dancing in his eyes.

“Who are you folks?” he asked, voice gravelly. Tam let out a bark of harsh laughter.

“She doesn’t matter. I’m Tamson.”

The way he dismissed me, as if I was the scum beneath his boot, brought back memories from my time with my father and mother.

The way they looked at me as if I was a disgusting insect.

The distaste in their eyes whenever I failed to meet their expectations of perfection.

The scowl on my father’s face, seconds before he partook in a particularly gruesome beating.

My body tensed, and an incandescent fury filled me. After everything we had been through…

Taking a calming breath in an attempt to pacify my rage, I looked at things logically. Tamson obviously had a plan. I had to trust him.

Trust.

Trust was following someone off a cliff with the promise that there was a net to catch you. Did I trust Tam?

As I studied his profile in the dim glow from the man’s flashlight, I realized that I did. I trusted him irrevocably and probably irrationally.

Lowering my head in submission, I took a tentative step forward so I was just behind his broad shoulder. Tam’s hand snaked out to wrap around my waist. Possessive. Staking his claim.

“Say hi to the man,” he drawled. When I didn’t immediately respond, his hand came down on my ass. Not hard, despite the deafening sound, but enough to send desire straight to my core. You heard me right. Desire.

What was wrong with me?

You would think that years of abuse would make me have an aversion to that type of contact, yet all I could think about was him doing it again. And again. Maybe even harder.

“Hi,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes averted. I couldn’t see the man’s face, but I heard his gruff laugh.

“You have that bitch wrapped around your finger,” he said with what sounded like grudging respect. Admiration. Inwardly, I wanted to gag, but I managed to keep my face indifferent in response to his crude comment.

Tamson shrugged.

“Wasn’t hard. Promised her protection in exchange for her obedience. Isn’t that right, Flower?”

Flower? I much preferred Lil’ One Punch to a name like Flower. For some reason, it evoked images of me skipping through a flower field. Yup. Totally not the badass impression I was hoping for.

“How did you know where we were?” Tam asked. He sounded both indolent and confident, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He drew me closer to him, his arms wrapping around my stomach. Creeper’s eyes locked on the minuscule display of affection, desire once again making an appearance. He licked his chapped lips.

“I’m not an idiot like the others. I knew there was someone here with us.” He shrugged. “Now comes the important question: what to do with the two of you?”

My body froze, and my heart pounded. I really didn’t want to die now that I had so much to live for.

Tamson remained calm behind my trembling body. If anything, he relaxed even further at the man’s words.

“Others? We’ve been wandering alone for a few days now. Maybe you could use an extra set of hands?” At his final statement, he squeezed my hips. Creeper’s eyes latched onto where we connected. The way he looked at me...

Trust. I had to trust Tamson.

“Or we can make a trade,” Tam continued. “I’m sure you have a bunch of supplies. Maybe even some weapons? I think we could come to an agreement.”

My breathing was heavy, almost embarrassingly so. I told myself I had to trust Tamson, I had to believe in him, yet everything within me screamed at me to run. It was the fight or flight reaction I had perfected since I was young. Tamson couldn’t be serious. He had a plan. That was the only logical explanation.

Yet, as his grip tightened on my ribcage to the point of bruising, I felt the beginnings of doubt leak through my calm demeanor. The man was smiling at me, a malevolent smile that made me want to shrink in on myself. And Tamson? He was smiling back.