Page 85 of Conjure

“Why would I believe a cheatin’ whore?” He digs the gun into my head, and I hold my breath.

My voice is much quieter this time when I whisper, “Please.”

“Camryn?” Dominic’s raw voice crackles in the silence. He swallows thickly, wincing, then tries to sit up straighter. “Let her go.”

Wilfred looks away from me, and relief floods my chest. Reliefandterror. Now, his attention is on Dominic, which fills me with renewed dread.

“Loverboy is awake,” Wilfred drawls in his southern accent. “Welcome back. I was just askin’ your girl who I should kill first. You or her?”

“Let her go and kill me,” Dominic offers, his eyes flashing with pain when he shifts.

My head flies up, and I plead with him to keep quiet. To not make this worse. “No, Dom.”

He ignores me. “Let her walk.”

“How ’bout this?” Wilfred says, leaving me on the floor and striding to Dominic. He presses the gun to Dominic’s temple, forcing him to tilt sideways. “How ’bout I put a bullet in your brain and keep the girl? She can warm my bed while you rot in an unmarked grave in the woods.”

Dominic clenches his jaw, his eyes boring into me.

“No one will find you.”

“I don’t care if you kill me, but lay a fucking finger on her, and I will haunt you.”

The tips of my ears burn when Wilfred laughs cruelly. I can’t even look in their direction as the monster slides his eyes to me and smirks.

My stomach curdles.

“Your whore already came on my fingers.” He aims the weapon at me. “Ain’t that right, darlin’. You creamed all over my hand like a good little slut in heat.”

The temperature in the room drops, and Dominic’s eerily deep and calm voice sends a chill racing down my spine, “Camryn, look at me.”

I shake my head, pressing my forehead to the ground.

If I see the anger in his eyes, I’ll break. I’m already ashamed of myself. While he was tied up and bleeding, my body betrayed me in the worst ways possible.

“Look. At. Me.”

I slowly slide my gaze in his direction.

“Is it true?”

“Dom—”

“Is it true?” he asks again with enough venom to make me flinch.

When I still don’t reply, Wilfred shoves his fingers beneath Dom’s nose. “Smell that. Answers your question, don’t it? She’s sweet like a summer’s day.”

The deep throb in my leg has nothing on the insistent ache in my chest, the agony of seeing his face drain of color.

A muscle tics in his cheek.

“I’m sorry...” My voice breaks, and I quickly look away, resigned to my fate. We’re going to die here. Dominic, with the taste of betrayal bitter on his tongue because of me.

TWENTY-FOUR

CAMRYN

Wilfred putshis fingers to his nose, breathes in deeply, and groans. “She’s so sweet, I think I’ll have to keep her. That pussy sure is tight.”