Page 66 of Horror and Chill

Corwin laughs, clapping once like it’s his favorite line. Garron shakes his head. I don’t smile.

“Not good enough,” I say. “Try again.”

Her chest rises, falls. She glares at me, but I see it in the tension of her jaw; she’s thinking. She wants to win even when she doesn’t know the rules.

Finally: “I want to know why you think I’m yours. Why me and not some other slutty camgirl you stalk?”

There. That’s better.

Corwin leans in fast, too fast, his face inches from hers. “Because you’re bad enough to keep up, sweetheart. That’s why.”

She jerks her head to the side, dodging when he tries to steal a kiss. Garron grabs his shoulder and yanks him back hard. “Ease the fuck up.”

I slip between them. “You want answers? Then listen.”

She doesn’t blink. Good.

“We want you because you already know the taste of cages,” I murmur. “You know how to make survival look like a choice. You know how to turn shame into a weapon. That’s not something we can teach. That’s who you are.”

Her throat works as she swallows. For once, she doesn’t spit a retort. She lets it land.

“Don’t call yourself a slutty camgirl. We know you’re not. We’ve been watching and learning everything we can,” Garron grumbles.

Corwin breaks the moment, voice sharp. “We want you because you fuck like you mean it.”

Agatha snaps her gaze to him. “And you fuck like you’ve never heard the word patience.”

Garron barks a laugh, deep and rough. “She’s not wrong.”

Corwin bristles, ready to argue, but I press my palm harder against the mattress near her hip, grounding the storm. “She’s baiting you, Corwin,” I murmur. “And you’re taking it.”

Agatha flicks her gaze to mine, quick and sharp. She doesn’t like being caught. Or maybe she does.

I tilt my head. “You want to know how to get out of these restraints?”

Her voice is low, dangerous. “Yes.”

“Make us trust you not to run.”

She scoffs, jerks at the cuffs. “You’ll never trust me.”

“Not true,” I say. “I trust what I can predict. Show me you’ll play the game instead of pretending you’re not already in it, and I’ll unbuckle you myself.”

Corwin growls. “That’s too easy. She’ll bolt.”

“She won’t,” I counter.

Agatha narrows her eyes at me. “And if I do?”

“Then we chase,” Garron rumbles. “And when we catch you, you won’t like the lesson.”

Her breath stutters, not from fear but heat. I hear it. I know it.

I brush my fingers against the leather at her wrist. Not unlocking yet. Just enough to show her how close I am. “One chance,” I murmur. “Say the next thing true and you earn freedom.”

She exhales slowly, eyes locked on mine. “I want to see what you’ll do when I don’t break.”

Corwin whistles low. Garron’s jaw tightens. My pulse kicks.