Page 45 of Revenge Saints

I don’t trust Roman completely. I’m not stupid. Ethan looked just as devoted, and still, he flipped the second it suited him. He told me he’d share me with Roman after making me fuck Ryker, like I was just another part of his plan.

That was the moment I knew.

He’d do it again. Use me. Trade me. Sacrifice me.

I had to get ahead of it. There were too many faces in that base, too many masks I had to wear. It was exhausting trying to keep every version of myself straight.

That day, when I pretended to hate Roman when he kicked me in front of the others, it wasn’t just a performance. It hurt. But it had to look real. It had to work.

And it almost did.

The only thing that didn’t go to plan was Aspen.

I should’ve taken her myself. I should’ve known Roman’s men wouldn’t be a match for the guys.

She saved me once. Back then, I called her my sister. My anchor. My only real connection in that place, but I’m not her sister anymore.

She’s not my family. She’s the pawn I sacrificed for my future because I’ve finally learned the truth: no one’s coming to save me. Not Aspen. Not the guys. No one.

So I saved myself.

The men she saved me from weren’t strangers. They weren’t just hunters.

They were from my old community.

And they were taking me to be traded.

That’s what Aspen never knew. That her act of mercy didn’t just save my life; it gave me the chance to rebuild it. To choose power over pain. To stop kneeling and start carving my own kingdom.

Even if I have to raze everything else to do it.

“Bryn?”

Sean’s call comes from the doorway. I open it to find him holding a fresh set of bandages.

“How is he?” I ask, arms crossing over my chest.

“Doing better,” Sean sighs. “Still weak. He needs a proper meal. Clean water. If you really want him to heal, he’s going to need more than what he’s getting.”

I roll my eyes. Of course I want him better. But fully healed?

Dante’s a beast. He could tear Roman in half with his bare hands. He’s too dangerous to be at full strength.

“I’ll let the cook know,” Roman informs, stepping closer. Sean gives a nod and walks off.

Roman turns to me. “We’ll need Aspen to keep Dante in check once he’s strong enough.”

He looks at me with a hint of a smirk. “Unless you plan on using that gorgeous body of yours to convince him.”

He doesn’t know I’ve already tried.

The day of the attack, I offered myself up again. And for the second time, Dante turned me down.

There’s no seducing him. And that pisses me off way more than it should.

“You should try the radio again,” I say, deflecting, but Roman’s eyes are back on me.

So I smile. Then I pull my shirt over my head, letting it fall to the floor.