Page 46 of Scavenger's Oath

With Bennett, the danger always came wrapped in disgrace and shame. As if I should be grateful to be his prized slave. He bathed me every week. Ensured I was first to use the water, even before the men. But it always foreshadowed more abuse.

What Myles is offering—kindness with conditions—it's a trade I'm willing and happy to make. As long as it means I won't end up back in Bennett's hands.

At least this monster shows his teeth.

Lifting my eyes, I glance at the ‘monster’before me. Myles is still watching me like he's hungry but doesn't know if he's allowed to eat.

Eventhatis more than Bennett gave me.

And he’s right, I can't expect them to keep giving me food and protection while I give them nothing.

I have to earn my keep.

Be useful.

Become invaluable.

I steel myself and meet his eyes with a little more confidence.

“See? I knew youcould be a good girl,” his rough voice cuts through the silence.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach from his words. I’ve never been calledgoodbefore.

‘A good girl’.

I swallow hard and look down again. My mouth feels dry and my voice is barely audible. “If I make it worth it… you’ll protect me?” I whisper.

He stills. I can feel the shift in him.

Those words, they work. I know they work, because I've used similar ones before.

Everything comes at a cost. Nothing is free.Thisis a trade.

The moment the words left my mouth, his gaze changed. He looks at me like I've given him permission. As if I'm no longer something delicate and part of me likes it.

“Say it again,” he urges, voice full of heat and hunger.

I meet his eyes now and force myself not to look away. “If I make it worth it, you'll protect me?”

He doesn’t move. Just stares.

The silence between us thickens, humming with tension. I feel it in my chest, my throat… low in my stomach.

Then finally, he leans forward, slowly reaching between the bars, like he's testing something, and I force myself to stay still. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers ghosting over my flesh.

“Yes, little doe. No one touches what’s mine,” he murmurs, voice loaded with promise.

This is the part I've survived before. The part I know how to block out.

But with him… it feels different…

My skin isn’t crawling. It actually feels… nice.

His rough hands, unnervingly gentle, brush over my jawand light my nerve endings on fire. The heat coils lower, spreading like sin, sinking into my core.

Tracing my bottom lip with his thumb, he slips it into my mouth, and I close my lips around it.

He groans. “You're smarter than I gave you credit for,” he mutters. “Zane's got you thinking I'm the problem. But I'm the one who's gonna keep you safe. Not him. Not Phoenix. Me.”