Page 102 of Wanted

Not a lot of people could understand Fylox, but I did.

My heartbeat raced in my chest, urging me to get the fuck out of here.

“If you run, I’ll do it in front of the guards. Is that what you want?” he asked. Hollow and smoky, his voice bruised me before his hand could ever cause any damage.

“Fylox, I’m not in the mood,” I blurted out.I don’t care that you’re on your period. I know I never fuck Felicita when she’s on her period, but you’re special, aren’t you? That’s what Mommy always told you, didn’t she, cunt? Now, you’ve taken Mommy’s place. That’s how special you are.“Please, let’s just go to bed. I’ll leave you alone. I won’t even make you notice that I exist. Please, think of Alex…”

After a few quick steps, he reached me. My shoulders tightened, and I felt small. He held mud in his hand, and he did what I feared he’d do. He used my fear against me.

I stiffened at the ugly touch. Fylox smeared it all over my face, and I started shaking. My knees turned to butter, but before I could fall, Fylox picked me up. He carried me back to the spot where I’d tripped.

“Don’t shut down on me now.”

But I couldn’t speak. My skin connected with the wet dirt, and I wanted to drown. My uncontrolled whimpers filled my ears with white noise. Fylox reached out for me, and I flinched away. He grabbed my ankle, pulling me close to him.

“The game hasn’t ended,” he announced. “And you got yourself a punishment. Where do you want it?”

“I-I j-just want t-to…”

“We’re on Katantia. What you want doesn’t matter,” Fylox responded, smearing more mud on my face. I quaked beneath his touch. The only slight relief I allowed myself was the fact that Fylox wasn’t keeping himself clean either. His hoodie was a mess.

I couldn’t move my limbs as Fylox continued the chaos. After tearing at my nightshirt, he picked up more mud, and he massaged it into my skin. I quivered, caving into his torture. “P-please, g-get it o-off me…”

“I would’ve accompanied you,” Fylox began. Why did he sound so controlled? Where was his anxiety? Why was I the only one this close to a heart attack? My insides were convulsing. “I want you to know I hate doing this, but you need a lesson. This isn’t a joke. Your father won’t ever touch you again.”

I hissed.

“Go ahead and speak, princess. Have you ever eaten dirt?” he asked, vibrating through my bones. I had never eaten actual dirt. I’d eaten other things, but I couldn’t speak. Besides, whatever I’d gone through, Fylox had it worse. While I drank cheap vodka with Colton in my teens, Fylox had zero agency in his childhood.

I feared that if I parted my lips, the dirt would find its way into my mouth. I barely even breathed. “I have. Do you want to know what it tastes like? You don’t. It tastes like death. If you open your mouth right now, I’ll give you some of that medicine. You’ll know not to play with your life then…”

His hands reached the hem of my panties. He slid his finger underneath, and I bit my tongue, causing tears to cascade down my cheeks. I squirmed, but he kept going. “You have a right to be mad at Travis. After all, he whored both you and his wife out to his king. I understand that. He watched for years while you faded away. If he hadn’t sent you to me, I would’ve killed him the other day.”

“Why?” I asked trembling. “What has he done to you?”

“He found me too late.”

“Too late?” My eyes wandered, but Fylox was all I could see.

“I was dead by the time he got to me.”

KAMILA

Heavy words woke me up.

My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the blue sky above me. The branches of the trees surrounding me greeted me. The heat was back, burning my skin. I didn’t need to move from my little heaven to notice that the sun was glaring down at us.

I didn’t need a lot of sun cream in contrast to my brothers. Their skin was paler than mine. I never got sunburned as a child, and it always made me feel special. My brothers turned blaring red, and they needed all sorts of treatments while I sat there, sipping my juice and giggling to myself.

“Kamila, are you okay? What did he do…” The four words that followed Fylox around. I yawned lazily, stretching out my legs. Slowly but surely, I remembered where we were. Fylox lay wide awake, holding on to me. My arms were wrapped around him as if I wanted to glue him to myself. As if he’d ever run away.

My head used his shoulder as a pillow. I inhaled, taking both of them in. Alex’s presence kept me calm.

What had happened last night?

Alex’s eyes were squinted, his eyebrows angrily snapped together.

Then I noticed the dirt that covered our bodies and how clean and handsome Alex looked in comparison.