Page 28 of Wrathful King

Therewassomeone who knew it before everyone.

11

REINA

After the auction, I was shuffled into a helicopter. My body screamed and protested for what felt like hours before we landed in what looked to be the middle of a rainforest. After equipment and boxes were loaded into the waiting vehicles, I was shoved into a Jeep with the man who bought me.

The itch beneath my skin and the shakes had gotten worse, the suffocating humidity doing nothing to help. Within minutes, I felt the sweat start to gather on my forehead and trickle down my back.

A rough, calloused hand wrapped around my arm and tugged me over. It felt like a death grip, escorting me to the other side.

“Don’t touch me,” I hissed, the sound of my voice ricocheting in my head.

He laughed, his fingernails digging into my flesh. He was danger personified, but my instincts screamed at me to fight.

In my weakened state, all I could do was close my eyes and try to keep my breathing steady. My body craved the release from the needle. I let out a scoff. The thought, pathetic as it was, consumed me. My body was burning up, and all I could think about was the poison that promised oblivion.

His chuckle filled the air. “You need medicine,” he mocked in a heavily accented English. The rest of the men stuck to speaking Portuguese or Spanish.

Forcing my shoulders to ease, I turned my head and met his eyes.

“Fuck you and fuck your medicine.”

Glancing around, I noted that we were out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense forest. The humid air was heavy with noise of the forest around us—insects buzzing, birds shrieking, bats clicking… It might’ve been a peaceful soundtrack if not for the position I was currently in. Even the trees seemed to pulsate with life, reminding me of my own dark fate.

We traveled off-road, every damn bone in my body jarring. The headlights kept throwing strange reflections in the undergrowth, bouncing off the glowing eyes of indistinguishable creatures.

The remainder of the car ride was silent. Ominous. Stretching so thin that I worried I’d snap in half.

Dusk was falling over the jungle and twining itself around me.

I was terrified. My teeth clattered as the night enveloped us, and eventually, someone turned up the heat and threw a blanket over me.

* * *

My eyes whipped open as we came to a stop and I was ushered out of the Jeep, dread settling deep in my gut with every step I took.

In front of us, a house that looked like it had come straight out ofGone with the Windstood amongst the jungle’s dense foliage.

“Welcome to the Cortes manor. You now belong to me.”

I whirled around, glaring at him. “I have no fucking idea who you are.”

“Perez Cortes, your new master.”

He’d barely taken his next breath when my palm connected with his face.Smack.It didn’t stop there. My clenched fists flew into him over and over again. Fuming and panting, I dragged my fingernails down his neck.

The world was distorted. The rush in my ears drowned out the aches and itches. The jungle stood still while I turnedsavage.

Until a punch had my cheek exploding and I staggered backward, gasping frantically. My chest rose and fell, watching in horror as he brought his hand to my mouth, wiped my chin, then licked the blood off his fingers.

“You have a temper on you,” he drawled. “It will be my pleasure to break it.” His beady gaze traveled over my body as he reached out to smooth a strand of hair off my face. His touch lingered, shooting sparks of disgust down my spine. “Take her inside.”

The guards dragged me away from my new owner and into a spacious lobby with a circular marble stairway. The white walls were stained red from the sunset streaming in through the open windows.

I stood in a massive living room that was bare apart from a flat-screen TV in a corner and a few scattered sofas.

“Welcome to your new home,” Perez declared, watching me take in the house. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”