Page 56 of Beg the Night

I wanted to believe it. But I didn’t trust it. Not for a second.

So I took advantage of the situation. I lowered my head and moved in until my lips were only a breath away from hers. She didn’t argue or pull back. Maybe she understood that this was for her protection, too. “Good,” I whispered. “Let them think that.”

Before I could do something really stupid like actually brush my lips against hers, I pulled away and stormed to my cot.

It was empty, thank god, but when I realized Mags’s was too, my chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. “Hey,” I called to Leon, who stood near the wall. “Have you seen Margaret?”

He shrugged, his expression morphing into one of pity that made me want to unleash my shadows again. “She never came back after the ball, man. I don’t know what happened.”

My stomach sank. I still didn’t trust Athena, but all I could do now was hope that she really had made a deal to get my sister out of here. I couldn’t consider the other option—that they had gotten rid of her. That they no longer saw her as useful.

“All right. Thanks.” I sat on the stiff bed—thankful I wouldn’t spend a third night on the cold floor—and kicked my shoes off. I needed a shower. I needed food.

But right now? Right now, I needed sleep.

Before I allowed my eyes to close, I waited until Athena slowly—sheepishly—made her way to the bed she’d shared with Mags. She didn’t look at me, but she didn’t look at anyone else, either.

Smart girl.

She mimicked my movements, obviously also exhausted by the excursion we’d taken from hell. I tried to wait until she fell asleep. Tried to wait until her breathing slowed.

But somewhere in it all, I drifted into the darkness.

“Wake up.”

I jolted awake, covered in sweat. My nightmare only got worse when I discovered that I was surrounded by four armed guards.

Fuck.I didn’t even hear the dungeon door open.

And when I found Athena in front of me strapped—once again—to that damn torture chair, my nightmare took a sharp nosedive.

“What’s going on?” I forced out, my tone hoarse.

The guards parted, and Director approached my bed, a cocky smile on her face.

I looked from her to Athena. Her chest rose and fell with strong breaths, but her hands were bound behind her. Her pale skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. “Don’t tell them anything, don’t?—”

The guard on one side of her smacked her across the face. Hard.

I had to physically restrain my phantoms. If I didn’t lock them down tight, they’d have his head ripped off in a matter of seconds.

Whatever Director was playing at now—it was a test. It was always a test, always part of some twisted game.

Even knowing that, I’d do whatever the hell she wanted if it meant she’d let Athena go. Andthatwas an issue.

“It seems we have a problem. Two problems, really.” Director took another step forward.

My instinct was to leap out of bed, but the guards on either side of me held their arms out, silently signaling me to stay put.

The rest of the men in the dungeon were wide awake, watching the damn show. Guess this was the best entertainment we’d had in some time.

“What the hell do you want?” I asked.

“You broke the rules,” Director said with a tsk. “You think we don’t know about your little outburst last night? Your show of power?” She tilted her head to the side, eyeing me like I was a damn toy to be played with.

Fury ignited in my chest. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

She shrugged. “Wrong or right, you broke the rules. And you know as well as I do that there are consequences.”

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