Page 44 of The Claiming

As we enter the ceremonial chamber, the door slams behind us, causing Siri to jump and as we focus, I see the other three girls waiting in front of another centurion.

We are the only girls dressed in black and it appears the other three thought this was a party, due to their short skirts and cropped tops that they are probably regretting in the dank, depressing, chilled air of the dungeon.

It’s as silent as a tomb and I swear I can hear Siri’s breathing—or is it my own? It could be.

I’m uncharacteristically nervous as I wait for the challenge to begin and note the centurion in front of us reaches for something beside him and beckons the nearest girl forward.

It’s eerie as fuck as he silently turns and places a dark hood over her head. There are only holes for her to breathe through her nose and mouth and as he ties it around her neck, she cries out, “What the fuck? I can’t see.”

Siri gasps beside me and we stare in horror as he spins her around three times and then whispers something in her ear, before pushing her toward the opening that leads to the tunnels. As she falls to her knees and begins crawling, he turns to the next one.

He works fast and within five minutes it’s my turn. I am the last woman standing, which is exactly what I wanted.

Siri is terrified, but the adrenalin has kicked in and as she crawls into the tunnel, I hope she does as I instructed and stays there until I join her.

As the hood is fastened over my head, effectively cutting my sight, my anger grows for Frankie because the bastard knew along this wouldn’t be a fair fight.

He has shortened the odds of us reaching the river by impeding our senses, and now more than ever, I want to beat the bastard at his own game.

We have nothing to guide us, only touch and sound and luckily for me, my memory is a tool that will help me now. As the centurion tightens the hood around my neck, he whispers darkly, “You have five minutes before the chase begins. Use your time wisely. If you are caught, you can fight, but if you are chained, he will have won.”

Chained? What kind of fucking twisted game has Frankie dreamed up here and so with fire in my heart and venom in my soul, I drop to the ground and start crawling.

TWENTY-TWO

FRANKIE

Fuck, I’m hard. I knew this would be good, but now my darkest fantasy is playing out for real I’m invincible.

The other guys are hooded and masked and waiting in their individual cells, and when the last girl has crawled into the tunnel, a centurion will release us from our cages.

I watched Kennedy and her friends walk down the dark passage, complaining the dirt would scuff their heels and groaning about the possible destruction of their clothes. I almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous they look, wondering if they really thought short skirts and heels were the best attire for running from the enemy. I wish I could have seen their faces when Santi hooded them and spun them around, effectively disorientating them, stacking the odds in our favor.

I wasnevergoing to play fair. Why would I? I play to win and I have zero honor to uphold. I’m a bastard and I don’t care who knows it.

My attention shifted when Cassie and Siri arrived, passing by without knowing the identities of the caged centurions watching them.

Ben, Amos and River have been suitably warned not to attempt to chase Cassie or Siri. The last thing I want is any of them near my cousin and definitely not my girl. Jack, however, is a different problem and I’m hopeful he will do as we agreed.

If he claims Siri, it will be on a friendship basis only, which honors my agreement with Uncle Ivan. When I explained my predicament to Jack, he readily agreed to keep it platonic. He’s an honorable guy and I respect that, however, Siri is a desirable girl – verging on a woman and I’m guessing that honor may soon be tested.

My nerves are on edge because nothing is guaranteed, and the clock is ticking interminably slow.

A voice from beside me whispers, “Fuck, I’m excited. This challenge is a stroke of genius, Frankie.”

I recognize River’s voice, a guy with dark morals and a sense of competition that barely scratches the edge of mine. I’m aware he has his sight set on Autumn Cavill, and I know he won’t have much of a challenge there.

Amos Sams is creepy as fuck and I was almost in two minds whether to allow him into the challenge at all. Once again, it’s my twisted sense of depravity that allowed it, because I told him it would be in his best interests to chase Kennedy James. Call me an evil fucker, but it’s nothing she doesn’t deserve. Seeing her with that creep will be vengeance at its darkest, and I can’t wait to see the results of that.

Kennedy is in for a depressing semester because under the rules of the competition, she will belong to him. If she attempts to break the code, she will find herself in one of these dungeons as a punishment and, knowing Kennedy, she would hate that more than she would hate him.

The door opens and Santi moves down the passage, the bolts of the cells dragging against the wood as he frees each centurion.

As he reaches me, he chuckles softly, “Five blind mice have scattered and are terrified of the cat. Enjoy your evil game, Frankie, and sign me up for the next one.”

Jack is already in the chamber and so, with a sigh, I nod to Santi and set off, hoping like hell my familiarity with this place will give me an advantage over him.

Cassie

---