Page 46 of The Claiming

Her terrified scream rings in my ears, as I’m dragged backward through the tunnel, the dirt and stones scraping against my knees. I kick out, desperate to dislodge the hand gripping me, but there is no space to maneuver. I am trapped.

I attempt to claw at the walls, anything to help me, but I have no chance against the strength of the person dragging me down the tunnel. I know it’s not Jack, he wouldn’t be this vicious and so I kick out, not caring if I catch the bastard in the head.

With a whoosh, I’m pulled from the tunnel into the open room and I try to get my bearings so I can fight. A hood is pressed down hard over my head and I struggle hard, but the bastard secures it effortlessly.

Before I can deliver a resounding kick upwards, something metal closes hard around my ankle.

“What the fuck!” I yell, as I’m flipped over onto the ground, my hands held behind my back as more metal chains them together. Once again, I kick out, landing a direct hit, judging by the grunt of pain from the man holding me and then he grasps my ponytail and pulls me back, so my back is arched and the chilling tones of my captor wash over my soul like the dark smoke of hell.

“You’re mine, baby girl, and there is nothing you can do about that.”

A movement around me alerts me to more bodies and a low, “What the fuck?” brings tears to my eyes.

It’s Jack, which means he’s not the one holding me, and then he curses as he disappears through the tunnel, following Siri, which despite my situation, brings a smile to my face. She’ll make it. Jack won’t claim her. He’llhelpher and even though my pride is dented, it doesn’t change the fact that I won in the end.

TWENTY-THREE

FRANKIE

Cassie is bound in metal, and I now own her for one entire semester. It’s easy to pursue someone when you know where they are heading. All around me the other players are crawling through tunnels, attempting to find one another, which buys me some time. I say nothing as I haul Cassie along with me, back the way we came, and as I retrace the route, my victim is silent. She will be hating every second of this as much as I am loving it. Cassie is mine, and it was never going to be any different. I planned accordingly and held all the cards and now she must face the consequences of that.

We reach the stone opening and as I crawl through, I maintain a firm grip on her handcuffs as I drag her behind me, her efforts to escape futile but amusing. She is fighting me even now when the rules of the game are clear. Once you are claimed, you have lost and become the property of the centurion who claimed you.

God, I love my imagination because this has worked out very well for me and now Cassie is mine there is nothing she can do about that.

We are the first ones home which will add salt to her wound and as I drag her into the chamber, Santi is waiting and says with a deep command.

“Kneel.”

I push Cassie to her knees and stand behind her, holding her bound wrists in my hand. Santi unfastens the hood from her face and she gasps and coughs the dirt from her lungs.

She is now flanked by two centurions, one behind her and one in front, and I can’t see her expression but know she will be furious.

“Cassandra King, you have been claimed. You are now the property of the centurion who captured you.”

She says nothing, but the angry set to her shoulders tells me she’s furious with herself and I wallow in her defeat. I relish every second of it as Santi states, “For the entire semester, you will belong to him and it works both ways. You are a couple in the eyes of Rockwell Academy, and if you betray that, you will be punished by imprisonment.”

“Fuck you.” She snarls, causing a flicker of delight to light my soul.

“Centurion. Do you promise to be faithful to Cassandra King and protect her as your property? Care for her and guide her with her best interests in mind.”

“I do.” My husky voice echoes through the chamber and her bound figure stiffens at the sound of my voice.

“Remove your mask and kneel before me.”

I do as he says and as I kneel beside her, she slides her gaze my way and her eyes flash with anger as she hisses, “You’re a fucking cheat, Frankie Majerio. You never said anything about a hood.”

“You never asked.”

Amusement flares across my lips as Santi says with a sinister smile.

“You may now claim your girl.”

Cassie’s eyes gleam in the darkness as I reach out and grasp her face, pinching her chin between my fingers.

She shakes her head, furious at how defenseless she is and as she attempts to resist me, I tighten my hold. Then I claim her lips with brutal force, loving how she turns her head to shake me. I grip her ponytail hard with my other hand and, as I angle her lips to mine, I deepen the kiss.

It was worth the wait.

---