Page 129 of Brutal Knight

And yet, despite all his comforting care, he had literally justboughtme from Rook.

I was nothing in this world, except a bargaining chip to the more powerful people around me.

It was time to stand on my own.

To be strong without anyone else.

To be enough, for myself.

"So what happens next?" I needed to know his plans, to figure out a way to pay him back so that I could do this for myself.

"Next, dear polva, I intend to keep you with me. At all times. To work, to eat, to sleep, even to shower and shit."

I chuckled. "Seriously?"

"Yes," he was dead serious. His thumb stroked across my throat, his fingers twisting around it, pride filling his gaze. "I own you now."

"Fuck you. You don't own me." I could only glare at him, his palm on my neck a weighted collar. "I'm not your slave."

"That's not what my contract says."

"That contract was just a formality. Rook never enforced it. Not like that."

"He enforced it when he made you fuck me."

"That was different."

"How was it different?”

I stared him down, not speaking, not wanting to admit the truth out loud.That I wanted to fuck Knight. "It doesn't matter."

His fingers tightened on my throat. "Tell me, polva. Tell me why it was different."

"Fuck you, Knight. I don't belong to you, and I’m not yourpolva." I pulled his fingers from my throat. "I'm not the dirt that you can walk all over."

“You were never dirt beneath my feet." His voice had softened, but it didn't smother the rage I felt inside.

I'd always hated that nickname.

It was a reminder that he was the stars the sun and the moon,the price of the island. While I was only dirt. The trash thrown out, not even loved by my own parents.

The whole island bowed down to worship the path he walked, and I trailed along behind him like a lost puppy.

I would never be like that again. I had to have control over my own life, once and for all.

"Then why call me that?" I asked him. "Why call me dirt?”

"It's not dirt. It's dust."

"So, not even big enough to warrant a spot of land?"

"That's not it."

"Then what? What does it mean?”

He gave me a knowing grin. "You know what it means."

"I don't." I shook my head. "I really don't."

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