“How do you communicate with Sampson?” she asked in surprise.
He grinned. “We’ve been a team for many years now. It’s how I survived the wilderness so long. But until recently, we hadn’t been on speaking terms. I cut him off for denying me what I want most.”
“And what’s that?”
He snickered. “I have you to thank. You’ve created quite a crisis for him, darling. He needs you back so desperately, he’ll do about anything. So, he’s called on his few allies in Carthem, promising we can enter his world and gain immortality as long as we bring you with us.”
“He’s a liar. Sampson will never do that,” declared Alina.
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, he—” she tried to think of everything Rex told her about Sampson. “He doesn’t like former mortals living in Pria because they know how much better life is in Carthem—”
Gerard threw his head back and roared with laughter. As if on cue, his men joined in. “Do you really think” —he emphasized the words— “I would ever think this mortal hell is better than Pria?”
Alina returned his glare but didn’t argue. True, the carnal pleasures of Pria suited some people very well. Gerard and his group of thugs were likely candidates.
His hot breath reached her nostrils as he leaned in. “And if all the women there are as tasty as you” —he clicked his tongue— “I’ll have a wild time.”
Alina stepped away and shuddered. She must escape, and soon. She would not spend the night near these detestable, vulgar men.
As the day wore on, Alina kept silent so she could catch conversations between the men, hoping to discover a weakness. Listening was a difficult task as she found their conversations repugnant.
“Any sign of Oscar?” she heard Gerard ask another man.
“No. We think he saw a mirage,” the man answered.
“Why do you idiots keep falling for those—” Alina closed her eyes as Gerard let out a string of expletives.
“How should I know?” the man argued. “Shouldn’t we be protected from them? He left the group to get water. Maybe he went too far—”
Gerard hushed him and glanced at Alina, who focused on three men passing gas and chortling. She didn’t have to fake her disgust.
Her mind raced. They hadn’t encountered any dangerous creatures in their travels. The men didn’t even wear ear shields.
Sampson protects them to aid them in their mission.
Gerard dropped his voice. Alina quickened her pace to hear him. She caught fragments of his rebuke.
“Remember…find the girl. Sampson knows…best chance…someone like you to ruin it!” His voice swelled at the end.
The sun dipped low in the sky, and Alina grew anxious as the group became more unruly. Time was running out, but her bonds were tight, and several men watched her—not because they had to, but because they couldn’t keep their greedy eyes off her.
The company walked for another hour before agreeing on a campsite, and the men grinned and promptly complied when Gerard ordered them to tie Alina to a tree. They glanced frequently in her direction as they cooked their food, making comments to each other and bursting into raucous laughter.
Alina was grateful she couldn’t hear them, but their stares made her skin crawl. She became desperate as the sky grew darker and they consumed more whiskey. She blinked back tears, reminding herself she didn’t need to be afraid. These men couldn’t hurt her, at least physically. But she might prefer physical pain to what she was about to experience.
Gerard walked toward her, and she looked him straight in the eye. No matter how frightened, she wouldn’t appear vulnerable.
“Well, pretty girl, you’re certainly the best thing we’ve ever had in our company. My men are looking forward to guard duty tonight.” He licked his lips. “We’ll all take turns, you know.”
“You won’t lay a finger on me.” Alina’s voice shook.
Gerard chuckled as his eyes swept over her body. He stepped in close, and the smell of his sweat choked her nostrils. She turned her nose and pressed her back against the thin trunk, trying to put space between them.
“You forget you’re tied up,” Gerard whispered, grazing his hand up Alina’s arm. Her wrists were bound behind the trunk; she couldn’t escape his touch. He stroked up under her sleeve and caressed her shoulder with his palm. Alina stiffened, clamping her jaws together.
“Relax,” Gerard whispered again. “Enjoy yourself. I think I’ll go first tonight. I can break you in.”
She glared at him, and as he lifted his finger to stroke her cheek, she snapped her teeth.
Alina hadn’t meant to bite him, but he hollered in pain and lifted his hand to strike her. When the blow hit her face, he yowled harder, and Alina bit her lip to keep from laughing. She’d already provoked him more than she meant to. At times her own body surprised her. She knew so little of what she could do, and this was the boost she needed. She lifted her chin. Not one of them would lay a finger on her that night.
Gerard cursed but thrust out his chest when he faced his men, who watched him curiously. He muttered something that sent them roaring with laughter, followed by more demeaning looks in her direction. Alina curled her lip. What a conceited liar.
As the sky grew darker and more concealing, Alina worked on the bands around her wrists. At first she couldn’t move at all, but as she pulled her wrists apart, she felt the fibers of the ropes stretch slightly. It might work, if she had enough time. Mortal skin would become raw and sore before a rope like that weakened, but it did nothing to her.
She stretched the rope as far as it would go, over and over, until her wrists no longer touched. A little more space and she could slip a hand through.
Then she heard the dreaded conversation begin.
“I vote we all retire early tonight!” yelled a greasy, potbellied man. “We want as many guard shifts as possible, don’t we?” They howled with
