“The female mating pheromones of the neb. He won’t be able to control himself.”
“Neither will the flies. It smells worse than cougar piss.”
Harper arched an eyebrow.
“And you have some experience with cougar piss, do you? The Beast can’t resist me when I wear this stuff. You wait and see. Today is my lucky day!”
There was a strong sense of hierarchy among the Prizes. There was prestige in snagging the highest-ranked fighter.
And that prestige, apparently, now belonged to me.
The Beast had chosen me.
Had he mistaken me for the one wearing the stinky perfume?
I glanced at the Beast out the corner of my eye, unsure what to say or do. He turned a corner. I missed a step as I hurried after him.
Did the corner of his mouth quirk up at my stumble? If it did, the smile was gone in an instant.
Our footsteps thumped loudly on the metal grating floors. The walls had once been white but were now scuffed with dark marks.
Prisoners milled around, most standing at random corners. They eyed the Beast and the guards as they passed.
But mostly, their eyes focused on me.
The dresses Lily forced us to wear were made of the same sheer material and left little to the imagination.
The prisoners licked their lips. Some had sharp needle-like teeth they gnashed as they ran their eyes over me. Another had a long tongue that reminded me of a frog or toad. He licked not only his lips but his bulging eyes, cheeks, and dimpled forehead.
The freaks belonged in a Salvador Dali painting.
I focused on the floor ahead, my cheeks glowing red. I had never felt so exposed my entire life.
Were the Beast and his two guards enough to stop those creatures if they took it into their minds to take me?
I panicked. Suddenly, I didn’t mind the idea of being in his cell. At least then I would be away from the others.
It was a long walk to his cell. It was identified with a number “6” stenciled on the wall outside. The door hissed open at the Beast’s approach.
My mouth felt dry. I didn’t want to enter the room but I didn’t want to stay outside it either.
I glanced down the hallway. I could run, I thought. I could get as far away as possible. I used to be a good athlete in high school.
But I wasn’t in high school. I was surrounded by prisoners who would use me and pass me along to the next guy in line. At least with the Beast, there was only one of him.
The guards stood with their shock rifles tucked into their shoulders, ready to open fire at a moment’s notice. I had no doubt in my mind they would unload into me if I attempted to run.
With a heavy heart, I marched into the cell.
The door slid shut and the lock clicked into place.
Locked.
This was it.
There was no escape for me now.
The Beast’s cell was a reasonable size. Back in the Prize Pool, I had to share a room with the other girls. I had a small lumpy bed that took me over twenty minutes to get comfortable in each night.
The Beast had a full king size bed. It looked comfortable and my body ached to lie on it.
Of course, the bed wasn’t there for lying on.
It was for other… activities.
In one corner was a small table with two mismatched chairs. A door led into a private bathroom—another perk that wasn’t afforded to we Prizes. We only had a communal shower. I wondered if the Beast had access to hot water.
The Beast stopped, turned, and looked me over.
The injuries he’d sustained during his fight had already healed. Only spots of blood remained on his hard skin and muscular frame.
This was it, I thought. I was brought here to do a job and I needed to get on and do it.
I was trapped in a room with a powerful prison inmate. It wasn’t like I could stop him if I refused.
I kept my eyes on him to show I wasn’t afraid.
Inside, I was terrified.
I reached for the clasp at my shoulder to undo my dress. The damn thing wouldn’t open! I struggled with it until finally, it popped.
There was another quirk to his lips. Blink and you would miss it, but it was definitely there. Then his expression returned to that dark and somber mood he always seemed to occupy.
Finally, I got the clasp open. I slipped the dress over my narrow shoulders and let the flimsy material slide down my arms, my slim waist, and over my hips, to the floor.
It was the only piece of clothing I wore. It might have been thin, but it was something. Now I felt more vulnerable than ever.
I swallowed. My mouth was dry.
The Beast kept his eyes on mine before his attention gradually dropped down.
I raised my chin to maintain at least a little pride in this mad situation.
His eyes ran over my curves and took in my breasts, my flat stomach, the small tuft of hair over my sex, then down my long legs, and back up again.
A thick and impressive lump formed in the front of his pants. His eyes turned misty and heated. Then he slipped his shorts off and I saw him in all his glory.
His cock thumped on his abdomen when they came loose from the confinement of his shorts. He was thick his entire length and I wasn’t sure I could fit him inside me.
And what would happen then?
Would he get angry? Would he beat me for displeasing him? Would Lily? Would he force himself inside me whether I fit or not?
My breath quickened and my heart rate doubled.
He approached me, his attention on my body and not my face. He came within touching distance. He raised one hand and ran it over my stomach.
I forced myself not to recoil at his touch.
I didn’t want to make him angry. He regularly tore creatures ten times
