Chapter 21
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Elijah Vaughn
He pinned me against the wall, hands firm on my shoulders, his expression filled with urgency.
“What happened? Did he abuse you?”
Every word was laced with tension.
I swallowed hard and nodded, unable to hold back the hot tears streaming down my face.
1-1 hate myself, Fox… My voice broke miserably. “Just because I felt pleasure. Shit… I’ve never had any kind of experience, and now, all of them are with him. My chest ached under the weight of that confession. ‘I was abused, and… I felt pleasure. How am I supposed to live with that?”
I covered my face with both hands, trying to hide the shame, the rage I felt toward myself.
How could I react that way? How could I feel that kind of pleasure?
He let out a long sigh.
“Ele era violento?” This time, his voice was softer.
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I shook my head. No… and maybe that made it all even worse. The silence stretched until he crossed his arms and shook his head slowly.
‘Be grateful he wasn’t violent.” And at least be thankful he made you feel pleasure instead of pain.”
My eyes widened.
“What? How can you say that?” Disbelief poured from my voice.
He scoffed, impatient.
*Rookie, stop thinking there’s justice in here. This is prison. Be grateful the Reaper didn’t destroy you the first time. Many weren’t that lucky.” His voice turned bitter. “If I could choose, I’d give anything to have felt pleasure instead of pain.”
A chill ran down my spine. My stomach twisted from the weight of his words.
“I’m sorry…” I whispered. “I wasn’t thinking about their pain.”
He gave a humorless laugh.
“No one expects you to think about someone else’s pain. You need to understand that in this place, sex is a power game. Everyone takes what they want.”
His eyes grew serious.
“You can think I’m a bastard for not being that bothered by what happened to you, but… I’ve gotten used to it.‘ This is routine. Nothing changes. So, if you want to survive, shut up and accept it.”
I closed my eyes.
Accept it in silence? Could I?
‘And what was that at the table?”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
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Chapter 21
When the Reaper grabbed your neck and whispered in your ear.” You went pale.”
I ran a hand through my hat, weighed down by exhaustion
He gave me his ta but after what happened, I couldn’t eat a thing without throwing up.
I forced myself to keep going.
He didn’t care that much when I refused.” But when I pulled away from his touch, everything changed. He said if I wanted to act like a brat, I’d have to deal with the consequences and go hungry.”
A tremor can through me at the memory of his threat.
If he finds out I put any food in my mouth, be won’t fuck me he’ll beat me until I learn my place.”
Fox ran a hand down his face, visibly tired.
Elijah, let me give you one more piece of advice.” Do whatever he tells you if you want to stay alive. The Reaper runs everything in here. If he decides I shouldn’t talk to me anymore, I’ll obey–because I value my be.”
His voice dropped, beader now.
He can isolate you” He can make your life bell. Follow his rales, and maybe your time here will be a little less unbearable.”
I tried to absorb his words, but before I could respond, a loud noise came from the cafeteria. We both turned quickly.
A new guard was shouting, his posture stiff and arrogant.
Fox let out a low, mocking laugh.
That one won’t last a day in here.”
Before I could ask why, we both froze as we saw him approach the Reaper and snatch the cigarette from his mouth, crushing it under his boot.
The entire cafeteria fell into complete silence.
The air turned heavy.
Did this man have any idea what he’d just done?
No smoking the guard said firmly, without a hint of hesitation. I know your reputation.” If you try anything, I’ll show you who’s really in charge here.”
My heart pounded in my chest. This was going to end badly.
Then, the unexpected happened.
The Reaper smiled.
A slow, mocking, side smile.
And simply replied,
Yes,
Fox and I looked at each other, confused.
Why didn’t he react?
The tension lingered until the guard was called by another officer and left the cafeteria.
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21:53 Tue, 29 Jul
Chapter 21
But that’s when something changed.
The Reaper stood.
His face, previously relaxed, was now consumed by darkness. Every fiber in my body bristled.
Something in him shifted, and I knew that guard had just signed his death sentence.
As he left the cafeteria, he turned and looked straight at me.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
