Page 31 of Crucible
“Hunt?” Khalil inquires with a grunt.
“Sorry. Cassie does the fetching.” Aurelia’s lips flatten, and then she grumbles, “At least she did until she went and got herself killed.” No one bothers to ask who Cassie is as her gaze falls on the scarf Khalil absently left on the bed. She reaches for it and pulls it into her lap, where she cradles it.
“Well, what can you do?” Khalil asks impatiently.
That infuriating nose of hers goes back in the air again. “I told you already. I sing.”
“What do you sing, Aurelia?”
“Seriously, youdon’tknow who I am? Princess of Pop? Empress of R&B?” She huffs when we all give her blank looks. “The girl with the golden voice?”
My brows shoot up. “They call you that?”
“Yup.”
“Well then,” Khalil says, “there’s really only one thing left that you can offer us.”
“Tell you you’re pretty?” She gasps a second later, backing away when Khalil trails a finger over her knee, only to realize that I’m already taking up space on the other side of the bed.
Khalil’s lounging on his side, and when she backs away from me—already forgetting he’s there—Khalil curves his hand possessively around her bare thigh.
Aurelia stiffens when his grip tightens.
Jesus, how the fuck did she make it all the way here dressed like that? It had to be sheer will or dumb luck alone.
Aurelia starts scooting away from us both—toward the headboard. She doesn’t see the cuffs and thick chain hanging from it.
“Mmm…that might help,” Khalil purrs.
Instead of going for the rope to subdue her, he grabs her ankle andyanks. Aurelia’s forced onto her back once more while Khalil sits up.
The promise of her pussy is already clouding his head.
I’m not much better.
Aurelia shoots up onto her hands, her gaze bouncing between us as she tries to find the weakest link.
An ally.
Her fearful gaze travels to where Thorin is still in the same spot—in front of the dresser by the window where he’d moved to at some point to be within arm’s reach of me.
“What’s your name?”
His brows rise. “Excuse me?”
“Your name. None of you told me your names.”
Thorin smiles as he crosses his arms and leans against the dresser. She’s trying to stall, but he’ll play along.
“Thorin,” he offers.
“Khalil.”
“Seth.” I watch her lick her lips and feel my pants grow tighter around the crotch.
“Okay. Thorin,” she says, testing his name. “I’m feeling very uncomfortable.”
“Oh?” he says, and Aurelia nods quickly. “Well, imagine how we felt finding a stranger making herself at home in our cabin.”
