Page 40 of Crucible
Far away from the rest of the world, it hasn’t been a problem—until now.
“She’s lying, Seth.”
He doesn’t even glance my way when he asks, “What’s a funnel cake?”
“Oh, my God, it’s thebest,” Aurelia gushes tearfully. She’s overselling it if you ask me. “It’s deep-fried batter, similar to pancakes, that’s all twisted up and covered in powdered sugar and syrup.”
Seth gives a curious tilt of his head. “What kind of syrup?”
“Any kind you like, Seth. Chocolate, strawberry, caramel,” she lists.
Seth looks her over slowly, meaningfully, and then says, “I like chocolate.”
Aurelia forces a smile to keep up the charade. “Chocolate’s the best.”
“Yeah, well, you know what I like?” Khalil pipes in sarcastically. “Getting my dick sucked.” With a scowl tossed at Aurelia, Khalil tucks his dick into his sweats and shoves his hands inside his pockets. “Seth.” Finally, Zeke’s alter breaks free of Aurelia’s thrall to meet Khalil’s softened gaze. “She’s playing you, man. Remember when I told you how girls will give guys their number and block them the moment they walk away?”
Seth nods slowly.
“Well, this is like that,” he tells him gently. “She’s selling you a dream.”
Warily, Seth’s gaze travels back to Aurelia. “Sunshine?”
I’m not sure what causes her change of heart—pity, sympathy, hatred that burns too deeply to allow her to pretend a second longer, or maybe a combination of all three—but Aurelia drops the act.
Her eyes and voice are both cold when she answers him. “Make them stop, and I’ll buy you a fucking ticket to Disneyland, but I’ll cut off my arms before I hold your hand, you fucking weirdo.Sorry.”
Hurt flashes in Seth’s eyes, and even though he’s tried to kill me more than once, I’m ready to make Aurelia eat those words. Who the fuck does she think she is? Out here, her name means nothing. She has no power. She’s whowesay she is.
Just as I’m ready to push her to her knees, Seth exhales and then perks up again. Aurelia squints, no doubt wondering who was playing who. Seth’s hurt was one hundred percent real, butthere was no way he was taking that deal with a sweeter offer on the table.
“Good. I’m sorry, Sunshine. A roller coaster does sound fun, but I’d rather ride you.”
Seth reaches for her, and I give her to him.
“No!” Aurelia screams as she slaps and scratches his face until it turns red and welted. Seth’s masochistic ass doesn’t try to dodge a single blow. “Please don’t do this. Please! I’ll do anything but that!”
“Oh, please, no,” Khalil mocks in falsetto. His expression and voice flattens as he looks to me. “Is she broken already?”
Somehow, Aurelia succeeds in breaking free of Seth and sending a punch Khalil’s way, which he dodges easily. Seth catches her around the waist again and hauls her up, kicking and screaming.
“Get your fucking hands off me!”
Khalil watches her flail dispassionately. “Damn, I wish we could gag her.”
“Fuck you!” she explodes.
“All right, enough.” Seth lets her go when I step forward, and I wrap a hand around her jaw and squeeze just in case she resorts to spitting again. “One way or another, superstar, you’re using that mouth for something other than talking back. A song or our cocks?” I offer once more. It might surprise her to learn that forcing her isn’t my first choice, but I’m too hungry for it to bother with wooing her. I’m also no fucking good at it, so little chance there. “Which will it be?”
Realizing there’s a way out of this, Aurelia calms down again, and I loosen my grip enough for her to answer. “I’ll…I’ll leave.”
Goddamn this fucking stubborn, bullheaded, viciousfuckinggirl.
Losing my grip on patience, I exhale through my nose and shake my head. “Maybe the cold froze your memory, but there’snowhere for you to go,andleaving is no longer on the table even if there were. Last chance. Sing us a song, or get on your knees. Your choice.”
Hearing her choices, Aurelia makes one last desperate play to get away, but my hold is unbreakable.
It doesn’t stop her from driving a knee into my nuts.
