Branded (Sinners, #1)

I gain strength for one last push but to no avail. I have nothing left.

He throws an elbow across my face, jarring my brain sideways, and the room goes pitch-black for a second. He unbuckles his belt and loosens his pants.

“That’s it. Give in. Let it happen.”

He moves his mouth over my ear and neck as I thrash my head side to side. If I didn’t have this gag on, I’d bite his ugly face off.

“Ah, damn you!” He grabs a fist full of my hair and yanks, provoking a horrific scream from the depths of my chest. The sound is muffled through the gag, but I’m desperate. A chill of pure sickness runs down my spine. He wraps his hands around my neck pretending to strangle me and then smacks me across the face.

“I like it rough in case you wondered.” He moves his hands down, eventually resting on my thighs, and grips them.

My head spins, my eyes burn with fear, my ears ring, and my heart is being torn to shreds. Heat crawls upward from my toes to my head.

Then everything turns black.



*



“Open your eyes. Damn it! Open them!” I recognize the voice but can’t move. “I can’t stop the bleeding. Zeus, go! Now go!” His voice sounds panicky.

Zeus? I know that name but can’t conjure an image. I’m so tired. Just let me sleep. A soft material covers me and something is tied around my head before I’m lifted into the air. Blackness overtakes me again.



Dreams and images pass through me like a slideshow. My father hugs me securely with his strong arms directing me toward the light. My brother, with his wild smile, climbs trees in our backyard. My mother, before she remarried, when she was young and full of vitality. She sits at her bureau, brushing her long dark hair. Alyssa smiles brightly with her makeup newly done. Cole, even he’s there. The first time I met him, riding in his Jeep then watching him sleep in his cot for the last few nights. Memorizing the contours of his strong face. Our shared quarters with the walls decorated. I haven’t finished them yet. Zeus runs in his goofy way, making me laugh with his silly antics. Sunshine. Flowers. The guards, their ugly faces in the dim staircase, chasing me. My head. It hurts so much. My stepfather, whispering, lies next to me in my bed. Forcing me to wear clothes I hated, forcing me to lie to everyone, drugging my mother into an addict. Uglier images—people running on the filthy streets, screaming obscenities, brandings. Darkness. Hatred. I’m a cauldron of hate.





CHAPTER 9


A familiar smell wakes me, but my eyes are crusted shut, and every move sends searing pain through my entire being. My lungs allow only shallow breaths as I look around. I’m alive. I’m in Cole’s room on his thick mattress, covered in heavy blankets. It smells like vanilla and Old Spice. Zeus snores at my feet, and Cole rests on the floor beside me. What’s he doing here? It’s barely dawn it seems. My brain feels scrambled and confused. My tendons crack as I slowly push upward and the pain blurs my vision.

“Hey—” I jump, and look at Cole whose eyes are open, staring at me. “It’s just me. You’re safe now.”

His warm hand grabs mine, but I pull away. His face looks pained with his jaw clenched tight and his lips pursed. I feel like I got hit by a train. I strain myself, trying to remember how I got back to our quarters. And what condition I was in. It’s too soon to speculate though, and I lay my throbbing head back down. He stands over me in an instant, scrutinizing my every bruise, looking troubled as he chews on his bottom lip. He grabs a phone and dials.

“Yes. Can I speak with Sutton? Okay. She’s awake. Sure, please come over,” he says. I meet his gaze with humiliation. Then I rip my eyes away, unable to vocalize how damaged I feel.

“I’m so sorry about this. I—”

“Stop please. I don’t want to talk about it. Not now,” I say. “When did you get a phone?”

“Sutton gave me one for when you woke up. He wants to see you as soon as possible. He’s worried, and frankly, so am I.” His hand rests gently on my arm and I look at Zeus who sleeps at my feet. Blood mars his fur and he has a gash above his eye. My head pounds against my skull.

“Are you all right? What can I do? Need a drink?”

His questions overwhelm me. My hand reaches up and feels a bandage wrapped around my entire head. My hair clumps together and dry blood flakes onto my shoulders. My mouth feels swollen. I lick my lips and feel two stitches on my right bottom lip. Three more stitches line the inside of my cheek. I can’t remember what happened clearly. Closing my eyes, the memories resurface of taking Alyssa’s body to the morgue and getting attacked by the guards. A whimper escapes me.

“Shhh, stop. You’re safe now. I promise,” Cole says. He sees the panic cross my face.

“How—how did I get here?” I stammer.

“I found you. Well, Zeus found you, and we brought you here.” He stops, lowering his eyes.

“The guards who… who… were there—”

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