Instead of slapping away her smug look, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and kissed away her expression.
Dela wasn’t entirely sure what she had expected from her haughty expression, but her first kiss was about as far from her mind as what he father’s favorite color might have been. The blue-eyed beauty had grabbed her, dragging her a step toward him, and smashed his lips against hers. At first, she thought the kiss nothing more than painful and a bit wet, but then Mason lightened his touch and began to move his lips against her.
With the change in the pressure on her lips, her body began to respond. Without any order from her, her arms slid up his chest to twine behind his neck. Mason wound his arm around her waist and pulled her up against his sculpted chest. Dela’s hands shifted to run up into his silky hair.
Mason dipped his tongue into her mouth, testing her limits. Dela opened her mouth wider, perfectly happy to allow him in. She was just about to melt when Mason pulled away with a rough jerk. To her shame, she tottered on her feet until Lath grabbed her arm again.
The men all chuckled, causing another wave of heat to spread across her cheeks. Dela felt the tell-tale pressure behind her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of them. She bit her lip and reminded herself that they were just heartless Hunters, no matter how well they kissed.
“Mason,” Gareth called. “You’re not supposed to kiss the catches, either.”
“Oh, I don’t think she minded much.”
Another chorus of laughter brought Dela’s head down until her chin nearly touched her chest. Eventually, the tears worked their way past her defenses. It had been her first kiss, and these men—these incredibly attractive men—were laughing at her over it. More tears escaped her lids. Her first kiss hadn’t been a moment of love or even respect. It had been carnal, and it had been a show for men to watch. Maybe the Harem House is where I belong?
Meekly, Dela let Lath guide her back to the little building they were using. The men were still laughing, throwing jokes back and forth at her expense, but she didn’t hear it. Her lips still pulsed with her heartbeat, each beat reminding her of how she had acted. If her mother had been alive, she would have been mortified at Dela’s behavior.
Another tear.
“You okay?” Lath whispered.
Dela tried to clear her constricted throat. “Fine.”
Thankfully, Lath did not push the subject.
“I’ll take next watch,” Lath offered.
“Fine by me,” grumbled Adrian. “Be warned, she’s got a fierce kick to her.”
“Not the only thing she’s fierce at,” added Mason.
The men laughed again. They returned to their shelter and the men settled down into their bedrolls. Lath sat her against the support beam, tying her hands in front this time. Lath took up Adrian’s seat in the doorway, his eyes flicking from the opening to where Dela sat. Within minutes, the men were snoring—all except for Lath.
Lath kept his voice soft. “Tell me, how did a beautiful woman like yourself end up out in the Dead Zone all alone.”
“Life can be a bitch, sometimes,” Dela muttered in response.
“Ain’t that the truth?”
“What could you possibly have to complain about?”
“You’re right. Compared to a lot of people I have nothing to complain about, but that doesn’t make me content.”
Dela rolled her eyes. “Contentment has no meaning in my life. Just survival.”
“That’s sad.”
“Well, you could make me happy by letting me go.”
It was Lath’s turn to roll his eyes. “Nice try. Have you ever thought you might be happier with husbands, and maybe some land? Safe and secure.”
“Nope.”
Lath’s eyes ran to the three men sleeping around the fire, finally resting on Gareth—or at least Dela thought that lump was Gareth.
“I’d like some land, and a wife, and some kids.”
“And you’d like to share her with four other men?”
“Depends on the men.”
“Well, then why don’t you?”
Lath let out a sigh and dragged his eyes back to the exterior of their shelter. “Complications.”
For some reason, neither of them spoke again. Dela wasn’t sure what he meant by “complications.” He had been looking at Gareth at the time, and Dela wondered if he preferred the company of men. She knew there were plenty of men who were interested in men as the number of women decreased with each new generation. She had even heard Quiq talk about families where the men preferred each other over their wife.
Dela couldn’t tell if his leanings were Lath’s issue, or if it was something else completely. As she considered his dilemma, she slowly drifted off. When she woke again, Lath was nestling down into his bedroll while Gareth took his spot. She blinked her eyes, feeling crust and sand breaking free of her lashes. Her tongue felt overgrown and fuzzy, and grit rubbed against her sticky skin.
“Excuse me,” she croaked. “Can I have a drink of water?”
Gareth eyed her for a moment as though he expected her to transform into a rattlesnake and bite him. Finally, he nodded, pulled a canteen out, and handed it to her. Dela wedged it between her legs to hold it steady while she unscrewed the lid. With her bound hands, she carefully lifted it up to her lips and drank deeply. When she returned the water, she kept her eyes on Gareth, trying to see what Lath might see in the silent man.
Like all the others, he was drool-worthy. Dela blushed at the thought and turned her face away.
“What’s got you turning all red?”
Dela cleared her throat as another wave of heat washed up her face.
“Thinking about that kiss again, eh?”
Dela turned a glare on him, her anger clouding her embarrassment.
“I didn’t think you had it in you. Of course, the ladies always fall for Mason. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Women never have much strength of character.”
Dela’s glare darkened. “Some woman broke your heart?” she asked rather than cursing his name as she desired.
Gareth didn’t reply, and Dela felt the glory of her victory… for a brief second.
“The men are going to be clamoring at the fence for you, especially when they hear what a passionate lover you are.”
Mortification took the lead over anger, clouding her mind so that she couldn’t think of a reply. Again, tears pressed against her eyes. True embarrassment always brought tears to her eyes, as though her blushing triggered the waterworks. As children, Quiq had taken great delight in embarrassing her to the point of actual tears. Over the years, it had taken more and more to make her cry.
These men, though, appeared to do it without effort.
Chapter Five
Gareth watched the girl. He was more worried about her escaping than some band of ruffians attacking them. It was the Dead Zone, after all. And that led him to wonder about the girl. What brought a beauty like her into a place that would likely kill her within a day? What made her so desperate?
She was exquisite. Even Gareth couldn’t deny that. Not that he was interested. Whores were sufficient for Gareth. Still, she didn’t belong in the Dead Zone. None of them did.
A few more hours, then we’ll get out of here.
Gareth frowned. The girl had turned her head away, trying to hide her features from his curious eye. He had watched her face go from pale to red and back again more times than he could count, but now it looked as though his teasing had actually made her cry. He’d never known a girl to cry that easily.
Even his old fiancée was tougher, for whatever that was worth.
Gareth adjusted his seat as his butt cheeks began to go numb. Normally he would pace while keeping watch to keep himself awake, but he had to keep an eye on her. She had proven to be a flight risk. Most catches ran at least once, but few of them had the balls to kick a man between the legs—all pun intended.
Gareth smiled at his own little internal joke.
He cl
eared his features as he caught the girl looking at him again. They stared at each other for a long moment, until Mason shifted under his bedroll, drawing both their eyes away from each other.
Gareth had long worried over joining forces with Mason and Adrian. They had competed for so many years, it seemed impossible to work together, but thus far, things had been smooth. Of course, if the girl kept kissing the men, he doubted things would go so smoothly.
Oh, he admitted he had fallen for a catch before, and ruined her for the Harem House. Lath had been furious to find they were resigned to selling her to a whore house, which paid close to half of what the Harem House did. But Lath hadn’t complained too much. He wasn’t innocent on the same topic. He had ruined a girl or two in the past. Gareth smiled to himself.
“What brought that smile on?” the girl asked, cutting into his thoughts.
“Sex.”
She tensed. “You Hunters always take advantage of your catches?”
“You talking about Mason? I wouldn’t quite call that ‘taking advantage.’ You seemed a perfectly willing partner.”
“It is ‘taking advantage’ if it’s the girl’s first kiss.”
Gareth felt his stomach drop into his groin. Her first kiss. They had stolen her first intimate touch and then laughed at her. They were scum. Worse than scum. They were whatever scum fed off of. He glanced at Mason’s bedroll. Her first kiss had been with nothing short of a man-whore.
Dela woke stiff, thirsty, and cranky. She glared up at the four men as they worked to pack up their gear. She wanted to ask for food or water, anything to make her a little more comfortable, but she refused to grovel and, in her exhausted mind, asking might as well have been groveling.
All four men eyed her, each for their own reasons.
Finally, they finished their packing. “All right, Cap. Time to get up,” said Adrian.
Dela darkened her glare as best she could and struggled to her feet. To her annoyance, Adrian grabbed her arm to assist. She didn’t want them to touch her, especially as her body betrayed her. She wasn’t interested in them, but her body seemed to crave their touch.
“And no kicking.”
Dela rolled her eyes at him as he guided her out of the half-collapsed structure. The other three were already waiting, their packs strapped to their backs. Dela’s own pack hung from Gareth’s shoulder. The men were talking and laughing, though Dela couldn’t catch the topic. As they caught sight of her, they went silent. Dela couldn’t help but feel they were laughing at her again. She had no real proof, but the negative little voice in her mind kept whispering “they think you’re a joke.” Her desire to be rid of them grew exponentially, not just because she needed to find Quiq, but because she hated them.
They set off with Mason and Gareth in the lead, and Adrian and Lath walking behind her. Dela tried to close her mind. She was too tired to think without her emotions showing on her face, and until meeting the Hunters, she had never had to hide her feelings. And so, she counted. She counted her steps; she counted the street signs; she counted the buildings. But in the end, she still worried.
The group came to a stop so suddenly, Dela nearly collided with Mason’s back. She took a step back, ready to give them a thrashing for stopping so suddenly, but as she stepped back, she caught sight of the reason.
A large gang of armed men stood in the street, completely blocking their path. Dela peeked around Mason’s wide shoulders. The men were all large with ratty, patched clothing made of various materials. Large belts hung on their hips, their holsters mostly empty. The guns in question were trained on Dela and the Hunters.
“Is that a girl I see?” one of them asked.
The spokesmen looked to be at least six inches taller than all the others. His soft brown hair was cut short, almost shaved, showing a long scar running from the crown of his head down toward his left eyebrow. A beard, a few shades lighter than his hair, covered his jaw. His shoulders spanned a width Dela thought to be impossible. Had he not been wearing a vest, she would have thought he had padded his shirt. Large muscles rippled down his arms as he shifted to get a better look at Dela.
Dela ducked behind Mason. The Hunters were bad enough, but she would infinitely prefer them over this new group of men. Mason reached around with his arm, pressing her up against his back where they couldn’t see her.
Gareth spoke for the Hunters. “She’s our girl. We didn’t realize anyone was in the Dead Zone.”
“You Towners still calling it that?”
“Towners?” Mason asked.
The large man grunted. “You folks who live in your walled towns.”
“I take it you’re not Towners,” said Adrian.
Dela peeked out to see Adrian and Lath flanking their friends, their hands hung just beyond their own holsters. She guessed neither group had many bullets to spare—proper bullets that is. Despite the many manufacturers working before the Great Extinction, bullets had become as precious as water.
“Do we look like Towners?” snapped one of the other men.
The group grumbled their ascent before going suddenly quiet. Though Dela couldn’t see, she suspected the spokesman had silenced them.
“We live here, in what you call the Dead Zone,” replied their leader. “I’m Angel.”
Dela bit her tongue, trying not to laugh at the man’s name.
“Now, I’ll tell you what. You guys come with us. We’ll feed you, give you a good night sleep in our fortified camp, and then tomorrow you leave my land and never come back.” He paused. “Oh, and you give us the girl.”
Dela felt Mason shift. She suspected he was shaking his head. “The girl’s our catch. We’re getting the payday.”
“Oh, hell boy, we don’t want to take her to the Harem House. We want her for ourselves.”
Nausea built in Dela’s stomach. All those men.
“The law is five to a woman,” Lath said, disgust apparent in his voice.
The group of men laughed, making them sound like more people than Dela had seen—or maybe it was her frightened imagination.
“There ain’t any laws around here ‘scept what I make. Now, you folks come along.”
His men began to move. Dela felt Lath and Adrian sidle up to her, keeping her wedged between the four hunters. They withdrew their guns, though Dela couldn’t imagine what they intended to do against so many. Dela froze, guarded by the Hunters she hated and threatened by the men she never knew existed.
“You really think you can win here,” asked Angel. “All of you will die, including the girl when she gets caught in the crossfire. Now, won’t you think that would be a waste? You come with us real quiet like, and no one will get hurt.”
Dela watched as Mason and Gareth glanced at each other. Slowly, they lowered their guns and slipped them into their holsters. Lath and Adrian followed their examples. Panic constricted Dela’s throat. They were giving up. They were just going to hand her over to Angel and his men.
“You have to walk, Cap,” someone whispered behind her. “Just walk. We’re gonna take care of you.”
Dela forced her feet forward. Someone placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her forward. The enlarged group walked in silence for a few blocks. Slowly, Angel’s minions began talking amongst themselves. Dela couldn’t make out what any of them were talking about, but she wasn’t sure if that was because they whispered or because her mind was frozen with fear.
Eventually, Angel sidled back to where her group walked in the center of the larger masses.
“So what’s your deal? You just use the women up 'till they die and toss ‘em aside?” Adrian asked, walking closest to the group’s leader.
Angel chuckled. “Is that what you think of us?”
Gareth adjusted his pack. “We don’t know you.”
“Well, I guess some might say we use the women. In our camp women have but one purpose.”
“To get you off?” asked Dela before she could censor herself. Dela tensed, expecting the giant of
a man to strike at her.
Instead, Angel chuckled. “Ha! I guess I can see why you’d think that. No. Our women are only here to breed. More people we bring into this world the more chance we have at survival… as a species. There are no relationships between men and women.”
“Just sex,” finished Gareth.
“Correct. Once the child can be weaned, it’s taken from the mother and she’s sent back to be impregnated again.”
Dela turned, her stomach finally heaving. She threw up, narrowly missing Lath’s boots. Adrian pulled her hair back and supported her as she dispelled yet more stomach bile. A little piece of her brain noticed Adrian’s care and reveled in it.
“We have to increase our ranks if we hope to survive,” continued Angel, seemingly oblivious to Dela’s issues.
Finally, Dela rose from her hunched position and glared at the man as she wiped her mouth on the back of her wrist. “You sicken me.”
“I noticed,” replied Angel. “But my duty is not to make you or any other woman happy but to save humanity.”
“At the rate you’re going, humanity won’t be worth saving,” replied Dela.
The words had barely escaped her mouth before Angel was marching into their midst. He grabbed her by the neck, effortlessly lifting her until her toes barely touched the ground. The Hunters tried to lunge at him or pull his thick arms down, but Angel’s men were just as fast, quickly taking them to the ground and tying their hands behind their backs.
“You listen to me, girl. It don’t matter how beautiful you are, you are now my property, and you will do your duty without complaint or commentary. Do you understand?”
Dela didn’t reply, too disgusted by the picture he painted in her mind. Angel gave her a little shake by the neck, and Dela winced.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
Angel released her neck, sending her tumbling into the dirt. Through the ringing in her ears, she heard the voices of the four Hunters, though she couldn’t tell what they were saying exactly. It sounded like curses. Slowly, the ringing died away and the dizziness left her head. She blinked her eyes and looked up just in time to see one of Angel’s men reaching for her. The man dragged her to her feet and shoved her back into motion. Dela stumbled but managed to stay upright.
Dela's Hunters (The Harem House Book 1) Page 3
