by Tigris Eden
“Oh.”
Nadya didn’t know exactly how to feel about the woman’s comment. On the one hand, she’d rather it be one of them than her. But she wondered what would it be like to be used that hard and then be allowed to rest, really rest for two whole days? Her ribcage constricted from the sharp intake of breath at the thought. She wasn’t into any man like that, not even if she was faking it. The act of sex was just that, an act. Two people slamming together repeatedly in a rut was not her idea of a good time.
Her only goal was securing a patron who would sponsor her family. Her method may not be one she liked, but it was better than the alternative. She wanted Anna and her daughter inside the Quarry walls. Diamond only wanted her for what he could get out of her, and that was okay with her, because she wanted something from him, as well. They were both using each other for their own personal gain. She didn’t trust that Diamond would honor their arrangement. Attia was coming, but she was the least of Nadya’s worries. Something more menacing was headed their way, and if she didn’t follow through with her initial plan to take down the towers, things would end up backfiring. The world itself would be flipped on its axis. That one lingering memory kept her moving forward. She’d been waylaid, but now, things were progressing much faster than she’d anticipated. You’re running out of time. The voice inside her head reminded Nadya. It was something she already knew. She’d been stagnant for too long. It was time to take action. Move pieces into their proper place.
Nadya didn’t know how she knew, but the warning in her gut was real. She trusted her instincts, had learned a long time ago, her internal alarm bells would never lead her astray. Something deep down inside told her she’d suffered horribly at the hands of a person whose idea of a good time was torture and bloodshed, and all because she’d done the opposite of what her gut had warned her about. She wasn’t one to repeat past mistakes.
Chapter 5
The clothes he’d outfitted her with were more than acceptable. Better than what she’d come in with. Nordas had given her a pair of leather boots that actually fit, and a pair of socks. Pants that fit so tightly, they felt like a part of her skin. Her top was tight-knit and covered her from neck to wrists. There was a zipper at the left side of her shirt that went from beneath her armpit to the bottom hem of the shirt and attached to her pants. Nadya was given another hooded wrap, this one made of metal mesh that was surprisingly lightweight. Lastly, a pair of black gloves. Her entire outfit was black, with the exception of the metal mesh, which was silver. The wrap would not only cover her head but her face, as well. She was even given a pair of goggles. Nordas said it would help with seeing at night. She had no problems seeing in the dark but took them anyway.
She’d been informed that they weren’t leaving until dawn. It was a smart move, but a costly one. There was no telling if her family would still be where she’d left them when they finally made it to their destination. Nadya’s stomach growled. She was still hungry. She realized she hadn’t eaten anything for days before coming to the Quarry. Her last meal had consisted of a less than desirable bowl of tree bark and beetle grub Dominika had found. No one should have to eat that shit, but it was either that or people, and she refused to eat people.
Nordas led Nadya back to Diamond’s room. Confused, she followed. Emerald was supposed to scan her at his place.
“You are to sleep here.”
“Why?”
“It’s what he wants.”
Nadya raised her hand to knock on his door. Mild irritation swept over her. She knew the moment she stepped over his threshold, she was not only confirming her intent, but also cementing it in stone. Diamond had warned that if she tried anything he’d cut off her pinky finger. She was an investment. His cash cow. You’re doing this for them. That reason alone had her knuckles rapping against his door.
“Come in.” It was Lip’s voice she heard, not Diamond’s, and in a way, it made her pulse slow to a steady thrum. Lip, she could handle. He wasn’t a threat. Diamond was another matter entirely. He got under her skin in a bad way. Nadya wasn’t sure she should be left alone in his company. He acted the part of the wolf, to her supposed lamb. But she was the true predator, and he had no way of knowing it.
“Nordas told me I was to sleep here tonight?” she questioned. Not sure if the other woman was purposely trying to get her into trouble.
“Yes. You will sleep in his room. A bed has been made for you in the corner.”
In the corner? Like some animal? The look on Nadya’s face must have given her thoughts away because Lip smiled at her. An odd look in his eyes.
“Yes, like a pet. You are, after all, his property. You entered into the agreement, sweetheart. Those are the terms of your contract. Diamond is to have access to you at all times. Know where you are, what you eat, and where you sleep. Right now, he wants you in his bedroom. Over time, I’m sure the rules will change.”
Her stomach growled again, reminding her of her hunger.
“I’d like to eat again.”
Lip led her to another room with a table where he pulled out a chair for her to sit. It was a beautiful table, unmarred, like everything else she’d come into contact with. The surface was smooth and black, the legs of the table made of carefully constructed pieces of wood resembling large birds. The chairs all had cushions on them and high backs.
“Wait here. I’ll bring you something to eat. Don’t touch anything.”
“Of course.” It wasn’t like she was going to harm the table. She did have manners.
Nadya continued to look around the room. There were paintings on the walls. She knew about art from her time spent foraging through the city streets. There was even a vague memory of someone showing her a book with pictures in it. It was at the edge of her mind, just out of reach. Enough to be somewhat clear, but still elusive. She’d been to several museums throughout the city after she’d settled with Anna and her daughter. Most of them abandoned or destroyed. There was a handful that had survived the carnage. The city’s beauty was now darkly enhanced by nature. Everything had been taken over by the surrounding plant life. Choking the city from its once vibrant state into something dark and dead. Everyone in every inch of the city was starving and trying their best to survive. Even here, inside the Quarry, they did not go untouched. The Towers, even as they oppressed, were suffering, too. Though they had Wave. It wasn’t the purest but damn near close. When treated properly, it was drinkable. Those who lived on the Mainland had the purest Wave and an abundance of food—natural and synthetic. They believed everyone south of the Red Door to be diseased or infected.
“Here, you can stomach this, it’s bread and oats mixed in with milk.”
Milk? They had cows here? Or maybe it was goat.
“What type of milk is this?”
“Breast,” Lip said with a smile on his face. “Be thankful it’s not dog milk, we have some of that, too. Don’t ask how we come by it. It’s an acquired taste, and guaranteed to leave hair on your face and feet.”
It could be worse. It was better than bugs and tree bark.
“Thank you, Lip, I’m not going to complain. I appreciate it.”
Nadya picked up the spoon and dug in. She didn’t taste what was in the bowl. She held her breath and ate. If she ate it too slowly, she’d gag, but if she just scarfed it down, it wouldn’t be so bad. Lip sat a steaming cup of water next to her once she was finished eating.
“There is just a tad bit of whiskey in there to take the edge off, and it isn’t pure whiskey. It’s homemade from my own personal stash. When I’m not dealing with Diamond’s personal agenda, I tend the bar on the lower level.”
Nadya took the cup and downed it, almost burning her throat in the process. She coughed until the burn went away. Damn. Her body adjusted and she sighed. It had totally hit the spot. Lip patted her gently on the back.
“I told you it was to take the edge off. I wasn’t expecting you to down it in one sitting.”
“Sorry, you can’t be too careful with what you
drink these days.”
Lip gave her a curious stare.
“If you were so concerned, why’d you drink it?”
“Didn’t want to be rude. It’s customary to accept what is given.
“Right. You’re a strange one, Nadya.”
Something dark rolled over Lip’s eyes. She couldn’t really say if it was towards her or not, but she didn’t ask him what it meant either.
“You need to get some rest. Strip down to your tee shirt and panties. Diamond wants you wearing the bare minimum so you don’t get any ideas about escaping.”
“I’m not going to leave, Lip. He’s helping me.” Not that the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. This was where she needed to be. For now. This would ensure her family’s safety. Going a different route at this juncture was pointless.
“They all say that, every last single one of them. Then they realize what they’ve gotten themselves into and try to leave. The contracts are put in place for a reason. You renege on the contract, it’s a direct violation and you pay with your life.” He was serious. His tone a warning, as well as a threat.
Nadya liked Lip, but his scare tactics needed work.
Still, she stripped down to her shirt and underwear then followed Lip into Diamond’s room, where Lip chained her to a ring embedded in the wall.
“It’s so you don’t get any bright ideas.”
“What if I have to pee?”
“Don’t. It’ll piss him off.”
She was chained to the damn wall.
“Again, I’m not going anywhere. This is unnecessary and cruel.”
“I know.” Lip smiled and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Nadya with her thoughts.
V
“Lins and Lip are coming with me. Emerald, I need you to hold the Quarry in check until we return. Should Amethyst check in, tell her ass she’s on my list. I got shit to do, but instead, I’m going to retrieve two females who are useless to me.” He knew what he said was true the moment the words had left his mouth. They were going out there for two women who would bring in zero resources. All for a piece of ass he was putting up for auction.
“Well, just put their asses to work when you get back. I’m sure we can find something for them to do. I’ve been meaning to get another assistant. Maybe the girl’s sister can help Marina and me? I don’t need any distractions, and if she’s young, well, that won’t distract me at all. I like my pussy used, and used often. Otherwise, I’d just break the petite little girl in two,” Emerald stated with a smile.
Diamond didn’t respond to his friend’s boastful remark. Emerald was intimidating. It was half of the reason Diamond kept him around. People wouldn’t fuck with Emerald. His big ass came in handy when there was war on the horizon. And there was a war coming. Especially after that Splice bitch had tried to blow him and his people up. He was still pissed, and because he couldn’t fight, he had no choice but to fuck.
“Have Nordas send one of the girls from downstairs to my room.”
Emerald smiled.
“You plan on sharing tonight?”
“Fuck, no. Why don’t you go and let Lindy and Lip know about the plans for the trip? I’ve got everything mapped out. We’re going to go through Gearhead Alley, stop on the Eastside, and mosey through the Den. We’ll make our way through the Yards, and should get to Inwood by the next day if all goes as planned.”
As long as they were quick and kept their heads down, they could avoid Ragers and the inner-city gangs.
“We both know you risk running into Gearheads, and, of course, Ragers. I suggest you find somewhere in the Heights to stay, at least for a day. You can make it to Inwood before the sun goes down. I would suggest taking the drifters.” Drifters were hover bikes that used C-Tech for energy. Fuel was sparse, and they needed every available resource they could get their hands on to keep the city running.
“Too loud. We’re bound to catch trouble. I want to go on foot. It’ll take longer, yes, but it’s easier to maintain. Need to minimize casualties.”
“Your call.”
“Always my call. Now, have Nordas send up a girl. Tell the others to be ready at first light. Not when the sky is light grey, either. I want to get going. We can put the first couple of hours of light to good use.”
“What about the hydroelectricity?” Emerald asked. That was a good question. Right now, they were using it in two-hour increments during the first part of the morning and then the last part of the night. Four hours total.
“Make the announcement. The Quarry is going to be shut down for the next three days in preparation for the upcoming auction. Let everyone know we’re running lean until then. Only one hour in the morning and one hour at night. When I get back, I want Nadya ready for training. I plan to get my weight in gold for her.”
“That’s a lot of stock you’re putting into one pussy, man.”
Fuck yeah, it was. But she was going to be worth it.
V
It was the moaning and rumbling coupled with the harsh panting of a man that woke Nadya up. She’d fallen asleep after Lip had left her. Her pallet, as he called it, was comfortable and soft. She had no complaints, except for the metal attached to her ankle that was chaffing her skin. It was dark in the room, but once her eyes adjusted to what her ears were hearing, she could see the outline of Diamond’s massive body. He was pushing a female into the mattress. Her legs spread wide, as Diamond pounded into her. The female cried out. To Nadya, it seemed a bit over the top. She’d witnessed others having sex before, but this was something different. Something illogical. Why did the female need to be so damn loud? She could see the muscles of Diamond’s back flexing from the weight behind his thrusts. Was he trying to kill the woman beneath him?
There were no words spoken. Just two bodies colliding, the sound of skin hitting skin like hands splashing in water but with much more force. Harsh breathing mingled with the sounds of their joining had Nadya’s stomach rolling. The female’s moans were more of a purr than anything else. Diamond’s, those of frustration and release. She’d never gotten anything out of watching people have sex, but with Diamond and his partner, Nadya found it difficult to turn away. She knew sleep wouldn’t come until the two in bed finished their coupling. You should turn away, the voice inside her reasoned. There wasn’t much to learn, she knew the mechanics. Where the pieces fit. The male’s penis would fit into her vagina and then there’d be friction between the two bodies. A push and pull. Although, what Diamond was doing to the woman beneath him was more than just pushing and pulling. From what she’d seen, sometimes, the women who had sex with men would run crying and screaming into the night as if their world had been shattered. Other times, the men would hold the females close and whisper in their ears. Neither action seemed gratifying enough for anyone to repeat the process over and over again. But it appeared it was in their nature. Anna had told her sex was a powerful thing and not to be taken lightly. That it could consume a human being and irrevocably change them forever if given to the right or wrong person. Diamond’s actions were apparently life changing to the female beneath him as his hips powered forward.
It didn’t sound like anything Nadya wanted to partake in. From things she’d been told, there were other parts that did sound intriguing. Trevor, the old man who lived in the subway car down from hers, had said the greatest pleasure a man could give a woman was a proper enticement. She looked over at what Diamond was doing and tried to compare it to what the old man had said. The two were not in alignment. Trevor had said seduction was the art of a man making a woman’s heart race with excitement by the mere sound of his voice. That two people would connect on a level more spiritual than physical and that combining their emotions with their words and touch would ignite an all-encompassing desire, capable of burning them both alive. All so a man could get to the secret between a woman’s thighs. Yeah, she’d pass. There were no secrets between her thighs, and if there were, they’d soon be on display for all to see.
It appeared Diamond was go
od at gaining entrance to this woman’s secrets because he was between her thighs now. Rutting his way to the very heart of the female. It wasn’t until hours later—and yes, they had gone at it for hours—that Diamond rolled off his bed partner and rumbled in a deep voice that it was time for her to crawl back into her own bed. Nadya could hear the persuasion in his voice. A lure of more if the woman was agreeable. It wasn’t his words that made the female leave. It was the sound. It traveled to an unknown place and lingered. Diamond’s voice rumbled against the shell of Nadya’s ear, and he was nowhere near her. It traveled down her back before changing its direction and tumbling to the pit of her stomach, where it rattled around and tickled her skin.
Whoa.
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Like, ever.
This must have been how he’d gotten the last trainee hooked. His smooth, honeyed voice was filled with promises he’d never keep.
The female in his bed didn’t complain. She didn’t say a word as she tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her. If she was able to move, Diamond hadn’t laid into her as hard as the girls downstairs had boasted. Maybe he wasn’t as mad as she’d originally thought. Diamond didn’t say a word for long moments. Nadya lay still on the pallet, her breathing harsh to her own ears. She wanted him to believe she’d slept through the entire ordeal. She knew he’d only try and goad her, think her weak and unable to handle the situation at hand if he knew she was awake. That would be his mistake.
“I know you’re awake. I also know you watched. Like what you saw?”
So much for pretending to sleep.
“I wouldn’t say that.” She turned on her side. “Entertained, maybe. Liked? Hardly. I may not be an expert on the matters of mating, but if that’s all there is to it, then I thank you for the lesson.”
The chain on her leg rattled as she adjusted her feet and got comfortable.
She wasn’t impressed.
