The General's Daughter (Snow and Ash #1) (7 page)

Blondie scowls. “Why don’t you do it?”

Talon eyes him steadily. “Because now that Evans is dead, I’m the highest-ranking person here.”

Baldo crosses his arms over his chest. “And Evans is dead because…” He raises his eyebrows at Talon.

Talon’s eyes sharpen. “Evans is dead because he attacked General Barry’s hostage. Who, I might add, he has plans for.”

This is news to me, and I dart him a questioning look. But he doesn’t acknowledge me. Is he lying to them, or are there really plans? And if there are, what are they? I fidget with my wooden spoon, but when I find Talon frowning at me, I eat the sticky oats. It almost makes old peanut butter taste good, but who’s complaining? I’m just glad they’re letting me wear clothes.

After the guys leave to split and bring in the wood, Talon pours a shallow measure of water from one bucket into another and begins scrubbing the dishes.

“How long have I been gone?” I ask. I should be able to count off the days in my head, but I can’t.

“One week,” Talon answers, never a guy for long conversation.

“How will Dad know how to find me?”

He lifts a shoulder. “We left clues.”

His tone sort of tells me to stop asking questions. I ignore it. “Were you planning on taking on his whole army, just you guys?”

“It’s not just us.” He slaps another bowl into the bucket and attacks it like it’s filled with ants.

“Right.” I haven’t seen anyone but the five guys who kidnapped me. Six, if you count the rapist.

I can almost hear him roll his eyes. He pivots around and gives me a
you’re really annoying, you know that?
look. “He’ll have to go through the Route 42 corridor to get here. When he does, there will be a large party waiting for him. They’ll attack from both sides.”

I suck in a breath. So, it’s not just Talon’s revenge. There really is a bigger plan. But it’s been a week. It only took these guys a couple days to get me here. Looks to me like his careful planning isn’t working out too well. I decide to needle him.

I smirk. “So. Where’s Dad?”

He ignores me, and I take that as a sign that it’s safe to drive another jab. “Bet you thought he’d be here by now.”

Pursing his lips, Talon picks up another dirty bowl, but his eyes are troubled.

I sigh. “You know he’s not coming, right?”

He slams the bowl down, and an uneaten chunk of oatmeal flies out. “Will you just shut up?”

“If anyone comes at all, it will be a small group of his best men. They’ll get past your trap without your precious General Barry even knowing.” It’s true.

“I told you to shut up!” His eyes are furious now, and I’m a little scared to tell the truth. I can’t stop myself though.

“He’s not coming. He’s not sending troops either.” I’m not making this up, and even though I resent my father, my heart dies a little.

Talon throws his hands in the air. “Okay, fine. How do you figure?”

I lean forward and rest my chin in my hands. “Coming after me will only tell the others he can be manipulated. He will not negotiate for my release. He will not come for me. He won’t send anyone, either, unless it’s to kill me. And all of you, of course.”

He flicks a look at the door, and when he turns back, he’s sneering. “Don’t try to play politics, little girl.”

I snort. “I’ve spent my whole life mastering politics, Talon. It’s the one thing I’m good at.”

“I thought I told you to fucking shut up!”

But I don’t. I’ve kept my mouth shut for years, and now that I’m talking, I can’t shove the words back inside. “Why are you really here, Talon? Is it because General Barry ordered you?”

He doesn’t respond, just crosses his arms over his chest.

“No,” I answer for him. “You volunteered. This was your chance to finally get back at me. It’s only a coincidence that it’s helping General Barry get rid of my dad.”

His expression flickers, and the raw energy pouring off him screams of barely repressed emotion. He’s hanging on by his fingernails, and suddenly I feel sorry for him. For what Dad did, what my mother did, and especially for what I did. Ironic, huh? The victim feels sorry for her captor. A weight settles in my chest. I’ll bet he can’t even remember what happiness is. Me either. I’ll never be happy again, and I’ll never bring anyone happiness. Life stretches before me like an endless black ribbon, empty of color, empty of anything. It’s not even worth the effort.

“It’s okay.” I get up from the table and approach him even though every instinct tells me to run. “I know why you need to do this.”

“You’re out of your freakin—”

“Dad’s power is based entirely on people seeing him as always in control. He’s not going to let me out of this alive. His whole image will be ruined if he does.” The thought presses down on me like I’m already halfway in my grave. It’s no longer worth running from it, if it ever was. “Talon, I’m dead no matter what happens. It might as well be you. I owe you that much.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“I haven’t had a moment of happiness”—I almost laugh as I roll my eyes—“of peace since that day four years ago. I should have died that day. You need your revenge. I’m telling you I understand.”

“No!” He grabs my arm, then pulls me to his chest. “You don’t get to understand. You have no idea what you owe me, what you deserve.”

He seizes my jaw in a cruel grip and shoves me away. I stumble and fall, and he’s right there with me.

Before I can draw a breath, he covers my lips with his, and it’s not sweet. It’s not romantic. It’s retribution, and I’m frightened. He forces my lips open, and again I feel that tug deep in my belly. He moves over me like a rabid bear, his hands ripping out the knot in my shirt.

“What are you doing?” I gasp when he comes up for air.

“I don’t hear you saying no,” he returns. “Do you want to scream? Do you want to bring the others? Could be fun.”

“No,” I whisper. Tears fill my eyes, knowing the others will be only too happy to take their turn.

He yanks my shirt up over my head and flings it away. He looms over me, breathing heavily now. So am I. The cold hardens my nipples, and his eyes go from gray to black as he views them. He cups my tits and kneads them softly. He pinches the tips, and I gasp, not because it hurts, but because of the sweet ecstasy it shoots directly to my core. My eyelids flutter shut. His lips find a nipple, and with a strong pull he suckles me. I can barely repress my groan at the feel of it. I’m on fire, and that place between my legs aches to be filled even though my brain still says no.

“Please,” I gasp, pushing against his head.

He takes my hands and pins them above my head. “You have this coming. God, baby, you have no idea what I’m going to do to you.”

I stiffen. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been raped. You can touch my body all you want, but you can’t touch me. I’ll hardly notice when you’re done.”

He narrows his eyes, and to prove my point, I lay back, relax my body, and let my expression go blank. “What are you waiting for?” I ask. “Do what you need to do.”

His face goes red, and his eyes are like twin black holes. I cannot resist their pull. “Not this time,” he snarls. He yanks off my belt and uses it to tie my hands to the center leg of the kitchen table, which is bolted to the floor. Looking into his eyes is like looking at death, and I shiver. He’s already got my zipper down, and he’s pulling my pants
 
over my hips.

I’m shaking. One more tug and my pants are off. I can’t maintain my plastic face, even though I try to with every ounce of strength I have left.

“Please.” My voice is thick with tears. “You’re better than this.”

“Have you forgotten?” he sneers. “I’m trash, and so are you.”

“This won’t prove anything,” I say desperately. “Think, Talon. Think how you’ll feel when it’s over.”

He reaches between my legs, and to my utter shame he finds the folds of my crotch have thickened in preparation of what’s to come. And I’m wet. So, so wet. He begins to rub his moistened fingers on my clit in slow, circular movements, and I go weak. I spread my legs for him, hating myself for it.

“Not so strong after all,” he says with a mocking smile.

I can’t do anything but moan softly as he rains kisses down my chest and torso. He sticks two fingers up my slit, making my hips rock up to meet him.

When his tongue touches my clit, I let out a gut-wrenching cry. I almost come up off the floor, but his other hand presses down on my belly. I can’t… His tongue licks me, his lips suck me, and those fingers inside me rub on something that feels oh so good. So. Fucking. Good.

I am not Ilsa Balenchuk. I am need, and all I want is Talon; all I feel is rabid passion. My hips undulate in his grasp, and I’m moaning and sighing so loud I’m sure the men outside can hear.

But I can’t stop.

“Please,” I pant. “Please!”

He stops, and my whole body bows in need.

He stares at me, and it hits me that he’s fully clothed. I’m naked and completely helpless against him. This humiliates me, excites me, and all I can think is how much I want his dick inside me.

“What do you want, Ilsa?”

“I want…” I lick my lips, and heat rushes to my face. “I want…”

He presses his tongue to me again in a series of feather light licks. Those fingers fuck my cunt like I want his cock to do, but it’s not enough. Not enough.

“Who’s in charge, Ilsa?”

“Please help me,” I beg.

He leans in close and kisses me, and I can taste myself on his lips. The intimacy is almost too much to bear.

“Who owns you now?” he rasps.

I lock my jaw and turn my face away. I squeeze my legs together, but he wrenches my thighs apart and laps at my clit until yet again I’m on the brink of coming. Again, he stops. He blows cold air on me, and I gasp.

“Who is your master?” he asks softly, and he sticks those blessed fingers once again inside me.

“You.” I close my eyes and spread my legs wider. “You are.”

He kisses and sucks at me, tongues me fast, and pumps his fingers until finally I come in a clench that starts in my cunt and pulsates deep inside my womb. I sob, my back arches, and my thighs clamp around his head, clutching him to me, my hips bucking as I ride out the final pulsating wave.
 

I fall back against the floor, completely empty, as Talon leans forward and unties my hands. “Now get dressed before the men see you.”

I’m sitting at the table playing solitaire. The queen of hearts is missing, but it’s not like there are a whole lot of choices in entertainment. Talon is back in the bedroom doing whatever it is he needs to do when the others return. The silent long-haired soldier appears to be rewiring a piece of equipment when Baldo plunks down across from me, and I swear he’s sniffing me. What Talon did to me—can he smell it?

He draws in a long breath, and a smile slides into place. “Wanna play with me?”

I go rigid. He’s not talking about cards. I know this because he slides his foot between mine and rubs his boot against my leg. The higher he pushes it, the more he smiles. Before he can get to anywhere important, I clamp down on him with my thighs.

“Aw, come on.” His lips are smiling, but his eyes are not.

Talon saunters in from the back hall, and you’d almost think he was calm except for the way his nostrils are flaring.

“Denny.” He says it in that flat, emotionless way I’ve learned means bad news for the person he’s talking to.

Baldo’s smile fades and he turns to Talon with a resentful tilt to his chin. “You got a problem, sir?”

Talon’s lips pucker as if he’s considering the question. “I think I told you but maybe I didn’t. She’s mine.”

If Baldo-Denny had any sense in him, he’d drop this now. But he doesn’t.

“You can’t do that, sir. She belongs to the whole unit.”

Talon’s eyes go dead. “I’m not gonna say it again. Nobody kills her, nobody fucks her, nobody bloody well looks at her unless it’s me.”

Baldo rises to his feet and meets Talon in the middle of the living room, and it’s as though they’re trying to out-chest each other.

Meanwhile, Dinner-Plate Hands studies me, but I’m so embarrassed that I can’t look up. He’s leaning against the useless fridge with his hands on his hips.

“You all right?” His voice is soft, sympathetic. This surprises me into meeting his gaze. The pity I find there makes me want to cry. Even worse, it doubles my shame, and I swallow. I shift my gaze to the floor and jerk my head
yes
.

“Incoming,” calls Blondie. He’s been keeping watch from the dirty bay windows.

A thrill of hope electrifies my chest.

Baldo stands down, and Talon joins Blondie at the window. Blondie hands him the binoculars, and he takes a long look.

Dad? Is he coming for me? Is there a rescue after all? My heart tries to punch its way through my chest.

No. No, I know my father. If his men are here, it’s not for a rescue. I tremble, just my hands at first, but it quickly spreads throughout my body as I scan the interior of the trailer for a place to hide. Right. Like there’s anyplace I could hide from him.