Cruel Kings by Skye Knight

19

Camilla

I lay in a boneless heap on the bed. My breathing was still labored and my heart pounded in my chest.

Caleb moved a few strands away from my sweaty forehead in a surprisingly gentle way. I turned my head toward him, stupidly liking the way he looked right now. There was no anger in his emerald eyes and a soft smile lit up his handsome face.

“Don’t fall asleep, babe,” Corey’s voice spoke from beside me.

It felt surreal to be lying in bed with them.

I wanted to hate them but somehow, my resistance seemed to have seeped out of me. There was no point in lying to myself. I’d enjoyed everything they did to me.

The sex was better and I couldn’t forget the way Corey’s tongue played with my pussy, intensifying my pleasure.

I didn’t want to think about the right and wrong of the situation. Right now, I simply wanted to stay there and never move again.

Sweet exhaustion hung over me. Snuggled between the two men, I just wanted to sleep.

“She’s falling asleep,” said Corey.

“Can’t blame her,” said Caleb. “I don’t feel like moving either.”

I silently cheered him. What was the hurry anyway? No one was going to disturb us here.

“Dinner is at seven,” Corey argued. “You think Dad’s going to be impressed if we get there late? Noah’s going to get mad too. He wants us to be perfect.”

Caleb groaned and gently pushed my shoulders. “Hey, get up,” he said. “We’ve got to get going.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him. “I have to go too?”

“Obviously.”

“Why?” I asked as a sliver of fear snaked around my throat. “What else do you want to do to me?”

“We’re taking you home for dinner, sweetheart,” said Corey. His voice sounded so genuine, it ached my heart to think he was lying. Will they ever stop hurting me?

“Get up,” said Caleb. To prove his point, he sat up and raked his fingers through his dark strands. “If you don’t want your mom to worry, then hurry up and take a shower. We’re taking you home.”

I clutched a blanket to my chest and slowly sat up. “She’s expecting me?”

“Yep,” said Corey. “We came here to get you, but you obviously set the mood for something very different.” His green eyes twinkled as he chuckled. “Not that I’m complaining, babe. Fucking your sweet, tight pussy is worth the trouble.”

Heat pooled in my cheeks. Those dirty words were starting to make my insides throb again. What was happening to me?

Struggling to keep a neutral expression, I climbed off the bed and nearly dropped to the floor. My legs felt like jelly, my body still recuperating from the aftereffects of the orgasms they forced out of me.

“Careful!” Caleb was at my side at once. Grabbing my shoulders, he helped me get back to my feet.

I glanced up at him, seeing a glimpse of concern in those emerald-green eyes. He hid his expression quickly, turning cold but I’d seen his true feelings.

Caleb was worried about me.

“Thanks,” I said and tightened my grip on the sheet I was using to cover myself.

When he finally let go, I walked out of my room and headed into the bathroom. Dropping the sheet, I climbed into the bathtub and turned the shower on.

The hot water felt wonderful on my sore, exhausted body. Standing under the stream, I quickly washed my hair and rinsed every inch of my body.

When I was done, I wrapped a towel around my body and stepped out. Their deep, gentle voices came from the open bedroom door. I slowly inched forward and peered in.

Caleb and Corey were sprawled on my bed, looking completely out-of-place in my tiny bedroom that barely had any space after cramping it with a cot, a wardrobe, and a desk and chair.

Their eyes followed me as I walked toward the small wooden closet and opened it. I was about to grab a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, but suddenly felt their presence behind me.

“Is this all you’ve got?” Caleb asked, stepping beside me and rummaging through my clothes, making a mess of my neatly folded clothes.

“Stop that!” I cried out, grabbing his hand. “Don’t!”

Corey pushed past me and peered into the shelves while I brawled with his brother.

“The clothes her mom bought her aren’t any better,” said Corey in a pitying tone. “Tell me, Milla. Why do you still dress like a middle-schooler?”

“It’s all t-shirts and goofy hoodies,” said Caleb, looking annoyed. “And where the hell did you get these skirts? Were they bequeathed to you by your grandmother?”

Corey laughed loudly at the annoyed look on my face.

“We’ve got to take you shopping,” said Caleb.

“Why?” I asked. “You guys hate me. You should be happy I look so crappy and unfashionable.”

Caleb and Corey turned toward me, their gazes drinking in the sight of my body covered in a towel. They both licked the corners of their lips in an identical gesture.

“We hate you, sweetheart,” said Corey with a nod and a grin. “But you’re our sister now. We can’t let you look like a hobo chick while we’re rocking our goods. Makes us look bad, you know?”

“I’m not your sister,” I said through clenched teeth. “I’m your nothing!”

Their gazes darkened immediately and I knew I’d touched a nerve. Panic surged through me, knowing if they got angry, they’d hurt me again.

“Are you unhappy with us, Milla?” Corey asked in a deceptively soft voice.

“If you are, tell the truth to your mom,” said Caleb. “Get her the fuck out of our dad’s life.”

“Why do you hate my mom?” I asked. “She’s done nothing against you. And, she never will.”

“Why should we believe you?” Caleb asked. “We still can’t believe you pretended not to know we’re his sons when he’s been dating your mom for eight fucking years.”

A wry chuckle escaped me. “You guys are so full of yourselves. Do you think every girl in the world belongs in your fan club? Reality check coming up!” I leaned toward them with a hand on my hip. “They’re not! I’m too busy working and keeping up my grades to bother with spoiled Elite boys like you guys.”

“You didn’t look into the guy dating your mom?” Corey asked. “You want us to believe that?”

“Mom has always been happy with Brian,” I said. “There was never any reason for me to pry into his private life. Maybe the reason he’s never talked about his sons is that he’s ashamed of you all! He’s your dad. He knows you better than anyone. I’m no longer surprised he’s kept quiet about you guys until now.”

Like a lightning strike, Caleb was before me, his fingers coiling around my throat.

Fear surged through me, drowning the hateful words on my lips.

His fingers tightened, cutting off my air supply. My lips parted, trying to suck in air.

“You should know your place,” Caleb growled.

“Let...go!” I managed to say through the choking hold. My nails scraped against his wrist but he didn’t loosen his grip.

I looked toward Corey and silently pleaded with him. He stayed quiet, not interfering with his brother.

An intense throb suddenly flared deep in my belly.

My head felt dizzy and I was about to pass out but my body was reacting weirdly. I was turned on.

What were they doing to me? How could something so torturous arouse me this way? Was I always this fucked up?

“Caleb,” Corey’s grim voice sounded close to me but I couldn’t see him clearly through my hazy vision. “That’s enough.”

A heartbeat later, Caleb’s hold loosened.

Air rushed into my lungs, making me cough badly. I held my burning throat, hating the feeling, but my pussy still tingled. How could I want sex after they’d both taken their turns with me just an hour ago?

Their cruelty was turning me insane. That was the only explanation I could come up with.

Corey dumped a lump of clothes at me and pulled Caleb away from me.

Taking them, I fled back to the bathroom.

Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against it. My chest heaved, my breathing turned erratic as I struggled against the overwhelming urge to touch my throbbing clit.

It took all my effort to get dressed in a pair of high-waist jeans and a cute pink hoodie with a yawning Garfield in the front. As I looked at the mirror, I realized my dressing style hadn’t changed much since middle school.

It’s not like you had a choice, a voice whispered in my ear.

Mom barely had anything left after paying for essentials like food and bills. All these years, she worked tirelessly even though Brian could provide her with everything.

Pride swelled in my chest.

She married for love. Not for Brian’s money.

Noah, Corey, and Caleb were so wrong about Mom and me. They thought we were after their money.

One day, we’d show them what true love was. I’d suffer every humiliation quietly for my dying mother’s sake. They could hurt me as much as they wanted but I’d never break down and shatter Mom’s dream.

A wry grin lifted the corner of my lips as I stared at myself in the mirror.

I’d never give them the satisfaction of breaking me. They already hurt me in the worst way possible. I was their slave as long as they held that humiliating video.

Noah, Caleb, and Corey could bend me to their will but they would never break me. They would possess my body, but never my heart.

A cold, unfamiliar look descended into my sapphire eyes. I was ready to battle them too.