Sparrow’s Flight by Jenika Snow Page 0,23
his cigarette to the side, her heart started pounding.
He was a big guy, and the closer he came toward her, the more she pressed her back against the bark. There was something different about him, something that had her skin tightening and her hands shaking. He just seemed far more dangerous than the other men, but she couldn’t understand why she felt that way.
Where the others were loud and celebrating, this man watched her with silent curiosity and deadly calmness. When he was only a foot from her, he eyed her up and down. The smell of cloves filled her nose when he leaned in and lowered his head so they were eye level.
“You do know what they’re going to do to you tonight, don’t you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question.
Sparrow swallowed past the lump in her throat but didn’t respond. Was he trying to torment her, to make her more frightened? It was certainly working. She just continued to stare into his eyes. This man was running around with this fucked-up crew, and that made him no better than they were.
He continued to hold her stare for several long moments before the corner of his mouth curled. “I think you do, but I don’t think you know the severity of it.”
“I’m sure I have a pretty good guess.” Sparrow’s heart was beating a mile a minute. There was a part of him that reminded her of Mason. He was so calm, so detached, yet the air around him was charged, and the clear danger that came from him was like a thick, suffocating cloak. “Get the fuck away from me.”
For several long seconds, he just stayed right where he was, and when his smile grew, she felt the knot in her belly grow too.
“You see those men behind me?” he asked. She didn’t need to look around to know they were tossing back the bottles, slapping each other on the back, and gorging themselves on meat they cooked over the fire. And what kind of meat they were eating was not something she wanted to explore. “Those men are vile fuckers, and they plan on tearing you up to the point that you pray for death.” He said it so chillingly soft that a bead of sweat dripped from her hairline because of how frightened he made her. “I can help you, though.” He placed his hands on the tree right beside her head.
“I’m sure you can, for a price.” She pushed her fear away, needing to appear strong even if she felt anything but. “And that’s not a price I’m going to pay.”
He cocked one light eyebrow. “I don’t think you’re really in any position to not accept my terms, princess.” He took a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “The men behind me want to defile your body for the sole purpose of getting off. They won’t kill you but drag it on, use you like you are their own personal toy.” He slowly lifted his eyes and held hers with his own. “I can help you avoid all that.”
“And then what? I’ll be your own personal little toy?” She seethed out the words, not bothering to hide the disgust and hatred in her voice.
He pushed away from her and crossed his arms over his chest. “I want a companion for the road. It’s been a lonely five months since the infection spread.”
“I’m not going to escape these assholes just to be strapped with another one.”
He chuckled and slid his eyes up and down her body once more. She was filthy, but he looked at her like she was a damn T-bone steak and he was a starving carnivore.
He grinned, and it made her feel even dirtier. “I can protect you just as well as those two assholes you were traveling with.” He was silent for a suspended moment, and the sound of the men talking loudly and bragging about the nauseous things they planned on doing to her had the threat of vomit rising up. “You really don’t have any other options here, princess. You can either take me up on my offer or these bastards behind me are going to fuck you every which way, and I guarantee it won’t be pleasurable.” She looked over his shoulder. Did she actually think Mason and Asher would come for her? They had only known her for a handful of days, and Mason didn’t even want her on the road with them.