ChaoticArmcandy

  The door clicked shut behind Aralia, and the little room got much quieter and emptier all of a sudden. I watched Monarda throw the bolt home and turn back to me with a searching gaze.

  I tensed. “What?”

  Monarda shrugged, and showed me her open palms in the universal gesture of not-a-threat. “Just wondering how you’re doing.”

  I eyed her hands with some suspicion. I knew how fast she could make a knife appear.

  She saw my wariness and snorted, albeit gently. “Easy, girl. I’m here to protect you, not hurt you.”

  I slumped in my seat, lowering my gaze to the tabletop, where a knot had clenched the wood grain into a dense, bunched whorl. I traced it lightly with my fingers.

  “How do I know you can tell the difference,” I muttered, not looking up, or even really asking a question.

  Monarda answered anyway.

  “Well, I did save your life twice today,” she pointed out, sauntering over. She pulled back the chair across from me with a scrape and sat.

  I swallowed, feeling the lump in my throat. “And now you want me to turn myself in. To them.” I shook my head at her in disbelief, though in truth I was mostly fishing for a reaction.

  A deep part of me desperately wanted Monarda and Aralia to admit—to really be able to see—what this decision would cost me, starving for some inkling that my plight here as a tea girl mattered to them.

  If it didn’t, I might as well truly be alone. I let out a shuddering breath, remembering the hard glint in Creswell’s eyes as he prowled towards me—

  —a social viotion like you is dangerous because it is so insidious—

  —deviant little snack—

  —you’ll at least be good for that, won’t you—

  Another involuntary shudder passed through me. If these older girls who now held me in their power couldn’t or wouldn’t see the shakiness of my position–so much more vulnerable, even, than their own–then were they actually any safer than boys like Creswell?

  There was a silence, as we both watched my trembling fingers brush slowly back and forth, caressing the scars and stains in the wood.

  In me there was a grim certainty uncoiling, its shell cracking and fking away to reveal a terrible, hopeless knowing. My decision was already made. There was no way I was abandoning Mi here, to be hunted down by baying bloodthirsty packs of bootlickers and Ministry inquisitors. And no matter what, I had to warn her.

  “Ellie, I know how insane this pn sounds,” Monarda said softly. “I’ve been a prisoner of their power before. When I was a child. Aralia too.”

  I gnced up quickly.

  Her eyes fred like candle fmes through a night window, fierce and dark and liquid. “Are you surprised by that?”

  I bit my lip, then nodded.

  “It was a living nightmare, that pce,” Monarda said slowly, her gaze never leaving mine. “I thought I would die there, and I’ll tell you pinly that part of me prayed for death every night, just so it would finally be over. As bad as it was for me, though, I know it was far worse for the kids among us who were known by our captors to be kuffa.”

  I felt my shoulders rex a little at this acknowledgment. Maybe I could trust—at least a little bit—that she knew how much Aralia was asking of me. “How did you escape?” I asked quietly.

  Monarda sighed. “My sister, Emilia, she came for me. Got herself caught on purpose, so our cns could track the transport ship and come find and free us all.”

  “Oh,” I exhaled, my fingers pausing in their listless tracing of the tabletop. “That’s…so brave,” I offered, briefly astonished out of my self-absorption.

  She leaned closer, her dark eyes glowing luminous. “Beyond brave,” she agreed softly. “To risk so much.”

  Her hand reached slowly across the table towards mine.

  I went very still, like a rabbit under the shadow of a hawk. Gncing up, I saw her looking at me with a question dancing in her gaze.

  Her fingers slowly encountered and enfolded mine in a warm, firm hold. Against her callused pads I could feel the softness of my skin, my own ck of protection. I closed my eyes, quivering, as she gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

  “Ellie.”

  With an effort, I opened my eyes into hers, waiting.

  “All of us know how vulnerable this pn makes you, and just how much it asks of you. Take Aralia’s offer of a ship if you must, but if you decide to remain here, we will have your back all the way. We’ll protect you. Trust me, we won’t leave you hung out to dry here.”

  I searched her open fierceness, and found no lie. “I don’t even know who you people are,” I said pintively.

  “Maybe not, but today you found out what I’m like when I decide to keep someone safe.” Monarda leaned forward and my breath hitched as she tugged me closer.

  “The thing about me is, I don’t let go,” she whispered.

  Her thumb brushed deliberately across the sensitive skin of my palm and I couldn’t hold back the soft shameless noise that welled up from my throat, almost a whimper.

  I looked back down at the table, blushing furiously, but not before I saw the curve of her smile. “Do you promise?” I asked, gncing shyly back up.

  Monarda smiled, a real full smile, with a hint of relief. “I promise.”

  “Okay,” I breathed, holding her gaze.

  We stayed like that for a long moment.

  Then, in one smooth, unduting movement, I slipped my hand out of hers and slid down in my seat and onto my knees.

  “Um. Ellie?”

  Her knees were directly in front of me. I scooted forward until I could peek up at her from under the edge of the table. She blinked back in astonishment.

  “Don’t worry,” I assured her, fluttering my shes just a little. “I’ll stay.”

  “That’s wonderful, but, why are you, ah—?”

  She parted her knees so she could stare quizzically down at me between them, which suited my purpose just fine. I took the opening, squirming forward and ying my cheek on top of her thigh.

  “Um. Ellie, what are you doing?”

  “What do you think?” I turned my head and deliberately held her gaze as I nibbled the fabric of her pants over her inner thigh.

  “Oh shit, Ellie,” she breathed, gncing at the door.

  “Don’t be shy,” I said pyfully, running my hands lightly down the backs of her calves. “You liked pying around with me just fine, earlier. We both know that soon you’ll be able to use my tongue whenever you want. Why not begin now?”

  Monarda stared at me, open-mouthed, and gave a little astonished ugh.

  I felt my face reddening under her gaze but ploughed forward anyway. “Aralia’s already got a head start on you, might as well catch up while you can.”

  She cocked her head, a saucy grin curving her lips. “Oho, so Aralia’s been treating herself to you behind all our backs, has she?”

  I shrugged, letting my fingers do their work. “It’s not like I mind the attention. The more the merrier, I always say.” I marveled internally at the sound of my own voice—teasy, unruffled, sexy.

  “You are such a little…” she trailed off, shaking her head in wonder. There was a pause, and she seemed to come to a decision. “All right, slut.”

  I flushed a little, a glow igniting between my own thighs. My gaze was fixed on her hands as they unbuckled her belt, though my attention stayed with what my own fingers were doing. I made a soft noise of anticipation as the belt came undone and she ughed and paused teasingly, staring down at me with a glint in her eyes.

  “You want something, Ellie?”

  I bit my lip, and nodded eagerly.

  “Go ahead, then.”

  I scooted backwards, stood up on the other side of the table, and brushed myself off.

  Monarda looked up at me curiously for a moment, and something in my expression made her frown.

  Then I broke for the door.

  She jumped up, cursing, then fell right over in ctter, her feet tangled in the chair. I paused in the doorway to watch the realization fsh across her face as she looked down at her feet and saw that I’d tied her bootces to the chair legs.

  “What the—” Monarda shot me a gre. “For fuck’s sake, Ellie!”

  I gave her a weak smile and a shrug. “I promise I’ll be back. And I am going to stay. I just have to do one thing first, sorry?”

  “You little—!” She tried to struggle up again and immediately tripped and fell over with a crash. “Ohh, I’m going to make you pay for this!”

  “Okayy!” I sang, shutting the door behind me. Then I was off, running down the underground service tunnel towards the basement of Stormcroft dormitory.