Matt’s friend grabs a handful of my hair and lifts my head until I can see him. My scalp burns from the abuse, which sucks, because it’s still sore from Barrett’s grip last night. “If we put you down, are you going to scream?”

I shake my head, which makes it hurt worse. I’m so tired and bruised from bouncing around on Matt’s shoulder that breathing deeply is painful. Screaming won’t even be possible until I can properly fill my lungs.

Matt sets me down. I stumble, dizzy from the sudden change in orientation, then I find my balance. I’m alone in the woods with two strange men. I have no idea how far they’ve taken me from the shelter.

“I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding about our intentions,” the one with shorter hair says. “This is Matt. I’m Stewart. We don’t want to hurt you. We just want your company. And in exchange, we’re offering to keep you safe.”

“It’s a pretty common arrangement in places like this,” Matt says. “And despite the fact that we ran into you on a prison planet, we’re actually decent guys. Non-violent offenders. We got arrested a couple of years ago, for violating probation after being paroled on drug convictions.”

“On a planet with completely unreasonable legislation on recreational drug usage,” Stewart adds.

Matt nods. “There aren’t many women in this zone.” They don’t seem to know about the women freed from the Resort, and I’m not going to tell them. “Those who do pop up are…coveted,” he continues. “You’re not going to make it out here on your own.”

“I’m not on my own,” I insist through clenched teeth.

Matt crosses his arms over his chest. “You looked pretty alone to me. Where was Barrett, if he’s supposed to be watching out for you?”

Explaining to them that my prison boyfriend tried to kill me in his sleep will not help my case. So I remain silent.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Stewart asks.

I glance from one to the other, and finally I decide that telling them my name can’t possibly worsen my position. “Mallory.”

“Well, Mallory, I promise you’re in better hands with us than with Barrett Oliver, if the rumors about him are even half-true.”

They may be right. But even if I thought they could protect me in a zone half-populated with gladiators—and I don’t—theirs are not the hands I want to be in.

I want to be with Barrett.

“We have a place not far from here,” Stewart says, brushing stringy strands of brown hair back from his forehead. “Why don’t we head there, and we can get to know each other better?”

“No. Thanks. Take me back, please.”

They exchange a glance. “That’s not going to happen,” Matt says. “The longer we’re out walking around with you, the greater the chance that you’ll be seen, and that’s the last thing you want.”

“It seems a little too late for me to avoid that.”

Stewart snorts. “Considering who you could have been found by in this zone, you’re lucky.”

He has no idea how true that is. “Well then, I’m thankful.” I don’t argue, because that never improves my position. “But I have to go.” I take two steps back, but before I can turn around, Stewart grabs my arm. His grip his tight enough to bruise.

“We’re too nice to let you go back out there and get hurt.”

“Is that your way of saying you’re not going to let me go?” I pull on my arm, but he doesn’t release it.

“I’m saying that the least you can do is give our arrangement a shot.”

“So, I have no choice?”

“Try not to look at it like that,” Matt suggests. “We’re not saying you have to stay with us forever. Just that it’s not safe for you to be out here on your own, so you may as well try it our way.”

They’re the most polite kidnappers I’ve ever met.

I try to pull my arm free again, but Stewart’s grip tightens until it truly hurts. They’re not as strong as Barrett. But there are two of them, and I’m in no shape to outrun them, or anyone else I bump into on my way back to the shelter.

My options are few, and for the first time in my life, that truly pisses me off. Because finally, I’ve had a taste of something better.

“You could at least have the balls to say it,” I spit at them. “That you’re not going to let me go.” If I’d said anything of the sort to Varian, he’d have shoved me face down on the ground and beaten my ass until I couldn’t sit for a week. As a starting point.

But these men don’t have that in them. They’re assholes, but they’re not Varian. In that respect, I guess I am lucky.

“We’re not going to let you go until you’ve given this a fair chance,” Stewart concedes. Then he starts hauling me through the forest, presumably headed toward whatever rundown structure they call home.

“Can I at least have a pee break?” I ask, but Stewart keeps pulling on me. “Seriously. Matt’s had his shoulder pressed into my bladder for the past half hour.”

Matt groans, but he stops walking. “Fine.” He spreads his arms. “Pick a tree.”

Like I’m just going to hike my leg up. I try to go behind a clump of brush, but Stewart grabs my arm again. “Stay in sight.”

Bastards.

I lower my pants as I squat, right in front of them, and do my best to avoid peeing on myself. They left my satchel in the field near the shelter, and it may have already been discovered by other prisoners tromping through the area. Which means my extra clothes and the rag and towel Barrett gave me could be gone. As could my food. And…everything else I own.

As I stand and pull my pants up, I catch a glimpse of something unexpected over Matt’s shoulder. I suck in a sharp breath, and he turns to look. “What?”

“Nothing. Just the indignity of peeing in front of strangers.” In front of more strangers than I’d expected, in fact. Over his shoulder, I saw two women, mostly hidden by a thick tree trunk. They’re gone now, presumably hiding behind that same trunk. But they were there. One had long blond hair tied back from her face. The other was taller, with dark hair and a very toned physique.

I didn’t recognize either of them, which means they aren’t escapees from the Resort. I don’t know if they can help me, or if they will, even if they can. But I’m not about to point them out to men who’ve already taken one woman against her will.

I pay attention to my surroundings as Matt and Stewart march me through the woods, both because I need to know the way back—I will get back to Barrett—and because there could be more women out here. Wherever those two came from, they can’t be on their own. Not if they’ve been here for more than five minutes.

We walk for the next half hour, and I don’t see anyone else in the woods. I do occasionally feel like I’m being watched, but I’m afraid that’s more wishful thinking on my part than anything else.

The sun is high in the sky, and the day is sweltering by the time Matt and Stewart lead me out of the forest, heading toward a cluster of three buildings situated downhill, in a sort of valley. This isn’t a one-person storm shelter. This is a…settlement.

I stop walking. “How many people live down there?”

Matt shrugs. “Couple dozen. Don’t worry, this is a small community. Nowhere near as big as the city.”

“How many women?”

“One, now,” Stewart says.

“No. No way.” I dig in my heels and stop walking. “You said you brought me here because it’s not safe for me to be out there alone, but how safe is one woman in a community full of men?”

“It’s not really a community,” Matt insists. “More like a bunch of loners living in proximity to one another.”

“We’ll sneak you in.” Stewart grabs my arm and starts pulling me toward the buildings, and when I suck in a breath to object again, he turns on me with a fierce look. “If you start making noise, you’ll only draw attention to yourself.”

“So I’m just supposed to sit in your room and be quiet for the rest of my life?”

“Well, you won’t just be sitting,” Matt says, and I can tell from his tone that he means that to be funny. But it isn’t. I’d rather fend off Barrett’s bad dreams for eternity than let one of these assholes touch me.

Matt studies the cluster of buildings. “She’s got a point. There’s no one on the first floor of that one, right?” He points to the only building on the left side of the street.

“That’s because there’s no running water.” Stewart sighs. “It’s less than ideal, but… Let’s set up there for now. I’ll take her to the first room with a functioning door. You go get the rest of our shit.”

Matt looks like he’d like to argue, but I’ve already figured out which of them is the leader here. Though I use the term loosely.

Matt veers across the street, and Stewart tugs me toward the structure on the left, his gaze constantly roaming the buildings for faces in windows, even though we’re approaching from the rear. I follow him into a back hallway through an exterior door that no longer closes properly, and I’m terrified to make a sound.

What if they were wrong? What if someone else does live on this floor?

The first functional door is the third one down the hall, and it leads into a dorm-style room linked to another room by a shared bathroom. There’s a small bed with a bare, stained mattress against one wall. The dresser on the opposite wall is missing all of its drawers, and something disgusting has dried to the top surface.

Through the door into the bathroom, I see a grimy tub and toilet, as well as the open doorway into the next room. Presumably, there’s also a sink, but if there’s no running water, none of that matters. I’ve spent the past five years as Varian’s personal possession, then as a prostitute at the Resort, neither of which were good ways for a woman to live. But at least I had access to functional showers and hot meals.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask as Stewart slides the bedroom door closed behind us. “You two are going to share me?”

He shrugs as he sets his pack on the floor, his gaze glued to the front of my shirt. “We get along okay. I think that’ll work.”

I swallow my disgust.

“Come here,” he says, but I stand my ground in the middle of the small room. He rolls his eyes as he saunters toward me. “Oh come on. I’m not that bad.” He stops inches away, and when I refuse to retreat, he runs his hands slowly up my arms. “You might even like me, if you give me a chance.” He leans in and the second his lips touch my neck, I step back.

I can’t do it. I don’t want him to touch me.

Years pleasing Varian and his friends on command. Months of being rented out to guests and UA investors. And this is where I draw the line? Why? Stewart doesn’t even seem to want to hurt me. So why can’t I just give him and Matt what they want, then bide my time until they fall asleep, so I can escape?

Something has changed. I can’t do that anymore. I don’t think I can turn off the part of me that cares who puts what between my legs. Because I didn’t have to do that with Barrett.

It’s only been a few hours, and the last time I saw him, he was trying to kill me. But god I miss him.

“Don’t be like that,” Stewart snaps as he advances on me. But I can’t help it. I keep retreating until my back hits the wall, and then I’m caught. “Shhh…” he warns, one finger pressed to his lips as his hand slides beneath my blouse. “If you make a fuss, someone might hear you.”

“Stop.” I smack his hand out from under my shirt, and his gaze hardens. “I don’t want—” No. It’s not just that. “I’m not going to do this.”

Stewart frowns. “Sweetheart, you need to reassess your options. I’m the lesser of about two dozen evils.” He spreads his arms to take in all three buildings in this little settlement.

“No.”

He chuckles. “That’s cute.” He captures my wrists, then pulls them over my head and pins them against the wall with one hand. “I dare you to scream.”

I can’t do that. Nor can I free my arms. So I shove my knee up, but he catches it with his outer thigh. “Sweetheart, I don’t want to hurt you, but you try that again, and this is gonna get much less pleasant.”

“That’s a pretty low bar,” I tell him through clenched teeth.

The door opens behind Stewart, and Matt comes in, carrying another bag. “What’s going on?” he asks as the door closes again.

“She’s not cooperating.”

“Well, maybe you’re not explaining the situation very well.”

“Fine.” Stewart lets me go, and I rub my wrists while he backs away with a huff. “You try.”

Matt sets the bag down and glances around the room. When he realizes there’s nowhere else to sit, he perches on the side of the bed. “Will you come sit?” He actually pats the mattress. “Please. I just want to talk. I’m afraid we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”

Stewart rolls his eyes at his friend’s cordial approach. Which is why I cross the room to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Thank you,” Matt says. “You’re beautiful. Did you know that?”

“Oh my god. Are you going to recite poetry next?” Stewart demands. “This isn’t the fucking prom. She needs protection. We need…companionship. This arrangement makes perfect sense.”

Matt shrugs, without taking his focus from my eyes. “He’s not wrong. We’re about as good as it gets out here, but if you’d rather take your chances—”

“I would.” I stand, and Matt’s hand closes over my arm with a grip like steel. Before I can process the change in his expression, he jerks me backward and shoves me onto the bed, where he straddles me with both hands anchoring my shoulders to the mattress.

“That’s not the option you were supposed to choose.” He huffs at my shock. “What, you thought I was the nice one? I can be. This doesn’t have to get nasty. But you’re going to give us a chance, before you make up your mind.”

What? “I don’t have to stay?”

“Of course not. We’re not savages. But you do have to give this a fair shot. Give us a fair shot. Then, if you don’t think this is going to work…” He shrugs. “…at least you gave it a try.”

“So, if I sleep with you—with both of you—you’ll let me go?”

“Well, that’s an inelegant way of putting it.” He finally lets go of my shoulders. “But yes, that would satisfy the criteria for giving this a shot.”

I close my eyes. I can’t—

What if Barrett gets mad? What if he doesn’t want me back, after this?

“So, are we good?” Matt asks, and when the mattress bobs beneath me, I open my eyes. He’s holding one hand out to me, to help me off the bed.

I nod. I don’t see any other choice. Barrett doesn’t have to know. Right? He can’t get mad about what he doesn’t know about, and I can do this. I’ve done this a thousand times.

Turn it off.

I learned that after the bodyguard lineup. The next time Varian wanted me to make one of his friends happy, I realized that I only had to give up my body for that. My mind was free to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

I take Matt’s hand and let him pull me off the bed. “That’s a good girl,” he murmurs as he tugs me close. I close my eyes as he slides my shirt over my shoulders then off my arms, leaving me in my sports bra and pants. His lips land on my neck and when he starts kissing his way toward my jaw, I retreat to my imaginary shuttle.

Galley with a coffee pot and a food synthesizer. A little table by the—

His hands slide over my waist and down to my backside, where he squeezes, pressing me against him so that I can feel his erection through his pants.

No. Shuttle.

There’s a little table against one wall of the galley, with only two chairs, because that’s all we’ll need. One for me, one for Barrett, and—

A firm warmth presses against my back, and I’m sandwiched between Matt and Stewart now. Mouths on both sides of my neck. Hands everywhere.

My heart thunders in my ears. I don’t like this. I feel trapped.

“Wait,” I whisper, trying to wedge my hands between myself and Matt’s chest. “Wait, not together. Please. One at a time, okay?”

“Shhh…” Stewart murmurs as his hand slides around my waist and beneath the front of my pants. “Just go with it. I promise it’ll feel good.”

Matt tries to push my bra up, and I shove him away. I can’t help it. I don’t want this, and my imaginary shuttle isn’t helping.

His hand tightens on my arm. “You said you’d give us a chance.”

“But not like this. Please, not like this.”

Stewart’s grip on me tightens until he’s pinning me with my back against his chest. “Get her pants.”

“No. Please, no!” I beg as Matt’s hands slide down my hips, beneath both my underwear and the pants.

“Shhh…” Stewart whispers into my ear, his erection pressing into the cleft of my ass, through both layers of our clothing. “We’ll go slow. It won’t hurt much, if you let yourself enjoy it.”

“No!” I shove at Matt again, and this time he stumbles backward, his hands ripped from my waistband. His foot catches one of the rear legs of the bed, and he goes down hard. But he’s up in an instant, and his arm flies almost too fast for me to see. The back of his hand hits my cheek, and pain explodes in my face. I would be on the floor right now if Stewart weren’t holding me up.

“You agreed to this,” Matt reminds me. “So be an adult and honor your word.”

I touch my cheek, and I almost expect to find it grotesquely swollen, but despite the pain, it feels normal, except for the rapidly rising heat beneath my fingers. That’s going to hurt tomorrow.

Blood rushes in my ears, but beneath that, as Matt reaches for my pants again, I hear a familiar soft, sliding whisper behind me.

The door. Someone’s heard me and has come to investigate. This is about to get even worse.

Stewart stiffens against my back. He makes a gurgling sound in my ear, and his grip on me goes slack. Finally, Matt looks up. His eyes widen, and he backs away from me with both hands up, as if he’s under arrest.

Fear and adrenaline make my pulse race. I spin around to face the new threat, and—

I don’t understand.

Stewart’s eyes are wide. He coughs, and blood bubbles up from his throat. He falls forward and his knees slam into the floor. I jump back, out of his way, just as I realize the person standing behind him isn’t another man, come to join the party. It’s the dark-haired woman from the woods. She’s holding a knife.

Blood drips from her blade onto the floor.

Stewart falls forward and lands at my feet. He’s not breathing. There’s a bloody hole in the back of his shirt.

“Sylvie. Fuck.” Matt grabs my arm and pulls me against him, and I can’t tell if he’s using me as a shield or trying to protect me from the woman with a bloody blade in her hand and murder in her eyes.

“Let her go,” Sylvie demands, and now I have my answer.

“We weren’t going to hurt her,” Matt insists. “She agreed to this, so there’s no need for—”

“You’re going to want to familiarize yourself with the definition of coercion,” Sylvie says. “Let her go. Last chance.”

A man appears in the doorway behind her, and I gasp. He’s huge, and there’s an ugly scar running down his left cheek.

Turn around, I mentally plead with her. The other men in the settlement have heard us.

“The fuck are you?” Matt demands of the man. Sylvie pivots, but she doesn’t look worried about the newcomer.

Another man shoves the first man over, and he’s just as broad, but not as tall as the man with the scar. “Damn it, Sylvie!” this man says, his gaze caught on Stewart’s corpse. “You were supposed to wait for us!”

“I’m not just going to let them attack her, Graham.” Sylvie turns back to Matt and me. “Let her go now, and I won’t kill you.”

For a second, Matt’s grip on my arm tightens. He’s breathing too quickly. Panicking. Then he shoves me to the left and launches himself to the right.

I stumble toward the dresser, trying to keep my feet under me, but then I trip over someone’s backpack. The room spins around me as I fall, and pain splits the back of my skull, on the left side. My head feels like a melon dropped on concrete.

I hit the floor and have just a glimpse of Matt’s lower legs and shoes racing into the bathroom, where another door leads into the next room. Then my eyes are too heavy to hold open.

“Fuck. Get him, Ty!” Sylvie snaps quietly. “Graham, help me with her!”

Footsteps thunder past my head, and I force my eyes open one more time as the huge man with the scar races into the bathroom. The other man kneels over me, and suddenly I realize I know him. He’s staring at me as if—

My eyes start to close again, and this time I can’t stop that.

“Hey! No, stay awake. Sylvie, she’s losing—”

“—bleeding all over my arm,” a deep male voice says, and the world sways beneath me. All around me. My legs are dangling. My head feels heavy. I can’t make my eyes open, but sunlight shines through my eyelids, turning the world a deep red color that seems appropriate, considering what planet I’m on.

“Head wounds always bleed a lot,” Sylvie says. “I have a rag, but it’s not very clean. That’s better than nothing, though, so—”

“—she still breathing?” It’s Sylvie again.

“Yeah,” a man answers, but his voice isn’t as deep as the other one.

I try to turn my head, and pain lances my skull.

“She’s moving,” the deep voice says, and distantly I realize that the steel rods beneath my shoulders and my knees are his arms. I’m being carried. But not by Barrett.

I try to sit up, and someone pushes me back down. I try to kick, and a set of hands clamps down on my ankles.

“Just hold still, hon,” Sylvie says, and when I force my eyes open, I see her face, backlit by bright sunlight, which leaves a halo around her entire head. “We’re almost there.”

Almost where? But my mouth can’t make the question work. This must be how Barrett—

“—did you find her?” a new female voice asks.

“In that little settlement, about half an hour from here,” Sylvie says. “I figured that’s where they were going, so I followed them, while Audra came back here for help. Back up and give her a little space. I’m sure she’ll wake up soon, if we let her breathe.”

The steel rods beneath me are gone. I’m lying on something soft.

“Oh my god, it’s Mallory!”

I know that voice. That’s Lilli. My heart jumps, but my eyes still won’t open. The voices sound distorted. “Lilllll…” I manage.

“Yes, Mal, it’s me. You’re home. Just get some rest, and we’ll talk when you wake up.”

Home? I make my eyes open, and Lilli is peering down at me. There are other faces all around hers, but I can’t bring them into focus.

“Just rest, hon,” she says again. And that seems to be my only option, because I can’t—

“Guys! There’s someone outside. He’s a big fucker, coming right at us.”

“Go get Ty,” Sylvie says. “And find Callum and Sebastian. Everybody grab a spear. This is what we trained—”