Chapter 17

Rilla’s POV

"I told you, I am not a doctor anymore," a man snapped from the hallway.

I didn't open my eyes. The voice was sharp, echoing off hard walls that didn't sound like the hospital. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a heavy stone, and every breath I took was a jagged struggle. The air here was different. It didn't smell like bleach and old floor wax. It smelled like cedar, expensive wax, and dried rain. It smelled like a home.

Specifically, it smelled like their home.

The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow. I tried to bolt upright, but a sharp metal jingle stopped me cold. My right wrist was clamped in a heavy steel cuff, chained to the headboard. The cold metal bit into my skin as I strained against it. Panic rose in my throat, hot and suffocating. They really did it. They took me.

"I already talked to Romilly," a second voice said, sounding tired. "He is stuck in surgery all day. You spent three years in med school, Robbie. Just do it."

"That was a lifetime ago," the first voice, Robbie, growled. "I forgot everything. Get a real medic."

"We cannot bring a stranger here to look at her. Do you want her to die or not?"

"I want her healthy enough to film," Robbie said, his voice dropping into a cruel, flat tone. "We need a video to send to that bastard Riley. Once he sees us with her, she can rot for all I care."

Riley? The name meant nothing to me. I had never heard it before in my life. Why would they use me to hurt a man I didn't even know?

"If you want her to look good for the camera, you have to check her over," the second man insisted.

"I am not touching her without a reason," Robbie spat. "Do it yourself."

"What is the problem now?" A third voice joined them. This one was deeper, carrying a weight of authority that made the others go quiet for a second.

"Royal, tell him to check her," the second voice said. "He knows what he is doing."

"The girl is not going to die," someone else muttered. I recognized that one. It was the sharp, indifferent tone of someone who viewed me as trash on the bottom of a shoe. "Stop bothering everyone. Just make sure she gets tested for diseases before we do anything. I am not putting myself inside some sick bitch."

"Romilly handled it," Royal said. "She is clean."

"Good. Then let’s go see our guest together."

The sound of multiple sets of boots hitting the hardwood floor sent a jolt of electricity through my nerves. They were coming in. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my body to go limp. I tried to regulate my breathing, hoping they would think I was still under. Maybe if I stayed still, they would leave. Maybe they wouldn't look at me.

The door creaked on its hinges. The heavy presence of five men filled the room, making the air feel thick and hard to breathe.

"She should be awake by now," Royal said. He sounded like he was standing right at the foot of the bed. "It has been over twenty four hours."

"She is faking it," a voice whispered near my ear.

My heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice better than my own. He always knew when I was pretending to sleep. Back when things were different, he used to use it as an excuse to tickle me or whisper secrets. Now, it just sounded like a threat.

I knew the game was up. I slowly opened my lids and stared at them.

They stood in a semi circle, five shadows from a past I had tried to bury. Once, these men were my world. Now, they were strangers wearing familiar skin. Each one had found a different way to break me.

I looked at the one I had loved. We used to share dreams under the stars. He had promised me a ring and a future. He told me he would claim me the moment I turned eighteen. His green eyes used to be soft, but now they were as cold as glass.

Then there was the one who didn't wait for me to turn eighteen. He took what he wanted a month early, ripping my world apart. I couldn't tell anyone, not even the man I loved. How do you tell your soulmate that his best friend destroyed you?

My gaze shifted to the one who had beaten me until my bones snapped, while the man I loved watched from the corner and did nothing. I still saw that scene every time I closed my eyes to sleep.

The fourth one was the bully. He had made every day of my youth a living hell, mocking my clothes and my face just because he could. I took it all with a smile because they were a package deal, and I wanted to belong.

The last one simply hated me. There was no reason for it. He looked at me like I was a stain on a white rug. He still did.

I had been loved, raped, broken, and mocked by the five people I trusted most.

Ripley stepped toward the bed, a jagged smile on his face. "Still playing games, Rilla? You always were a brat."

I didn't give him the satisfaction of a response. Speaking would only give them an opening to hurt me more. I didn't have any fight left in me.

Ripley glanced at Robbie. "Royal wants a medical check, right? Why don't you check her down there? See if she is still worth using or if she is worn out."

Robbie looked at him with a flash of genuine loathing. "And if she is?"

"Then we will just close our eyes," Ripley laughed. It was a dark, wet sound. "Do you have a tool? She looks so filthy I don't want to use my hands yet."

"My equipment is for people, not trash," Robbie said.

I turned my head away, staring out the window at the grey sky. I let my mind drift. I had learned how to do this over the years. When men talked about my body like it was a piece of meat, I simply left. I went to a place inside my head where their words couldn't reach.

Just let them do it and leave. That was my mantra.

"Use this," Philip said. Something small and metallic thudded onto the mattress.

Ripley moved closer. I felt the edge of the bed sink under his weight. I kept my eyes on the window, refusing to acknowledge him.

"Spread your legs," Ripley commanded.

I felt something cold and sharp slide against the skin of my inner thigh. It was a warning.

I did exactly what he said. I opened myself up to them, my expression blank and my heart like lead. I had survived this before. I would survive it again. Men were the same everywhere, whether they had fur or not. They were all monsters in the end.

"Are you going to watch, or are you going to help?" Ripley asked.