The fire had retreated to a dull, pulsing orange glow, casting long, skeletal shadows against the log walls. The cold was a physical predator, pacing the perimeter of the room, but the heat under the wool blankets was stifling. Elias lay on his back, his chest rising and falling in a slow, heavy rhythm, while Briony stared at the ceiling, her body still humming with the aftershocks of his intrusion."My father didn't just lose that land in a poker game, Briony," Elias said suddenly, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that cut through the whistling wind.Briony shifted, the movement causing the dried fluids between her thighs to itch. "What are you talking about?""The reason I've spent ten years trying to buy back every acre your family owns," he said, turning his head to look at her. His eyes were dark pits of ancient resentment. "Your grandfather knew my old man was desperate. He knew the bank was closing in. He didn't just buy the deed; he forced my father to sign a confession of
Last Updated : 2026-03-21 Read more