The Devil's Pit

by Naomi Martin

  “You have nothing to be jealous about,” she says.

  I clear my throat and try to work up my nerve. I hadn’t planned on having this conversation with her but, deep down, I know I should. I’ve wanted to know where I stand with her for a while now. And the only way I’m going to find out is if I ask her. The thought of being that assertive sends a nervous ripple through me. I’ve never been great about confrontation—not even when all I’m confronting is truth and feeling. But I want to know. I feel myself falling for this girl, and I don’t want to let myself get in too deep if it’s not reciprocated.

  Letting out a breath, I square my shoulders and look at her directly. Raven’s icy blue eyes make my heart turn somersaults in my chest. I’m transfixed by her lush, full lips, and soft alabaster-colored skin.

  “So, I shouldn’t be jealous?” I ask. “Even though you’ve got feelings for Zane and Gray, too?”

  She gives me a meek smile and looks down. But she grips my hands tighter and when she finally does look up at me, I see a determination in her expression and nothing but affection in her eyes.

  “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I care about all of you, Elliot. Each of you has stolen a piece of my heart,” she says. “And I feel like, together, the four of us have a bond that’s unique. And powerful. I feel like together, we all complete each other in some way. Like somehow, the four of us were drawn to each other. Like for some reason, we’re supposed to be together.”

  I sit back for a long moment and let her words rattle around inside my head. I want to reject them. I can’t see how the four of us are supposed to be together. It’s weird. It’s not natural. And yet, somehow, I can’t let go of the idea that she’s right. I’ve felt my own power grow when she and the other two boys came into my life, and I can’t deny that—as much as I might want to.

  But I can’t quite get over the strangeness of it. She looks over at me and I see a sheepish smile cross her face.

  “I’m sorry,” she says. “I shouldn’t be dropping all of this on you right now. Not like this. I’m still trying to sort it all out in my own head.”

  I laugh. “I don’t know that there’s a good time to drop something like that,” I tell her. “I mean—”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this weird,” she cuts me off. “I just… I wanted to be honest with you. And, honestly, I don’t know what’s going to happen. We could all be dead tomorrow, for all I know.”

  I nod, hearing the truth in her words. We very well could all be dead tomorrow. So, I suppose I can’t I really blame her for exploring her… feelings. I’m not comfortable with it, but this isn’t about me. And it would be wrong to make it about me.

  Raven gets to her feet and turns to me. “All you need to know, all that should matter, is that I care about you,” she tells me. “And I hope you believe that.”

  She turns on her heels and I watch as she walks out of my cell. The bubble of happiness we’d been in suddenly pops, leaving me alone in silence with nothing but my thoughts.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Raven

  The pain is excruciating but thankfully, when their backs are turned, I’m able to channel some of my power to take the edge off of it. Fry and Keene step into the observation room but leave the door open. I’m strapped to the chair, channeling my power to ease my hurts while I listen to them.

  “Her strength is extraordinary,” Keene says, sounding fascinated.

  “She’s far too powerful,” Fry replies. “She should be destroyed. Immediately.”

  “Are you mad? Think of the implications, Carol,” he insists. “Think about what we can learn. Think of what we can do if we can somehow tap into that girl’s power. If we can find some way to harness—”

  “Harness it? That’s ridiculous,” she snaps. “You see how obstinate that girl is. She will never—”

  “I didn’t say it would be voluntary.”

  Something in his voice sends a cold chill down my spine. There’s something so ominous and evil in his tone that I can’t help but be frightened by it. At the same time, hearing them speak about me as if I’m simply some… thing for them to use as they see fit, or destroy me if I no longer serve their purposes, fills me with a rage that defies description. And as my anger rises, so too does my power. It churns in my belly and I feel it yearning to get out.

  “Calm down,” I mutter to myself. “Calm down.”

  I take a breath and let it out slowly, willing myself to stay calm. To back my power down and not let it get out of hand.

  I’ve purposely held back in today’s testing session. I don’t want to give them any more information about my abilities than I have to. Not while I’m still trying to figure it all out myself. And certainly not while I’m planning. I’m going to find a way out of this prison—and Zane, Elliot, and Gray are all coming with me.

  “I believe you’re wrong,” Fry says in the other room. “I think you’re so blinded by your own ambitions that you’re not seeing clearly. She’s going to be more of a problem than you recognize.”

  “And you are free to believe what you want,” Keene says. “But this is my facility and I will do as I see fit.”

  “Clearly.”

  “I’m not forcing you to work with her,” Keene replies. “If you think she’s too dangerous, don’t work with her. I do not care.”

  “Just know that you are responsible for whatever havoc she wreaks,” Fry snaps. “And she will wreak havoc on his facility. Mark my words.”

  I hear a door slide open and close again—presumably Fry storming out of the observation room. I’m sure if she’d been able to slam the door behind her, she would have. The woman knows how to make a dramatic exit.

  A moment later, Keene comes back into the room and starts taking the electrodes off of me. His expression is dark and tinged with anger. Fry obviously got under his skin, distracting him. If he notices that I’m not in sheer agony, he doesn’t say anything about it.

  “We’re done for the day,” he announces.

  “Did you get what you needed?”

  He shrugs. “The information we are harvesting is invaluable,” he says. “It will assist us in a wide variety of endeavors.”

  “I’m sure.”

  Expecting me to be in pain, Keene helps me out of the chair. I play my role and act like a wounded bird, limping and cringing as he leads me back to the prison.

  “You and Dr. Fry sure don’t like each other very much,” I remark.

  “Our relationship is… complicated,” he replies. “Science is a very competitive field and we are very competitive people.”

  “Yeah, I guess learning how to commit a better genocide is a popular pursuit, huh?” I spit. “Real booming industry these days, I hear.”

  His expression darkens further as we get to the door. He opens it without another word and gives me a firm shove inside, shutting the door behind me. I look for the boys as I walk through the common area but when I don’t see them, I head toward my cell. I’d rather not hang out alone. Although the pain is relatively controlled, I’m still sore. And tired. Using as much of my power to heal myself as I did has left me feeling a bit wrung out.

  I get to my cell, flop down on my bed, and let out a long sigh. All I want to do is sleep. But as I lay there, I feel the presence looming in my doorway. I sit up quickly and relax when I see Gray standing there, a cocky grin on his face.

  “And what do you want, exactly?” I ask.

  “Just thought I’d pop in and see how you were doing,” he replies.

  “I’m okay. Tired, but okay.”

  He nods. “I’m glad.”

  Gray steps in and closes my cell door behind him. He turns my desk chair around and takes a seat, putting his feet up on the edge of my bed.

  “Where are Zane and Elliot?” I ask.

  “Am I their keeper or something?” He grins and when I arch an eyebrow at him, he holds his hand up. “Zane’s with Fry. I’m not sure where Elliot is right now.”

  I n
od. “So, you’re my bodyguard, then.”

  “Please, like you need a bodyguard.”

  “You three seem to think so,” I say. “You follow me around everywhere.”

  “Ever think that maybe it’s us who wants the protection?”

  I laugh heartily. “Right.”

  We sit quietly for a few moments and as I look at him, I feel myself growing warm. His gaze is smoldering and seems to melt my defenses without him even trying all that hard.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” I say.

  He grins. “I’m not sure they’re worth even that much.”

  “Shut up,” I laugh. “Seriously, what are you thinking about?”

  He shrugs. “Honestly, I was just thinking about how fucked up this place is,” he says. “But if not for it, I would’ve never met you.”

  “Look at you, finding silver linings.”

  “That’s me. Mr. Optimistic.”

  I cock my head as I look at him. “Does it bother you that I have feelings for Zane and Elliot?”

  He runs a hand over his face and frowns. “I can’t say I’m thrilled about it. Especially the vampire,” he says. “But it’s not for me to tell you who you can and can’t have feelings for. If you want me to be perfectly honest, I’m just glad that you spend time with me.”

  I smile, absorbing his words. “Zane isn’t nearly as bad as you think,” I tell him. “He’s got a good heart.”

  “I didn’t think vampires had hearts.”

  I laugh. “You know what I mean. He’s a good guy.”

  “He’s very fond of you. He protects you, and that’s good enough for me,” he says. “I mean, besides, it’s not like we’re ever getting out of here. Why shouldn’t you sample other things on the menu?”

  I laugh. “Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine.”

  “Sorry. It happens. I get a little down from time to time. I just… some days it hits me that I may spend the rest of my life here. I may never feel the sun on my face or run through the woods again,” he says. “I may never know anything more than these tiny, cramped cells. I may spend the rest of my life being told what to do and where to go, forced to fight in a pit where I very well may end up dead at some point. Not exactly a lot to be upbeat about.”

  His words are a dark cloud on a day that hadn’t exactly been bright, but certainly wasn’t so gloomy earlier. But I can see why he has such a dim outlook. While he’s usually a fairly upbeat and happy-ish person, this existence will wear you down. I know how easy it is to let it rob you of hope and turn your thoughts grim. Gray typically goes a good job of deflecting all that, but he’s human. Or rather, humanish. It’s got to get to him from time to time.

  I sit up and reach my hand out, and when he takes it, I pull him over to the bed so he’s sitting beside me. I turn and look him in the eye, holding his gaze firmly. When I speak, it’s low and earnest—I need him to believe me.

  “We’re going to get out of here,” I tell him. “And trust me, it’s going to be sooner, rather than later. I promise you.”

  A smile crosses his rugged face. He looks down at our hands, at our interlaced fingers, and he nods.

  “I believe you,” he says.

  “Good.”

  As I look into his eyes, I realize that I don’t even know if I believe what I’m saying. I want to believe it, but until I figure out the extent of my powers and how I can use them, I don’t know if I can back up that claim. As certain as I felt in the lab before, there are cracks in my confidence. I’m not so sure I’m as powerful as I think I am.

  Yeah, I can do some neat tricks and can summon enough power to do things others in the prison can’t do, but I don’t know that it’s enough. Not to get us out of here. Still, I don’t want to demoralize the boys by giving voice to these doubts about myself and my ability to do what I think I can. What I’ve claimed I can.

  Nor do I want to demoralize myself. I want—no, I need—to hang onto the shred of hope that I can do this. That I can master my powers and lead us out of here. I have to believe it. I can’t give into my fears, but I also can’t seem to get the voices of Fry and Keene out of my head. I keep hearing her advocating to destroy me and Keene saying they’ll find a way to harness my power. “I did not say it would be voluntary.”

  Just remembering what he said and the tone in his voice as he spoke the words makes my stomach clench painfully. As the statement echoes in my mind, I feel a cold thread of fear winding itself around my insides. It pulls tight, sending chills rushing through me, and I shudder. Gray wraps his arm around me and holds me close to him. I feel his warmth and the strength in his body, and it gives me some comfort.

  “You okay?” he asks.

  I nod. “Yeah. I just…”

  My voice trails off as I realize I don’t know what I was going to say. Fears, doubts, and insecurities rocket through my mind and leave me feeling shaken. Like a fraud. I realize I’ve been stupidly overconfident.

  “What is it?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

  Looking into his eyes, seeing the warmth and compassion there, I feel my heart flutter. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve Gray’s affection—or the affection of any of the boys, really—but I’m grateful for it all the same. In that moment, as I sit there feeling shaken, with my confidence ebbing, I just need to feel something good. Something real.

  I turn to Gray and stand up. He watches me with curiosity in his eyes. Leaning down, I plant my lips against his, then part them to allow his tongue into my mouth. He’s forceful and commanding, as I knew he would be, and his kiss leaves me lightheaded and giddy. As I pull back, I give him a smile.

  “What was that for?” he asks.

  “Shut up,” I say.

  I step forward and plant one knee on either side of him, straddling his lap as I wrap my arms around the back of his neck, clasping my hands together. His smile is wide and sultry; his breath, warm on my cheek, smells of berries. I settle myself down on his lap and feel the stiff length of his cock already pressed against my warm, wet center.

  “Somebody’s ready,” I laugh.

  “Somebody’s been ready for a while now.”

  Gray grabs the back of my head and presses his mouth to mine. He dashes his tongue between my lips, twining his fingers through my hair. He pulls on it as we kiss, as our tongues dance together in his mouth. As I grind myself down on him, feeling his thick, rigid cock, my whimpers are lost in his mouth as our kiss grows deeper and more passionate.

  I pull his shirt off and toss it behind him, sliding my hands down his hard, chiseled chest. I lean down and kiss him, running my tongue from one of his nipples all the way to the hollow of his neck. Gray shudders and moans and his cock feels impossibly hard against me. The heat burning between my thighs is intense, and I’m so wet I’ve soaked my panties through.

  “I love your scent,” he moans. “It’s driving me crazy.”

  “Then do something about it already.”

  He growls low and his deep voice rumbles deliciously across my skin, stoking the flames burning inside of me even higher. Gray stands up and I lock my legs around his waist as he carries me over to my desk. He sets me down on my feet and kisses my neck, making me yelp when he bites the flesh.

  Gray turns me around and bends me over my desk, holding me there with a hand pressed to the small of my back. With his other hand, he yanks my pants and underwear down to the middle of my thighs. I gasp when he drives two fingers into my pussy from behind. They slide in with ease. I cry out as he keeps me pinned to my desk and pumps his fingers into me, driving them in deep and hard. His fingers are thick, his movements rough, and it makes me moan wildly.

  I look over my shoulder at him and watch as he pulls his fingers out of me and slides them into his mouth, a wicked smile crossing his lips.

  “Sweet like candy,” he says, and I swear I almost cum right there.

  Gray keeps me pressed against the table as he steps forward and pulls his own pant
s down. I feel the head of his cock, swollen and thick, nestled between my slick folds. He drives himself into me without preamble and my eyes grow wide as a gasp bursts from my throat. As he stretches me open, I feel a slight pinch of pain that blends with a rush of pleasure, making it all the more vibrant.

  He pumps his hips hard, grunting as he slams himself into me, drawing a long, shuddering cry from my lips. The feeling of taking him so deep sets off explosions of pleasure within me. I squeeze my eyes shut and bite my bottom lip, the pleasure of his cock driving into me so powerfully rocking me to my very core.

  He puts both of his hands on my shoulders, pressing his fingers hard into my skin, and starts to thrust himself into me faster. Harder. The sharp crack of our flesh slapping together filling my ears. Gray pulls me back to him and I gasp as he plunges deep into me. The pleasure lights me up from head to toe and I bite my lip viciously, trying to keep myself from crying out loud.

  Gray pulls his cock out of me and pushes my pants down the rest of the way, making me step out of them. He lifts me like I’m light as a feather, holding me up high against the wall with my legs over his shoulders. Gray plunges his face between my thighs and I cry out as he drives his tongue inside of me. My breath quickens and my body tenses when he takes my clit between his teeth, sucking and nibbling on it.

  “Jesus, Gray. Oh-oh my God,” I stammer.

  Gray licks and laps at me, making me tremble and shake, and I’m gripped by rolling waves of pleasure. I grab onto his hair with both hands, pulling it tight, making him growl. Pressing my head back against the wall, I feel my entire body tightening. He lets out low moans of delight and slides his tongue along my slick opening. His deep, rumbling voice vibrates my pussy, adding to the cascading waves of ecstasy that are crashing down over me.

  I grit my teeth as hard as I can, trying to stifle the keening wail that’s threatening to burst from my throat as my orgasm explodes within me. The bright white delight coursing through me leaves me lightheaded and my vision wavering while my body spasms. Gray gently lowers me to the ground and I lean against him, trying to catch my breath. He smiles down at me. I can’t seem to form a coherent thought, let alone a coherent sentence.