When Walls Divide Read online

  I freeze for a moment, and his lips touch the side of my neck, kissing up to my earlobe, leaving a hot trail from his breath. “Us?” I ask, my voice shaky as his fingertips dance up over my ribs.

  “Yes, us. All four of us.”

  Hearing it makes something clench in my stomach and an odd moan almost escapes my throat at the thought of having all four of them. He chuckles. “Like that idea?”

  “Maybe.” My voice is breathier than I’d like, but I can’t help it with him that close to me.

  He pulls his hand out from the robe and kisses my cheek. “Get some rest, I’ll come get you for dinner.”

  My body is cold from where his hand was, and I wonder if his sudden need to move away is because of something I did. I turn to face him, but he’s already gone out into the hall. I go to bed and lay down, pulling the soft blanket over me. The mattress seems to swallow me up a huge change to my flat hard cot in my hut.

  I sigh. This deal is going to be more complicated than I thought. I close my eyes, letting the comfort of modern commodities lull me to sleep.

  The bed dips in next to me, and I feel a hand on my cheek, moving my hair away from my face. “Time to wake up.”

  It’s not Matthew’s voice, but Xavier’s. I open my eyes and meet his brown eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”

  He stands. “Just a couple hours, but you were pretty out. You didn’t even flinch when I came in.”

  “Must be the comfortable bed.” I get out of the bed and pull the robe tight around me, flashing just a quick glimpse of my breast.

  Xavier doesn’t miss it. His eyes go straight to my chest. “It’s been made clear that you need to come and join us for dinner.”

  My stomach growls at the word dinner. Xavier stands and holds his hand out to me. “My lady?”

  I giggle a little bit at his words. They sound playful, but there is still respect in his eyes as he waits for me to take his hand. I slowly slide my hand into his, and he raises it up to his lips, pressing a warm kiss to my skin.

  An involuntary shiver crawls up my spine, and he gives a knowing smile before letting go of my hand. I make sure that the robe is secure around me before I stand up from the bed. His gaze once against dips to my cleavage and I feel myself blush. “Was Lisa able to find me some clothes?”

  “She hasn’t returned from the marketplace yet. So you’re just going to have to enjoy the robe for a little while longer.” He rakes my body with a heated gaze. “Or you can just take it off.”

  I move toward him slowly, with a sway in my hips. “Or you can let me borrow one of your shirts.”

  He bowed his head. “As my lady wishes. Follow me.” He spins and leaves. I follow him quickly down the hall and to a room down at the end. He opens the door and waves for me to enter.

  Inside is a large four-poster bed draped in black sheets and a large quilt to match. Pillows are carefully stacked up toward the top. On the wall opposite of the door is a large window, giving an overview of the bustling city. I walk over to it while Xavier goes to fetch a shirt.

  I watch as the majority male crowd moves through the streets, some with carts of goods to sell, others with bags of items. Vendors crowd the walkway, but the number of stalls outnumbers the people walking around. The city’s entire population is probably down there shopping or selling, creating a tiny economy. Men doing most of the business while the women are at home raising the children they carry to earn their keep in this world.

  Xavier walks up behind me and wraps his arms over my stomach, and he pulls me against him. “The city is an unforgiving place, but I imagine that the outskirts are hell.”

  “Depends on your outlook. The outskirts may be harsh, but I’m free to be my own person, and I have a better chance of surviving the purge there because I can avoid the soldiers.”

  He tugs on the sash of the robe and the soft fabric parts, brushing against my nipples. The delicate sensation brings them to attention, but the cold air that comes next tighten them to little hard peaks. Xavier kisses my neck, and I leaned my head back. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any attention like this. “We won’t let them take you.”

  Now was not the time to try and argue. If I didn’t want to push them away, if I wanted to survive, I had to force myself to believe these men would keep me safe. “Good,” was all I could manage in a breathy tone.

  He slides the robe off my shoulders and then drapes one of his button up shirts over me. I’m thankful that it’s a dark fabric so not everything will show through. I begin to wonder if Lisa isn’t in on this and is purposely taking a while to find me clothes.

  I button up the shirt and then turn to face Xavier, he gives me a wicked grin that I swear turns his eyes a darker shade of brown. I walk past him. “We’re going to be late for dinner.”

  He follows me out to the hall and places a hand on the small of my back to guide me.

  He leads me down the flight of stairs and to a room in the back. A round table sits in the middle of the room, five chairs surround it, and there’s a plate at each chair. Matthew, Lucas, and Antony are already sitting at the table, waiting patiently. Xavier pulls out a chair for me, and I sit, he takes the empty seat to my right while Matthew is at my left.

  “You must be hungry, Izzy.” Matthew smiles at me.

  “What do scavengers eat?” Lucas asks, leaning his elbows on the edge of the table.

  I shake my head. “You don’t want the answer to that.”

  “Sure we do. Tell us a little bit about your world.” Antony motions for me to go on. “You’re our guest here, we’d like to know more about you.”

  I am not sure if I am a guest or a prisoner at this point. I had come willingly, yes but I doubt that they would let me leave.

  “Well, if you really want to know. I live on what animals I can find. Most of the time it’s squirrels or birds. Occasionally I can find a rabbit.”

  All of the screw their face up in disgust. I fold my hands on the table and stare at them. “And what do you get to eat here in the Manor?”

  “Tonight we’re having chicken with rice and salad.” Matthew laughs a little bit. “If you lived in the city you could have access to this food.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t value good food over my life.”

  “You speak as if you know what happens to women during the purge.” Xavier starts to cut his chicken.

  “No, I just know that my mother and sister were taken and haven’t come back.” I look up as a servant brings in a tray. She starts serving up the food onto the plates. Steam rises from the meal, and I study the slices of chicken laying on top of the brown rice. My stomach growls again, and I force myself to not devour it all in one bite.

  None of them respond to my answer. There’s a collective silence that falls over us while we eat.

  The chicken is the best I’ve eaten in a long time. My belly is full, and I start to feel drowsy again. I stand. “If you’d excuse me, I think I’d like to retire for the night.”

  “In just a moment. There are expectations to talk about.” Matthew holds his hand up. “Please, sit for just a few minutes. Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “No, thank you.” I sit back down, a slight shaking to my body. “What expectations?”

  Xavier puts a hand over mine as if he saw the shaking. “Precautions, to keep you safe.”

  “When the soldiers come for the purge, you are to stay in the house.” Matthew meets my gaze. “We want your consent any time we’re together. We will not force ourselves on you.”

  Well, that is a relief, but I’m already squirming my chair at the thought of taking four men to my bed for the sake of survival. Wetness grows between my legs at the thought of all their attention on me and me alone. “You said there was a month before the purge?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry about that,” Antony speaks this time. He’s still working on his dinner, his slender hands working to cut the chicken up. “As long as you stay in the manor, you won’t be taken, and if you ar
e with one of us will make sure to claim you.”

  Claim me. I shiver, and Matthew puts an arm around me. “Cold?”

  “Well, it would help if I had some clothes.” I joke slightly, but really, I’m almost intimidated by the word claim.

  “You’ll have clothes by tomorrow.” He promises, tracing his fingers over my arm. “Do you understand what we’ve said?”

  “I do. I’m ready to turn in for the night though.”

  Lucas stands at the same time. “I’ll escort you back to your room.”

  “Scared I’m going to run?” I raise a brow. “If I wanted to leave, I would have done such by now.”

  “Even without clothes?” Lucas challenges, putting his hands on his hips.

  “I’d steal some on my way out,” I say easily.

  He laughs. “I just want to get a few minutes alone with you, seems that Matthew and Xavier have already gotten their time.”

  I’m realizing that they want to spend with me one on one and maybe they do actually care about me as more than a breeding woman. “Then you can walk with me,” I say, and I don’t miss a flash of jealousy in Antony’s eyes. It takes me a moment to realize he too wants his time. “Antony, why don’t you and I have breakfast tomorrow?”

  He looks a little relieved. “I would love to, but I have to walk around the city tomorrow, just as protocol.”

  “I would love to walk with you, assuming I have clothes.”

  “That would be nice.” He motions to Lucas. “Off you go, she looks exhausted.”

  Lucas and I walk in silence in the halls. He keeps his hand firmly against the small of my back. I almost expect him to ask about my life on the outskirts, but he seems content to just walk in silence. We get to the door, and he pauses in the hall with me. “I hope you like it here. I know it must be different.”

  “It is, I’m sure I’ll grow to like it. It’s just odd to be somewhere that I don’t have to worry about water or weather. I won’t have to hunt down my meals or even worry about if I’m going to get to eat.” I turn and meet his gaze. “And I have four men who want to shower me with their attention.”

  Lucas backs me against a wall and puts a hand on my cheek. “I think if you had shown up to any of the meets and greets in the city you would have had more than four wanting to be at your beck and call.” He dips down and presses his lips to mine.

  I lift up on my toes to press into his gentle kiss. He scraps his teeth against my bottom lip demanding more. I reach my hands up to run my fingers through his thick hair, but he grabs my wrists and traps them above my head without breaking our now feverish kiss.

  I grow wet between my legs, and he presses his hips against me. I feel the hardness of his cock straining against his pants, pressing against my core. An involuntary moan leaves my throat, and he backs away. “We want to give you a few days to adjust.”

  To adjust? I forget myself for a moment, but then realize he is talking about adjusting to the Manor and the way of life. I can’t help the heat in my cheeks as I nod. “Yes, adjusting will do me well.”

  He lets my wrists go and steps back. “Walking the city tomorrow with Antony will help you understand the lifestyle here a little bit more.”

  “Do you all patrol the city?”

  “We take our turns and report back at a meeting to let the others know what we’ve seen and what the people are talking about. Once a month the people get to air grievances and concerns. Sometimes we can solve them and other times we can’t. Especially when it comes to complains of the purge.”

  I nod. “Thank you for escorting me back to my room.” I turn to enter, and he pulls me back against him.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.” He gives me a squeeze and let's go.

  I walk into the room and lay down on the bed. The cold air flows over my still naked legs, sending a chill through me. For a moment I debate on asking one of the men to come sleep with me, for the pure intention of staying warm, but what would I do if all four of them wanted to join? What would I do if they wanted to all have me tonight?

  A soft knock on the door brings me from my slightly panic thoughts. “Yes?”

  Lisa walks in with a small smile on her lips. “I’ve brought you some pajamas to sleep in. The Manor gets cold, even in the summer. Another servant will be coming in and out at night to make sure your fire stays going.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’m used to tending to my own fire. Just make sure I have a steady supply of wood.”

  She nods. “Of course, did you enjoy your dinner?” She walks in and lays the clothes down on the bed, next to where I’m sitting.

  I unbutton the shirt I’m wearing and slip on the warm flannel top. Between the top and the pants, I find a pair of lace underwear and I’m suddenly acutely aware that I’d been going without since I got here.

  I slip them on and then the pants. I turn to thank Lisa, but she’s already gone. I go to close my door the rest of the way and see Matt standing there. “Good night.”

  He bows his head to me. “Good night, sleep well, Izzy.”

  I’ve never been fond of Izzy as a nickname, but for some reason, I don’t mind it from him. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Of course.” He walks down the hall, followed by Xavier who blows me a little kiss and I find myself giggling as they disappear into their own rooms.

  I crawl into bed and let the comfortable bed lull me to sleep.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I wake to see Lisa adding a pile of wood next to the fireplace. I had gotten up a few times to tend to the fire, and she never failed to keep the wood stocked up.

  “In Purgatory, I hear they’ve managed to restore electricity, and as soon as they can figure out how, the other cities will have it again,” she says offhandedly.

  “Purgatory?”

  “It’s the next state over. A fairly big city in the mountains, it’s where most of the government sits now.” She dusts her hands off and motions to the seat by the dresser. “I got you some clothes, I hope they are to your liking, and they should be close in size.”

  She walks out, and I assume that she has other tasks that she must handle. I quickly get dressed in the jeans and shirt that Lisa provided and step out into the hallway to go meet the men for breakfast.

  I hear them chattering away when I approach the dining room.

  “Do you think walking her around the city is a good idea?” Xavier asks, and I imagine his brow is drawn up in concern.

  “Yes, she needs to know where she’s living now and understand how dangerous the city can be as a woman. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone lay a hand on her.” Antony answers. “Besides, she’s a scavenger, it’s not like she’s helpless.”

  I walk in at that moment and cross my arms. “He’s exactly right, I’m not helpless.”

  Xavier stands, and the other three follow. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t. You’re used to women being terrified of men and the purge. I’m only afraid of one.”

  Matthew motions to the chair next to him. “Come eat. We’re just discussing if the city is actually safe.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be? You’re the officials, shouldn’t you make sure that it’s safe for everyone?”

  They exchange glances, and none of them meet my eyes as I sit down. “This has something to do with the purge being next month instead of four months away.”

  Antony nods. “Yes, the people are restless, and they are convinced that if we provide enough women willingly, they will leave our city alone.”

  “That’s not the case though. They always go to the outskirts first, then go to the city to meet whatever imaginary quota they think they need to meet.” I pick up my fork and knife and start cutting up the eggs and sausage on my plate.

  “And how do you know that?” Lucas looks at me, but avoid his gaze.

  “I’m a scavenger, my survival depends on me knowing the movements of the soldiers. I always know that they can easily
be bribed to let women go.” My eyes flicker up to meet his. “Sometimes all they need is a bit of no strings attached sexual favors.”

  They go silent for a moment as if letting that sit in. “Have you…?” Xavier leaves the question hanging off.

  I snort. “No, I’m too sly to be caught by them, but I’ve seen it with other scavengers. Sometimes if the soldier is particularly nasty, they’ll demand a certain kink to be catered to.”

  I swear all the boys flinch. I look down at my food and slowly start to eat. I don’t want to talk about the soldiers anymore, I knew precisely how brutal they could be because I’ve also seen them back out of their word after doing horrible things to a female scavenger.

  “Are there no men out there?” Xavier’s soft voice breaks the awkward silence after a few minutes.

  “There are a few, most of them are family men, protecting their family, we don’t band together because there isn’t safety in numbers for us.”

  Antony sighs. “We never realized that life outside consisted of more than just basic survival skills.”

  “Maybe I can show you out there one day. Show you what surrounds your city.”

  They all chuckle a little bit, but I know that at least one of them would indulge me at some point because they are curious about what is so alluring about the outskirts.

  I finish my meal and Antony stands up. “Let’s go. I rather be back by lunchtime to give my report.”

  I nod. “Then let’s go?”

  He holds his hand out to me. “I want you to stay close. Do not leave my side.”

  “I’m more likely to get lost if I decide to run off on my own.”

  Antony chuckles and leads me out of the dining room and to the front door. “If you do get separated, remember that the city is done in a circular pattern. The Manor is in the middle.”

  “Like the Minotaur.”

  He raised a brow. “That was a labyrinth and a beast.”

  “So you know your mythology.” I smile at this because at least I know they aren’t entirely uncultured.

  “Some of it, yes. I read, Bella.” He opens the door, and we step out in the heat of the city. I put up a hand to block the bright sun that is already beating down on me. I welcome the warmth for a moment, but I know that too much time and the heat would become unbearable.