Auction

"...maybe."

"Tell us what they are."

"Untie me first."

"You killed a man today. You'll be lucky to ever be untied," Cowboy drawls. I knew it. He's from around here. Native to these parts. He speaks the way I do, while the rest of them have various accents. They must have come a very, very long way to claim me.

"You all just killed a lot more men than I did! Nobody tied you up!"

"She's got a point," Zen says. "And if the nine of us can't handle one frightened girl, I think we have a problem."

He comes over to me, walks behind me, and I feel the plastic being snapped free from my wrists. Free at last to use my hands, I draw them up around myself, protecting my body from these big, brutal men.

"Now," Gladiator says. "The names. I need amusement after battle."

I give a shrug, and start going down the line, starting with Cowboy, who smirks at his name. Pharaoh seems pleased with his, as does Gladiator. Nordic Man seems a little nonplussed and tells me his name is Tore. Tattoo Face gets a laugh from all the men, including Tattoo Face himself.

"My name is Keanau," he rumbles. "But you will call me sir."

"No, I fucking won't."

He lifts a brow and I reconsider that decision a little, but hold my ground.

"She's disrespectful," Tore says. "Needs discipline."

"She just has high spirits. She's brave," Gladiator cuts in.

"Oh, she needs discipline," Keanau growls.

"But not now. Now, she needs rest."

It is Mattias who speaks. His words, calm and certain, cut through the growing tension and surprise everyone.

"Come here, Trissa," he says, offering me his hand. "I am going to give you a bath, and some food."

I take his hand. He's not a friend, but he is the most familiar.

"Are we going to let him just take our spoils?" Pharaoh questions.

"Those two are cut. They won't do a thing. Let them take her," Tore says. "We don't need a squealing woman interfering in the conversation anyway."

My temper flares. They may be men, may be warriors, may just have defeated a small army of the sheriff's most loyal men, but I am the one who drew first blood. I shoot a vicious look at Tore, thinking brutal thoughts. There has been much blood today, but maybe there should be more.

"Oh, she doesn't like that!" Silver Eyes smiles. He has a way about him I do like. He is calm and he has the kind of authority that doesn't need to be yelled at people.

"I don't like that," I agree. "And I don't like you." I'm looking at Tore, but I am speaking to the group of them. "I'm not for sale, and anyone who tries to treat me the way that leaking bag of guts did, will end up the same way."

"You're going to be tamed," he tells me. "There are seven of us here to do it, and don't think you're ever going to get away with anything like that again."

"Nine of us," Mattias says, squeezing my hand.

"You have paid nothing for her."

"Oh, Elias and I have paid plenty," Mattias disagrees. "I have handled her. I have a connection to her. I..."

"You let her bring a ceramic knife in here and slit the sheriff's throat. For all we know, you set her up to murder the man."

"No, I did that all on my own," I exclaim. "Mattias and Elias had no idea what I was doing, and neither will any of you. I will not be an owned woman. I was not made for that. If you try to turn me back into a slave, I will go through you. I will never rest. I will never sleep. I will find a way to kill every single one of you..."

"Okay, that's enough," Mattias says, drawing me against his body, turning me around, and wrapping me in a hug from behind. "Settle down, nobody is going to hurt you."

"Oh, I'm going to hurt that little ass," Keanau growls.