Release In The Dark (DARK erotic romance series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

I don't
want to be the last one standing.
    A small side door opens and two
middle-aged women enter. One of them is carrying a broken basket
overladen with bread, while the other has two pitchers in her hands.
The women shuffle round the table, placing a large roll of bread on
each plate and pouring water into the glasses.
    I stare at the two ladies, who
keep their eyes and heads down as they finish their tasks in silence.
So the serving and cleaning staff are kept separate from the girls.
I wonder how many of them are in the castle. How many of us.
    Just as I am bending forward to
sniff at the bread and squint at the glass of water in front of me, I
hear chairs being scraped back as the girls rise in unison. I leap
to my feet, catching the back of my chair just in time to stop it
from crashing to the floor.
    A tall woman with jet black hair
which she wears in a long braid has stepped through the double doors.
She closes the double doors silently behind her, and with a snap of
her fingers, dismisses the two serving women. They bow low and hurry
from the dining room, ducking through the side door.
    This must be the new Warden. I
tilt my head slightly to watch her out of the corner of my eye. She
is wearing a long-sleeved, black military shirt without any insignia.
Her legs are clad in dark pants and combat boots. Just like the old
Warden. But unlike the old Warden, she is not wearing a cap and a
mask.
    The Warden who received me last
night was a member of the resistance. I cannot assume that this new
Warden would aid me. In fact, I cannot depend on anyone here to help
me, not even the girls in my room. Pam? Pam has her own problems,
her own demons. I am here for a purpose. And if anyone finds out
who I am or what I am here for, I am royally screwed. And I can't
screw up. For Jaxon's sake. For all our sakes.
    The Warden walks with unhurried,
measured steps towards the head of the table. Everyone keeps their
head down. As she moves down the table, she drags an electronic
tablet from her belt and logs onto the database of the Red Lantern.
Reading off the name list, she calls out our names one by one,
“Aabin, Kara.”
    A petite girl with auburn hair
standing just opposite me lifts her right hand and answers, “Kara
Aabin here, Warden.” The Warden nods and Kara sits down
stiffly.
    “ Brown, Mia.”
    “ Mia Brown here, Warden!”
Mia shouts from the head of the long table and sits down after a
beat.
    “ Crow, Sally.”
    As the Warden goes down the
list, I realize that she is calling out the names in alphabetical
order. Their last names, from A to Z. I am Ana Zen, so I'll should
be one of the last to be called, if not the very last.
    My nervousness grows as the
names roll by and one by one, the girls sit down. There are less
than ten of us left standing.
    My eyes flit round the table.
Kylee is still standing, and I see her eyes dart to me before
flicking away.
    The roll call continues, and
more girls sit down.
    The Warden looks up from her
tablet. “Winter, Kylee.”
    “ Kylee Winter here,
Warden,” Kylee raises her hand and drones.
    She sits down slowly, leaving
just me and one other girl standing. I can feel frowns and stares
being thrown my way. The girls from the other rooms would not have
seen me before. I am a new face to them, and for a moment, I wonder
why the old Warden had chosen this name for me. Why didn't she
choose Ana Matthews or Ana Linn or something that would place me
smack in the middle of the list, where no one would notice me?
    “ Young, Jennifer.”
    “ Jennifer Young here,
Warden,” the tall brunette at the corner squeaks and slumps
into her chair.
    The Warden looks at her tablet
then cocks her head at me.
    “ Zen, Ana.”
    My knees almost give out.
    “ Ana Zen here, Warden,”
I say, willing my voice not to tremble.
    The Warden frowns at her tablet.
“You...are new here.”
    I gulp. “Yes, Warden.”
    My palms are starting to sweat
as I clench and unclench my fists. Please don't ask me