Sinners 01 - Branded Read Online Free PDF Page A

spell it out for you?”
    “Oh, right,” I say. I watch him for a response, but he says nothing. I should know
     the hardest and most proficient guards work in here. I can’t imagine working here
     and not becoming desensitized to the violence.
    I hope I never become like that.
    A muffled whine escapes Cole’s room and a bewildered expression crosses his face as
     we lock eyes.
    “Is there someone in your room?”
    “No.” He slams the door closed behind him. Sensing irritability on his part, I let
     the subject drop. I lie down on the mattress, curling into a ball. He fidgets in my
     room, fumbles for the door, and leaves it ajar. I’m pretending to be asleep when he
     leaves. He turns off my light, but I know there’s no way I’ll sleep tonight.
     
    *   *   *
     
    I must’ve passed out at some point because when I wake, I’m on my stomach and my neck
     cramps from the lack of a pillow. So I readjust, turning my face to the other side.
     A warm breath hits my face, tickling my nose.
    I freeze.
    Clinking of metal inches from my face, followed by the scraping of nails on the wall
     causes me to panic. Thinking it might be a rat, I sit up in a flash and try swatting
     it away. But it’s bigger and doesn’t move.
    My heart pounds and I’m unsure what to do.
    It can’t be Cole.
    I panic. I reach around, feeling for anything I can use to protect myself. Nothing,
     of course… I have nothing.
    “HELP!”
    The very instant I scream, the beast starts to howl.
    “Zeus, shut up,” Cole yells as he crashes into my room. He flicks on the light, and
     that’s when I completely lose it.
     

 

CHAPTER 3
    Jumping back in the corner, I yank my legs in and squeeze them tight to my chest.
     I can’t breathe; my lungs won’t expand. My eyes open wide with fear. The monster stops
     howling and looks at me with his big brown eyes. His pointed ears stand at attention,
     and his sharp teeth shine in the dim moonlight.
    “Zeus, what the hell’s your problem?” Cole yells. “I told you not to leave my room,
     you—ah, whatever.” He grabs the silver chain around Zeus’s neck and pulls him off
     my mat. The creature’s claws scrape along the floor as Cole drags him back. “Sit!
     And stay there before I kill you.” Cole leans down and snaps his fingers before my
     frozen eyes, but it’s no use. All I see are razor-sharp teeth protruding from its
     mouth and white foam dripping to the floor.
    It’s going to eat me. I’m sure of it.
    “Meet Zeus, my crap-for-brains guard dog.”He smacks the so-called dog across his head. Zeus snaps at his hand, but Cole’s quick
     reflexes prevent him from biting anything but air. “Don’t talk to him. He only listens
     to me… So I strongly suggest you don’t try to pull anything stupid. Like make him
     attack me. It won’t work.”
    Then why tell me?
    I examine Zeus with cautious eyes, unsure what to think of him. “I’ve never seen a
     horse, I mean, dog with—”
    “He’s a Great Dane,” he snaps at me and then flicks the light on. “Stay seated.”
    Is he talking to the dog or me?
    Zeus has a fawn coat with a black mask, eye rims, and eyebrows. He’s like a miniature
     horse. He turns toward me, licks my face, and looks down as he pushes his forehead
     to mine. I hold my breath. He tasted me and now I wait for him to eat me. He growls.
    “Zeus, I think she gets the point. You’re a badass. Now go lay down,” Cole says.
    My filthy floor disgusts even the dog because he takes one glance, moves a foot, and
     slips. Then he slowly makes his way back toward Cole’s room.
    I need to get his slobber off my face… “I have to use the bathroom,” I say.
    “So go. I don’t need a play-by-play,” Cole says with a yawn.
    I stumble to my bathroom. Fear climbs in my throat as I wash my face and attempt to
     use the restroom. No toilet paper hangs on the roll.
    Good thing I only have to pee.
    I pull up my pants, tie them in place, and yank open the curtain to