Rat Race (Devil’s Playground #2)

17. Cam

Cam

Have you learned your lesson?

A ubrey's golden hair whipped around the corner, and I saw red.

It was beyond temptation.

It was fuckin’ cheek.

My little bloodied angel damn near flew down the hall as I chased after her. Her panicked breathing and the sound of her boots against the concrete far too loud if she was actually tryin’ to escape me.

We should’ve been going after Elijah and Hiram, but it would have to wait.

There wasn’t no fuckin’ way I was lettin’ her get away with it. Not this time. Not with the weight of everything that'd happened pressin’ down on me like bricks.

How quickly I'd lost control of this game even after a lifetime of training was stifling as late August humidity. Hard to breathe around, sticky.

Totally un-fuckin’-missable.

Lord have mercy, I was tired of bein’ tested. If I was judge n’ jury, it was time for a bit of reward.

And in Aubrey’s case, a whole hell of a lot of punishment.

I hadn’t been part of my plan to end up on a team I’d spent the game carrying. Even less so gettin’ emotionally involved with another fuckin’ Runner in the confines of the maze.

Losing all my viewership because some loudmouth reckoned that her life was worth more to me than winnin’ this game. Not that’d even made a difference now, not since Aubrey’d snuffed her clean out.

Fuckin’ menace of a woman.

Once I catch her, she’ll be sorry.

This place, the Architects that ran it—hell, even my own family —wanted me to be a monster. And I was sick of denying them the satisfaction.

Besides, as much as I wanted to ignore it, there was a part of me that’d loved watchin’ Ella beg. The power of it. Her dirty, tear-streaked face as she stared up at me, hopin’—nah, prayin’ —that I’d roll over and accept her bullshit excuses for turnin’ on me.

Better than a cold beer after mowin’ the lawn.

Even if, in the back of my mind, doubt was still naggin’ at me that she might’ve been forced into the maze. Was it really possible? Were there players who’d found their way inside the game without their consent?

Had to be, didn’t it? Why else punish me by cutting off my feed? Even now my watch was lifeless on my wrist, absent of the constant stream of notifications I’d quickly gotten used to thanks to my viewers’ comments.

Watchers made up a decent portion of this game, offering up helpful hints of what direction to go in and how to get to the end quicker. Without them? Things would be a whole lot more difficult.

Still, the break from my family was… relievin’.

Regardless of whether she’d been tellin’ stories, the truth, or something in between, I did want to make Ella suffer for breakin’ my trust.

And damn, did I ever make a show of it. The broken leg was just the beginning. There was so much I wanted to do.

But then my little angel came around and plucked it right from my hands.

It was… too much.

Embarrassin’ . Naw, not just embarrassin’, humiliatin’.

I needed to take back control.

And there she was, purposefully goading me into takin’ my bad mood out on her. Getting incredibly close to uncappin’ the black, tar-like substance that'd been pressin’ against the lids of my insides since I'd stepped foot inside this arena.

Not the valuable Texas crude that I'd stumbled upon once in shooting practice. Naw, this was something much more volatile. Violent. Just beggin’ to be let out so it could wreak havoc on everything.

And she wanted all of it. The excitement on her face when she’d seen what I had done to Ella was undeniable. She’d been waiting for her chance to kill the girl and the moment she saw it, she pounced. A cougar and a fuckin’ fawn.

It only made me angrier. She took my chance from me. I had the chance to make a show of it. Had a chance to finally show Pa what I had up my sleeve.

She ruined it in an instant like it was nothin’ and wanted to use my anger for her own entertainment. But she had no idea what she was askin’ for.

I let it run wild as I gave chase, my booted feet poundin’ hard against the concrete as I followed Aubrey's panting breaths. We had to be close to the end of the maze by now—even with the changes, it couldn't be far off.

Not that I had a hope in capitalistic Hell to rank now.

Fuck.

But in it’s place she offered me somethin’ much better.

My skin was hot, sweat beginnin’ to bead along my forehead and neck with the effort of keepin’ pace. My lungs were burnin’ with the need for air. My muscles itching as adrenaline rushed through my veins.

Aubrey's back came into view, forcing me to go faster, a roar of anger escaping me. Her head turned just enough to the side to catch a glimpse of me behind her, blonde hair streaked in coppery crimson whipping behind her with each step.

And there’s that fuckin’ smile again.

"When I catch you, Peaches, you'll wish you never met me," I hollered down the corridor. "You may never walk straight again."

I was close enough that I could hear the way my promise made her breath catch. Could practically smell the blonde's arousal as my fingers slid through the ends of her hair, just far enough ahead that I couldn't quite get purchase. Like she could sense the close call, she picked up the pace, skiddin’ so hard that, as she took the next corner, her hand hit the ground to stabilize her.

I'd hunted enough rabbits in my time to see the signs of a healthy animal fightin’ for its life. And that's the vibe Aubrey gave, her strong legs taking her further and further down the hallway, eclipsin’ even my longer stride.

Unfortunately for her, I was more motivated.

And resourceful.

How many times did she think I'd allow her bad fuckin’ attitude to go unchecked? How many times was I gonna let her disobey me with a smile on her face?

These weren't little things.

I didn't ask her to do the dishes or hang the laundry.

It was disobedience through and through. And she knew what would happen if she continued to disobey me. That made it all the more treacherous.

I'd told her not to kill Ella—my friend, even if she'd been a lyin’, traitorous bitch—and she'd chosen to do it anyway. But I didn’t know what made me angrier. That she was my friend and had been schemin’ against me, or that my ability to actually prove myself to the family was stolen from me.

Call it insanity brought on by grief, call it fallin’ into darkness. Whatever it was, I knew that there was only one thing awaitin’ her once I caught her.

Somethin’ so sinfully sweet. Somethin’ that had been lurking in the back of my mind since I first laid eyes on her.

Since I first tasted the delicious nectar between her thighs.

Punishment .

And this time, I wasn’t gonna go easy on her. I’d firmly shut out my conscience, and there was nothing left but the darkness whisperin’ dirty things to me. Depraved things.

It was high time that someone taught Aubrey a few hard lessons.

Patience. Humility. Some good old-fashioned southern manners.

And I reckoned I was gonna be the one to do it.

I unlooped the rope hangin’ from my belt, fashioning it quickly into a lasso. As excitin’ as the chase was, it really was more better for the prey. For the predator? All the enjoyment came after I'd wrapped my teeth around her jugular.

She turned another corner, but this time she peeked back at me. There was just a millisecond where her face fully came into view before disappearin’ again, but I still saw every last detail.

The low, warm light in her beautiful blue eyes.

The sweat shinin’ on her face in a delicious sheen.

And the twisted smile that told me she was just yearnin’ for the moment where I finally got my fingers locked around her neck.

I gripped the corner, usin’ it to propel me faster. The clompin’ of my boots echoed through the deserted hallways.

If there were other players around, they stayed away. Good .

If anyone even dared get between the two of us, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut them down. PKer be damned.

I wasn’t the same Cam that entered the maze. The little temptation changed me.

For better or worse, we were about to find out.

She was fuckin' fast. But all I needed was just one little slip up.

And it came on the third sharp turn she tried to make.

Aubrey stumbled, and I took the opportunity to make my throw, the rope closin’ around her neck. I pulled hard, chokin’ her clean off her feet and to the floor. But that didn't deter her, the gasp of pain and surprise preceding the sound of her tryin’ to scrabble away along the stone, perfect pink nails caked with blood and grime.

A wild animal caught in the trap.

I held the rope taut, bearin’ down on her like a nightmare. A fox waitin’ just outside the chicken coop.

If Aubrey wanted to flirt with the wickedness in me, who was I to deny her the privilege? I'd let my demons loose. Worship her like the Virgin, perverted into my personal whore of darkness. A saint brought to life for the sheer purpose of quakin’ around my fingers and tongue.

“Cam,” she choked, gripping at the rope. “You're… You're hurting me.”

“Good,” I snarled, falling to my knees to grab her ankle, pulling her across the floor and onto my lap. She fought hard, kicking and screamin’ as I undid the belt around her waist, yanking down that foolishly small skirt and the little spandex shorts attached to it to bare her round, pale ass to me. I smirked at the wet spot I found.

She must be sorely missing her panties.

“Somebody needs to teach you how to fuckin’ behave,” I snarled. “When I give you a direct order, I expect it to be followed.”

A clawed hand came close to my face, and I caught it, using the length of the rope to bind her wrists behind her back before attaching it to her ankles, turning it into a quick and effective hogtie.

I yanked the rope taut with a grunt of frustration, leaving myself just enough space to have access to her ass.

“Awful sick of this attitude, Peaches,” I muttered.

“Fuck. You,” she spat out, her furious eyes meetin’ mine. “Let me go, Cam.”

I struck, the clap of my palm against her ass cheek ricocheting from the cement walls.

Aubrey shouted and cursed. I used my free hand to tug the rope again, the knot tightening until she was forced to scrunch up, baring her ass to me some more.

“Enough.”

Her breath left her in a trembling gasp, real fear in her blue eyes as they met mine. It had a powerful shiver running through my body.

I wanted to see more of her like this. And they may have cut off my views, but hers were still alive and well.

I paused to look through her tracker, reading the messages aloud.

“Needy whore mewling like a cat, one comments,” I said with a dark chuckle. She squirmed underneath me. “Spread her wider. Where’s the bat? They’re loving you, peaches.”

She made a pathetic sound that had my pussy clentching.

“Why don’t we give them what they want?”

“ Cam—”

“Count.” It was an order. A demand . No room left for negotiation.

She sniffled. Almost like she was truly scared. “C-cam, don't. Please…”

“Until you start counting,” I said with a vicious strike against her ass that made her scream. She screamed so prettily. I wanted to record it just so I could play it over and over again. Maybe I’d force her to watch it when we got out while I fucked her. “These are just for fun.”

“Please!” Another. “I'm sorry!” Another. “Cam!” Again and again with her pleading until I heard the first, trembled number. “One.”

More. More. More.

The darkness was chanting, consuming my entire being. Her screams and begging only made me lose myself in it that much more.

But this time I wasn’t sure I wanted to resurface.

“Good girl,” I praised softly, my hand stinging from the impact. “I think twenty-five is fair, given the amount of sass I've endured tonight.”

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, her face turning down toward the floor. A degrading position that only a disobedient whore deserved.

She’ll redeem herself soon.

“This is so fucking humiliating,” she whispered, hands fisting on the ground.

I smirked, clapping down on her ass again to a sulkily muttered, “Two.”

“That's the point, darlin'. How do you think I feel when you openly disobey me?”

Again and again I struck her, until her ass was rosy with the evidence of my anger. Such a beautiful color.

My fingers stung, palm and fingers swollen with my efforts, and yet Aubrey's cries weren't enough. Her desperation was barely beginning to scratch the itch my demon commanded.

If I had the whole night, I’d punish her before worshiping her delicious cunt like no one had before. I wanted her all alone. All mine. Wanted to tie her to the bed and have my wicked way with her until she was so wanton she wouldn’t know her own name.

“Adjust,” I ordered, forcing Aubrey onto her knees awkwardly where she was still bent across my lap. The change of angle bore her pussy to me. If I wanted to, I could fuck her lying, useless cunt while she ached from her punishment. But not yet.

Tenderly, I rubbed her sore ass, a moment of reprieve amidst the vicious torment. Every pathetic little moan and whine falling from her lips was better than the Devil's fiddle itself, and Jesus, was I ever in the mood to play. My fingers grazed dangerously lower, preparing to strike against her rosy lower lips when I realized that she was damp, her aching slit leaking through her folds to leave sweet, sticky nectar along her thighs and dampening my pants.

The traitorous slut was enjoying her punishment. I slapped her cunt hard, making her keen loudly, her panting breaths taking on a new intensity.

“Nineteen,” she whispered, half sobbing. “Please, Cam, I'll be good. Just… Please…”

We both knew it was a lie. No matter how much I punished her, there would be no changing who she truly was.

But that made it fun for both of us.

“Spread yourself,” I whispered, leaning down close to her ear. My lips brushed the reddened tip. "Awfully hard to be wet and sorry at the same time, Peaches."

“C-cam, p-please… I?—”

“You're a nasty little whore is what you are. Spread. Yourself.”

She wobbled a little, twisting her hands to obey me until I had a clear view of the pearl of nerves that lived at the apex of her thighs. Briefly, I considered touching her with kindness, giving her the relief that a release would provide after enduring well over half of her punishment.

But how was my dog meant to learn to behave if I didn't maintain a firm hand when it came to discipline?

Fuck me, did I hate getting bit.

My first strike made her scream, her eyes squeezing shut in a mix of bliss and agony, the muscles of her tight hole contracting in anticipation.

“Twenty,” came Aubrey's trembling whisper on the tail end of a sob, the other numbers tumbling from her lips as I continued my assault. “Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four…”

I paused, cradling her shaking body in one arm as she sobbed, fat tears pooling on the concrete below her head.

“Have you learned your lesson?”

“Yes, Cam?—”

“Cam?” I sneered, disgust welling up inside me. “Is that how a dog sees their owner? As a friend whose first name they can use? So fuckin' pedestrian that they can call them any old thing?”

“N-no, I mean…” she said quickly, licking her dry lips. “Master.” It was barely a whisper. I wouldn't have heard it if she'd so much as shifted her weight. “Sir?” Aubrey's eyes met mine, the question in them. I nodded. “Sir, please.”

I stroked my fingers through her soaked center, a single one dipping inside to begin the slow stretch of her cunt. Aubrey reacted immediately, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

“You were a good girl. Counted well…” I reasoned, inserting a second finger to scissor them inside her, twisting my hand to arc my fingers into the place that made her legs quiver. “Suppose I could make you come.”

“Please!” she gasped, pressing her throbbing opening backwards into my hand. “More, Cam?—”

I chuckled, my free hand cracking down on her sore ass, making her jolt. “Naw, Peaches, you don't tell me what to do.” I added a third finger, smirking at the stretch as I fucked them into her quickly, my thumb finding her clit, rubbing it in tight little circles. “If I want to give you more, I will. If I want you to lie there trembling in a pool of your own tears, I'll do that instead.”

She started to speak, but I continued over her, my voice rising slightly.

“Only thing I want to hear past those pretty pink lips of yours is you singing my praises, Aubrey,” I said, fingers twisting.

I should’ve been embarrassed, being out in the open like this, but it diddn’t matter anymore, I didn't have any reason to hold back. There was no test. No bigger task sent from God to prove my faith. If anything, God sent her to me to enjoy. This woman was mine . And I'd use her, ride her, and put her back as wet as I saw fit.

She gasped, a soft shudder moving through her little frame as I arched closer and closer to her sweet spot. Her hands flexed in their restraints as her back bowed feebly.

“Cam—yes! Please!”

Putty in my hands, that was how she felt as I continued to plunge my fingers in and out of her, Aubrey's sweet, heady arousal dripping from her abused entrance and down my wrist in thin lines. She didn't just like to be dominated. Naw, Aubrey liked to be humiliated .

I realized it from the first moment I had her against the maze wall. I watched her as she looked through the comments, her breathing getting harder and harder.

She wanted them to see. Wanted them to participate.

And who am I to deny her the pleasure? I was taught to make a show of it, and I would take that to heart. I would take every moment I could to show the world what a good little whore my little angel was.

“You like knowing people could be watching, don't you?” I hissed at her, renewing my efforts. “Like knowin' all those faceless creeps are watching me touch your sweet little pussy.”

She bit down hard on her lip, a pathetic attempt at keeping her loud, desperate whines quiet as they tumbled from her lips. A new sound for each sensation as I fucked her useless cunt with my fingers. Using the ropes, I sat her up on her knees, forcing her heavily down on my hand.

“You know what good little cowgirls do for their masters, Peaches?” I asked against her neck, kissing the warm, gold skin before dragging my teeth upward to nip at her ear.

“N-no,” she whispered, panting and wriggling, her hips moving slightly to chase my hand.

“They ride .”

It was as much an order as an answer, leaving no room for argument.

Aubrey's hips jerked into motion. She was either too worked up or too tired to argue with my command as she bounced up and down on my hand, pleasuring herself with a string of hissed curses and praises.

I'd like to force her to lick my cunt, to have her make a mess of that beautiful face of hers while tasting exactly what all those little noises and obedience did for me, but there wasn't time.

Never seemed to be enough time in this fuckin’ place.

Aubrey's tits bounced as she rode me. I pushed her crop top up, freeing them. They were so perfectly kissable looking, especially as they jerked with everymovement. My imagination took me to a place where I'd use a strap on to fuck her entirely too brave mouth until she choked, then watched as the soft curves of her body moved as I drove her into the mattress of some fancy-ass hotel.

An idea for once we'd won this thing.

In the meantime, I pressed my fingers hard against my girl's sweet spot, dragging her backwards until she hit the stones hard, her cunt bared to me as I bent to meet my hand, lips wrapping around her clit for a firm suck that had her screaming.

“I'm going to come! Fuck! Cam, please!” Aubrey gasped and moaned, feebly pressing against my mouth.

But I didn't need no direction to help me make my woman come as I circled my tongue over the bud of nerves. It wasn't long before Aubrey's moans hit their peak, dissolving into half-sobs of pleasure as her muscles clenched hard around my fingers for my effort.

Tears slipped from the corners of Aubrey's eyes, her breaths heavy as she rejoined me from space.

“Untie me,” she whispered, her eyes finding mine as I wiped my mouth. “I really need to kiss you.”

I smiled, leaning forward to oblige.

“Good girl.”

The bodies were right where we left them, hanging from the spikes, their blood dripping into a puddle on the floor.

I almost felt sorry for the two new people Elijah recruited.

The Church taught him well.

He used people until he couldn’t anymore and tried his best to keep his hands from getting dirty unless absolutely necessary. But at the end of the day, they knew what they’d signed up for and had the chance to leave before it came to this.

But the one who held my attention was the Architect. Hiram got caught up in the crossfire, no doubt a pawn Elijah was going to use to win my parents over.

And while I might not be able to use Hiram, it made me happy to know Elijah wouldn’t either.

“I think it was somewhere over here,” Aubrey muttered as she searched the ground.

Something caught my eye. The slight movement of light reflected off the blood pouring from the wound in his neck. The slight rise and fall of his chest.

And the wheezing.

“Hold on,” I said and ducked between the spikes that held the bodies up. I got closer and bent down so I could look him in the eyes.

They were open and staring right at me.

Excitement zapped through my body.

Seeing that Aubrey had set off the trap, I assumed the kill had been attributed to her, but if his heart was still beating…

“Show me where it is.”

“Here!” I followed Aubrey’s pointed finger as she beamed at me.

“Good girl,” I praised, giving her a smile. “You don’t know how much you’ve done for me.”

Not so much a sin sent to tempt me, but maybe an angel sent to put me on the right path.

“The Architect is still alive,” I said, weaving through the spikes and coming to a halt where the trap was located.

“The spikes are probably the only thing keeping him from bleeding out,” she mused, casting a glance back at him. “Pity, the money would have been nice.”

“You don’t care about that,” I pointed out.

“I don’t,” she admitted with a wicked smile that had my heart skipping a beat. Bloodthirsty indeed.

“I’ll share it with you when we win this thing,” I promised and pushed the indent that activated the trap.

The bodies fell to the floor with a thump.

A sound came out of the Architect’s throat. I turned to him, slowly closing the space between us. His fingers were twitching, but nothing else was moving. Not even his eyes, which were forced into a wide, never-ending stare as his life force bled out of him.

When I got close enough, I placed my booted foot on his throat and leaned forward just enough to put pressure on his windpipe.

His death was a silent, slow thing. His eyes stared at me the whole time, and his mouth was open wide in an attempt to gasp for air, but his lungs never inflated.

Just like his existence in the Games, his death was a boring, minuscule thing.

“Not much of a show,” I muttered.

Aubrey must have sensed my disappointment. She came up to my side, her slim fingers finding my upper arm.

“I have an idea on how to make this a little more exciting . ”

I looked at her, a sick type of warmth filling my chest.

What can my little bloodied angel have in store for me?

The curiosity was enough to cause another round of burning need for her to rage through me.

“Show me what you got, Peaches.”