Torn
Page 67
“Please don’t.” Faye’s eyes met mine, and it was like she’d read my mind. “If you go after her or cause any trouble, one of the males will come in. Do you understand?”
My jaw ached from how tight I was clenching my mouth shut.
“They’ll be in here while you shower,” Faye explained, tone almost pleading, which surprised me. “You don’t want that, right?”
“No,” I forced out.
“Then please don’t go after her,” she said, voice low. “She wasn’t with him that long. She fed on him, but that is all.”
“Keep telling her that if it lets her sleep better at night.” Breena’s laugh tinkled like wind chimes.
“Ignore her,” Faye insisted. “She just wants to get a rise out of you, see you punished. Don’t give her that.”
The breath I took felt like fire in my lungs. “Why do you even care?”
Faye's gaze flicked away from mine, and she didn’t respond. I honestly didn’t get why Faye cared if I had to strip down in front of an army of fae, but she was right. I didn’t want them in here while I showered, and I really, really wanted a shower.
“Okay,” I said.
Relief shot across Faye’s face, but Breena smiled like she had won some kind of battle. My answering smile was grim, because after I took a shower and had clothes back on, I really didn’t have anything to lose, and that bitch was going down.
Faye unlocked the chain, but held the end in her hands. “You ready?”
I nodded.
We walked over to the bathroom, and Breena followed. I did my best to ignore her presence, which was probably one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life, especially when she started talking again.
“You need to leave the door open,” she said, smirking.
Faye winced.
“That’s not necessary,” I told them. “What am I going to do in here?”
“I don’t trust you.” Breena bumped my shoulder as she walked past me and sat on the ledge surrounding the tub, gracefully crossing one leg over the other.
I tensed as Faye unlocked the band around my neck and removed it. Immediately, I reached up, touching my bare skin, and swallowed carefully while Faye moved to the shower stall. She turned the water on, adjusting the temperature.
“Strip,” Breena ordered.
I lowered my hands, glaring at her.
Her smirk grew. “Either you take off your clothes or I will take them off for you.”
Faye sighed. “Breena.”
“It’s not an empty promise,” Breena added.
My skin prickled with anger and irritation. Part of me wanted to let her try to strip me down, but the last thing I wanted was a room full of fae while I showered. Breena had already gotten to me—she’d done things to Ren, with Ren, and now she wanted to intimidate me. No way was I giving her one more thing.
I reached down, wrapping my fingers around the hem of my thermal, and yanked the soiled material off. Then I threw it at her.
Breena’s hand snaked out, catching the shirt. The smirk faded from her face as she dropped the material onto the ground. “Cute. Does your bra actually have daisies on it?”
It did. Whatever. Unbuttoning my cargo pants, I shimmied them down my hips and thighs, then stepped out of them. Steam was quickly filling the bathroom.
“Pink panties?” Breena snickered. “How old are you?”
“Go fuck yourself,” I said, reaching behind and unclasping the hooks of my bra. My cheeks heated as the straps slipped down my arms.
“How about I go fuck your boyfriend?” Breena responded.
I’m gonna kill her. My hands trembled as I let the bra slip to the floor. I’m gonna kill her. I kept repeating those words as I slipped off my undies.
“I have no idea what he sees in you,” Breena observed, arching a dark brow. “Your tits aren’t that bad. The rest of you? Probably a good thing you skipped dinner.”
“Shut up, Breena.” Faye shot her a dark, scolding look. “Just shut up.”
Breena ignored her. “Oh, look. Your tattoo is in the same place as your boyfriend’s. How cute.”
I stiffened. The tattoo—the symbol of freedom that all Order members had—was way too low on Ren’s stomach for her to have seen it without his pants coming off. Stomach twisting, I struggled to take my next breath. Our gazes met. Challenge filled her pale eyes.
“Shower, Ivy.” Faye lightly touched my arm. “Go ahead and shower.”
Skin burning, it took every ounce of self-control to turn and step into the shower. The warm water hit my skin, stinging the bruise along my hip. Faye closed the door behind me, but it was clear glass, so there was absolutely no privacy. Embarrassment made my movements jerky as I picked up the bottle of shampoo.
Breena talked the entire time I showered. She spoke of how alive she felt after feeding on Ren, and how his muscles had flexed under her hands. Then she moved on to how things would be with the prince once I got “knocked up” and delivered his child. I’d be cast aside, and she would take my place. From what I was gathering, she had a lot of experience with Drake.
So cliché.
I ignored her and focused on the simple joy of being clean, even though I wanted to shove the bottle of body wash down her throat. I was biding my time. So I swallowed the humiliation and held the anger close as I finished showering. The door opened once, and a disposable razor was offered to me. I stared at it and then slowly lifted my gaze to Faye’s.
My jaw ached from how tight I was clenching my mouth shut.
“They’ll be in here while you shower,” Faye explained, tone almost pleading, which surprised me. “You don’t want that, right?”
“No,” I forced out.
“Then please don’t go after her,” she said, voice low. “She wasn’t with him that long. She fed on him, but that is all.”
“Keep telling her that if it lets her sleep better at night.” Breena’s laugh tinkled like wind chimes.
“Ignore her,” Faye insisted. “She just wants to get a rise out of you, see you punished. Don’t give her that.”
The breath I took felt like fire in my lungs. “Why do you even care?”
Faye's gaze flicked away from mine, and she didn’t respond. I honestly didn’t get why Faye cared if I had to strip down in front of an army of fae, but she was right. I didn’t want them in here while I showered, and I really, really wanted a shower.
“Okay,” I said.
Relief shot across Faye’s face, but Breena smiled like she had won some kind of battle. My answering smile was grim, because after I took a shower and had clothes back on, I really didn’t have anything to lose, and that bitch was going down.
Faye unlocked the chain, but held the end in her hands. “You ready?”
I nodded.
We walked over to the bathroom, and Breena followed. I did my best to ignore her presence, which was probably one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life, especially when she started talking again.
“You need to leave the door open,” she said, smirking.
Faye winced.
“That’s not necessary,” I told them. “What am I going to do in here?”
“I don’t trust you.” Breena bumped my shoulder as she walked past me and sat on the ledge surrounding the tub, gracefully crossing one leg over the other.
I tensed as Faye unlocked the band around my neck and removed it. Immediately, I reached up, touching my bare skin, and swallowed carefully while Faye moved to the shower stall. She turned the water on, adjusting the temperature.
“Strip,” Breena ordered.
I lowered my hands, glaring at her.
Her smirk grew. “Either you take off your clothes or I will take them off for you.”
Faye sighed. “Breena.”
“It’s not an empty promise,” Breena added.
My skin prickled with anger and irritation. Part of me wanted to let her try to strip me down, but the last thing I wanted was a room full of fae while I showered. Breena had already gotten to me—she’d done things to Ren, with Ren, and now she wanted to intimidate me. No way was I giving her one more thing.
I reached down, wrapping my fingers around the hem of my thermal, and yanked the soiled material off. Then I threw it at her.
Breena’s hand snaked out, catching the shirt. The smirk faded from her face as she dropped the material onto the ground. “Cute. Does your bra actually have daisies on it?”
It did. Whatever. Unbuttoning my cargo pants, I shimmied them down my hips and thighs, then stepped out of them. Steam was quickly filling the bathroom.
“Pink panties?” Breena snickered. “How old are you?”
“Go fuck yourself,” I said, reaching behind and unclasping the hooks of my bra. My cheeks heated as the straps slipped down my arms.
“How about I go fuck your boyfriend?” Breena responded.
I’m gonna kill her. My hands trembled as I let the bra slip to the floor. I’m gonna kill her. I kept repeating those words as I slipped off my undies.
“I have no idea what he sees in you,” Breena observed, arching a dark brow. “Your tits aren’t that bad. The rest of you? Probably a good thing you skipped dinner.”
“Shut up, Breena.” Faye shot her a dark, scolding look. “Just shut up.”
Breena ignored her. “Oh, look. Your tattoo is in the same place as your boyfriend’s. How cute.”
I stiffened. The tattoo—the symbol of freedom that all Order members had—was way too low on Ren’s stomach for her to have seen it without his pants coming off. Stomach twisting, I struggled to take my next breath. Our gazes met. Challenge filled her pale eyes.
“Shower, Ivy.” Faye lightly touched my arm. “Go ahead and shower.”
Skin burning, it took every ounce of self-control to turn and step into the shower. The warm water hit my skin, stinging the bruise along my hip. Faye closed the door behind me, but it was clear glass, so there was absolutely no privacy. Embarrassment made my movements jerky as I picked up the bottle of shampoo.
Breena talked the entire time I showered. She spoke of how alive she felt after feeding on Ren, and how his muscles had flexed under her hands. Then she moved on to how things would be with the prince once I got “knocked up” and delivered his child. I’d be cast aside, and she would take my place. From what I was gathering, she had a lot of experience with Drake.
So cliché.
I ignored her and focused on the simple joy of being clean, even though I wanted to shove the bottle of body wash down her throat. I was biding my time. So I swallowed the humiliation and held the anger close as I finished showering. The door opened once, and a disposable razor was offered to me. I stared at it and then slowly lifted my gaze to Faye’s.
