Page 88 of Drown My Sorrow

Oh, the reporters. I hadn’t even thought of them. Ew, I don’t want to think of them. I pat Nat’s back as she gets up, trying hard not to show how much my leg hurts.

“Right. I’ll let you rest, but we’re catching up tomorrow.” She turns and stops dead.

“There are vermin in your hotel room, bestie.”

“I know. They’re my vermin. They have bites and all. I tried to get rid of them, but Shale said I had to keep them.”

“Oh, do they now? Have you tried cutting it off?”

Beau snickers.

Keagan just shakes his head. “You terrify me. Also, we’re naked under here.”

Nat smiles widely. “Let me know if you want them dead. I fucked a guy who owes me a favour.”

I watch as she leaves, disappearing with as much drama as she came in.

“Do you think she really knows a guy?” I hear Gael ask.

“She wouldn’t say so if it weren’t true,” Shale says and walks out towel drying his hair. “Showers free.”

Ezy gets up and slinks into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I’m getting sleepy, but Shale pulls the quilt off my legs and pulls up my towel.

I glare at him. “Not tonight.”

“Yes, tonight.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I don’t care. You shouldn’t have gone running in the forest.”

“Shale.”

“I love it when you whine, so please keep going.”

“Sadist.”

“Only for you.”

I gasp as he starts massaging my thigh. I tilt my head back so I can’t look at him touching my scarred up legs.

I don’t want to see it. It hurts, though, and, soon, I’m crying and letting out piteous moans.

“It’s all right, you’re almost there. It’s almost done.”

Shale finishes up and pauses. I open my eyes and find Kelly standing there with a warm heat bag in his hand. He’s holding it out like a peace offering. His face, neck, and shoulders are covered in scratch marks, some of them bleeding. I did that.

“It will help,” he says softly.

Shale takes it and puts it on my leg. “Thanks, Kelly.”

I look between the two of them and wish it could have been different. I can see we all could have been friends. This could have worked, but I don’t trust them, and I don’t want to be friends with them.

“Stop thinking, start eating,” Keagan growls. Ezy approaches the bed and hesitates, but Keagan doesn’t. He lashes out with snake speed, grabs the alpha’s wrist, and yoinks him into the bed. “You can bed with me tonight, bestie.”

“We’re not besties,” Ezy protests hotly.

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