Page 14 of Unmasked Prophecy

There is only one person who watches over the kids, does homeschooling with them, and seems to care about them a little more than anyone else, and that’s Miriam. An older lady, who I often think is only there because she has nobody else in this world. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me, anyway. Why the hell else would you want to stay in a place like that?

I nod slowly. “Miriam. She takes care of most of the children. If you get to her, or distract her, it will leave it open long enough for me to get her out.”

Zane’s face hardens. “We’ll make it happen.”

My voice cracks. “Just... please don’t let them hurt her. She doesn’t deserve this.”

Kael gives me a stern but gentle expression. “Neither did you, darlin’.”

His words hit me right in the chest, and the feelings that wash over me aren’t ones I can easily control. I need air, I need to get away from the looks they are giving me. I know they feel pity for me, and I hate that. I care that they are willing to help me, and that they have taken me in, but something about the compassion really digs deep.

I rise abruptly, pushing away from the table, murmuring a quick apology and getting the hell out of there before anyone can stop me. The hallway feels too narrow as I hurry down it, needing a gulp of fresh air more than anything else in the world right now. A laugh echoes from down the hall—soft, feminine, flirty. I pause, not wanting to distract whoever it is with my stomping as I rush out.

A door creaks.

I inch forward, tiptoeing past it when I hear a familiar growl. A low, throaty sound that sends shivers right through me. I’d know that growl anywhere, and I immediately freeze, my chest tightening as I hear the giggles continue, followed by a breathy moan.

Talon is in that room with someone. A woman.

I shouldn’t look. I know it. Yet my feet move without thought.

I peek through the gap—and flinch.

Talon is on the couch, a girl sprawled across his lap. Her tank top is pulled halfway up her back. His hand is between her legs, and she’s moaning as she whispers something in his ear. I know what he’s doing. Even in my sheltered and isolated world, I know what he’s doing.

My world tilts. Something inside me makes me feel as though I’m being lit on fire.

He leans forward, kissing her neck.

I stagger back, hitting the opposite wall.

His head lifts.

Our eyes meet.

My heart stops beating for just a second.

I don’t wait to see what he does next. I turn and run, vision swimming, breath caught in my throat. I shove out the front door, the morning light stings my eyes. I shove a hand up to block it and keep moving. A group of old ladies sits smoking and drinking coffee on the porch, and their eyes move to me as I hurry towards the stairs.

One of them—Leona—tilts her head. “Watch your step, girl. Club floors can be slippery with regret, especially when you’re doin’ the walk of shame.”

Her words sting, and I spin around without thought. “Why don’t you worry about your own fucking regret?”

She stands. “Excuse me?”

“I said—”

She moves fast. One second she’s sipping coffee, the next I’m shoved against the railing, her hand gripping my jaw. Her perfume is powdery and suffocating. She glares at me like she wants to drive a knife through my heart. I gasp, gripping her wrist to try and push her hand away.

“You don’t get to speak to me like that, you fuckin’ little...”

“Fuckin’ let her go, Leona. Right fuckin’now.”

Talon’s voice whips through the air and travels up my spine like an electric bolt. Leona bares her teeth at me, not moving away even though Talon ordered her to. He takes a step forward, she squeezes tighter. She doesn’t seem afraid of him, which tells me she has been here for far too long. He terrifies me.

“She needs to learn some fuckin’ respect,” she mutters. “Sweetbutts don’t talk to old ladies like that.”

“She ain’t a fuckin’ sweetbutt, now remove your hand before I remove it for you.”

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