Page 19 of Rogue: Planet Athion
He was across the room in a flash, his body blocking my path. “What are you doing?”
“I need to let the others know I’m okay.”
His expression was hard. “And how do you know Marick isn’t listening? The man obviously wants you hurt, possibly dead. If he realizes you’re unharmed, he’ll just think up something else to hurt you, and it may be another member of the Pack.”
A shiver ran up my arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “They’ll be worried.”
“And the worst that will happen is they’ll get a shitty night’s sleep.”
He was right.
He sighed. “They will see you tomorrow.” He smiled. “They’ll probably attack me at some point. Fun times.”
“I’ll speak to them and tell them the truth.”
“No,” he snapped. “I didn’t build up a reputation all these years for you to shatter it.” He moved in toward me threateningly. “I don’t need you clearing my name. Let them believe that I’m a monster. Trust me, it’s for the best.”
My temper flared. “Do you want to have to watch your back every minute of every day? Because Marlon, Killion, and Xavier will make your life a misery here if I don’t tell them the truth.”
His jaw ticked.
I exhaled sharply because this conversation was making my head hurt and all I wanted right now was to sleep. “Listen, I’ll be careful, and I’ll tell them to act with animosity toward you. I’ll play the beaten woman for the Trads, at least for a while.”
He looked over my shoulder. “Fine.”
I backed up and climbed onto the bed, expecting him to dither, maybe even retract his earlier statement and sleep on the floor, but he climbed up right beside me.
“Seriously?”
He settled, back to the wall. “Seriously.”
Fuck this, I was too drained to argue. I rolled onto my side so my back was pressed to his thigh and closed my eyes. Anton’s face swam into my mind, but it wasn’t his final glassy-eyed stare I saw, it was the smile just after he’d kissed me. It was his promise to always have my back, and he had. He’d saved my life, and I wouldn’t repay him by falling apart. I’d honor his memory by staying alive and finding a way off this rock.
7
Iwoke to hot breath on the nape of my neck and a heavy weight over my waist. My body froze, and my pulse spiked with panic, and then the events of the night before flooded my mind. A deep pit opened inside me, and then irritation flooded my limbs. I shrugged off Vex’s arm and slid off the bed.
He groaned and rolled onto his front, but not before I caught sight of his morning glory. So much for boundaries. Urgh. At least he hadn’t tried anything. I ran a hand over my face. It was time to put on an act for Marick and the Trads.
The drilling and rumble of the machinery were getting louder, but Vex slumbered on. His body was so large that it took up most of the bed, and his legs dangled off the bottom. It would be comical if the circumstances weren’t so fucked up.
He was my punishment. He was meant to break me. The muscles across his shoulders rippled as he shifted position to cushion his head on his arms. Shit, he was big, and those muscles and that ass … I tore my gaze away and headed to the tiny washroom where I splashed water on my face to cool myself down. The heat should be gone by now. It usually lasted a week at the most, but it was lingering this time. A good hard workout in the training room should release some tension. Morning business done, I headed back into the room to find Vex lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. He turned his head to look at me and narrowed his eyes. And then he was off the bed and stalking toward me.
A spike of adrenaline shot through me as I backed up. “What?”
He grabbed the back of my neck. “You look too fresh. Too unaffected.”
“What do you mean?”
He grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and tugged. It tore with a rip.
“What the—”
He slid his hand into my hair and made a fist, yanking my head back.
My throat worked, but no words came because, in that moment, pinned between his body and the wall, I was completely at his mercy.
His lilac gaze dropped to my lips. “You need to look used. Your mouth needs to look swollen and bruised, your hair mussed, your eyes glazed.” He leaned in. “I’m going to have to kiss you.”
