Page 140 of Bones
“You ok?”
“Yeah.” He sighed, his hand tightening on mine. “I’m just not sure I’ll ever be able to get the image of you dangling from the whipping post covered in blood out of my head.”
I winced. “I’m sorry.”
"Not something you need to apologize for, darlin'. You know, Madame didn't used to be quite so bad. After her partner, Viper, died it was like it broke something in her. She got cruel. She seemed to enjoy punishing people, hurting ’em. To my knowledge, she never tortured people until about three months before we brought you back."
My stomach turned. I did not want to think about Madame or rebellions or torture. Trey glanced at my face and read all my thoughtsagain.
“What Madame made you do, it wasn’t your fault, Bones.”
I looked away. “I could’ve refused to do it.”
“She probably would’ve just hurt you until you gave in,” he retorted.
I couldn’t contain the shudder that went through me, goosebumps rising on my arms.
Trey squeezed my hand. “I keep thinkin’ I know how low she’ll go, and then she surprises me by goin’ even lower.”
I knew why. Trey couldn’t help but look for the good in people. It was his nature. I wasn’t sure what my nature would have been, but I did know that sort of optimism had been beaten out of me.
“Tell me more about your brothers?” Trey asked.
My stomach constricted with panic, and apparently, I couldn't keep anything secret from him anymore because his thumb stroked the top of my gloved hand, comforting.
"I was closer with Dune." I finally managed to get out, my heart pounding in my chest. "He was my best friend. Wolf—" Gods, I would not cry. "Wolf and I fought a lot. He had to be more my dad than my brother, and I hated that. But he taught me how to defend myself, how to survive. He'd make me get up at dawn and practice, and I hated that too." I swallowed hard. "He's the reason I've survived this long." My lips twisted in a bitter smile. "Which is funny since now he wants to kill me for what I did."
“How do you know that?” Trey asked.
“My dad told me when I was exiled.”
He squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry.”
"We're a lot alike I think." I surprised myself by continuing. "We even look the same. Both of us got our mom's eyes, hair, and freckles. Dune looked like our dad. He was blond and blue-eyed." I took a deep breath. "Wolf was paranoid about everything. It's why he trained me so hard. Dune was softer, more gentle. He loved animals. He hated that he had to go hunting, and I hated that I couldn't go hunting ’cause I'm a girl."
Trey stared at me, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Cause you’re a girl?”
I grimaced. “The place I grew up was different. They thought a woman’s place was in the home, raising babies, and cooking and cleaning.”
“So a servant.” Trey frowned.
“Basically.”
"Well, that's fuckin' stupid."
A startled grin crossed my face. “Yeah. It was fuckin’ stupid.”
He grinned back at me. “Raven is a better shot than meby far.”
I made a face. “Gods, good thing I left before she pulled a gun on me.”
He tilted his head. “Did you know Raven’s the one who told us what Lana had done?”
I looked up at him. I thought he was joking, but I couldn't find a hint of teasing on his face.
“Gonna guess that’s a no.”
“I thought they were friends,” I said.
