Page 52 of Wicked Dove
He purses his lips. The cords in his neck are tensing as he tries to swallow past them, but his throat bobs to no avail. “She can’t die,” he bites through clenched teeth, and Kael stares at him with furrowed brows.
“Why?”
Thorne doesn’t utter a word. Instead, he spins on the spot, marching in the direction of The Vale with marked determination in his stride.
“Great chat,” I muse, earning a deathly stare from Kael. Clapping my hands together, I nod at him and Ocean before pointing over my shoulder.
“I’m going to find her,” I state, and Ocean scoffs, projecting her magic toward me.
“No, you’re not. She needs a friend right now.”
“Kael,” I reply, and he cocks a brow at me.
“What if I want to find her? I am her guardian after all,” he grunts, and I huff.
“Like she’s going to want to see you right now,” I mutter, and he rolls his eyes, but as expected, he does me a solid and distracts Ocean from behind, holding her wrists at her back so I can make my move.
I don’t waste any time.
I’m on the fourth floor in a flash, knocking on her door a moment later. Seconds tick by and I rock back on my heels, waiting patiently, but no one comes. Trying again, I knock a little harder, but as seconds turn into minutes, my patience gets the better of me.
Grabbing the door handle, it turns easily, revealing her room that she shares with Ocean, but on first inspection, she’s not here. Entering, I close the door quietly behind me as the sound of the shower running fills my ears.
That explains it.
It’s clear to see which side of the room is hers simply because the other half is filled with Ocean’s aura, while Elodie’s remains empty and lifeless. I don’t like it, but there are bigger matters to consider first, like the blood that was dripping from her wrist.
Pursing my lips, I consider my options because I want to stay on her good side, but despite knowing I should leave and let herdecompress, my feet carry me toward the bathroom door, which sits slightly ajar.
The sensible part of me sees the mostly closed door as a barrier, while the stupid part sees the sliver of light on the other side as an invitation.
Nudging it open a little more, I stand in the doorway, watching the steam billow around the room. It’s so thick it takes me a second to locate my target, but the moment my eyes cross her bare skin, it’s impossible for me to turn away.
I should leave, but I can’t, not when she looks like that.
Her purple hair is almost black from the water, plastered to her back as she tilts her head up to the spray. Her hips curve in all of the right places, making my fingers itch to reach out to her while my cock strains at the sight of her ass. Damn, even the inch of side boob I can see is going to floor me.
I’m about to rut on her like a fool or shift into my wolf and piss on everything to claim her as mine. That’s until she sighs, moving her hair over her shoulder…
That’s when I see it.
All of it.
I’m moving with laser-focus, my blood pounding through my veins fueled by vengeance. The closer I get, the madder I become. Slamming my hands on the wall on either side of her, I cage her in and her sweet gasp fills the air.
“Who did this to you?” I snarl, and she glances over her shoulder at me, eyes widening in a mixture of shock and horror. “Who?” I repeat, desperate for the answer. It takes everything in me to look away from her gaze, but the marks on her back require my attention.
Not one, not even two.
Fuck… there must be at least a dozen. Welt marks are lashed across her skin, along with burn marks that match the small size of a cigarette.
“Get out,” she squeals, finally finding her voice, and it lures my gaze back to hers as she spins in the small space I’m offering her to plaster her back against the tiled wall.
I step closer, unfazed by the shower pouring down onto me, seeping into my clothes. It doesn’t matter, nothing matters but her answer.
“Who the fuck did that?” She either answers soon, or my wolf is going to come out. I can already feel him. Electricity zaps through my body with a raw need, ready to create chaos.
“I said, get out,” she repeats, louder this time, and I grab her jaw, tighter than necessary, as I force her eyes to meet mine.
