Page 65 of Wicked Dove
“You don’t have to do that,” I insist as he grabs a remote control from his nightstand to pass to me, and I notice the massive television on the wall beside the bathroom.
He doesn’t acknowledge my words as he turns back for the door, truly leaving me alone in his space, but as he grabs the handle, ready to go, he turns to me with furrowed brows and uncertainty darkening his gaze.
“Does it hurt?”
“Does what hurt?”
“Your back,” he breathes, a reminder of yesterday flashing through my mind as I shake my head, refusing to let it plague me anymore than it already has in the last twenty-four hours.
“No, it was a long time ago.”
TWENTY
RION
Her lashes dust across her skin, bringing out a delicate side of her I’m sure very few have seen. Yet here I am, watching her sleep in my bed like all is well in the world. Her hands are tucked under her cheek as she lies on her side, still wearing her institute-issued white shirt and skirt, but her blazer and shoes are tucked over by my desk.
Nothing is out of place except for the crumpled sheets beneath her and the tray I brought in earlier. It doesn’t look like she’s peeked at my things, not that I would have cared if she did, but for as curious as she seems, it’s surprising.
Turning my attention back to the discarded tray, I’m relieved to see her plate is empty, along with her water bottle. A rerun ofDaredevilplays softly in the background, and I grin. I fucking love that series.
I pause it so she doesn’t lose where she was, but as I place the remote on the nightstand, I can’t help but crouch down beside her, eager for a closer look. She’s intoxicating. Maybe it’s because she’s new and mysterious, but there’s just something about her that draws me in again and again. It could be the rogueness in me. I sense it in her too, like she was never ableto trust those she was born to believe in. The scars on her back certainly seem to support my theory.
Brushing her hair back off her face, I have to snatch my hand back quickly before I do something stupid and wake her. With a sigh, I rise to my feet, my cock straining in my pants as I exercise restraint and hurry to the door.
I’m on the verge of changing my mind when I hear the front door shut, quickly followed by grunts and grumbles from Kael and Thorne.
That’s my cue to let her be.
Stepping into the lounge, I close my bedroom door as quietly as I can. Kael’s tugging at his hair like it’s the only thing keeping him sane, while Thorne glares at him with pursed lips and tense shoulders.
“What’s going on?” I ask, cutting toward the small dining table in the far corner of the room. With my preferred chair in hand, I carry it toward my bedroom door and set it down.
“I can’t find Elodie,” Kael grunts, bowing his head further as Thorne tilts his gaze to me.
“Ocean doesn’t know where she is either.”
I nod in acknowledgment, but it seems my lack of response draws Kael’s attention to me as I take a seat in the chair, getting as comfortable as I can despite the circumstances.
“What are you doing?” he asks with a frown, lowering his hands, but I don’t miss the tightness that has his hands balling into fists at his sides.
“Getting comfortable,” I offer, aware I’m being more than vague, but I don’t give a shit.
“Most people choose to do that in their room,” Thorne says with a raised eyebrow, and I shrug, aware that the truth is going to come out regardless, but dragging it out a little longer feels like fun.
“It’s occupied.”
“Occupied?” Kael repeats, his eyebrows gathering as he turns to face me head-on.
“I didn’t stutter,” I bite, lacing my fingers together at the back of my head as I stretch my legs out and cross them at my ankles. I sense the shift. It comes from Thorne because Kael is too busy staring at me with narrowed eyes.
“Who is occupying your room?” the vampire asks, and I almost smirk, but Thorne answers him before I get the pleasure of doing so.
“Elodie.”
“She’s been with you the entire time?” Kael snarls, taking two steps toward me, but he remembers himself before he crosses the invisible line.
“Technically, no,” I explain, recalling the fact that I found her at Institute Twelve, then left her here to her own devices.
