Page 44 of Origins
Chapter Fourteen
Run
How could he—they—do that? How could they take one look at me and bring all my secret fears and hidden thoughts to the surface? All I wanted was to be normal, but Damen and his psychology mojo had a way of breaking through my barriers.
I couldn’t be a normal friend.
Julian was calm again, and he rubbed my arm comfortingly. “Why are you scared, Bianca?” he asked. “Do you think Finn will hurt you again? I—we—wouldn’t allow it. Now that we have an idea of what’s been going on, there’s no way he’d get close enough again.”
I shook my head—that wasn’t it—before glancing at Damen for help. Though it was reassuring to know that they were so determined. But there was something else that worried me more than Finn using me as a way to release his anger.
“She’s afraid that he will tell her parents,” Damen answered Julian. He sat beside us and took one of my shaking hands into his own. “That they’ll make her go back.”
“Go back where?” Julian looked confused.
I wanted Julian to know—he deserved to be forewarned about things that might come up later. But I was too drained to go over everything again today. Plus, my body ached.
I just wanted to pretend that everything was okay, just for a little while.
“It’s alright, baby girl,” Damen responded, almost as if he knew my internal exhaustion. “If there’s a bathtub here, I was going to order you to take a soak.” He held up the bottle that he grabbed earlier. “Use this.” He sounded all professional. “It’ll make sure anything that might still be lingering…isn’t. And it will help soothe the pain somewhat.”
I tentatively accepted the bottle. “What do you mean? I thought you got everything… You said it was a curse, but what did Finn do exactly?” I was sure he was trying to comfort me, but that ominous statement had only done the opposite. “Besides, I can’t take a bath. I have to feed you guys, and put the coffee on. And stuff.”
Damen and Julian glanced at each other before Damen gave me a resigned look. “I’ll explain the nature of our abilities later. I promise. Youshouldknow. But first, you need tonotbe in pain. And dressed…”
His eyes drifted toward my chest at his last statement, and I realized that the modest covering had gotten rather low.
I squealed and jerked the blanket up.
“Will you stop doing that?” Julian chastised as he moved his thumb in a circular motion on my hip. He frowned at Damen. “Don’t embarrass her. Must you always be so…lascivious? You know—”
“Whatever, Julian.” Damen threw Julian an annoyed look. “I’ll do what I want. Why don’t you mind your own business?”
And now I felt sufficiently awkward. This was a topic that went way beyond me; and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a part of that argument.
“I’m sorry.” I moved out of Julian’s lap without incident—they could figure this out for themselves. The last thing that I wanted was to overstep my boundaries, and I wasn’t sure how their dynamics worked. Or even what ours would be like. Finn never had any cutesy nicknames for me— and I never would have sat on his lap.
This was going to be a learning experience. Having more than one friend—and all of them guys. The only way to make this friendship work was for them to see me as one of the boys.
I could totally do that. I would.
…but how did a group of boys act?
I’d have to do some research.
“Bianca, wait—” Julian looked guilty, and I hated that I made him feel this way. I couldn’t let him dwell on this. I would just have to act as if nothing happened.
“Sorry.” I held up the jar as I stepped away from them. “I’m going to go bathe with this…stuff. It’s going to be relaxing and great… I think.” I tentatively shook the jar—eyeing the contents. The powder resembled a mixture of Epsom salt and something I couldn’t place.
I shook it again, and Damen jumped—almost lunging for me.
I froze.
So, shaking the bottle was bad—I’d keep that in mind. “What’s wrong with you?” I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious now. “It’s not going to explode in my face, is it? Or cause me to break out in warts?”
He actually had the nerve to look offended. “Baby girl, do you think that I’d give you something harmful?” Even as he asked the question, his focus remained on the bottle in my hand.
“...I would hope not,” I answered. “That would certainly set our friendship off on the wrong foot.”
