Page 9 of Shifters' Fated Summer
To the right, a door opened to a toilet, and to the left, an archway revealed a shower. Gray and blue tile made up the walls and floor. It must have been brand new because it was flawlessly clean and bright.
A stack of clothes and a bag of toiletry essentials sat on the counter. Carefully,I closed and locked the door behind myself.
Being naked and vulnerable in a stranger’s home was the last thing I wanted, but the shower was appealing, as was new clothing. I couldn’t remember the last time I was given a new garment - perhaps my birthday last year.
There were no mirrors in Evrin’s den, so the sight caught me off guard. My eyes traced over my reflection.
Was that what I looked like now?
My skin was pale, but that was to be expected living in the den. Similarly, my brown hair looked darker than I remembered as a child. Evrin kept it chopped at chin-length to minimize mess and provide easy access for when he fed from me.
Swallowing, I tucked my bedraggled hair behind my ears. My face had dips below my cheekbones that I didn’t remember. All my baby fat was gone, and honestly, I looked hungry. There was a feral gleam in my eyes that made me uncomfortable.
I wrenched my gaze away, uneasy at the sight. There was no reason to be staring at myself. It didn’t matter. Evrin liked how I looked. No one else’s opinion mattered.
It was easier to focus on getting clean. Quickly, I peed and stripped off my clothes. Stepping into the shower, I reached up and turned on the water. It sprayed over my head, soaking my hair.
After a few seconds, the water changed from comfortably cool to really fuckinghot.
It wasburning.
Yelping, I jumped back, smacking my head on the tile wall. The damn floor was so clean and smooth, I slipped, and my ass hit the ground with an embarrassing slap.
“Summer!” a muffled voice called.
The blazing fire-water sprayed over my legs, and I pulled them back with a gasp. The small space was filling with steam, and I couldn’t get a deep breath.
What the fuck is wrong with their shower?
The door slammed open, and Luca stood there. His icy eyes swept over my naked form, and I screeched, scrambling for the towel hanging off a hook. Clutching it to me, I glared at Luca.
“Summer,” he said, squatting and reaching for me. “What happened?”
Recoiling, I hissed at him through my teeth. My feet pushed off the floor, scooting me as far away as I could get without touching the water.
“Hey, hey,” he said, raising his palm like he was calming a wild animal. “It’s okay. I won’t touch you, but I’m worried you may have gotten injured.”
“Yeah, your fucking shower burned me! What are you pouring out of there, liquid fire? That stuff that comes out of volcanoes?” A coughing fit broke my last few words.
“It’s too warm?” he asked dumbly. “Then why did you turn it all the way to hot?” Straightening, he grabbed the handle of the shower and adjusted it until the handle pointed vertical.
“I just turned it on! You want to explain why you guyshave that torture device? Did you bring me here just to torment me?” I spit, too angry to watch my words.
“It’s just a hot shower. I’m getting that you didn’t have those.” Luca’s concerned expression twisted into a grimace.
“A shower is just normal water,” I started to say, but the words fell away when realization dawned. The outside world had showers that poured out heated water, ridiculously overly heated in this case.
“Keep the handle to the right and it’ll give you cooler water,” Luca said. “Now, did you hit your head?”
The steam glistened on his skin, showing off the rich sun-bronzed color. I could have licked one of those drops of steam forming on his forearm.
Fuck! Maybe I hit my head on the tile harder than I realized. Why the hell would I lick my kidnapper? Especially while naked in a lava-steam-filled slippery-clean bathroom.
“No,” I growled, ignoring the pain radiating from my tailbone and the way my skin was flushing. “Don’t worry, my ass caught me.”
His mouth twitched. Dark lashes lowered, and his pupils expanded, eating up the icy blue as his gaze searched my body under the towel. “Do you want me to inspect your ass for injury? I’m happy to help.”
“Seriously,” I asked, my eyes narrowing into a glare.
