Page 10 of Shifters' Fated Summer
How fucking dare he?
My butt twinged in pain, and I resolutely refused to rub at the spot where I was confident a bruise was forming. Not when Luca was watching.
“If you’re sure you’re fine, I’ll leave you be.” He rose in a fluid motion that I greedily drank up. In the doorway, he paused, resting his forearm against the frame. “I’ll be right out here if you need anything.”
I bared my teeth at him, and he shrugged, disappearing. Under the sound of water streaming down, I could hear the hinges work and his retreating footsteps. After a moment, I cautiously followed him to the bathroom door. It sat closed in its frame, but the lock was splintered.
He broke the fucking door to reach me when I screamed, and I had no idea how to feel about it.
Just busted down the door because he thought I was… what? Hurt? Unsafe? Maybe I should be disturbed, but instead, my idiot heart was flattered.
That tracked, after wanting to lick a drop of water off his skin. I was messed up in the head.
With my breath held, I tiptoed forward and nudged the door. It didn’t budge. Suspicious, I crouched down and peered under the bottom. Two bare feet were visible.
Luca was standing against the door he had broken, keeping it closed and secure.
It was the least he could do after busting the lock, andI wasn’t about to waste it.
Chapter 4
Breakfast
I meant to take a two-minute shower, but the water wasn’t back to ice cold like I expected - it was slightly warm. Cautiously, I inched the handle toward the left, and the water warmed further. Suddenly, the hot water in the shower made sense. This was heavenly.
My muscles melted under the gentle pounding of heated water. The shampoo in the shower smelled of plants - mint and eucalyptus if the bottle was accurate - and it tingled as I scrubbed it into my scalp.
A foaming body wash that smelled like vanilla glided over my skin, stripping away a feeling of grime I wasn’t even aware of. It was unfair how luxurious these bath products were.
After sudsing up and rinsing my entire body, I washed my hair a second time. The drag of my nails over my clean scalp made me want to purr. And who knew when I would get the chance to get this clean again?
After Evrin turned me, I would enjoy luxuries like this. Well, maybe nothotshowers, butmoreshowers at least. Itwas something else to look forward to.
Maybe I could talk to Evrin about showers for the donors because Luca was wrong - we weren’t blood slaves.
The fact that Luca had a bathroom in his hallway, one that you could use alone and lock the door, was wild. Did he even realize how lucky he was?
Between taking me captive and then putting me in a comfy bed and offering me food and a shower, I was so confused. It hurt my brain to think about.
That was probably why I felt that pull toward him that I was trying to deny and ignore.
Finally, I turned the shower off by sliding the handle all the way to the right. It splashed a bit of cold on me before it shut off entirely.
The towel felt like the softest bedding ever as I rubbed it over my body and squeezed the water out of my hair. I was tempted to wrap myself up and stay in it all day, but being around my captors in a towel seemed like a bad idea.
Feeling a million times better, I inspected the clothing waiting for me in a neatly folded pile on the bathroom counter. They were odd.
Gingerly, I pulled on a pair of pants that gathered at the waist and ankles and hung loosely over my hips. The pockets on the side were deep enough I could slide my entire hands into them.
Luca cleared his throat and shifted his weight on the other side of the door, and I pulled on the loose gray t-shirt and dragged a comb through my wet hair before I gentlyknocked on the door.
It swung open, and the tall, dark, tattooed man stood facing me. Neither of us said anything for a long moment. His gaze lazily explored me, and I let him. He provided the shower and clothes, so it seemed fair exchange.
As long as he keeps his hands to himself.
Part of me was waiting for him to make demands, and I hoped it wasn’t more than I could handle.
He opened his mouth and pressed his tongue to a canine tooth as his gaze skated lower.
