Page 52 of Villains and Vengeance
Jayce helps her up and frees her wrists. She shakes them out and pulls her shirt down over her thighs. She won’t look at us.
What the fuck was I thinking? Yeah, I was starving, but I’ve never done anything like this before. I was treating her like she was lulled and wanted everything I could give her. Jules might be a deceitful con artist, but she’s a human. Uncontracted.Untouched until me. Unless …
‘Is this a trick?’ I ask.
‘Is what a trick?’ she asks dully.
‘Were you actually a virgin?’
She looks up at me with a little of her usual fire and she lets out an incredulous laugh that’s completely at odds with her glassy eyes. I can’t bear it.
‘I want to go to the river,’ she says quietly, suddenly somber again. ‘Please.’
It’s the ‘please’ that finally undoes me completely.
Fuck!
I nod. ‘Go with her.’ I say to Jayce.
‘I’d rather go alone. I won’t leave; I know you’ll kill Siggy if I do.’
I glance at Jayce who’s watching her with a weird mix of dismay and sorrow.
‘Sure,’ I whisper.
She leaves the White Bunker.
We both stare after her.
‘Did you do that to punish her for what she did to us?’ Jayce asks.
I shake my head. ‘No.Maybe. I was starving and I was angry that she tased me and left me here alone for days. I … that was a mistake. I didn’t mean to– I don’t know what to do.’
‘Do you think there’s anythingtodo?’ Jayce asks carefully.
I know what he’s saying. The law regarding feeding from humans is clear, BUT we’re in prison already. Who’s going to care what we did to some girl who shouldn’t even be here? I think about her face just now, the tears she’s probably shedding alone. It doesn’t matter if no one else cares.
Icare, I realize.
‘How can I fix this?’ I ask him, guilt already eating me up.
‘You’re askingme? Ugh.’ Jayce shakes his head and thinks for a moment. ‘When she comes back, have some food ready for her. She’s hungry. Keep her in here with you.’
He gets up.
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Bring some things here.’
‘The arania won’t let you out.’
He scoffs. ‘Of course she will.’
Then he frowns and lowers his voice. ‘Why didn’t you just kill the creature and escape?’
‘I knew she’d be back and,’ I look away, knowing I’ll get a ton of shit for this from him, ‘she really loves that damned spider.’
He doesn’t say anything though as he turns to go and I stop him with a hand on his shoulder. ‘Don’t tell Maddox about this.’
