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“Nothing is a hundred percent, you know that. Don’t be stupid.”
Devin turned her head into the bed, hiding from him. Loathing every stuttering inhale, wishing it was the last as it brought her the darkness of espresso and the pungent sweetness of her first true heat. Weeping into the sheets, she mourned so much. Her life, her first mated nest…
Herself.
“Stop crying, Gods damn it!” Rey jerked her head to the side, putting their faces close. “I let you build a nest, I made sure you enjoyed it. I made sure you wouldn’t carry anything forward from this. You know how many Alphas would have gone through all that? None. Whatever fairytale they told you about how this is supposed to be, this is the real fucking world, little girl.”
“Get off of me.” Whispered into the ether, she ignored his continued ravings. Salty tears stung the torn skin of her lips, finding every cut and bite he’d left her with. The apathy burned deep, cleaving through whatever remained of her soul.
“Like hell I will.”
Unprepared for the call and the way her body reacted, Devin couldn’t voice the shrill scream echoing around her skull. Losing all sense of herself as he continued to force the awful glory of that sinister sound into her body. Forcing her to feel it as much as see it. Giving her no choice as he pulled at the strings of her instincts. Making her want it. Enjoy it.
* * *
When Devin woke again, no one occupied the bed alongside her. Cold and coated in a film of tacky fluid, no one came to silence her sobs. Deep, wrenching cries choked her, sending her running for a bathroom glimpsed through a cracked door. Collapsing before the toilet, she succumbed to a series of dry heaves that twisted every sore muscle, grinding through her bones, and telling her just how hard he’d used her. She’d been bruised, a little broken when Beau finished with her, but Rey… He’d just had at it. Virulent purple shaded to violet, the sickly green of older hurts a blotchy background.
Crawling over the cold tiles, she dragged herself into the shower. No amount of scalding water would wash away what he’d done, what she’d allowed him to do, but it was a start. Bleary gaze scanning the recessed shelves, Devin’s brows drew down low over the bridge of her nose. Someone had left a bottle of one of the more expensive soaps Omegas of wealth used. Not the cheap brand that still cost her a month’s pay, but the good stuff. Tracing the edge of the next shelf brought another bottle and a large pot, some fancy shampoo and conditioner. Again, the good stuff Devin could never afford.
So, no longer a cheap whore, but an expensive one.
Devin sneered, twisting the knob. She gritted her teeth as icy water pelted her back, digging into every cut and bruise. Devin didn’t emerge from the shower until she’d scraped every inch of skin she could reach, scrubbing two, three times and leaving blood swirling down the drain as she opened her many wounds. Dripping all over the floor, she hated herself as she went to the vanity and felt real relief at finding a toothbrush and toothpaste. Even a travel bottle of mouthwash. Perhaps someone wanted their scent off of her as much as she did.
Snorting a caustic laugh, Devin set to scrubbing the taste of strawberries from her teeth. Brushing so hard her gums bled, she repeated the process just as she had for her body. Rinsing with the mouthwash burned each time.
Satisfied she had rid herself of any hint of him from her body, Devin emerged into the bedroom only to be assaulted by the sickening combination of sights and smells and forced to experience it all over again. With a vicious snarl, she ripped at the multitude of linens, throwing them around the room. She shredded the fitted sheet as she tore it from the mattress. She’d have ripped the mattress apart with her bare hands if she hadn’t begun to sway, light-headed with the taste of foil on her tongue.
“You finished,” Rey asked from somewhere behind her.
Devin refused to jump. Controlling her breaths, she didn’t scream as his hand fell in a heavy brand on her damp shoulder.
“Come eat.” His hand slid down her arm, a firm caress down to her hand where he tangled their fingers. A playful tug urging her to follow.
“I want clothes.”
“I know.”
Nothing else. He gave no explanation for his refusal to give her at least that last shred of humanity, pulling Devin along behind him. He had no problem finding suitable attire, casual slacks and t-shirt hugging his body in ways that shouldn’t be allowed. Stiff legged, given no choice, she followed.
Devin didn’t realize they weren’t in his apartment until he pushed her onto a couch with clean lines and plump pillows. Windows lined three walls, opening onto a wide brick patio, showing a grassy lawn surrounded by a high privacy fence. Furnishings were sparse, the couch she sat on in warm gray tones, a smattering of pillows in an array of tasteful neutrals. A matching pair of chairs positioned opposite, a wide coffee table of dark walnut between them.
None of it seemed Rey’s taste, or what little she knew of it. Sinking deeper into the couch, violet-blues scanned the wide lawn. Anxiety surged, banding around her chest as she realized she had no idea where she was or who else might be there.
Tucking a light throw over her lap, Rey dared to purr. Smoothing his hand over her wet hair, he tugged it into a messy ponytail to tip her head back and met her gaze head on with a stiff smile. “Just eat, sweetheart.”
Rey released her and stepped out of the way, letting her see the array of containers. Roasted chicken, braised beef, potatoes three ways, steaming vegetables in some spicy sauce. An unholy amount of red sauce and spaghetti with meatballs the size of her fist. There was more. Much more. Too many choices, too many smells confusing her.
Knees curling up to her chest, her nervous fingers picked at the deep bite at her breast. Devin shoved her back hard into the firm cushions, scraping her skin over the stiff fabric in an attempt to ground herself in some physical sensation.
“You just need to eat. You’ll feel better—”
“You have no idea what will make me feel better.”
Rey rocked back on his heels. The hot ash of his anger coated the back of her throat, though he let his breath out in a controlled sigh. Crouching beside her upturned legs, he rubbed at the top of her feet.
“You’re just going to have to accept the best was made out of the situation. Now eat before it gets cold.”
“I don’t want it.”
