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As he came closer, the chlorine on him choked me. “You’re not self-conscious, are you?” His fat fingers reached forward and brushed the hair back from my face. “You don’t have any reason to be. You’re gorgeous. And you’ve got a nice body under those clothes. You’re really becoming a woman, and you shouldn’t hide it.”
Acid seeped up my throat, and my appetite vanished. “I don’t have a bathing suit.”
He laughed and rubbed my shoulder, making my skin crawl. “Silly girl. Did you forget the red one? I bought it especially for you.”
No, I hadn’t forgotten about the red one. I threw the scraps of fabric out.
Mr. Bowden had only recentlynoticedme. I’d blended into the background until Tanya and Jasmin were shipped off to another foster home. Now I was his main focus.
But I already knew what he would do. I’d overheard way too much not to know what he had planned.
My fingers tightened into fists.Disgusting creep.
The door opened again, and my heart nearly fell on the floor as a pretty girl with raven curls smiled. She wore the skimpy bikini Mr. Bowden had bought me, revealing way too much of her.
“Oh, look, Jayla Bear is here.” Mr. Bowden left me and threw his arm around her, tucking her into his gross, hairy body. “I’ll just have to make do with her.”
My head frantically shook. This wasn’t right. Jayla was never at the Bowden’s. We were never at any foster home together. Sheneverwent through what I did. Mr. Bowden never laid eyes on her.
“Jayla, get away from him.” My voice came out in a strangled whisper.
She giggled as he ran his fat fingers over her ribs, tickling her. “Why?”
I pushed away from the counter and tried to grab her, but she hid behind the pudgy creep. “Because he’s a bad man. He’ll hurt you. I’m trying to protect you.”
“You didn’t protect me, Tate.” She poked her head out from behind him. “You let me die. I was better off without you. I could have gone to a nice home, but you kept me on the streets to be slaughtered.”
My chest caved in on my lungs. “I didn’t want you to get sent to places like I had, like this place.”
Mr. Bowden scooped her up in his arms. “She’s perfectly safe, Tate. We’re going to have some fun in the pool house.” The two of them disappeared outside.
Fear hit me like a sledgehammer, and I darted to the door, my sweaty hands slipping off the knob. “No, Jayla, don’t let him take you there. Jayla!” I beat my fists on the glass, trying with all my might to break it…
I bolted upin the bed, breathing heavily, my hands still clenched in fists. Panic had a grip on me as I scrutinized the unfamiliar surroundings. For the last month, I was used to waking up in a tiny, bare cell with white walls and an uncomfortable cot.
This was the lap of luxury compared to that. The huge bed had pink, white, and gold satin covers, and fluffy pillows rested against a tufted headboard. Polished wood and leather furniture gleamed even in the murkiness of nighttime. Disinfectant didn’t permeate the air either. Instead, the sweet scent of flowers drifted in the room.
But I’d rather be in my sleeping bag next to Jayla in that abandoned building. And no matter how comfortable Ruin made me, I was still a prisoner.
I dragged a shaky hand through my hair, trying to force back the memories the nightmare had dredged up. Despite its pleasant appearance, the Bowden’s was so bad that I’d run away for the first time at thirteen. Seeing Jayla there, even though it wasn’t real, made me want to slam my fist into stone until the pain stole the sick feeling wriggling in my gut.
Something moved in the shadows, and chills raked down my spine. Had Ruin ordered a demon to slip into my room to guard me? Or had one of Princess Venna’s buddies snuck into the house?
A familiar tingle fluttered over the tattoo on my neck as a pair of eyes appeared—one demon blue and the other golden amber—and broad shoulders that led to a tapered waist formed in the shadows. Even in the dark, those black tattoos stood out.
“It’s been a while, Teague.” Fane Maverick’s voice hit my center like a bolt of electricity, igniting the embers that smoldered ever since we met.
But that fire quickly transformed into searing hatred. Did Ruin let this bastard in here?
“Get the fuck out!” I snatched a pillow and hurled it at him. Instead of catching it, the feathered square sailed right through his torso and hit the floor.
Son of a bitch. He’d finally managed to leave his body to visit me.
He smirked, the moonlight from the window framed in salmon and white drapes gleaming on the hoop in his bottom lip. His midnight hair flopped over his forehead in messy waves, and the scars digging into his cheek and near his temple shined within his bronze skin. “What? You’re not happy to see me?”
“I’d rather be back in Karn’s dungeon than be in the same room as you.”
“Speaking of Karn…” Fane crossed his arms, bulking up his biceps. Power and confidence radiated from his hard, carved-in-stone body, and my tongue tingled with the desire to lick every square inch of him. “I heard Ziva’s sister took over the seat in Vlehull, and she’s after us.”
