“You’re in a bath, in my room. You’re safe. You’re safe, I promise.”
My lips part as my hammering heart finally stops pounding my lungs. I can breathe. Oxygen begins to flow more smoothly, calming my scratchy throat instead of irritating it.
“What did he give you, Nine?”
I flinch at his question and search through my hazy memories. “A pill… I think. It-it was too dark to see.” I let my hands falls from the tub and I slowly inch backwards, leaning against the white enamel. My voice sounds distant and quiet and I want nothing more than to fall asleep. “He pushed me down and dropped it into my mouth… the next thing I know alcohol is being poured down my throat…” I close my eyes and let my head loll to the side. Quick, thick fingers tapping on my cheek is the only thing to keep me awake. “I thought I was going to drown,” I mumble, my eyes threatening to close. “It filled my stomach, my throat, my mouth… it went into my nose.” I shake my head.
I’m too out of it to take note of Kade’s features, all I want is a bed and to forget this ever happened.
“There’s dry blood. Did the Unfortunate… did he?”
I feel my body withdraw at his words and I pull my knees into my chest… a dry pain shoots from my centre with no warning. I dig my heels into the table, desperate to get away from the pain and I snap my attention to the Unfortunate’s face. A lump chokes me when my stare manages to focus on his heavy eyes and slight smirk. He pushes his finger in deeper, as far as he can, and grabs my hip with his free hand, pulling me even closer to him.
“He put his fingers in me.” I begin to cry, this time not caring if I shield my face or not. “It hurt.”
My chest heaves… although the Unfortunate didn’t put his penis in me it doesn’t make it any less traumatizing. It doesn’t make it okay.
“Where were you?” I ask, sniffling, making Kade flinch. “You promised… you promised no harm would come to me.”
His beautiful face falls as guilt washes over him. I don’t know why, but suddenly, I blame him. He left me alone even though I didn’t want him to. He doesn’t have to follow me around twenty-four seven and protect me from the other Fortunates, but the one time I needed him to, he didn’t.
He grabs the hand held bath head and pulls it off of its holder. I shiver as the cold water sprays off of the tiles and drops over my naked skin. My skin feels slick with oil, like I’m covered in some kind of invisible sludge. I hate it. I sit forward as Kade moves the now warm water over my back, and lets it roll down my spine. I’m still crying, unable to stop. The Unfortunate’s face, Vince’s face—all of their faces are burned into my skull and I see them every time I blink. I cry harder, dropping my head against my arms.
“Stop crying, Nine,” he orders, his voice deep and commanding.
I try to stop. I purse my lips and bite them shut, but the harder I try, the harder the tears fall.
“Nine!” His booming voice echoes but my body doesn’t even register it. He drops the shower head into the bath and I hear him kick off his shoes. The water swishes and rises in level as he climbs in. I feel his legs fall to either side of my body and he roughly grabs my face. My eyes meet his—violet to black—and his are pleading, kind.
“Stop crying because I don’t know how to make you better... I don’t know how to fix this.”
His hands radiate warmth and kindness, no matter how tightly they’re gripping my face. Doesn’t he think I want to stop crying? Crying isn’t something I particularly enjoy doing. I want it to stop, but it won’t. I want tonight to go away and leave me alone, but it won’t. This is my reality and no demand from him is going to change that.
“I want to go to bed,” I sob, pulling my face from his hands. “Please, can I go to bed?”
“Only if you stay here with me.”
I start to shake my head, then stop. I can’t sleep alone… being alone is how this happened in the first place. I need Kade with me… he’ll keep me safe.
“I’ll stay with you.”
Happy with my answer, he climbs out of the bath. As I peer up at him, he hands me a towel, and even though my legs shake as if I’m cold, I pull myself to my feet. With a hand firmly positioned behind my elbow, he helps me from the bath. It’s nice of him, and I know the gesture doesn’t mean as much on his side, but for me… it soothes my soul.
∞ Kade ∞
He tried to ignore the way her terrified, violet eyes penetrated him as he tucked her naked into his bed. She’d pleaded for him not to leave her, but he had things he needed to take care of. Kade left so many things unfinished tonight… things he had to put an end to. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to think he was weak. He left the Black House with his sobbing Unfortunate in his arms earlier and that would only bring him trouble unless he did something about it. If word got back to his father, how long would it take for him to come and take Kade to the ‘city’ to kill him like he killed his own wife, the mother of his children?