Page 47 of Feathers and Thorns

He used the pad of his thumb to wipe a small mound of powder from her cheek, and she found herself leaning into the touch. She was not looking to bed him, but when he leaned in to press his lips against hers, she allowed herself to enjoy the sweetness of the moment.

The kiss was short-lived when Braxton’s lips were ripped from hers by a fuming Rook.

“Touch her again, and I will break every finger that has graced her skin,” he growled. His white hair had been dyed red from the colored granules, and his chest was smattered with lines of dark purple. His rage was palpable, and Braxton couldn’t help the surprised look on his face. To his credit, he ignored Rook completely, meeting only Soren’s eyes.

“The ex?” he asked.

“Unfortunately,” she replied.

“Do you want me to do something about him?” Braxton asked sincerely.

Rook scoffed, “I’d like to see you try.”

Soren’s heart twinged that this man, who barely knew her, would so readily come to her defense, and not to display male dominance but because he genuinely cared. However, as much as she would have liked to see him land a solid punch to Rook’s face, she knew that, ultimately, he would lose. She didn’t want to be responsible for him getting hurt.

“It’s okay, Brax. I’ll take it from here,” she said softly.

He looked at her with sad disappointment that their night had been cut short but respected her wishes and walked away without another word.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Soren yelled, stomping away before he could answer.

Before she knew it, her anger led her up the stairs and down the winding halls, back to her room. She could hear Enara’s faint moans drifting from behind the door next to hers, and she suddenly wished she was deaf.

She made to slam the door shut to announce her presence to her noisy neighbors, but it stopped short when it reverberated off Rook’s palm. Soren huffed in annoyance as he overpowered her hold on the handle and pushed into the room.

“Will you just leave me in peace!” she yelled, suddenly exhausted from the night’s physical exertion.

“He kissed you,” Rook said, his eyes wild, like a cornered animal. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he replayed the image of Soren’s lips meeting the other man’s.

“And your point being?” Soren asked, flailing her arms in annoyance. “You do not own me, nor my body, and I will do with it as I see fit.”

“You. Are. Mine!” he snarled, his nostrils flaring.

“I. Am. My. Own!” she retorted, responding in the same indignant tone.

“So what? You just let anyone lay their hands on you now?” he asked, inches from her face.

She balked at the insinuation and slapped him—hard. Then she wound up for a second hit, but he caught her wrist, bending it painfully and using the backward momentum to push her into the wall beside the door.

She swung out with her non-dominant hand, yet he caught that, too, pinning both arms above her head as she bore holes into his eye sockets through her own.

The silver drink had worn off, but she was still uncomfortably affected by his proximity. The scent of sweet grass and pine needles surrounded her in a heady cloud, and her breath quickened. His eyes darkened as he noticed the effect he was having on her, so she hardened her mask and slammed her protective walls back into place.

“Let go of me, you bastard,” she said, struggling against his grip.

“Not until you hear me out,” he replied.

He was so calm that Soren wanted to scream in his stupid face, but she stilled her tongue, not wanting to alert Baz and Enara to her current predicament.

“You killed my father, called me a whore, and now you want me to hear you out?” she asked incredulously. “Do you hear how idiotic you sound?”

He deserved that. Seeing her with the other man had brought out the beast in him.

He pressed his eyes shut, pushing away the anger, and then reopened them, willing Soren to see the sincerity behind the wall of ice.

“I am sorry for what I said. He had his hands on you all evening, and when he kissed you, I snapped.”

She stared at him, open-mouthed at his admission, before spitting out, “So that gives you the excuse to label me a whore?” Her brows bunched together angrily before she added, “I wonder what Meena and Evelyn would say if they heard that.”

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