Page 138 of The Heat of Us

“Not only did you watch, but you enjoyed it too.” I licked my bottom lip. “I can tell.”

“Shut up.” There was no trace of a bark, he was too wound up. Part of him was too eager for me to continue.

“Damien,” I purred. “You don’t need to give me those heat inducers. I track my heat and I can tell you it’s coming up soon. Wouldn’t it be better to keep things natural, the way god intended? You scented me earlier. Check again, you’ll know I’m not lying.”

Exposing my neck to him felt like placing my head in a guillotine. My hands trembled as he drew closer and I fought to keep my chin lifted. If he got close enough for me to try and get the syringe from him, maybe I would have a chance.

“Come on, Damien,” I whispered. He was almost within reach and focused so intently on me that the needle hung loosely in his hand. “I promise you my pussy is as tight and wet as it looks.”

Whack.

My cheek stung from my mother’s palm.

“That’s enough, Hazel.”

The shock of it left me unprepared as another one landed. Harder this time, on the exact same spot.

“Haven’t you done enough? Ruined enough lives? What did I do to deserve a daughter like you?”

She slapped me a third time and a fissure opened in my mind.

“Disobedient. Proud of your sins. Letting strangers pay to see your body and doing those disgusting things for everyone to see!”

There was nothing quite like a mother’s criticism.

“Adrian would be so ashamed of you.”

All the things I hid and hated about myself swirled inky black in my thoughts.

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so—

I jerked with a sharp gasp at the prick of the needle in my neck.

No.

“I’m going to fix it, bao bei.”

She stroked my hair the way she used to when I was a child. My hands scraped alarmingly at the cluster of tiny bugs burrowing into my neck. They only seemed to disperse, skittering under my skin and multiplying thousands upon thousands all over my body.

“It’ll be alright.”

I knew the second the drugs hit my brain stem.

I lost everything that made me Hazel.

My mind cracked.

Slid through open fingers.

All I was left with

Was

Instinct

49

REMY

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