Page 14 of The Huntress and Her Hound

No, no, no...

My ears begin to ring and my stomach churns as I listen for his door to close, my knees feeling weak and body shaky... And then, as if right on cue, the voices start.

‘You’re so fucking tight, aren’t you, Cher?’

‘You asked for this, didn’t you? You wanted me to touch you.’

‘You’re such a good little girl.’

Tears brim my eyes as I fight the urge to scream at my demons to shut up, but I’m not here alone. Henry is here. Jude is here.

And this is all his fucking fault.

I grit my teeth and stifle a sob as I slide down to the kitchen floor. I fucking hate Henry’s friend. I hate him. I hate him for triggering me with his pretty fucking face. And hate him for following me.

‘Then kill him.’

I shake my head, and place my hands over my ears, like I can somehow block out the noise from the outside-in. I can’t kill Jude.

‘You can.’

“I can’t,” I argue, dropping my hands. I wipe the tears onto the sleeve of my dress. This is the same dress I wore on my last escapade, but it doesn’t make me feel powerful like before.

He recognized me.

And if my brother’s best friend who has known me in person for a whopping eight hours can recognize me, then that means other people can, too.

Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought.

‘You were never the smartest.’

“Shut. Up,” I growl through my teeth. “That’s enough.” I push my dark hair from my face and stand to my feet, swooping up my blonde wig and purse. The ringing in my ears drowns out the voices, and I pad uneasily across the tile floors, making my way back to my bedroom.

Bleary eyed, I glance at Jude’s door across from mine, and hesitate as I see the light glowing from underneath. Is he still awake? Is he searching for information on me? Is he going to tell Henry?

Ugh. Fuck you, Jude. FUCK. YOU.

I swallow the knot in my throat and take a deep breath. I will not let this puppy of a man drag me down to my own personal fucking hell. Besides, he showed his cards tonight; his draw to follow me, his ability to cover up with a quick trip to the bar, and his boldness in confrontation. He might still be suspicious of my activity.

But at least now I know what I’m up against.

That gives me momentary relief and I sniffle as I step into my bedroom, my eyes landing on Cash, sleeping soundly on his dog bed in the corner. “Come on,” I tell him as I shut the door behind me. “You can sleep in my bed tonight.”

I wipe my eyes and jerk the covers back as he bounds onto my comforter and settles in. Quickly, I strip out of my dress and pull on an oversized black T-shirt. I feel exposed, my ass not fully covered, and so I grab a pair of knit shorts to pull on as well.

My heart pounds uneasily as I climb into bed, snuggling up next to Cash, who’s laying on top of the covers. I know I’m not going to get much sleep. I know he is going to visit me tonight in my nightmares.

And it’s Jude’s fault for just fucking existing.

I wrap my arm around Cash, burying my face into the fur of his neck. There are so many things that no one knows about me; so many things my own fucking brother doesn’t know. He’s spent his whole life under the belief that he’s protecting me—that he has protected me. And he did. Initially.

But he never knew the good life he gave me introduced me to a monster far greater than any that were in the past. My stepfather never claimed to love me. He never claimed to love my mother either. The monster who haunts me lured me in with praise and adoration, making me feel special.

Then, he took what he wanted from me.

Fuck him. Fuck them all.

‘Just open them a little wider, Cher. Let me feel how bad you want me.’

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