Page 6 of Drowned By the Dreadnought

She nuzzles into my lower back.

I turn into the long, empty hall to my den, but freeze with my hand on the door as disbelief spears through me.

Away from the ambient noise, I hear her soft purr for the first time. She sighs and rubs her cheek against my shirt.

Fury rips through me.

She won’t soften my heart or lessen my need for revenge by playing such underhanded tricks. I won’t cave to her, no matter how low she stoops.

She’ll pay for reawakening the longing in my heart.

Chapter 3

Morwenna

I snuggle harder against the warm, solid body in my arms. Nothing has ever felt so comfortable. Even with the blood pounding in my head from being held upside down and my injuries throbbing with pain, I slip into the deepest sleep I’ve managed in years.

The world fades away. All I need is to remain wrapped around the source of heat forever. Nothing else is important.

A trickle of life seeps back into my broken heart, healing my touch-deprived omega soul. It hurts so good. Being so alone for so long almost ruined me. Dry and cracked roots soak up the one-sided embrace. It doesn’t matter if he never returns my hug. All I need is to hold him.

I jerk awake as ice cold water patters on my ass and runs down my legs and up my back. My gasp breaks through the sound of rushing water, but I clench my teeth and hug the warmth harder.

Despite the water flowing into my nose, I don’t lift my head, desperate to remain tucked against him for as long as possible. It doesn’t matter who he is or how much he’s hurt me in the past. I just need this a little longer.

Sluggish and hazy from my unexpected nap, I cough and sputter as the water warms.

It’s not hot enough. He could pour a bucket of boiling water over his shoulder and ice would still coat my insides.

With a slow blink, I realize the downpour continues. No bucket could hold this much water.

“Let go, little mouse,” Russt growls. His voice echoes through the space.

I tighten my arms and turn my face down toward the floor to breathe, using my hair as a shield against the never-ending flow of water. Shock steals through me as I open my eyes.

Texturized burnished metal surrounds a working drain, giving a distorted reflection of my captor’s massive body from the ground’s perspective. He’s mesmerizing.

I peel my eyes away from him and stare in wonder at the murky reflection of the space. Silver metal shines from every surface, with only a few rust spots in the room’s corner. Dozens of spigots, all with different shower heads, line the ceiling and walls. A bright red wheel adorns the center of the wall.

He reaches out and adjusts the wheel. The water gets warmer.

“I said, let go. Now,” he snarls.

I open my mouth to respond and spit out water before the taste hits me.

There’s no rust or traces of metal. No chemicals. It’s just water. The cleanest water I’ve ever tasted.

And it’s running down our dirty bodies. Our clothes are sullying it. Filth circles the drain.

A sob wrenches from my chest, surprising me out of my mental spiral.

In the blink of an eye, I find myself pinned face down on the cold floor by my nape. Pain steals my breath as he grinds the sore side of my face against the ground.

Water runs into my nose and mouth. It’s too much. Terror steals my control. I scream and fight with everything I have, just like I did when my father tried to drown me. Bloody visions snap through my mind’s eye. Adrenaline floods my system.

Hard hands pull my arms to my sides and his partial weight settles on my back. Russt uses his knees to immobilize my arms as he kneels over me.

He reaches behind himself, yanks my slippers off my feet, and holds my soles against his lower back with my ankles in his hand. When he reaches down toward my face, I try to bite him, but he covers the side of my head and blocks out the world with his giant, callused palm.

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