Page 90 of Merciless Prince
The door opened and Killian stormed in, eyes blazing. I reflexively lifted my arms in a defensive stance, but he pushed them down and shoved me up against the wall, fingertips digging into my shoulders. “You almost killed Derrick, you crazy fucking bitch!” he roared.
Suddenly the rage was back, bleeding bright red through the black terror. I lifted my chin and looked Killian right in the eye. “Good,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “He deserved it.”
He yanked me forward by the collar of my t-shirt before slamming me back against the wall. “What the fuck is wrong with you? All he did was bring you a sandwich and you mauled him like a fucking rabid dog!”
I shook my head, eyes stinging as tears brimmed in them. “That’s not true! He was going to—” My throat was suddenly too clogged with emotion to finish my sentence. I motioned below my waist with trembling hands. “Look. Justlook!”
Killian let go of my shirt and took a short step back, eyes tracking downward. When he saw my ripped underwear and the scratches on my thighs, a muscle in his jaw ticked. “What did he do to you?” he asked in a low voice.
“You know what he did!” I shouted. “You sent him in here to do it!”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I sniffed and wiped my face. “Don’t play dumb, Killian. You told him he could do whatever he wanted to me.”
Killian kept staring at me, eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. Then he turned and stalked toward the door. He flung it open and looked to the left. “Get in here,” he barked. “Now.”
Derrick stepped inside the room. His face was pale, presumably from blood loss, and there was a large bandage on the side of his neck. When his eyes met mine, his face twisted into a snarl. “Don’t let that psycho bitch anywhere near me.”
Killian stood between us, arms crossed over his chest. “I want to know what happened.”
“I already told you,” Derrick said. He jabbed a thumb in my direction. “That psychotic little cunt attacked me.”
“I want to hear all the details again.”
“Fine.” Derrick glared at me before returning his attention to Killian. “I did exactly what you told me to do. I came in here and tried to do the whole ‘good cop’ routine. Gave her the food and pretended to be nice to her, like I was on her side. Tried to get her talking. Anyway, she decided to sit over there while she ate.” He paused and jerked a thumb toward the bed, which was now stained with his blood. “She offered me a fry. I said yes, because I thought if we shared the food it would build more of a friendly vibe between us. Then, as soon as I got close, she jumped up and latched onto my neck like a fucking zombie. It happened so fast I barely even saw it coming.”
“That’s not true!” I shouted, lunging toward him.
Killian held me at bay with one arm. “That’s the whole story?” he said, eyes on Derrick.
“Yeah. I’m telling you, she’s fucking nuts, man.”
“He’s lying!” I said. “That’s not what happenedat all!”
Derrick sneered at me. “Shut the fuck up, you psycho little bitch. No one asked you.”
“What happened to her legs and clothes?” Killian asked, eyes narrowing.
“I don’t know. What are you talking about?”
Killian’s jaw clenched. “Her underwear is ripped and there are scratches all over her inner thighs. So I’ll ask you one more time. What the fuck happened in here?”
“Whoa, calm down.” Derrick lifted his palms. “I honestly have no idea.”
“Yes you do! You attacked me!” I bellowed at him.
“Jesus Christ,” Derrick said, slowly shaking his head. “That’s what you told Killian? That Iattackedyou?”
“You did,” I said, fists tightening at my sides.
He turned his attention back to Killian. “Look, man, Ididtouch her. But not likethat. I touched her hand for two seconds while she was eating. Just a pat, you know? To make her feel comfortable. But that’s it. I didn’t do anything else.” He paused and lifted a hand. “Seriously, look how short my nails are. I couldn’t scratch her even if I wanted to.”
“Bullshit!” I shouted, fury burning its way through my gut.
Derrick scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “You know what girls are like these days. Always crying wolf. You fucking look at them the wrong way and they claim it’s sexual harassment or assault,” he said. “Honestly, Kill, you should’ve put cameras in here. Then you could see what really happened. She’s insane.”
Killian’s eyes glazed over as a mask of uncertainty swept across his face. I saw him swallow as he looked at the scratches on my thighs again. Then he turned his gaze back to Derrick. “You’re saying she’s lying?”
