Page 15 of Pretty Monsters

She turns on me and narrows her eyes. "I didn't take you for a homophobe. I guess it was a little presumptive of me, but I figured someone used by people without a choice wouldn't be the type to look down on others."

I flinch and try and stop the trembling threatening to take over my body. There are a few triggers that no matter how powerful I become can still cut me down at my knees. "It isn't that," I croak.

Closing my eyes I find myself silently begging her not to ask me what's the matter with me. When I open them again, her teasing expression is gone.

"So I guess you and I are sharing a bed?"

I nod, grateful beyond measure she isn't going to make me talk. I don't fucking talk. That's reserved for people with healthy coping mechanisms.

"Pick whichever bed and side you need. Did you happen to pack me a toothbrush?"

"Yes," I mumble and hand her the backpack I packed for her. It isn't lost on me she said the side I need and not the side I want.

The bathroom door clicks closed. Lucien sits down on the bed closest to the door. He knows I'm going to put his sister on the side closest to the wall.

"I'm not going to lie. I don't like putting you in bed with my sister."

Every fiber of my body is screaming at me to shut down. I've gone a long time without sleep before, but that was years ago when I was first being trained to kill. Sleep deprivation is a fast way to break someone and make them think the way you want them to.

As it was, I've been awake now for nearly two days. Insomnia is something I deal with constantly, and since Raven showed up, I've been sleeping like shit. A part of me has been unable to shut down knowing she was present in the house.

"What do you think I'm going to do with you in the bed right next to us?"

His head snaps up. "You better not do anything whether I'm here or not. We didn't risk everything to get her away from Damien to give her to you."

"No one is giving me to anyone," she says, sneaking up behind me.

"That isn't what I–" Lucien starts to explain.

She holds her hand up. "I don't give a shit what you meant. You need to hear me right now. I will live my life the way I want to live it. No man is ever going to tell me what to do again. If they try I'll cut off his balls and shove them down his throat. Feel me?"

He glares at me. "She's starting to sound like you."

I smile, and laugh to myself. "I think you'll learn to survive, princess."

One of the Boys

Raven

Moments after I lay down,the exhaustion overcomes me. Despite the awkwardness of sharing a bed with Sin, I'm able to fall almost instantly asleep. It doesn't last long, however, as his tossing and turning wakes me up after only a couple of hours of sleep.

He whimpers in his sleep, and instinctually, I roll over toward him. A lock of his longish hair falls into his face as he starts to thrash around. Without thinking, I brush the hair from his face.

I've barely touched him and he locks his hand around my wrist and rolls me over to my back. While he hovers over me, I stare into his wild sightless eyes. He's not fully awake yet, but primed to protect himself.

"Shh," I croon. "It's me, Raven. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

He blinks, and his pupils slowly focus. He releases my wrist, but otherwise doesn't move. For a long moment we both hold still. There's a yearning passing between us. Sin's eyes show me how badly he wants to accept the comfort I'm offering him, but it only lasts a second. We both know he won't give into it.

"Don't ever sneak up on me, or startle me awake," he warns. "I–" he inhales, "I have nightmares."

I nod. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it worse."

Sin moves off of me, but this time he doesn't try and inhabit the far side of the bed. Holding still, I feel him inch even closer to me. The warmth of his breath tickles the back of my neck.

"I can't trust you won't creep up on me when I'm sleeping, but if I hold you still, you won't startle me, and I won't end up hurting you," he whispers into my ear.

"If it will help you sleep," I murmur, and try not to let him hear how excited I am having him so close.

---