Page 56 of Toxic

"Spread your legs."

He did it without protest, his hands pressed to his face, trembling slightly. I knew this was tough for him, but for some reason, he let me be there with him through this awful time.

I gently wiped his thighs and butt with slow, careful movements.

"I hate that bastard," I muttered. "Fucking rapist," I growled through clenched teeth, covering him with the blanket again. "I don’t get why you still put up with him!"

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"You wouldn’t understand. I normalize it this way. Maybe it’s stupid, but sometimes I pretend it doesn’t bother me, even though it does. I keep pretending—and it kinda works."

"He took advantage of you in your heat, in your vulnerable moment! That's unforgivable! It’s a crime punishable by law, Soren! I will… correct it."

Soren almost roared.

"No! I forbid you! He doesn’t know about this… I don’t want it dredged up again!"

I cursed under my breath, taking the wet pad to the bathroom.

"Sorry, but he can’t just walk away like nothing happened. I’ll deal with him," I said firmly.

"Fuck no, Skye!" Soren groaned. "I told you that in confidence! Leave it alone. It’s not your business. You’re not my boyfriend. You have no say in this."

I sat next to him and looked at his face. He was still very pale, his lips trembling slightly, looking desperate, almost pleading.

"I know I have nothing to say, but what he did… it caused you so much pain. Everyone would take interest. As a concerned citizen who has information about a crime that has been committed—"

"Skye, stop! I get that, okay? But please—leave it alone. It doesn’t matter. We’re almost done with college. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it."

I stared at my hands.

Well, I thought it was a big deal.

There was zero tolerance for that kind of behavior in my family because of my dad's past. Things like that made my blood boil.

"You really expect me to do nothing?" I grumbled.

"Yes. Yes, Skye! Drop it. I forbid it. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm closing this chapter."

He turned his head to the side, facing the wall. I adjusted the blanket, and slowly lay down next to him, feeling defeated. A plan arose in my mind, but I decided to drop the subject for now, seeing how stubborn he was.

"How do you feel? Does it still hurt?"

He sighed.

"Much less. Just residual cramps. It will pass slowly."

"I'll stay here, just in case."

He didn't say anything. I gently put my arms around him, and he let me do it.

SOREN

It’s hard to explain what I was feeling at that moment. Skye’s presence meant a lot to me, but it also scared the hell out of me. He’d seen me at my most vulnerable, washed me, looked at my naked body not with desire but with care. That changed everything.

Skye was a kind and gentle person, that much was clear. Even Anton didn’t want to be with me during the miscarriages; he was petrified and kept sending me to the hospital, then never talked about it afterward. I had to deal with all those emotions alone, knowing my body was faulty and would always let me down.

At times, I thought Anton was relieved when he found his High Mate. He loved me, but he was scared I could get pregnant at any moment. We couldn’t ditch those stupid rubbers he hated. The day I told him, ‘we’re stuck with these damn condoms forever’, he responded gloomily: ‘I’ll sew them to my dick permanently’, and made a face.

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