Page 14 of Afflicted

Suddenly there’s a hand on my arm, and he’s towering over me, those red eyes blazing.

“I asked you… Your fucking name.” His voice is low, every word dripping out of him with vicious intent.

“Juliet,” I reply, trying to jerk my arm out of his grasp, but it’s like iron.

“Juliet.” He repeats it slowly, and tilts his head ever so slightly.

“Happy now?” I wrench my arm again, but he still won’t let me go. “You want me to ask yours? Is this your idea of a meet cute?”

The corner of his mouth twitches, almost like he’s going to grin. It’s just a split second, but it’s enough to reveal something almost human about him. It makes me uncomfortable in the weirdest way.

“My name is Silas. Silas King.”

“Great to meet you, Silas.” My voiced is edged with irritation. “Now, am I allowed to get dressed or is there anything else you desperately need to know while I’m naked?”

This time he does grin, almost as though he’s going to chuckle, and he releases me. Leaning back against the shower wall, he watches me with narrowed eyes as I rub myself down with the towel.

“That… interaction.”

I tilt my head with a sigh, meeting his eyes. “What about it?”

“It was consensual, yeah?”

“What do you care?”

His face darkens. “I don’t approve of rape.”

“You don’t approve of rape?” I scoff, unable to suppress my laugh. “That’s rich coming from the guy who just forced me to strip and shower for him.”

“That’s different.” The predatorial tone in his voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I shake my head, pushing away the shivers and uneasiness that his goddamn voice sends through me. “Sure it is. Twisted feeder logic, huh? Pin us down and take our blood but draw the line at rape. How fucking noble of you.” I stalk across the wet room and grab my clothes from the floor, and when I spin back to face him he’s right behind me.

“Was it consensual?” His intense gaze threatens to swallow me up. “Because if it wasn’t-”

“Oh my god, yes, yes,” I say quickly, not wanting him to race back into that dorm and actually tear Matt’s head off. “I wanted it, OK?”

His expression becomes unreadable, and my stomach does that weird drop thing, like I’ve just gone over the top of a rollercoaster. His eyes move over my face slowly.

“If anyone hurts you,” he says slowly, “let me know. I’ll deal with them.” His gaze drops to my lips. “Will you do that, Juliet?”

“No.” I pull the tank top and my panties back on, recoiling for just a second as the cold, soaked fabric touches my skin. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need you calling me by my name. I need you to stop staring at me all the damn time.”

I throw the wet towel at his feet and storm out of the shower room. He doesn’t follow me, thank god. The moon hangs heavy in the sky as I cross the yard back to the dorm, the crickets singing loudly in the warm night. It’s a stupidly idyllic scene for how pissed off I feel.

The feeder at the door lets me in, and I rush back to my bed. Matt sits up as I approach, asking if I’m OK, did they hurt me? But I ignore him, I can’t even look at his face. I just climb into my bed and pull the sheets up over my head.

My whole body is shaking with anger and embarrassment.

Silas King.

What a fucking asshole.

I clench my eyes shut, hoping and praying I can fall asleep and pretend this whole fucked up world doesn’t exist for a few hours. I just want it all to go away.

CHAPTER6

JULIET

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