Page 83 of Malcolm

“Yeah, right,” Eliza moved to the edge of the bed and stood, “I need to shower, and then I’ll eat some; I’m starving.”

“I would be, too, if I was fucked to an inch of my life.”

“I’m not going to respond to that,” Eliza groaned as she walked into the bathroom, ignoring Morgan’s laughter. She shut the door and let the sheet she’d wrapped around her body to the floor. She didn’t bother looking in the mirror; she’d seen enough to know he’d thoroughly fucked her.

Stepping into the shower, she didn’t bother moving, letting her Magic do its thing. The wrenching sound of the turning of the knob was followed by warm water heating her skin. She held back the moan as she felt her muscles relax under the water pressure.

Her eyes closed; she began to hum to herself.

She couldn’t help wondering how Malcolm was doing. Even when talking with Morgan, she’d been thinking about him. Someof her wished he’d walked in and just said hi, but she knew he was busy.

She wondered what face he’d make when he saw her; would he be sappy or like usual? Giving her a look that said he’d much rather have her naked and ready for him. She’d seen several of his faces; last night, she’d seen his fear.

Some of her good feelings faded as she was reminded that her choice could cause. As Malcolm had said, the Jackals he worked for and the council wouldn’t be happy with his taking her. She knew there was a third party that wouldn’t be happy either.

The people he’d taken her from weren’t going to leave her alone. She lifted her wrist, brushed her opposite hand's thumb across it, and watched as the skin peeled back, revealing a magical circle.

She’d felt it shift under her skin more and more. She’d done her best to block their ability to pinpoint her location, but the location circle would give them a general idea of where she was. They were drawing closer.

She couldn’t allow anyone to harm Malcolm when she’d been the one who’d come with him and asked him for help. He was nothing more than a bystander who’d fallen for the wrong woman. She brushed the skin back into place; this would be harder than she’d thought.

The first thing she needed to do was deal with that redhead. He knew Phen, which meant he knew who she was. The only question was why he said nothing. What was he waiting for?

She turned the water off, and a warm wind blew across her skin. One minute, she was wet; the next, she was dry and stepping from the shower. She came to the conclusion she needed to stop running; she had to face her demons one by one, starting with that ass that had triggered her.

Leaving the bathroom, she got dressed in regular clothes. She’d enjoyed playing innocent, but she was Eliza, and it wastime she remembered that. Morgan gave her a questioning look when she asked for her normal clothes, but she just told her she wanted to wear pants again.

It was about regaining her strength. She’d given herself to Malcolm, and she had no intention of running away from that, but that meant she had to stop running from her past and the future to come. She’d watched her mother run into herself and lose everything precious to her.

When she left the lodge, she was dragged away by Agnes, who’d finally shown up. When she saw Morgan’s nose wrinkle, she immediately realized she wasn’t the only one busy. She needed help to hand out food to the people who’d arrived late for breakfast, most of whom had been caught in the mating frenzy.

The new couples eyed each other, and some held hands, while some acted like they would run back to their tents and get back to it. She handed out another warm bun and some butter.

“If they don’t stop showing off, I’m going to shove red peppers into their sandwiches,” Lilly said, her tone caustic and holding a bit of anger that had Eliza taking the sandwich from her hand. She pouted. “How did these bastards find someone when I—” She glanced at the Maitland, who sat with his other guards. “Couldn’t get Mister Noble even to give me eyes.” She nearly growled.

Someone nudged her, and Eliza looked to her left only to see Morgan giving her a significant side-eye.

“I’m not asking anything,” she mouthed. She wasn’t about to sit here and light the bomb standing next to her.

Another couple came up, and this one was whispering back and forth as the male got their plates.

“I just want 30% of what they have,” Lilly complained, narrowing her eyes once more on the same man. “Damn him.”

Eliza felt another shove; she would hit Morgan if she shoved her again. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to smile. “Um, Lilly, did it not go well last night?” she asked slowly.

Lilly whipped her head towards her.

“Did it not go well?” she repeated, but her voice held a note of menace that had Eliza leaning back.

“What do you think?” she demanded, hitting the table with the tongs in her hand. “I went out, thinking of leaving it to fate. Did fate do me right?” She glared at the man. “The answer to that is ‘no,’ if you’re wondering.”

Eliza didn’t dare look over at the Maitland guy; instead, she decided her best bet was to play dumb. “You’re looking for your fated match?” she said. “Doesn’t that mean you might meet him next year?”

Lilly didn’t respond. Instead, she tightened her hold of the tongs in her hand until it shook before she exhaled harshly. And straightened. “You’re right.” Her tone was eerily calm. “I need to breathe; it isn’t like it would work out anyway.”

“Right, plus you have school and that internship coming up; you won’t have time for anything else,” Eliza tried to add, hoping her words would help.

Finally seeming to calm down, Lilly looked at her. “You’re right,” she said before her eyes sharpened on her shoulder. “Eliza, what is that?”

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