Page 68 of Lamb

“I will be fine once you stop touching me,” Ash hissed, never the easy patient.

Mint ignored her swatting words and finished his assessment just as Ash began to worm away from his medical maneuvering.

As he let out a relaxed, begrudging sigh, I knew we were clear.

I reached forward, spreading my hand across her cheek. I turned her gently to face me, my eyes digging deep into that constantly changing expression of hers.

Guilt surged forward as she returned the eye contact, and I knew then that the action before had been involuntary. At the start of the detox, I was aware that this was going to be hard on her, not just physically but emotionally. There were going to be psychological mountains to climb, revealing themselves from the dirt that Ash had spent years trying to bury them under. This was just the start of a long climb.

That didn’t mean I liked it.

In fact, I hated it.

“Don’t run from me, Ash,” I warned, the growl in my voice low and guttural. It came from somewhere deep inside, somewhere I didn’t understand and didn’t control. “Never. Do you understand?”

“I have just cracked my head open, and now you are spouting—”

I squeezed her cheeks, cutting off her words. Her eyes flashed with rebellion, but mine burned brighter. “Do you understand?”

Ash rolled her eyes, but her defiance faded; she relaxed into my grip, even if her eyes said otherwise.

I slowly released my hand on her cheeks, my fingers soothing over the reddening spots. “Use your words,” I ordered.

Ash sighed. “Yes, fine, I understand, Mr. Hyde,” she grunted, shaking off my grip. “Do not run from you. Got it.”

“Good girl,” I purred. The satisfaction of her words, even if they were just surface level, resonated back into the endless darkness. I was no closer to getting a sense of its depths, nor thetrigger of its appearance, but this new energy, this new black fire inside, was taking a hold on me that I wasn’t sure I liked.

It burned bright at Ash’s every move. The urge to control, to take, to dominate had every cell in my body electrified with the need to make that happen. I needed her to submit to me, to not fight me, to give in. I needed it more than I needed to breathe. An unstoppable obsession.

It was uncontrollable.

It was frightening.

I let her go, righting myself back onto my feet, before helping Ash back up and onto the bed. She grumbled but allowed my help before fussing over her head. I could already see a shining bruise that would cover the skin over the next few hours. It wouldn’t be long before that painful bruise would become a drop of water compared to the oncoming tsunami as the last of the alcohol trickled out of her body.

Her anxiety was stirring, if the nervous ticks and panicked responses were any indication. Maybe I should pad the walls just in case? Acquire a straitjacket, perhaps?

“Stop it,” Ash growled, eyes narrow.

I crooked a brow at her. “Stop what?”

“Whatever you’re thinking about. I dislike it.”

I smirked. “Oh?” I leaned down, reaching to toy with her hair. She brushed it aside. “And how do you know that when you haven’t even tried it yet?”

“Because you looked a little too happy about it,” Ash rebutted, crossing her arms over her chest, wincing as the movement jostled her head. “Whatever makes you happy will not make me.”

“Want to bet on that?” I offered out a hand to shake, daring her to take it.

“No,” Ash sneered down at the extended palm before disregarding me completely and turning back to Mint. “Do wehave to do this today? Can we not do it on a different day? Or not at all? We have already had a bad start.”

Mint had settled back into his armchair already, his magazine thrown back onto his lap like he hadn’t left. I worried his ass would have made a permanent indent on the chair by the time he left. I should throw it away. Or burn it for safe measure.

“At the rate you’re going?” Mint mused, twisting his lips with thought. “I’d give you five yearsmaxbefore you start experiencing severe liver damage.”

In the few years since I had met Mint, I realized he wasn’t the most patient person. He spoke his mind, damn the consequences, and whatever quiet atmosphere he alluded to at the beginning vanished when he decided you needed a lecture.

So, when Ash piped up, I buckled in for the ride, that lecture tone leaning in hard.

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