Page 20 of Lamb

“Looking for something?” Lamb’s voice startled me.

I whipped my head around, my hand lunging for the dresser to anchor myself.

In his hand, he held up a clear glass bottle. Inside, a brown liquid sloshed back and forth in the glass.

A white-hot rage rose inside of me. “That belongs to me!”

Using the small secret reserve of strength that even I was unaware of, I gathered my feet beneath me and all but scrambled forwards. I bounced off every piece of furniture, clawing my way towards him. My legs threatened to collapse beneath me, and my body swayed like I was on a sea in a storm. I did not care. I wanted it back. I needed it!

I lunged and, unsurprisingly, missed.

I collided with a hard chest, my face crushed against his soft jumper as he curved his back into my force, softening the blow just slightly. The bastard did not even make a noise.

My fists tightened in handfuls of his jumper as I used him as a pole to prop myself up. Fortunately, my sea legs had not crumbled, and I had not fallen to crotch height as I had feared. “You could—”

Liquid sloshed above me.

My head snapped back like a demon, and I saw it. It hung in the air, higher than I could reach, but it was not an impossible jump.

Lamb’s head turned down to look at me, his brown eyes wide with surprise. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have noticed how unfamiliar it looked on the steelman’s face, but I was not, and I did not care.

“Give. It. To. Me,” I growled, twisting my fingers through layers of his clothing. I was not beneath much, and pinching was well above the line.

If it hurt, Lamb did not show it.

Instead, he smiled.

He fuckingsmiled.

“How about we make a deal?” With the cheer in his voice and the sudden eagerness in his eyes, there was only one thing that came to mind.

This wouldn’t end well.

Chapter Six

ASH

Iwas shaking.

Rubbing my hands up and down my arms did little to fight the encroaching cold chilling my bones as I hid in the safety of the doorway. I could not bring my feet to cross the threshold, my bare toes rooted into the soft hallway carpet in the hopes it might swallow me alive.

But nothing ever went as I hoped, and instead, I was left squinting at the beautiful front page of IKEA’s bathroom selection.

Bright daylight washed over the wide claw foot bathtub, steam rolling in waves over the edges and onto the sandstone floor, oozing with hot suds and bubbling water. Plush tan towels were laid over a quaint wooden stool alongside it, with a picturesque arrangement of soaps, shampoos, and a wide-toothed comb.

Lamb covered the large space in a few steps and drew down the bamboo blinds, transforming the bright sunshine into a warm, atmospheric glow. Only stark streaks of light cut through the gaps between slats, leaving small stripes marking my path to the tub as if it were lit by the heavens. Even God had begunpraying for me to take a bath. Unfortunately, me and God were in rocky territory, so it just deterred me even more.

I looked between the tub and Lamb’s expectant face. He extended a bare arm, the long sleeves of his Henley rolled up to his elbow, towards the bath.

“No,” I spat, hugging my arms tighter.

He made no move to grab me, but I could feel my blood leeching into my shaky legs. With my waning strength, I doubted I could run away, but I was still determined to stumble as far as I could if he dared drag me towards it.

“You take a bath, you get a drink.” Lamb waggled the bottle of whiskey like a dog treat.

I despised how my eyes watched the liquid sway back and forth, my tongue dabbing my dry lips at the memory of its bitterness.

“That’s the deal.”

---