Page 48 of Aine

He smirks. “You want more?” he whispers, shoving a knee between my legs. My hips roll at the pleasurable sensation.

“Stop!” I choke out.

Damien’s grin falls, his thumb stilling where it presses against my mark. I take advantage of the momentary break and suck in as much oxygen as I can, my chest heaving as he drops his knee. His throat bobs as he gulps, and his nostrils flare as he smells the air.

Seconds later, he’s stumbling back, his eyes wide as a feeling of sheer panic floods me through our infuriating bond. The emotion is gone a moment later, Damien once more blocking the foreign connection.

“You’re afraid,” he says, running a hand down the front of his face. “There are so many scents up here, I didn’t—” The floor groans as he takes another step back and gestures around the room. “I thought you wanted this.”

I remain still as Damien continues to try to explain himself. His body shakes as he fights the urge to shift into his beast form, his pupils dilating and constricting as he struggles to calm himself down. I’m confused about what’s gotten him so upset, his intense emotions stressing me out even further.

After another minute of flustering, he turns and retreats down the stairs. The back door slams and signals his exit. I remain frozen, unable to move as I wait for my heart to return to a normal speed.

Originally, I planned to hide in my room all day, but now it’s the last place I want to be.

I hold my breath as I sneak downstairs and out the front door. There’s only one place I can go, and I hope nobody sees me as I sprint through the woods toward Jenna’s workplace. I don’t know anybody else, and despite my aggravation with her friendly attitude toward Damien, I don’t want to be alone right now.

She’s sitting behind her desk fiddling with some plants when I arrive, but she jumps up with a smile when I step inside her office.

“Aine!” she shouts, pulling me into a hug. “Where have you been? I went to the gardens to find you, but you and Alex were already gone.”

Jenna pulls away to look me over, her face hardening as she takes in my red eyes and splotchy cheeks.

“What’d he do?” She gasps, her voice low as she pulls me to the small couch in the corner of the room.

I shrug, not wanting to talk about it. There’s no pleasant way to say that my mate caught me kissing another man, then offered me to said man to rape, then followed that up by demanding I move into his house, where he then shoved his grubby fingers in my mark.

It’s a bit of a mouthful, and if I’m honest, it feels shameful to admit. It’s nothing compared to what I dealt with back at my old village, and I know Jenna hasn’t exactly had an easy life, either. I don’t want to sound whiny.

Thankfully, she doesn’t push, but her eyes show just how badly she wants to. I wonder if Avia gave her a hard time after my exit from the dining hall.

“I heard he moved you into his home.” She’s clearly fishing for information, feigning disinterest as she returns to her desk. Jenna’s a terrible actress, but I don’t blame her. I’d be curious too if I were in her position. I’m sure women showing up to her office crying isn’t a common occurrence.

“He did. Freya’s in my cabin now.” I sigh, still upset about it.

I liked the privacy that came with having my own cabin, and Damien’s already shown me just how little he respects my space in his house. A small part of me wants to ask for it back, but after today, I’m hesitant to ask Damien for anything.

Jenna frowns, shaking her head at the mention of Freya. “The nerve of that woman.” She scoffs. “Thinking Damien will reject you just because you’re human.”

She snorts and fiddles with the leaves on her desk. There’s a mixture of fresh and browned ones, and I watch as she shoves them in a tube and pours some liquid in. They sizzle as they interact with one another, subtle pops that eventually fizzle out. It’s intriguing, and once they’ve gone entirely still, she then pours the liquid into small capsules.

“What’s that?” I can’t help but ask.

Jenna smirks, turning to me with the dangerous glint in her eye I’ve come to fear.

“When you came in I was making some calming medicine, but after seeing you, I’ve changed the recipe,” she explains.

Intrigued, I stand and move behind her chair so I can get a better look. “Changed to what?”

“Nothing too crazy,” she answers vaguely.

“That only brings about more questions.”

She laughs. “This should be strong enough. Mix this powder in his drink or food and he’ll be asleep in minutes.” Her tone implies she has an idea of what happened today. “He’ll be out for the night so you can sleep without worrying.”

I hold back a smile as she hands me the pills, grateful to have an ally that knows her way around medicines. I’m not sure how I’ll manage to slip him anything without him noticing, but I hope I’ll find an opportunity now that I’m staying in his house.

If worse comes to worst, I can always use these to give myself a head start should I need to escape. It’s only a matter of time before Damien asks me again about my past, and this will provide me a perfect out should he decide to have me executed.

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