Page 158 of Unwrapping Deviance

“Christian and Daniel are going to kill you,” I tell them around the throbbing gash splitting my bottom lip.

The pair, Gap-Tooth and Tufty, stand over me in much cleaner clothes than last time. The Viking is nowhere to be seen in the single room hunting lodge we seem to be in, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on his way.

“Oh, they won’t find us here,” Tufty assures me. “Only family knows this place.”

I don’t let that distract me from what I know to my core — my boys will tear the world apart to find me.

But I’m not going to argue with these two morons.

“Why am I here?”

A terrified part of me knows why. Their intentions are obvious in the twin bulges tenting the fronts of their jeans. But I’m hoping this will be the one time I’m wrong.

“You left so quickly last time,” Tufty says. “We didn’t finish our conversation.”

“And Lucy wants to meet you,” Gap-Tooth chimes in.

Lucy.

Fucking great.

Neither move and I guess we’re still waiting on her highness. It gives me some hope because Tufty said they weren’t supposed to touch me until Lucy talked to me. The longer she took, the more time the boys had to find me.

No such luck.

The lodge door swings open in the moment and a beautiful, porcelain woman walks in.

Definitely in her early thirties with hair the glossy blue-black of a raven’s wings and eyes so clear green, they could have been polished emeralds. Her skin had the flawless clarity of fine-bone China topped with the reddest, plumpest lips pulled into a warm, sweet smile like we’re old friends and haven’t seen each other in a million years.

“Mira, right?” Straight, white teeth flash in a smile that almost makes me forget they kidnapped me. “You have no idea how happy I am to meet you.” Her wide, almond eyes widen at the sight of my bloody mouth. “Who did this?”

She storms towards me and gently cups my face to get a better look. Her expression is nothing if not concerned.

Catching myself, I tear my face out of her grip. She doesn’t seem to notice.

“Dirk. He did it. He hit her,” Tufty says immediately, dirty finger stabbing towards Gap-Tooth. “Tried to do other things but I told him you said to wait.”

Lucy pulls in a sharp huff of air and, with a speed I didn’t see coming, swings. The crack of her palm across Dirk’s face sends his whole head snapping right. Blood erupts from his lips to splatter across his clean shirt.

“Are you some kind of wild animal, Dirk? Too stupid and mindless to control yourself?”

Despite being almost a head taller, Dirk cowers under his sister’s withering wrath. His eyes glisten before he averts them.

“She bit me,” he mumbles.

Her fiery gaze drops to his bloody hand.

The clap of her palm into the side of my face muffles the world of all sound, except the hollow ringing between my ears.My cheek pulses with the severity of a raw burn. It radiates around my eye like I’d been punched.

I actually feel woozy as I come slowly to my senses and find myself on my side on the floor with Lucy standing over me looking regretful.

“God, I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m a little protective of my brothers. You understand, don’t you?” Her gentle hands tuck under my arm and I’m lifted a little too easily into a chair next to a rickety table. “Let me see,” she croons, reaching for my throbbing cheek. She hisses through her teeth. “We’ll need to get you some ice. Are you okay? Do you want some water?”

I want to cry. It’s burning at my throat, but I swallow it back.

I will not let this bitch see me cry.

“What do you want?” I mumble with lips that feel twenty times bigger than their actual size.

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