Page 49 of Hunted Vengeance

COLETTE

Merrick didn’t scare me,as far as physically. If he was ever going to hurt me, he would have done it a long time ago. His anger surprised me, though, and maybe it was because I was still in the stupid dress. I’m not sure. So when he told me to take the dress off and take a shower, I did just that.

Stepping out of the shower, I wrap a towel around my body and let out a heavy sigh. It’s almost as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Turning toward the mirror, I take a moment to stare at my barefaced reflection.

I look tired. The pink from my cheeks earlier is gone, and now it’s all sunken-in eyes and cheeks, overly sharp jawlines, and dullness. Everything about me is dull. There is no glow anywhere. I want to glow. I want to be happy, but I’m not sure if I ever will be.

Grabbing the black T-shirt I found in Merrick’s dresser drawer, I slip it on over my nakedness, then tug on a pair of his boxer briefs. I don’t know what else to wear, and honestly, this is fine.

Wrapping my fingers around the chest of the shirt, I lift it to my nose and close my eyes as I inhale. It smells like him. Cedarwood and sea salt. I don’t know how I can distinguish the different scents, but I can, and they are all Merrick.

I walk out of the bathroom, and I pause when I see him leaning against the closed bedroom door. His gaze meets mine, and my breath stops in my chest.

My heart stops.

He’s so beautiful standing in the distance, and the way he’s focusing on me reminds me of the day I met him. He’s got a little wrinkle between his eyes, just one, and he only gets it when he’s concentrating hard. I want to trace it with my finger.

“I don’t like how thin you’ve become, and I’m angry with myself because I allowed it to happen.”

My shoulders jerk as if he’s physically hit me. The fact that he thinks he’s responsible for any of this is beyond unfathomable. “It’s not your fault,” I point out. “You didn’t do this to me.”

He pushes off the door and takes one step toward me, then another before he stops. He’s close enough to touch me, but he doesn’t reach out. Instead, he bites the corner of his lip, his gaze focused on mine and never breaking contact.

“I didn’t stop it, and the blame lies on my shoulders, baby.”

His words hurt me. They cause my entire body to ache. How could he think that he did any of this? Reaching out, I wrap my fingers around his wrist, holding him as close to me as he’ll allow.

“Did you put a collar around my neck? Did you chain me to the headboard of a bed? Did you lock me in a cabin and only feed me once a day? No. I didn’t think so,” I snap.

And that’s when I realize I’ve said all the wrong things. Three of them, to be exact. I told Merrick what happened to me without actually going into detail, and I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have said a single word.

He jerks back, his eyes widening and filled with a wildness that I can’t describe. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out, and he begins to speak anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

“Tell me what the fuck happened. I was going to let you lick your wounds and heal, but fuck that. Tell me what happened right goddamn now.”

Shit.

Instead of fighting with him, which wouldn’t really be my style anyway, I reach out, wrapping my fingers around his forearm before I let out a soft sigh.

“Merrick, it doesn’t matter,” I whisper, trying to plead with him.

I know it isn’t going to work when he shakes his head once before his eyes connect with mine, unwavering and angry as hell. I squeeze his arm, applying a bit more pressure, and he pauses, but only barely.

“It’s over,” I whisper. “It’s done, and I’m here with you now.”

He shakes off my hand, lifting his arm to curl his fingers around my throat. He dips his chin slightly, his eyes finding mine when he does, and his lips curve up into a grin as he leans forward.

“You’re free now,” he whispers, his mouth touching mine with each word. He doesn’t stop speaking, and my heart races faster and harder with each word he says to me.

“Never will any man touch you again. They will have to kill me, and good fucking luck because I will kill them first. I don’t give a fuck who it is.”

God.

My entire body trembles when he says that.

I want him to kill them.

All of them.

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