Page 51 of Shadow's Chosen

"Maybe." Nezka laughed bitterly.

"This isn't funny," Elise hissed. She wiped harder at his back, avoiding the spines that rose an inch. "Why are you doing this?"

Nezka said nothing, and Elise looked around to see who was watching. Krow was occupied with one of his men, and the crowd's attention was on each other.

"You're mad, I get that, but don't injure yourself over it," Elise warned. "I need you to get us out of here."

"Then you need to let this happen," Nezka said in a low voice.

"I hate this," Elise blurted.

"Really?"

Angry heat burst from her body. "You honestly think I enjoy seeing you like this? Or seeing you drunk every night with some girl on your lap?"

Nezka looked around at her with a fiery expression she’d never seen him give her before. It wasn’t anger but something else in his gaze that made Elise almost flinch back though she refused to look away. For a moment, she thought he was going to turn around and do something drastic like kiss her or shout at her, giving them away, but instead, he whispered, "If you can't handle it, then go."

They stared at each other for what felt like a long time but was only a few seconds before he turned from her and stepped back into the center of the ring. Elise stood there with the bloody towel in her hands before one of Krow's men grabbed her shoulder to pull her back. She turned on him, giving him a death glare.

"He's ordered that I be taken back to our room," she said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Krow's man looked around at Nezka then back to her. He took hold of her binds and led her away, and Elise refused to look back.

***

Elise threw another glass cup at the door, watching it shatter to pieces. Red-faced and panting, she paced the room. She hated being alone and without Nezka in this place, but she also hated the idea of watching him perform again for Krow's benefit.

She hated Krow and his men for everything. She hated the people too. She also, undoubtedly, hated herself for not being stronger. For not keeping her emotions in check. She was tired of it all. Tired of pretending. She just wanted to get out of this place. She wanted to find her team, she wanted Nezka to stop fighting, she wanted him to...

Elise stopped and stared at the hallway door and the glass on the ground. Then she turned her head to look over at the door to Nezka's bedroom. She thought again about her dreams and about what happened the night before. She thought about how he looked at her just now down in the ring. She thought about how she had felt pressed against him with his arm protectively around her. And lastly, she thought about how scared she had been when she thought he'd come back to his room with someone else.

She closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples then paced the room a little more before stopping at Nezka's door.

Fuck it.

Elise went for the door and flung it open. The room was dark still save for a soft red light around the minibar. Elise closed the door behind her and stepped toward the bed. Unlike hers, it was a large canopied bed with four posters made of slick, shiny steel. She placed her hand on the end then sat down. She stayed there for a few seconds then got back up, realizing she'd probably be waiting a long time before Nezka returned.

Damn it.

Annoyed, she paced his room then went over to the bar and poured herself a small drink. Guess this gave her time to figure out exactly how she wanted to approach him. She figured if he came and found her sitting in his room, he would be more inclined to let her stay and...talk. But as she looked down at herself in her ratty suit, she didn't feel so confident. Heart fluttering, she turned her thoughts around as she sipped from her glass. She looked over to the bathroom door beside the bed. Setting her cup down, she stepped over to look inside.

His was much larger than hers and had a bigger tub. Figured. Elise went over to the jacuzzi-sized tub and crossed her arms, thinking. Before she lost her nerve, she reached over and started the water.

When the tub was filled with hot, steamy, water, Elise took off her armor plates and shrugged off her suit then carefully stepped inside. The warmth relaxed her, easing her tension. She let herself lay in the water for a long time, just thinking over what she was going to say when Nezka returned. When the water began to cool, Elise rose and stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself.

She returned to the room and sat back on the bed. Thinking there was no way he would return until late, Elise prepared herself to wait for a while. She scooted herself up on the bed and started to lay back when she heard loud footsteps coming down the hall and the door slid open. Bolting up, Elise tensed, ready to fight off the intruder when she saw Nezka step inside, closing the door behind him. He didn't see her at first as his eyes were fixed on the bar. When he realized someone was on his bed, he jerked around and growled. He choked it back and froze when he saw it was her.

"What are you..." He froze as he looked down at her bare legs and the towel that barely wrapped over her.

Elise was shocked at first as well. He had come back so soon. And judging by the little blood on him, someone had wiped him down again. He looked tired and still pretty pissed along with the shock of seeing her.

Elise scooted up to the edge of the bed, heat burning up her neck and face. "I...um...I wanted to talk."

He stared down at her, his head tilting slightly. "Talk...?" His sharp gaze flickered down again to the towel and back up.

Elise rose from the bed. "About everything. And the other night."

Nezka seemed to tense, his mouth widening in annoyance. He turned from her and went to the bar. Elise took a step closer as he took her glass and filled it. "You shouldn't be here," he said.

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