Page 35 of Bleed for Me

As I was nearing my bedroom, my eyes landed on Rachel who was lurking outside my door. Her hair fell flat against her back and as if sensing me, she turned, her brown eyes meeting mine. A smile broke out across her face, and she moved to greet me at the corner of the hallway.

“I was looking for you,” she purred in that annoying raspy tone that both she and Alina shared.

I grunted in disinterest. I’d fucked Rachel years ago, before I knew how much of a nutcase she was. It wasn’t the fact that she’d killed her sister that deterred me; it was the narcissism more or less and the manipulation. She was good at getting what she wanted.

Her eyes darted to the papers clutched in my hand. “You just came back from the art room?” she pressed, stating the obvious.

“What do you want, Rachel?” I growled in a bored tone.

Annoyance flashed across her face, but I knew it wasn’t because she wanted to converse in small talk. It was because she wanted to lead up to what she wanted from me. It made manipulating her prey easier—gave them a false sense of security. I knew all about narcissism and about Rachel’s preferred tactics in general.

She shifted on her feet, jutting out her hip, and leaned against the wall on her left. “Do you want to hang out?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not particularly.” I moved to walk past her, but she pushed off the wall and cut into my path, stopping right in front of me.

Her version ofhanging outmeant she wanted to fuck. She just wasn’t stupid enough to try such a direct approach with me, knowing I’d shut it down instantly. My jaw ticked in frustration. I just wanted to put my art up and meet up with the guys. They were probably already waiting for me in the library.

“Come on, Jordan,” she pushed with a seductive smile. “You know it’ll be fun.”

I snorted at that. “Not likely.” When we had messed around in the past it was awkward. She kept telling me to go harder and deeper, and not in the sexy kind of way. It wasn’t that I was lacking in the dick department, it just wasn’t enough. She’d probably need at least four cocks in her pussy at once to feel sated. She wasn’t loose by any means, just…was never satisfiedregardless of how many times I made her come. From what I’ve heard, Alina was even worse when it came to sex.

Rachel’s lips twisted into a scowl, but I was already brushing past her and slipping into my room before she had a chance to say anything else. Blowing out a breath, I placed my drawings in the safe within my closet and drifted over to my bed, sitting on the edge.

My hands moved through my thick, dirty blonde hair and I tugged, reveling in the small pain that shot through my scalp from the action. The voices were quieter, mingling together in the recesses of my mind. It used to bother me, but now I wasn’t sure how I’d function without them. They helped me, talking me into things I was too cowardly to do on my own. The only thing that sucked sometimes was when they played on my paranoia, which could sometimes result in a deadly outcome. I wasn’t always aware of my episodes. Sometimes, it felt sorealthat I truly believed it. There were also times where I could differentiate between reality and what my mind told me, but it wasn’t often. It made me feel fucking unhinged, never knowing what was real and what wasn’t. Maybe I just needed to let go and let the voices and paranoia lead me. All consequences be damned.

Archer and Seven would stand by me no matter what. That’s more than can be said for my ownfamily. They were the only ones who understood me, the only ones who would never turn their backs on me. In turn, I’d do the same for them. Whatever they needed, even if that meant standing guard while they fucked. My lips twitched in amusement upon remembering the first time they had sex in front of me. They’d been so hesitant, worrying about how I’d feel, but they didn’t want to kick me out and were feeling each other. Frankly, I didn’t want to leave either. I’d been in a dark place at the time and didn’t want to be alone. I simply told them not to mind me and turned tomy sketch book. Since then, it’s been somewhat of a normal occurrence.

“Fuck,” I muttered aloud.

The guys were most likely in the library right now, waiting for me. The library that just so happened to be near the West Wing. It was a sanctuary for us, but we tried to steer clear of the patients near there since we knew nothing about them. I hated unpredictability.

Rising, I crossed my room and slipped out into the hall. Glancing both ways, my shoulders relaxed when it appeared empty. People bothered me. I hated the way they looked at me, the way they tried to talk to me, hated when they broke down because they couldn’t put a cap on their emotions. It happened more frequently with females, but men could be just as pathetic.

My skin crawled as I navigated my way toward the West Wing. They said it was a side effect of my psychosis. It used to make me scratch at my arms, to pick at old scabs, and to pull at my hair—which I still did from time to time. Things have gotten somewhat easier since then, though.

When I reached the library, I made my way to the back, spotting the guys on the couch instantly. I dropped into the outside seat, sitting hip to hip with Archer.

He turned to face me, accusation shining in his eyes. “Took you long enough.” He huffed, easing back into the cushions of the couch.

“Got held up.” I shrugged, not caring enough to give them a play by play.

A smile curled the corners of Archer’s mouth as he looked at me and then turned to glance at Seven who stared back, just as confused as I was about his sudden switch in demeanor.

“Guess what I just found out about Rose?—”

“Goddamnit,” Seven growled. “Enough about her.”

I snorted in amusement. He was right, though. Since Archer first laid eyes on her, she’s been all he could talk about. The guy in question snapped his gaze to Seven’s. I couldn’t see his expression, but if the stiffness in his shoulders was anything to go by, it was easy to assume he wasn’t pleased with the outburst.

“What the hell is your problem?” Archer demanded.

He scoffed. “You do nothing but talk about her. Whenever you see her, you run off to talk to her. You’re fuckingobsessed, man, and you don’t even seem to realize it.”

Archer turned to look at me, confusion imprinted within his features as he searched my gaze for some kind of protest to what Seven had just said, but he’d find none. “He has a point,” I admitted, knowing that wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but someone had to say it. His obsessions didn’t bother me much, it was just annoying sometimes. Especially when I didn’t even want to think about the girl who had pissed me off mere days ago.

“So what?” he finally said, whipping his head back to his lover. “Are you jealous, Seven, is that it?”

Silence stretched over us for a few moments, the tension building. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of them snapped right here and went ballistic. Not that I’d let them do any real damage to one another. That was one thing they wouldn’t be able to come back from. Plus, I cared too much to let one of them die.

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