Page 61 of Bleed for Me

“Not today,” Jordan cut in, surprising me. His attention was back on his drawing, his eyes never leaving the page like he didn’t have a care in the world.

In a weird way, I felt accepted by them. It was stupid. They barely knew me, but apparently, they’d rather me sit here than the twins.

Rachel reeled back like his words damaged that black heart of hers. She seemed to bounce back from it quickly, though and turned her heated gaze on me. Her dark irises promised vengeance and malice. It evidently didn’t matter to her that Jordan had warned her to leave me alone, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. She was a narcissist, after all. Plus, I did waltz right into her territory. But that was fine. She couldn’t do anything to me that I didn’t plan on doing myself.

Alina spoke up again, her words laced with venom. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” She seethed. “We’ve sat here everyday with you guys for the last?—”

Jordan snorted, laying his pencil down on his sketchbook once he’d closed it. “We never invited you to sit with us,” he drawled, his tone laced with boredom like he’d rather be doing anything else. “In fact, I precisely remember telling you two to find somewhere else to sit and to fuck off.”

Alina bristled at that. “But you’re okay withhersitting with you?”

Jordan shrugged. “She doesn’t annoy me as much as you do.”

That was a lie. Or…maybe it wasn’t. Most of our encounters ended up with him glaring at me, threatening me, or with him storming away. If they pissed him off more than I did, that was a sight I didn’t even want to witness. A part of me was shocked that they were even still standing if that was the case.

The twins both shot me one last scathing glare before storming away, probably to plot their revenge on me, but oh well.

I remembered how it felt to be at their mercy, my head craned back while the other twin held a piece of dirty glass to my face. They were just getting started. If Jordan hadn’t shown up when he did…

A chill swept down my spine. I didn’t even want to think about that.

Archer’s hand on my thigh brought me back to the present. His thumb moved slowly over the sensitive part of my leg, goosebumps skittering along my flesh. “I wouldn’t keep fucking with them if I were you.” He grinned, though there was amusement along with surprise in his gaze when he said it, like he enjoyed me stealing Alina’s seat as much as I did.

I shrugged, completely unphased. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” Nothing did. This was my mantra for the day and would continue to be my mantra until I was lying lifelessly on the cold hard floor.

His smile faltered, his eyes searching mine with concern before he glanced over at Jordan and Seven who both seemed equally as tense. I wasn’t sure if it was what I said that gave them pause, or how I’d said it, but it felt like their minds were catching up with mine—like they knew exactly what it was like when you’ve accepted a day as your last. It was kind of like a high. Not that I’d ever been high before, but it seemed like an accurate comparison.

“You good?” he asked.

“Never better.”

I followed them out into the hall after breakfast, exhilaration still pumping through my veins. Patients flanked us on either side as they scurried down the hall towards group, some of them even heading back to their rooms first. When Seven moved to walk away, my arm snapped out and my fingers curled around his wrist.

He tensed, turning to face me with furrowed eyebrows. Annoyance flickered across his face before he jerked his hand from my grip and swiped it along his jeans like touching me was a means for some unwarranted disease.

I rolled my eyes at his theatrics. “Can I talk to you?”

“There. You’ve talked.” He moved to walk away again, agitation settling deep into my stomach.

Jordan and Archer both watched us with varying looks of confusion, but I didn’t care. Even if it made me look like a dick whipped little bitch. I assumed Seven already had a field day, telling them what he did to me while I was partly unconscious, and how I begged him for more.

I released a frustrated huff, begging him with my eyes to be serious for a second. This wasn’t about what happened that night. Frankly, it was the last thing I wanted to talk to him about. After a few seconds of us staring each other down, his shoulders dropped, and he released a sigh of defeat.

“Fine,” he mumbled. “Come on.”

He turned away from me again, and I hurried to step into stride with him. My heart pounded furiously against my chest cavity with nervousness. I suppose that if he turned me away, Icould find a way to do it on my own. Going to the twins would be a last resort, but I’d make it happen. That much I was sure of.

I followed him into his room, barely sparing a glance around the small space. It looked just like my room—just like Jordan’s room. When the door closed behind me, he turned, quickly invading my personal space and pushing me up against the cold door. He braced a hand on either side of me, his muscles bulging with restraint. Either he was seconds away from murdering me or fucking me. By the look on his face, it had to be the former.

“What the fuck was so important that you couldn’t have said it in front of Archer and Jordan?” he demanded. “If this is about me finger fucking you, and you wanting another taste of what I can offer, forget about it. I only did it because?—”

Hurt and rage seared through my chest, my blood heating. “It’s not,” I snapped, unwilling to hear anything else he had to say about that night.

His shoulders eased up a fraction, probably with relief. “Good,” he replied, his dimple poking out with the word. “Because it meant nothing.”

I shoved against his chest, trying to get some space between us. He stumbled back, dropping his arms to his sides to regain his balance. “Noted. Now will you shut the fuck up and let me speak?”

His eyebrows raised in surprise, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Youarefeisty today.”

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