Page 12 of Rebellion

Ain’t No Sunshine

Sunlight made my wholeworld pink, but I’d rather look at the inside of my eyelids than open my eyes. The bed was so soft and the pillow smelled like Gray. I would just lay here a bit longer.

The damn voices in my head wouldn’t leave me alone.

“She’s been sleeping for too long. We should wake her up.”

“Dios mio, no. She has had a shock. Let her be.”

“I knew it was strange that she wasn’t upset when I saw her in the hall yesterday. I just thought it was part of her denial to be running around the house in her silky underthings.”

Those voices were not in my head. But they were rattling my skull and my nerves.

“Would you guys quit talking about me like I’m not here, please?” Ugh, was that my cracked and croaky voice? My throat felt like a porcupine.

“Bella mia, you are awake.”

I wished I wasn’t. I was never drinking again. Wait. No. I hadn’t gotten drunk, although I would probably feel better right now if I had. This wasn’t a hangover. It was way, way worse.

“No, I’m not. Go away.” I still hadn’t opened my eyes, so I did not have to be awake. In fact, maybe if I closed my eyes even tighter this whole damn shitstorm would go away.

Gray was the one thing in my life I could always count on. I never pegged him for a rat. Marc was a rat. My father was a rat. Of course, I’d always known that.

I was controlled and manipulated for so long with only Gray to protect me. Then the second I didn’t need protecting he leaves.

What utter bullshit.

A small voice way in the back of my aching head whispered that you can’t bullshit a bullshitter. I didn’t like my own mind trying to tell me this was my fault.

Qué te jodan, brain.

“Angelina. Stop constricting your muscles this way, you will hurt yourself.” Dominic’s voice rang with demand.

His command surprised me, and I opened my eyes to see him kneeling next to the bed. He never called me anything but Mistress. The look on my face must have matched my confusion because his features softened, and he rubbed my arms.

I had rolled myself into a ball worthy of the Cirque du Soleil. His touch prickled, and I wanted to crawl away. Two more hands joined Dominic’s, caressing my legs. With the slightest movement I felt the pangs of a Charley horse, but I couldn’t unclench. Another two hands joined, running fingers through my hair and across my scalp.

“Shh, cara mia. Relax, let the anger fall away from your body.” Ilario’s voice sing songed his words to me, trying to help me relax.

Screw relaxing.

“No. He deserves my anger. If I knew where he was I’d, I’d, punch him in the face.”

Cade stroked my hair, pulling the pain and anger out of me with his words and touch. “I know, Angelina. We are all very upset Gray has left us. We are all a bit lost. But what we know to do is come together and take care of you. Let us do that now.”

With each pass of their hands over my body, my muscles released, even though my mind was slow to follow. This was my fault. If I had just done what Gray wanted, we would all be having fun at the club touching each other in all the dirtiest of ways.

Wouldn’t it have gotten me to the same end?

I decided to be stubborn.

I had to have my rebellion.

I’d never been a rebel in my whole life.

And didn’t that stink like a heaping pile of skunk shit.

The anger was the only thing sustaining my sanity. I wanted to let it boil and bubble until it burned through all the emotions tumbling around inside of me.

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