Page 32 of Voracious

He keeps repeating it, but Marlo and Yulia are shouting at me. They’re telling me I’m wrong, weak, that I need to learn. I don’t want to learn anymore. It always hurts when I have to.

But you need to know to be able to teach it.

I don’t want to teach anyone; I want to go home. It’s not to a place I’ve ever visited. It’s a mythical fantasy land where I don’t have to fucking fight anymore. I can be B – she lives in the forest with the moon.

1 Understand?

THIRTEEN

Dima

My jaw throbs but my chest is worse watching Ana shut down. I just wanted her to have a damn birthday cake, it didn’t need to turn into whatever the fuck this is. She doesn’t move as I loosen my hold on her wrists, and I continue stroking her cheek. Those fake eyes are fixed somewhere else, she’s not even in reality, as I reassure her yet again.

“I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe.”

Tires roll over the gravel and she blinks, turning alert. Fuck. If any of the fucking guards open their mouths I’m killing each and every one of them. Fucking perverted cunts. They’re all bullies, picking who they think is an easy target because she controls herself. My hellion should let loose, let them see exactly what she’s capable of so they realize how lucky they are to be breathing.

Valentin stops beside me and makes a dumbass joke.

“It’s a good job we don’t have neighbors, or you’d be putting on a show.”

He needs to learn when to shut the fuck up and I pull Ana to stand with me. I can’t control my anger as I snap, “Keys. You can walk back and think of ways not to be a disrespectful fuck.”

His brows go up, but he does as he’s told, hands the keys over and steps the fuck back.

Ana is still dazed as I get her into the car, and she doesn’t look at me. She’s not the most talkative person on a normal day, unless she’s talking to herself, but that desolation is back in her features. If she didn’t have her contacts in, it would be clear for everyone to see and the guards keep their eyes fixed ahead as I drive through the gates.

She comes back to life as soon as the house is in view and fidgets while muttering, “People only do things because they want something.”

She’s repeating some fucking bullshit that she was taught. The gears grind from the force of me coming to a stop and I grab her jaw, turning her to face me.

“Everyone in there chose to be here for you. They don’t want shit from you.”

The concept goes straight over her head and the next words out of her mouth have me confused as fuck.

“Make deals, don’t beg,” she says absentmindedly.

I’ve heard that phrase before.

Her face jolts in my hold as I struggle to temper myself.

“Where have you heard that?”

If it’s that cunt, I’ll bring him back from the fucking dead just to kill him again. He doesn’t even have a face since Vlad decided to let out his rage, but I’ll find a way around it.

“Marlo?” she says as a question instead of an answer.

I push out the car with more force than required. All this fucking time she’s been here under the roof of the bastard’s fucking kids.

Ana doesn’t wait for me to open her door and gets out, standing with the car between us. Rounding the hood, I stop in front of her and lower my voice, not knowing what fucking shit storm is going to be unleashed.

“Do you trust me?”

Her little snort/laugh comes out and she shakes her head.Clever girl. I change my question as Val gets closer, pouting like a child because I made him walk.

“Can you trust me right now?”

She nods and I stop any further conversation with my instruction.

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