Page 83 of Red Fury
“Your clothes need to come off so you can bathe.” She gestures toward the enormous tub that’s now filling with steaming water. “The master is very particular.”
This master of hers is starting to sound like a real gem.
“I can bathe myself,” I snap, my hands moving to the hem of my blouse. “I don’t need your help.”
“Of course you can, but I need to ensure everything is done properly.” Her smile never wavers. “Please don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” she adds.
I want to tell her exactly where she can shove her requests, but the memory of her inhuman strength when she pinned me against the wall is still fresh. I look down at my wrists and sure enough, bruises are already starting to form. It looks like my advanced healing has been affected, too.
Great!
I’m at a serious disadvantage here.
Gritting my teeth, I take the rest of my clothes off and drop them on the floor.
I step out of my heels, then reach around to unhook my bra, letting it fall at my feet.
“Oh, you are a beauty,” Neilina says, her unusual eyes drinking in every inch of my body. She’s strange. That’s all I have to say about her.
“You’re perfect,” she keeps gushing.
“If you say so.”
“The master will be so pleased,” she continues, clasping her hands together like a child who’s just been given a present. “I knew the moment I saw you that he had chosen well.”
I frown.
Have I met this guy?
Who is he?
I hook my thumbs in the waistband of my panties and push them down my legs, stepping out of them with as much dignity as I can muster.
“There,” I say, standing completely naked before her. “Happy now?”
“Ecstatic.” Her smile widens even further. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You’re stunning.”
“I’m not ashamed. It’s you who should feel ashamed.”
“Don’t be like that.”
Behind Neilina, the massive tub continues to fill with water, steam rising from the surface in billowing clouds. She’s added something that’s creating mountains of white bubbles, and the whole bathroom smells like soap.
“Your bath is ready,” Neilina announces, moving toward the tub to test the temperature with her hand. “Come along now. We don’t want to keep the master waiting.”
She starts walking toward me, but as she gets closer, her expression suddenly changes.
Her smile falters, then disappears completely. Her nostrils flare, and she stops dead in her tracks just a few feet away from me.
“What—?” she starts to say, then inhales deeply. Her eyes narrow to slits.
“Stop that,” I tell her, taking a step backward. “What the hell are you doing?”
But she doesn’t listen. Instead, she moves even closer, sniffing around me like a bloodhound on a scent trail. Her face twists into something ugly and dangerous.
I want to kick her head as she leans down, sniffing at me, but I grit my teeth instead. Right now, I’m weak. I can’t win with muscle. I have to try to beat these assholes another way.
“No. This won’t do. No!” she repeats, her voice dropping. “Noooooo, this won’t do at all.”
