Page 61 of The Piece You Stole

In the sudden hush, the only sound is the frantic tripping of my heart.

I count the seconds until his control finally snaps. Experience tells me it won’t take long.

One, two, three…

Rylan spins on his heel and stalks toward the bathroom, dragging me along with him.

I knew this was coming. I’d have been stupid not to know. But even now, as I stumble after Rylan, I toss a look back over my shoulder and find Nathan’s gaze.

He’s still smiling.

I visualize drowning him.

Rylan yanks me into the bathroom so hard my shoulder pops. I cry out, but he doesn’t even slow.

Control is everything to a man like Rylan, and I’ve stolen his away, or at least made him question his control over me.

Rylan swings the door shut behind us. We’re nearly at the white marble sink when the door slams hard enough to shake a bottle loose from one of the corner shower shelves. It explodes on impact, filling the room with a cloyingly sweet coconut and vanilla scent. As he shoves me at the sink, I scramble to stop myself before it can hurt too badly, grunting as the edge jabs me in the belly.

For a second nothing happens. Relief creeps into my mind because maybe nothing will. I lift my head, getting it most of the way up before Rylan fists one hand in my hair and shoves my face down beside the faucet, holding me there. The marble is cold, so cold on my cheek, so I focus on that and not on the zipper cutting through the silence behind me.

“You’re mine,” he breathes into my ear. “Mine to give to who I want. Mine to punish. Butyouaremine.”

All of this because I wasn’t paying him the attention he wanted.

He hikes my dress up and over my hips. Cold air kisses my thighs.

I force myself to breathe slow and steady.

This isn’t anything new, Saige. You know where to go.

Closing my eyes, I burrow deep into the quiet place in my mind where no one and nothing can touch me. It’s there I always hide.

* * *

I trail Rylan out of the bathroom, swiping at the last of my tears with the back of a hand that won’t stop shaking. It’ll stop soon. It always does. I just need a minute to get there.

He’s smiling as he returns to his seat. I’m fighting to keep my face blank as I return to lean against the wall, the musky scent of sex, Rylan, and sweat clinging to me.

My gaze sweeps over them. Nineteen and not one of them cares about anything other than themselves. And money. No wonder Rylan made them into a pack.

Cruel hearts, designer clothes, perfect hair, nails, and makeup. Perfect everything.

Perfect monsters.

They’re all the same.

But I’m nothing like them. Kade and Aden are nothing like them. Even Dariel showed some genuine, human emotion when he saw my scars and realized he might have gotten me wrong. Maybe there’s some humanity in him. It might take some time to find it, but maybe is better than none. There certainly isn’t any in this room.

Despite telling myself to keep my eyes away, my gaze returns to Nathan.

He must have been waiting for that moment because he’s peering at me over the rim of his glass.

The photograph flashes in my mind, the stiff fingers, ruined apartment… Dad’s staring eyes.

My hands tighten into fists as I choke back my need to cry.

I’d accused Rylan’s wolf of being stupid to bite me over and over and expect the result to be different when it never would be. Yet here I am, doing something I know will only provoke Rylan to punish me again. Now, who's the stupid one?

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