Page 133 of Taming Seraphine

“I was still upset about the man who came to my room,” I mutter.

He pulls me into a hug that feels like swaddling, but I tense under his grip. Is this where he insists that I see another therapist? My lips purse, ready to refuse.

“I’m sorry for letting you stay in the apartment when I had company. I should have ignored your wishes and carried you over to Miko’s, where you would have been safe.”

My eyelids flutter shut, and I relax back into his embrace. “That’s alright,” I murmur. “I got over that pretty quickly, too.”

“Murdering the man who assaulted you is understandable, but you didn’t stop there. You need a healthier outlet.”

“I have you.” It sounds harsher than it was meant to. I reach behind my back again to take hold of his erection, but he grabs my wrist.

“You’re avoiding the topic.” His voice is even, but the words sharpen.

My hands curl into fists. I pull at my arms, trying to break out of Leroi’s grip, but he’s too strong. Even when I jerk my head backward to smash the back of my head into his nose, he’s already two steps ahead.

“Let go of me,” I snap.

“So you can derail this conversation?” He scoffs. “You claim to be unaffected by what happened to you in that basement, but your actions say otherwise.”

“Are you judging me for Paolo?” I jerk my elbow backward, trying to snap his ribs.

“No.” He pulls my arms out of reach. “But I can’t help you if I don’t know what you’ve suffered.”

My eyes sting, mostly out of frustration because he’s caught me at my most vulnerable. I’m naked, without weapons, and positioned so I can’t use my nails and teeth.

“Let go of me,” I say, my voice straining. “Please.”

“Not until you tell me something.”

“I already told you about Samson’s dick. What more do you want to know?”

“Did the abuse stop?”

“Yes?”

He exhales a sharp breath. “You don’t sound so sure.”

“Well he couldn’t exactly rape me without a dick, could he?” I snap.

“What about Gregor?”

“He never touched me like that, even though he acted like he did.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’d hear him tell Samson that I was a worthless fuck or too loose. It was all excuses.”

“Was he gay?”

I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut. In some ways, Gregor was worse than Samson, because he wasn’t like the average man who only thought with his dick. “I don’t know. Maybe? He only cared about hurling insults and sending me out on missions.”

Leroi kisses the side of my face. “Thank you for telling me.”

I don’t relax because this interrogation isn’t over. He’s still gripping my wrists.

“How long did the sexual abuse last?”

I bow my head. “A few weeks. Dad was the one who took me to the basement, saying that I was an impostor who owed him.”

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