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“So, what, she’s better than me?” Layne got up and walked away, tears brimming in her eyes.
She was a bit quiet today, so I had a feeling this hurt more today. Then again, with what she just said, I imagined it was a continual pain she faced quietly.
“Layne,” I said, leaving my own tray and going after her. She was quick, already depositing her tray and racing for the door. I shoved my way through the crowd, but she was long gone by the time I got to the front of the cafeteria.
“Looks like you’re the whore of the third floor,” a girl snarked as I rushed after my friend. Apparently, they’d all heard the scene from the way everyone’s eyes were on me.
“Fuck you,” I bit out, but someone stepped between us, back to me. Dark chocolate and spice filled my senses.
Drake.
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that,” he warned. His voice was low and deep, and the girl stuttered out a string of words that didn’t make sense before rushing off.
“I didn’t need you to defend me,” I told him. It was embarrassment that had the words falling from my mouth. He just turned around and bent down so our faces almost touched.
“Let me make one thing very clear, Harlow. You chose to come to my room, offered yourself up like a fine wine, and now you want to back away? That’s not how this works. You’re mine now, simple as that. So, pack up whatever attitude you intend to throw my way. I’ll fuck it out of you later, regardless,” he said in a slow, purposeful tone before turning and walking away.
He was making it clear I was his now and there was no going back.
The lunchroom was silent as I stood there, stunned. Every set of eyes in the room was watching me, seeing what drama would come from me next.
Yet what could I say? We were mates, bonded ones at that, and we were avoiding the topic. However he was very clear on his intentions and I liked it more than I should. I wanted him to mark me, claim me, and not regret me like everyone always had.
As if on fucking cue, Nurse Drew walked back in. She scanned the room with a purpose before landing on me. She gestured me over, adding yet more fuel to the dumpster fire that was my existence here.
“Do you need us?” It wasn’t Hiro that approached then, but Roman. His voice was hard, concerned, subtle differences I was able to use to tell them apart.
I wondered briefly if it was me who triggered the change in him.
“Harlow, Doctor Vane would like to speak with you. It seems you didn’t read that sneaking out at night was prohibited, as well as visiting the sixth floor,” she seethed.
I’d never heard her so mad, and I felt the blood drain from my face. Not only was I in trouble, possibly got her in trouble, but now I was going back to that office.
How the hell did she even find out I ‘snuck’ out. Not that I could remember anything except waking up on the roof. Panic rose with each thought, and I didn’t know how I would get out of this, just that I had to.
“No, I can’t go in there,” I protested, panic filling me at the prospect of seeing that monster again. “I just woke up on the roof, tried to find my way back, I didn’t sneak out.”
“The roof?” she gasped, looking even more startled than before. “You don’t get to dictate where you go. After this stunt, you’ll be lucky to have privileges like eating in here or doing anything without supervision. I won’t lose my job over some careless girl.”
“That’s not what I was trying to do. I didn’t do anything wrong,” I protested again but it was weak this time as she nodded at an orderly who clamped his hand on my arm and started to drag me to the door.
“Nurse Drew ...” Drake tried to step in, but two orderlies put themselves between us, blocking him from coming after me.
“Monty!” I screamed as they dragged me down the hall, kicking and screaming the whole way. “Help me. I can’t let him touch me again. Monty!”
“Stop this or we will sedate you!” Nurse Drew thundered, stopping so abruptly we almost ran right into her. I glanced past her to the shadow figures looming behind her.
“Fuck you, there’s no way you don’t know what that monster does to us. How do you sleep at night?”
If I had liked her before, it was obviously misguided. She was heartless. And from the way her eyes shadowed and she turned with a huff, she fucking knew every bit of vile bullshit he put people through.
Coldhearted bitch.
My fight waned as we went into the elevator, their fingers digging into my skin and likely leaving bruises. The less I fought, the less it hurt, but the idea of just allowing them to take me to him wasn’t even a fucking option.
When they finally dragged me off the elevator and into his office, I expected everyone to leave but Nurse Drew stuck by me.
Each step we took was followed by shadow figures, the dark beings filling the halls and closing in around us increased as my panic rose.
