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I threw all of the strength that I had just to make it as difficult as I could for him. Gritting my teeth, I jammed my feet into the tiled floor and used the rugged bottom of my boots to slow our progress down. The sense of victory was short-lived when the goon simply slipped an arm under my armpits and raised me off the ground. A sharp pain tore down my spine as he carried me like a ragdoll over into the next concealed area.
“There’s no point in resisting,” he hissed. “You’re just drawing everything out. The prince has somewhere important to be tonight and he won’t tolerate you making him late.”
Me causing royalty to be tardy? Those words couldn’t be any sweeter to my ears.
My eyes swung ahead and I honed in on the door that was slightly ajar. Even from the thin gap, I could see the nauseating white tiled walls and stone flooring. Despite the awkward angle that he’d created once he started carrying me, I lifted my legs and caught myself on the doorframe. I didn’t give the goon a chance to plant himself firmly on the ground before I shoved back against him.
I managed to cause Jackson to stumble back a mere few feet before he recovered.
An irritated snarl escaped him as he whipped my body around so that he could wrap his other arm around my knees. “If you weren’t reserved for the prince, I wouldn’t be taking such a precaution to ensure you are given to him in ideal condition.”
“Don’t leave a mark on her body, Jackson.” Bianca’s voice came from behind us. “I have to document everything that I find and if something doesn’t line up with my report, he’ll take it out on you. I want to avoid that outcome. I’d rather have you around for days like this instead of Charles.”
Jackson snorted and carried me into the bathroom like a wooden board. “If you fancy me, Bianca, you should just come out and say it. There’s no law against fraternizing with fellow coworkers, regardless of race.” Once he had me in the middle of the room, he released me and allowed me to tumble down onto the rough floor. “Strip.”
I immediately rolled away from him and tucked my legs against my chest. “Like hell,” I spat.
The good doctor strolled into the bathroom and nudged the door shut behind her. “We’ve already beaten around this bush, Miss Barone. I’m going to get what I need for the report whether you do it of your own free will or I have to force your hand. Jackson will avert his eyes until you’re clothed again, if that is your concern.”
“You can’t honestly expect me to believe none of you people are going to try anything.” I shifted my gaze between the two of them, eager to deliver the glare at both of them just to get my point across. I hadn’t even shed a single article of clothing yet and I was already feeling violated. It was a far worse feeling than when Beau had betrayed me at the house.
“You’re promised to the future king.” Jackson pulled away from me, reaching out to take an antique key from Bianca before he planted himself directly in front of the door. “You won’t find a single paranormal in this building that is going to be willing to leave a mark on you - cuts, bruises or a goddamn bullet hole.”
It was a clear and direct remark to my desperate attempt to force Charles’ hand.
Bianca crossed her arms over her chest and peered down at me. “Now are you going to do this next part yourself or will I have to do it for you?”
Curling my upper lip, I glared at her and we entered a tense staredown for several long minutes. There wasn’t a part of me that was willing to succumb to the horrible options laid out before me. Although I was eager to push my luck to the limits until someone snapped, that same part didn’t want any of their hands on me if I could avoid it. By the time her eyes narrowed into thin slits, I finally made the decision to bide my time.
A hint of relief leaked out onto her face when I rose off the ground and reluctantly started shedding the filthy clothes. “Thank you.”
Look at that… A vampire can express gratitude.
Scowling, I tore my gaze away from hers and focused on removing them in an order that would minimize the embarrassment. My boots were tossed off to the side first, quickly followed by socks and the belt. It was one of the times I regretted not having something tucked away in a shoe. I gritted my teeth and reluctantly shifted gears to the rest of my clothing. The time it took to tug them all off and leave me butt ass naked in front of the good doctor didn’t feel long enough.
Bianca immediately moved forward and gestured for me to lower my arms. “I need you to turn — slowly.”
I closed my eyes, sucking in a deep breath to trap while I heeded her request. Goosebumps had already covered the vast majority of my skin. There was enough of a difference in temperature between the bathroom and the main area that it reminded me of how freezing my cell had been when I woke. My nipples were hardening quickly and the only heat that comforted me was restricted to my cheeks and chest.
“I’m not seeing any visible —” Bianca’s words caught in her throat. Only a moment passed before her cool fingers brushed against scars littering my right shoulder blade. “Did someone burn you with cigars, Miss Barone?”
Nausea swirled in the pit of my stomach. “They’re cigarette burns.”
She was quiet as she mused over my words. “Who did this to you?”
“My mot—grandmother.” I winced as the words almost slid out of my mouth. It was impossible not to notice the way I had slipped up and I knew it would come back to bite me in the ass. Yet the good doctor wasn’t offering a verbal recognition of the mistake. My body remained tense until her hand fell away and she retreated back several steps.
“Other than the cigarette burns on her shoulder, I’m not seeing anything else that should be concerning.” Bianca drifted around and paused in front of me. “You may hop into the shower, Miss Barone. I wouldn’t recommend taking very long. They keep the water temperature rather low here.”
How reassuring. I gritted my teeth until my jaw throbbed in agony. With my shame haunting me just as strongly as the embarrassment, I didn’t offer a verbal response as I turned on my heel and stepped into the small opening. A quick twist of the knobs revealed just how accurate the statement was. The water was barely warm enough to pass as room temperature.
The door was nudged open. It wasn’t until Jackson eased into the room with a stack of folded clothing that I realized he’d even left at all. He didn’t even bother locking the door back up behind him. A soft grunt escaped him as he tossed the clothes down onto the floor outside of the water’s radius. “Get dressed.”
If it wasn’t for the folded towel beneath the clothes, there would have been no way in hell that I would have obliged with his command. My rage could only counter the water for so long before the sight of it just made the shower feel even colder. I reluctantly shut the water off and tugged the towel free.
Jackson’s golden eyes swept toward Bianca. “What else is there for you to do, doc? Time’s ticking.”
“Just the blood test.”
