“It’s already hot!” I gasp loudly.
Jeremy laughs. It’s a sweet sound. Not judgmental. “We have a fancy water heater that makes the water hot for us.” He touches both knobs.
I’m not sure what a water heater is either, but I think I can figure it out based on the name.
“It can come out hot or cold,” he continues. “And if you turn on both at the same time, the water comes out somewhere in between.” He twists the right one, then touches the water again. “It can take a minute to get the temperature just right.” He fusses for a bit longer, trying to make it perfect for me.
I just stare at the back of Jeremy’s head, curious as to why he’s being so nice to me. He clearly wants something from me, but I don’t know what. Alphas are only nice to omegas so they can fuck them, but betas aren’t wired that way. They're complicated.
“Okay.” Jeremy stands and clasps his hands together. “I’ll go get you something to wear while you get in.” His gaze lingers on my face for a second, and he lets out a happy sigh. “I’m so happy you’re here.” Thankfully, he doesn’t wait for me to respond, gliding around me back into the bedroom.
I move quickly, stripping off my dirty clothes and socks. I leave them in a pile on the floor, eager to get in the water beforeJeremy returns. But before I can move to the tub, my reflection over the bathroom sink catches my eye. I stop and turn, really looking at myself for the first time in days.
I’m wrecked.
Black and blue splotches litter my hip, knees, and wrists. There are puffy dark circles under my eyes, but the side of my face isn’t as bad as I expected. The bruise on my cheekbone is relatively small. Maybe the size of a quarter. My fingers graze it, feeling the slightly raised mark. I let my hand fall, brushing over my collarbone down to my breast. I have a few dark marks dotting my flesh. They’re from Stone. Memories of how he groped me flash in my mind. My stomach churns as I’m forced to relive the way his wet tongue pushed its way into my mouth. Touching me. Feeling me. Tasting me.
Bile rises in my throat and I stumble, catching myself on the bathroom counter. I breathe deeply. In through my mouth and out through my nose.
“He’s dead,” I whisper to myself. “You're safe.”
Am I though?
Killian and his pack have told me about a million times in the last two days that I’m safe, but they’ve made it very clear that I’m not going anywhere. They bought me to be their mate, and won’t accept anything less. A wild thought grips me and I can’t help but wonder what they might do if I run.
Will they hunt me? Hurt me? Kill me if I refuse to let them mate me?
“Beth?” Jeremy knocks on the bathroom door and I run to the bathtub.
Trying to be quick and careful at the same time, my legs shake as I climb into the tub. The water is a little too hot. Sloshing, making me hiss.
“Can I come in?” The door cracks open, and I grab a bar of soap, rubbing it up and down my arms. “Is everything okay?”Jeremy pokes his head inside the door. His bright blue eyes find me, and he smiles widely. “I hope you like pink.” He pushes open the door, then holds up a flowing nightgown for me to see before putting it on the bathroom counter. It looks kind of like a T-shirt, but incredibly long.
“Pink is fine,” I say as I pull my knees up to my chest. I pretend to wash my legs and feet, but really I’m trying to hide my body the best I can from the beta. He doesn’t feel like a threat, but it’s weird being naked around him. The only people that have seen me bare are my mother and Linden…or they were.
Basil and Killian saw me naked in the stream. They touched me, too.
I think about the way they held and washed me. The way they purred. Some of the tension falls from my shoulders and a shiver cuts through me as I think about their gentle hands and loving words. I kind of wish Basil was here now so he could wash my hair. His hands felt like magic as they worked me over.
“Is that soap okay?” Jeremy eyes the bar in my hand.
I look at it, not sure what he means. It’s soap. “Yeah,” I say, turning it over in my hand. It’s white with no smell, very similar to what I used back home.
“It’s unscented,” Jeremy says as if excited to share. “It’s also balanced to work with an omega’s delicate system without masking pheromone production.” His face scrunches up and he snorts loudly. “I sound like an ad.” He laughs and I can’t help but smile. He’s just so…bubbly.
He has an infectious energy that makes me want to snuggle up next to him and gossip while we sip hot chocolate.
He’s not your friend,I remind myself.He’s your captor.
“Do you want me to wash your hair?” Jeremy asks as he kneels next to the tub. He keeps his eyes on my face, and not my body. He doesn’t leer or smirk as he waits patiently for me to answer. And the truth is, I really want him to wash my hair. Iwant my scalp scratched and massaged, like Basil did. But I need to keep my distance. Bonding with this pack will only upset them more when I leave.
“No, thank you,” I say.
A flash of disappointment flickers in Jeremy’s pale blue eyes, but he doesn’t pressure me. Instead, he smiles. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. This beta smilesa lot.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he says, before stepping back into the bedroom.
Turning my head, I listen carefully for his footsteps, but he doesn't go far. I hear the beta take a long, calming breath, then he whispers to himself, “It’s okay. She’s just scared.”
