The puckered skin covered the expanse of her back. They started at the top by her shoulder and followed a line down to the small of her back—there could only be one thing that made marks like that.
They hadn’t only messed with her memories, they had laid a hand on her. They had hurt her. Marked her. The only marks she should ever have to bear are marks put there by me.
They had scarred my mate. A growl threatened to slipfrom my lips. I’d kill them. I’d kill every fucking person in the Panateia for doing that to her. To my mate.
“You coming?” She looked over her shoulder at me, the steam billowing around her.
I balled my hands into fists and took a deep breath, trying to calm my raging emotions as I made my way to the bathing chamber. “What the fuck happened to your back?” I said as calmly as I could manage.
Her body tensed, her eyes going wide as she slunk further into the water. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing, Lennox.” I rubbed my hand over my jaw as I approached the tub. She remained on the opposite end as I moved closer. “Let me see it.” I couldn’t keep the roughness from my tone this time. Her hands gripped the edge of the tub, her knuckles turning white.
“Someone touched you, someone funking hurt you. I need to see it.Please.”
Her eyes softened. Slowly, she turned, the water sloshing as she exposed her back to me. I took her hair in one hand, brushing it over her shoulder.
Her back was covered in scars. They crisscrossed across the expanse of her once-smooth skin. Starting at her shoulders and disappearing into the water. They were deep too, the edges still pink as they healed. I lowered to my knees at the side of the tub, running my fingers along the edges of her scars.
My stomach rolled. My anger mixed with disgust as I thought about how someone could have done this to her. Even her tattoo, her tattoo pledging to the witches, to her people, had been wrecked. A thick scar sliced through the middle.
“Who did this to you?”
Lennox shivered. “Who do you think?” She crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to face me, hiding her back once again.
“I’ll kill her.” My magic pulsed at my fingertips. “I’ll rip her heart from her chest for ever laying a hand on you.”
Lennox stared at the water, the look on her face causing me to pause.
I slipped into the tub with her.
“Come here.” She didn’t move so I reached for her, the water splashing over the side of the tub as I pulled her into my lap, her scarred back against my front as I wrapped my arms around her.
“Do you want to talk about it now?”
She shook her head. “Okay,” I reassured her. “When you’re ready, I’m here.”
Her hand squeezed mine. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. I want to tell you everything that happened, I want you to know, but I need a couple of days. I need some space now that I’m out. I want a couple of days to pretend like everything is even slightly okay. I made it out. I’m back in your arms. That’s what I want to focus on right now.”
I kissed her shoulder, my lips brushing over the top of a scar. “Okay.”
I reached for the toiletries set on the edge of the tub, squirting a small amount of soap into my hand before bringing it to Lennox’s hair.
I ran the soap through the damp strands, distributing it evenly before helping her rinse out the suds and continuing with the next product.
Lennox remained silent as I finished washing her hair, letting the sopping strands fall down her back, partially covering the scars.
After everything she’d been through, for her to go through this too?—
“Distract me.” Lennox’s voice was soft. “Please, Luka, distract me. Say something, anything.”
I brought my hand to her stomach as I placed a kiss on her shoulder. “Okay.” My hand on her stomach slippedlower. “Tell me what you need.” Anything, I’d give her fucking anything.
“I need you to touch me.”
I didn’t hesitate. I slipped two fingers inside her easily beneath the water. She arched into me, a moan slipping from her lips as I held her against me with a hand on her stomach. I moved my fingers in and out slowly, the water sloshing as Lennox squirmed in my arms.
“Luka.” Her hand tightened around my arm. She swiveled her hips over my already hard cock. “I need more than your fingers. I need you inside me.”
