"I watched you sleep. You did not make a sound. What is it like, to rest so"—he finally took a step forward, and foolishly, she wasn’t scared—"peacefully." The soft, melodious word didn’t fit him.
The collar pressed into her throat again as she tried to swallow. She reached up to touch it, her lips slightly parted. His eyes tracked the upward motion of her pale, small hand.
"Do you know…" Rin’s voice failed her. She was scared of his answer. "Do you know why I’m here?"
"They want me to fuck you," Kit answered plainly, tone low. Heat sparked in his brown eyes, thawing the emotionless chill. "I told them no." He took another step forward until his knees pressed into the edge of the bed, close enough to reach her.
"Do you know what this is?" Rin tugged at the thick collar.
"No." He bared his teeth. "They keep me trapped here. Torment me with pictures of you. Videos," he seethed. "I saw them cut you open."
"What?" she breathed.
Kit leaned over the bed. She couldn’t move any further away from him than she already was. She held her breath as he reached for her. His fingers curled in the air before her. It was his right hand, she realized, that had that strange whirring sound. He placed his large, gloved palm on her chest, then dragged it down past her breasts—which made her breath hitch—until it rested heavily on her sore abdomen.
She felt too exposed in her thin cotton gown. Her legs were tucked beneath her now. The short hem of her gown bunched high on her thighs. Her lack of undergarments was palpable as he pressed down on her belly.
"Here. You are red inside." Kit looked up, strands of his brown hair falling over his brow. He placed his other hand on the mattress, and it dipped as he caged her against the wall. He was so close. She inhaled, taking in his scent, like oil. "They cut you. They took from you."
His fingers bunched in the waist of her cotton gown, and in a fluid motion, he ripped it upward until the fabric gathered beneath her small breasts. She just barely hid the space between her tightly crossed legs, the area darkened by shadow. His nostrils flared as his gaze dropped. Fury carved into the familiar lines of his face as he stared at her bared stomach. Her chin dipped to her chest, and she found the incision mark of her forced procedure there—what had captivated him so. It was faintly red, a clean line a few inches below her belly button. The bandage was gone.
Kit covered the mark with his hand. "What did they do to you?"
Rin’s chin quivered. She couldn’t say it. It still didn’t feel real. "They—they hurt me."
He didn’t move, waiting for her to continue.
"They cut me open. I don’t exactly…" Rin shook her head, a strand of her hair falling to dangle over his forearm. "They sterilized me." She’d never thought of kids before, but when the chance was permanently taken from her, she wanted to curl up and cry until she had no more tears left to give—then cry a little more. Because it wasn’t fair. "I can’t have kids anymore. I never cared before, but now, I don’t—" She sobbed, and his eyes snapped up to hers. She covered her face with her hands, not wanting him to see.
She heard him shift, but didn’t open her eyes.
Something warm brushed against her lower stomach, and she jumped.
Rin looked down and found Kit kissing her stomach tenderly—right over the scar.
His fingers twisted in the cotton fabric he held below her breasts. The material strained, and she heard a faint rip. His lips, his lips?—
They grazed her skin.
She trembled as he moved his head to the side, brushing his lips back and forth over her flesh. More fabric ripped.
His brows knitted together. Against her skin, he whispered, "I told you—we both lose. They have us. They win." His gloved hand dropped to her bare stomach, and she wanted the gloves off—wanted to feel him.
But that was exactly whattheywanted.
"Kit," Rin breathed, "we can’t."
He ripped away from her like he’d been burned.
He was breathing raggedly. He turned and paced, mumbling something under his breath, hands flexing at his sides.
His eyes swung back to her, and her gown was high on her thighs, nearly at her hips. The scar was covered—but they both knew it was there. Her eyes felt swollen from tears and lack of restful sleep. She wiped at them, and that was what made Kit break.
She flinched as he spun to the dark, glossy mirror on the wall.
Kit slammed his palms on it. It shook, but didn’t crack. Reinforced. He did it again. And again. Rin feared that the very walls would cave.
"I will not be with her!" Kit roared, rattling the mirror.
