Page 22 of Claimed By Ruin

I was too tired to move, exhausted really, so I was glad when Jack wiped the cum off my back and then flipped me over, trapping my body between his and the bed.

“You get what you want?” His voice was rough, but his eyes were soft.

“Yes.”

My answer was almost the truth.

Silence followed, and in it, he loomed over me, larger than life, staring down at me with something in his eyes.

I wanted to kiss him.

I didn’t.

SIX

Asia

“You ready to rock and roll, Miles?” I said around a huge yawn.

“You sleepy?” Miles asked.

I chuckled. “What gave it away?”

He laughed. “You weren’t supposed to take the night watch last night anyway ’cause you had it two days in a row. But now that Jack’s back, I know he’ll take some nights so you can get your rest.”

“Yeah,” I said, looking away from him. He didn’t need to know that Jack was the reason I hadn’t gotten much sleep.

When I looked at him again, I stayed silent for a moment, smiling faintly at him as the weak rays of sunlight that managed to peek through the burlap and the candles clustered in the middle of the table lit his face. I glanced down at his arms and started to frown. His sleeves were too short, and I bet his coat didn’t fit anymore, either.

Problems for another day, not that I banked on those.

“But as I was saying, you ready?” I asked, forcing frivolity into my voice.

Miles nodded, and shoveled oatmeal into his mouth like it was the best thing he’d ever eaten. I tilted my head and watched him but pushed away the bowl in front of me. Despite how much I tried, I still wasn’t able to bring myself to eat it.

It was only pure willpower that even allowed me to look at it.

Every time I saw it, I thought of Bridget.

Remembered her dying.

Wished I had the opportunity to kill her again.

I kept my eyes on Miles, but my smile was brittle. I hoped he didn’t see.

“Heck yeah! But what changed your mind?” he said, finishing off the last of his oatmeal. He pushed away from the table and walked over to the sink.

He wiped out the bowl, and I tried not to cringe. I still hadn’t gotten used to that, but it made more sense this way. It would be a waste of water to wash every dish, so instead, everyone had their assigned cutlery and dishes, which we washed every three days.

“You mean you’ve harassed me to do this, and now that Lourdes says yes, you ask why I’m letting you?” I said.

He nodded. “Yes. I just want to know why you changed your mind?”

I sighed, but tried to cut the sound off quickly. Young as he was, there wasn’t enough time left in Miles’s life to explain what changed. There certainly wasn’t enough left in mine.

I shrugged. “What can I say? You proved yourself.”

He chuckled. “Like there was ever any doubt?”