Page 38 of Savage Truce

I notice he’s removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, giving me a view of the tattoos on his forearms.

Coming closer, he takes hold of the brush, and without saying a word, he moves in behind me and begins to untangle my damp hair.

“Do you feel any better?” he asks.

Hearing him right behind me makes goose bumps erupt on my skin.

My throat feels bone dry as I answer, “I do.” I swipe my tongue over my lips, then add, “Sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.” He gathers my hair at my nape, his fingers brushing against my skin, and another wave of goose bumps spreads over every inch of me.

I hear a drawer open, and glancing behind me, I see Rodian plugging in a hair dryer.

“I can do that,” I say, quickly starting to feel uncomfortable.

He shakes his head and proceeds to gently pull his fingers through my strands while drying them as if he’s done this a million times before.

Deep down, I know he’s trying to show me he’s still the attentive man I fell for, but that ship has sailed so hard and fast, it’s halfway around the world already.

There’s no going back to what we had. Those two people no longer exist.

Rodian isn’t the man who walked into my workshop anymore. He’s the pakhan. The man who took the seat of power by killing for it and now commands the worst of the worst.

And I’m… whatever this is. Whatever my family and his men beat me into.

When he’s done drying my hair, he comes to stand in front of me and asks, “Is the dress okay?”

I nod while glancing at the toothbrush, and being as perceptive as ever, he picks up on it and opens another drawer. Taking a brand new toothbrush out, he removes it from the packaging and sets it down. “The doctor is here. Come to the bedroom when you’re done.”

I nod again, and only once he’s left do I brush my teeth for a few minutes to make sure they’re clean.

After rinsing out, I inhale the fresh mint and feel a little more human.

My gaze touches on the mirror, and a gasp escapes me when I see my face.

The fullness in my cheeks has faded so much that my cheekbones stand out, and dark shadows beneath my eyes make them look too big for my face. My skin is pale and dull, making me look as exhausted as I feel.

But that’s not what shocks me.

My eyes seem… lifeless, as if I died in that pen along with the rest of my family.

Unable to look at myself a second longer, I rush away from the mirror.

I hear the women wail, and coming to a standstill, I cover my ears and squeeze my eyes shut.

I ran away to the kitchen. Every time. While they were being raped, I cooked, doing what I could to keep myself safe.

Not once did I try to help them.

Images of Ms. Fedorova being kicked to death bombard my mind, and I hunch down while a weird sound escapes me.

I did nothing. I just cowered in the pen and watched as they killed her.

Strong arms wrap around me, and as I slump against the solid chest, I realize Rodian is holding me again. I feel a prick and glance to my left, seeing the sharp needle being pulled out of my arm.

“It will help,” Rodian says before pressing a kiss to my hair.

Soon the horrific memories begin to blur, losing their potency, and my heartbeat slows until it’s normal again.