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A beat of silence skips by, and my eyelids slip close again.
“So, we’re gonna just what? Wrap her in blankets?” Zay asks. “Will that even work?”
A beat of silence ticks by.
“We … we have to take her clothes off first,” Jax finally says quietly and with a heavy amount of discomfort in his tone.
Again, it grows quiet, and panic manages to rise inside me, lacing with the cold.
Wait … They’re going to take my clothes off?
No, that can’t happen.
I try to flip over so I can crawl off the seat and out of the car. The door is open and the seat is shoved forward, so all I need to do is get that far. Then I can tumble out and … Well, I don’t really know where I’ll go from there. All I know is I’ve got to get out of here.
By some miracle, I get my body turned over. But as I’m dragging myself toward the edge of the seat, Zay steps up in front of the open door.
His hoodie is off and his short, brown hair is covered in snowflakes. His eyes widen when he sees me. I start to slide back on the seat to try to climb out the other side of the car. The movement seems to draw him out of his shock, and he moves, climbing into the back seat with me. Then he shuts the door and peels off his wet shirt.
I attempt to move, panic soaring through me. Holy hell, being frozen makes it really freakin’ complicated to move, so I barely get anywhere before Zay grabs the sleeve of my plaid shirt.
“I’m just going to help you,” he mutters as he sits me up and pulls me toward him with me putting up a fuss. He sighs, like I’m being a nuisance. “Raven, if we don’t get you undressed, you might freeze to death.”
I guess I kind of get what he’s saying, but if I take my clothes off, they’ll see …
All of my sins and secrets.
I try to push him away, but my limbs are so heavy I barely tap him.
He holds his hands in front of him then stares at me undecidedly. “You’re gonna have to chill while I do this. Don’t fight, or it’s going to complicate things.”
“N-no,” I chatter.
He sighs then slowly reaches for me. “I’m just trying to help.” He pauses then slowly starts taking off my plaid shirt. I lift my hand and push against his chest, but he merely removes my hand and yanks the soaked fabric off me, tossing it into the back. Then he reaches for the hem of my shirt and hoodie.
I try to fight back, but I can’t even get my eyes open. I feel him hesitate, his fingers lingering on the hems. In my mind, I fight back, but my body isn’t cooperating with my thoughts, and with shaky fingers, Zay tugs my shirt and hoodie over my head.
Oh my God, this is really going to happen … He’s going to see it.
I force my eyelids open and look up at Zay, silently pleading with him to stop. But he’s not looking at me. His gaze is locked on my side. I know what he’s looking at, and I hate it. Hate that he can see all the ugliness all over me. Hate that he can see me at all.
Blinking then shaking his head, he leans down and tugs off my boots. I slump back against the seat, my eyelids lowering as I veer toward passing out.
Zay works on peeling my tights off, then moves toward my shorts. That’s when I really begin to freak the hell out. His fingers are going to be right by my side, right where those words are carved.
“Stop … Stop … Stop …” I tip to the side, digging my fingernails into the edge of the seat, trying to pull myself away from him and toward the door.
“Goddammit,” Zay growls. “You’ve got to let me finish. It’s getting so bad you can barely keep your damn eyes open!”
I shake my head as I grab the door handle to the driver’s side door, but the door swings open on its own. Hunter appears on the other side with an armful of blankets, snowflakes falling around him. When he catches sight of me, he frowns, his gaze straying to Zay.
“Why don’t you have her clothes off already?” he asks. “You need to move more quickly, Zay. I mean, I know you have issues with this shit, but get over it.”
“I’m trying to take off her clothes,” Zay grumbles. “But she’s trying to get away from me. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but she clearly doesn’t realize the severity of the fucking situation.”
Hunter shakes his head then returns his gaze to me, his expression softening. “I know this is terrifying, but you’ve got to let us get your clothes off and warm you up before you get hypothermia.” He must see it, too, because he leans down, levels his gaze with mine, and cups my face between his hands. “No one’s going to hurt you, I promise.”
I want to argue more, but that’s when I just sort of give up. The cold is too much, And to be honest, I just want to go to sleep. So, I manage a nod.
