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His hands still, the loops of a neat bow strung between them. “You cryin’?”
I refuse to meet his gaze just like I refuse to answer. I inhale a shuddering breath and wipe with my one good hand at both of my cheeks. I push back against the wall of plastic behind me, cringing away from him while knobs of long-discarded things dig into my spine through my many layers. “No.”
“Don’t lie to me, Echo.” His hand slashes out and grabs my chin, forcing my face up. I close my eyes. A small rebellion. “Will you look at me?”
I growl.
“Echo, look at me.” The order sendsfeelingcascading through my entire body, but especially through my crotch. It’s uncomfortable, my core filled with a sudden maddening pressure, my mind hallucinating thoughts of turning around and presenting for the Berserker. I hate it. I hate me. I hate Merlin with her pragmatic underhandedness. I hate Lou for his casual flippancy over my life and his affable certainty about my death. I hate Angel for the small, maddening way she smiles. I hatehimmost of all.
I open my eyes and his smug expression makes me feel like nothing. Less than nothing. I jerk away, pushing his callused fingers off of my cheeks and quickly rubbing my nose with the back of my sleeve.
His expression slips, but I’m not looking at him so I don’t have a chance to fully assess it. His heat warms my front. He smells like the forest, clean and masculine though I don’t know how that’s possible. He got the same bucket of dirty water I did.
“Watched you get shot twice and shatter your arm and you didn’t cry. Why you cryin’ now?”
I don’t want to go back into Paradise Hole. I don’t want to go anywhere with you. I hope he can read the words I don’t feel like saying out loud through my expression alone. When his hard face hardens more, I know that he can.
“Want me to compel you to tell me? You know as well as I do that you can’t deny your Berserker.”
“You’re not myanythingexcept the monster who fang raped me and almost killed me.” My voice comes out hot and mean. Something moves against my palm, the one rooted on the ground, and when I look down, a vine is crawling over my skin, having grown up from between two crushed pieces of tin packed into the floor below. The vine crisscrosses over my palm before breaking off when I lift my fist, so that I wear a vine wrapped around my fingers like brass knuckles.
We both stare at it. Somewhere, in a land far, far away, I hear Merlin say, “Shit.”
“Do it. You’d have every right.” He brutally cinches my shoelace and presents his left cheek.
“It’s not gonna hurt you, but when you hit me back, I might not survive it.”
His arm snakes out again, this time reaching for my injured neck. The display of dominance is something my inner Omega preens at, but I still wince wildly, afraid of Pain. Even through the painkillers, my neck still hurts. But he doesn’t touch me. I blink and see him flexing his hand outstretched hand before curling it into a fist. He opens his mouth, tongue pressing against the backs of his teeth, before exhaling suddenly.
“Other foot.”
I don’t reply, just stare at him waiting for violence.
Heat radiates from the Berserker even though he’s only wearing a faded green thermal shirt and the same black cargo pants he’s been wearing all week. I feel branded by his touch when he taps the side of my left ankle firmly. “Other foot.”
Numbly, I slide my left ankle forward and let him shove on my old boot. His hands work deftly and efficiently.
“Too tight?”
I sniffle again, this time for the last time. “No.”
“Good. Then move.”
“No.”
He exhales and rakes a hand down his face. His beard has grown longer since we’ve been here. It’s burly and makes it hard to tell what his face looks like underneath. “Not givin’ you that option, Echo.”
“Stop calling me that,” I hiss, not liking the way everyone in this hall is so damn silent because they’re all clearly listening to our conversation.
His fury pulses hotter, brighter. “What d’you want me to call you? Omega?”
No. Not that. Definitely not that.I nod and sniffle — okay, this time is the last time. “Yes.”
“Omega, get up. Tryin’ not to order you here, but I will if you make me wait any longer. Sick of bein’ in this fucking dump. Wanna get back.”
I shiver and he sees. He sees everything. He edges closer to me and I flinch. He grimaces, not liking my aversion to him, and he proceeds forward with a little more reserve, making sure to keep a little bit of distance between us. It’s a generosity of the most meager kind, but I still don’t expect it from him. Monsters don’t know kindness.
Behind him, Merlin barks, “Echo, get the fuck up and get out. I wouldn’t let you stay here even if the Berserker let you go.”
