Torn
Page 68

Pink flushed her silvery cheeks. “He wants you to shave.”
“He wants . . .” I knew why. Sickened, I swallowed a dry heave. “No. No way.”
“Gross,” muttered Breena. “Humans are so hairy.”
Did the fae not get hair in the same places we did? I had no idea, and frankly, I didn’t care. I wasn’t shaving. “It’s not happening,” I said.
Something akin to approval flashed in Faye’s gaze, but I figured I had to be seeing things. She nodded and stepped away from the shower. I wanted to be clean, but if being hairy and dirty kept the prince away from me, then I’d gladly be as gross as humanly possible. When I was done, Faye handed me a towel.
Goosebumps raced over my skin as I stepped out of the shower. It was then that I realized Faye was holding a bundle of black cloth. Water dripped from the ends of my hair as I clutched the towel close to my body.
“The prince wants you to wear this,” Faye explained.
This turned out to be a black gown. It was long-sleeved and low-cut with a high waist. Without even touching it, I knew it was incredibly thin.
“Are you serious?” I asked, and when Faye nodded, I grimaced. “There has to be something else.”
“It’s either that or you’re naked.” Breena rose fluidly. “Your choice.”
I watched her roam out into the bedroom and then I faced Faye. I didn’t get why she was being kind or helpful, but I hoped it extended to finding me something else to wear. “Please. I can’t . . . I can’t wear that.”
“I’m sorry.” And she sounded sorry. Again, I was surprised by this.
The chain and metal band lay on the bed, waiting for me. Frustrated, I took the dress from her. There were no undergarments, and I figured that was on purpose. Disgusted, I turned my back to Faye.
She stepped outside the bathroom, giving me the closest thing she could to privacy while I dropped the towel and slipped the silky dress on over my head. The hem fell to the floor, and my toes peeked out from underneath.
With no undergarments on, I felt nude.
I scooped my wet hair out of the dress, refusing to look at myself in the mirror. The top was tight, leaving very little to the imagination, and it gaped slightly if I bent over. Great.
“How long does it take one person to get dressed?” Breena sniped from the bedroom.
Smoothing my hands down the sides, I smiled tightly as I lifted my head. I walked out of the bathroom, stepping around Faye. Calmly, I stalked up to the bed and stopped a few inches from Breena.
“You make the gown look like you’re playing dress-up,” she said.
My smile widened as I faced Breena. She looked at me expectantly. I cocked my arm back and punched her right in her stupid face with everything I had in me.
Faye gasped as Breena fell backward onto the bed. I didn’t give her a chance to recover. Straddling her thin hips, I gripped the sides of her head and thrust my thumbs deep into her eyes.
“I’m going to kill you,” I promised, ignoring the bite of pain as she clawed at my arms through the stupid dress. “Maybe not right now, but one day I will kill you.”
Breena screamed, bucking her hips, but I held on to her like an octopus, waiting for Faye to intervene. The bedroom door flew open, and an ancient rushed into the room. I kept digging my fingers in, relishing Breena’s shrieks of pain until two hands gripped my shoulders and tore me away. My butt hit the floor.
Metal closed around my neck and the chain was pulled tight, forcing me to stand. Breena jumped to her feet, shimmery blood dripping from the corners of her red eyes. Screaming like a banshee, she rushed me, but didn’t get far.
Faye caught her around the waist and started dragging her, arms and legs flailing, around the bed and toward the open door. A hysterical laugh bubbled up in me as the ancient shoved me back toward the bed. I caught myself and whipped around.
His arm shot out, the back of his hand connecting with my jaw. Pain erupted along my mouth. I touched my chin, wincing when red smeared my fingertips.
“The prince will be displeased with your actions,” the ancient warned, looking like he wanted to knock me upside the head.
Lip bleeding and aching, I gave him a bloody smile. “Worth it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I ate my lunch on day four, even though mustard was not exactly pleasant with a split lip. Faye brought me a sandwich a little bit after one o’clock. She didn’t hang around and chat, which sucked because I was curious about her and what drove her to be so kind to me. Granted, it wasn’t like we were going to go out and get matching “best friend” bracelets, but she wasn’t like the others. But the only thing she said to me on the way out was that I shouldn’t have attacked Breena.
Maybe I shouldn’t have, but oh well.
Out of all the things I could regret in life, that wouldn’t even make the top thirty.
My thoughts went to a strange place, and I thought of Val. How would she treat me if I was here and she was still alive? Would she be kind or spiteful? Part of me wanted to believe she would step up and help me, but it hurt to realize there was very little I knew about Val.
Thinking of her made every part of me ache.
I’d just finished my sandwich when the bedroom door opened. I tensed when I saw that it was Drake. He was dressed in linen pants that most men wouldn’t look right in, and his shirt was half-unbuttoned. His feet were bare.
He was dressed way too casual, and unease stirred in my stomach. Drake had stopped by last night, mostly to yell at me for nearly gouging out Breena’s eyes and to tell me that he was glad I was no longer “filthy.” I was guessing Faye hadn’t told him the razor had gone unused.