Page 27 of Scorned
Winnie looked me up and down, his nose scrunching, a look of disgust on his face. “You may want to shower first. You stink.”
Lyric laughed when I punched him in the arm before heading down the hall. “I’m going now, Asshole!”
“Atta Girl,” Winnie yelled from behind me, putting a genuine smile on my face for the first time in a while.
After showering and getting dressed, Winnie set up my new Alexa and gave me some meds he picked up for me. I researched what they used for and their side effects before I took one.
Since the sun hadn’t set, Winnie and Lyric hopped in my shower, and when I heard bangs coming from the bathroom, I rushed outside to give them privacy.
The cold air prickled my skin when I took a seat in the rocking chair on my porch. The sounds of chatter had my attention while a few of the other humans came out of their cabins. With curious eyes, I watched them while sipping on a cup of coffee. Some people glanced over at me before quickly averting their gaze, except for Jimmy who waved. I waved back before shamefully looking away.
Purposely, I had alienated everyone, and it was going to take work on my part to make people comfortable again. Even though I wasn’t ready to start socializing yet, one of the few people I would talk to was heading toward my porch.
Marcus beamed with pure radiance, taking the four stairs with one huge step. “This is new.”
“I figured I’d watch the sunset. There’s fresh coffee if you want some.”
“I already had two delicious cups. Peach makes the best pour over.”
He took the seat next to me, and I peered at him in surprise. I hesitated on the next question but his grin made me ask, anyway. “Did you sleep there?”
“Yeah, but on the couch.” Marcus sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring off into the distance with hopeful eyes. “That woman has the mind, body, and soul of a goddess. She’ll converse about the world, aliens, magic, recipes . . . anything you’d like except for her feelings. Getting into her heart is like exploring the Labyrinth. I’m uncertain if I’ll ever get to the center, but I know it’s worth trying.” His gaze met mine and he grinned. “But I got coffee.”
My whole life I’d waited for Marcus to find someone to love. His genuine care for Peach made happy tears form in my eyes. “Two cups of pour over? She must like you a lot.”
“She does. I’ll eventually break through her walls once she’s comfortable being loved again. I’m taking my time and letting her know her heart will always be safe in my hands.”
Peach’s past wasn’t any of my business unless she wanted it to be. But somehow Marcus’s words had a huge impact on me because I also needed to get comfortable being loved.
No matter how scary forming a bond with Luka was, I’d taken for granted the feelings he had for me—and the ones I had for him. If I could take it back, I would. If I could bring him back, I would.
A sigh left me when I thought about the bond. Even if I still couldn’t feel it, I had to believe it to be true.
“Why don’t you go out there and get a little sun before it disappears. You’re looking a little pasty, sweetie.” With a laugh, Marcus stood, kissed the top of my head, and left.
After I finished my coffee, I decided maybe I did need some vitamin D. When I stepped off the porch, my body wanted to pull me to my normal spot in the woods, but I wasn’t going to find sun there. Forcing myself to ignore the pull, I headed around to the side of my cabin. Rocks crunched beneath my low-top Converse as I stepped onto the gravel lot where everyone parked their vehicles.
I stopped and took a deep breath, attempting to quiet my mind. Like every day since the battle, my thoughts were stuck on Luka.
I’d give anything to hear the deep timbre of his voice again as my nickname rolled off his lips, or to have his fingers press against my chin and tip my face toward his so I could gaze into his beautiful blue eyes.
Anytime I thought of Luka, I would get more and more depressed, and that was how I lost hope. This time as I reflected on everything, a fire buried deep inside of me sparked back to life. It was the first time in a while I was ready to fight.
The vengeful fire intensified with thoughts of saving him.
This . . . this was who I used to be. Not some weak person sheltering herself from the world and praying for death to swiftly end her suffering. I was a hunter. A soldier. A trained assassin, ready to take on a mission to save the one I love, even if it killed me in the process.
I took a deep breath and released it in a slow stream as I stared into the horizon.
Beautiful orange and pink smears painted the evening sky as the sun fought to stay a few seconds longer. The winter clouds moved fast, attempting to cover up the beauty. Tipping my head toward the sunset as the last bit of its rays shone upon my face, I finally believed Luka was still out there.
Chapter 8
Luka
Three hundred miles away . . .
Screams coming through the walls alerted me they were back, poking and prodding, taking what they needed from us without a care. We were nothing more than lab rats, and they were using every piece of us they could to the highest extent to fulfill their needs.
