Page 140 of Cold-Blooded Creatures

Three. Breathe in.

Four. Breath out.

I blinked away the tears and stretched my arms in a test. My nerves shrieked, but thank the gods my bones had not leaped out of their sockets.

Tensing and straightening my legs with all my strength, I screamed into the duct tape as the restraints cut into my shins. The sting intensified, and I suspected I was flaying myself in the process, but the braided ropes slowly slid down the chair’s legs and popped off the ends.

Reluctantly, I peeked at my ankles. I was right. My skin had split in a few spots, and red rings encircled my ankles.

But it meant part one was done.

Onto the next.

Wobbling, I stood up with the chair stuck to my backside and my wrists secured to the backrest.

Okay, I could do this.

If I broke my tailbone, it would be their fault, not mine.

Knees bent, I jumped high in the air and squeezed my eyes shut in preparation for the drop. Weightlessness lifted my butt out of the seat and the sensation became surprisingly pleas?—

I crashed down.

A silent scream rippled through me as tears scorched my cheeks and sweat beads broke free on my forehead.

A throb arose in my tailbone and right buttock and I mentally cursed Gedeon and Zion to never get hard again for the nasty bruises certain to cover my backside. I could live without their dicks, but I doubted they’d be happy about the lack of their functionality.

Seconds ticked by, and the sharpest ache subsided, giving way for my smile to grow wider. The chair had broken into pieces.

Grimacing, I freed my hands and peeled off the duct tape. If not for the burn, I would guess the tape tore my lips off with it.

I quickly cleaned the wounds and wrapped the roll of gauze I’d found in the bathroom around my ankles. They were barely bleeding, but better to be safe than sorry.

Once I finished raiding Gedeon’s closet, I pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of matching sweatpants. Like clothing, every single piece of furniture in his room was black, including the hardwood floor. An obsession for dark colors, which he continuously refused to admit.

Peeking into the corridor and finding it deserted, I rushed to my own bedroom to put on some actually fitting clothes.

But it turned out the universe had decided to cursemetoday. Because only sunlight filled the shelves of my closet. Not a single item of clothing, including my underwear, remained in my drawers.

Zion had to be at fault for this.

I stormed to his bedroom, and a need to break things rose within me. Despite turning his closet upside down, my search brought zero results.

Debating using his knives to shred his own clothing, I pulled on a pair of too-long-for-me socks and his black leather jacket. From now on, it was mine. He could beg on his knees, and I wouldn’t give it back.

The matte shine of my boots by the door caught my attention, and I practically kissed the leather. If he would’ve done something,anythingto them, I would’ve ripped his head off.

Not that I wasn’t going to do it anyway. I was. I simply had to wait out the day. One look at the clock had showed Gedeon and Zion were far on their way to Ilasall, and not knowing how to drive limited my options in following them, in spite of how my body trembled with a demand to punch the smugness off their faces and yell so loud their eardrums burst.

And I seriously doubted the few people I’d gotten close to here would willingly give me a ride to the city.

But I could look at this as an opportunity to teach myself some patience. They planned to return in the evening, and that gave me plenty of time to plan the most creative murder inspired by their actions.

Obviously, I’d have to lure them down to the underground, but it shouldn’t be too complicated. And once there, Zion’s durable chains would keep them immobile while I exacted my vengeance.

My stomach grumbled, as furious at me for the absence of breakfast as I was at the two bastards for leaving me, and I stomped down the hallway and stairwell to the main kitchen on the first floor.

Jayla froze at the sight of me treading in heavily, her dripping spoon stuck mid-air above the chipped blue-and-white bowl.“Weren’t you supposed to go with them? They all left, like, an hour ago.”