Page 31 of Entwined

I just…I need a minute to breathe. To process. Togrieve.

I use the toilet, wincing at the stinging sensation—another reminder of what my body was put through last night.

No. Not last night.

The pastthreenights.

Washing my hands, I stare at my reflection, unable to even recognize the woman staring back at me. Smudgesmar the skin under my eyes, dark hair wild around my head, and blue eyes stormy and bewildered. There’s a purplish bruise on the column of my throat, standing out against pale skin, but I look away, all too aware of where it must’ve come from.

But not who.

Probably Connor.

There’s a brief tap on the door. “Starling?”

His voice rolls through me, tightening my belly up. I bend over, splashing cold water on my face, trying to force reason back into my head. I can’t let them sway me with their pretty words and endearments, their promises that aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. I’mfuriousat what they’ve done to me, the untenable situation they’ve forced me into.

Every person in my life tries to control me by forcing me into corners. No one ever just asks me what I want. Vaelor and Connor…They never mentioned the possibility of us being mates. Not when they were stalking me around campus—for even longer than I knew of, apparently—or accosting me in hallways. Connor didn’t mention it when he broke into my room, and his family didn’t say a word when they were talking about their stupid fucking political deals with my grandfather.

Maybe if they’d just told me in the first place?—

I shake that off before it can grow because I won’t lie to myself about this. I never would’ve given them a chance, not after everything that happened with Dizzy. And there’s also a good chance that I wouldn’t have believed them, assuming it was just another way for them to fuck with me and mess with my life.

Now, there’s also this…feelinginside me, an urge that wants to erase the distance between me and them. I keepgetting flashes of memory—bodies slick with sweat, being crushed between them—and molten heat sweeps through me, demanding that I appease the desire thrumming through my body.

“Felicity?” It’s Vaelor now. His tone is impatient, but it sets off another memory, his voice sliding through my head. “We’ve got you now. We’ll take care of you.”

He wasn’t impatient then,I remember dazedly.He was…warm. Affectionate. A complete contrast from the ice that usually emanates him.

But I don’t want to remember how warm he was. I don’t want to remember Connor holding me to him, calling me agood girl. I don’t want to remember how it felt to be filled by them at the same time, feeling like they were splitting me open, even as pressure filled my belly, a spiraling pleasure that wouldn’t be denied, no matter how much I fought it back.

“...break the door down.” The words are a harsh mutter, but I hear them anyway.

“Just give me a minute!” I yell, still staring at my broken reflection. I firm my expression, straightening my shoulders. The movement pulls at the skin across my chest, the pain of ripping the breath from my lungs.

I cry out, and then the door is ripped open, almost clean off the hinges. Both of them are standing there, eyes wildly searching for the danger.

“What is it?” Vaelor demands. It feels like an electrical current is arcing through the room, making my hair stand on end.

Connor shoots him a grim look. “You’re gonna fuckin’ kill someone,” he mutters angrily. “Rein it the fuck in, asshole.” He turns and pins a steely gaze on me. “You okay, Starling?”

I blow out a shuddering breath, gesturing limply at my chest, my tone mildly accusing as I ask, “What did you do?”

Vaelor’s golden eyes go hooded, a mocking smirk curving his mouth. “Why would you assume we did anything?” he taunts.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I hiss viciously.

Connor steps closer, subtly putting his body in between me and Vaelor. “Let’s keep it calm, hm, Starling?” he suggests carefully. “Why don’t you show us?” He drops his eyes to my sternum.

My nostrils flare, suspicion filling me, but he looks genuinely concerned. I huff, dropping my hands to the hem of Vaelor’s shirt. Connor puts his big paws on my forearms, stopping me.

“Let me, Starling,” he murmurs.

I shrug, and Connor grabs my wrist, leading me out of the bathroom, directing me to sit on the edge of the bed. Vaelor stands beside him, the two of them crowding me, but I can’t find the energy to care. Connor lifts the shirt, carefully threading my arms through the holes and lifting it over my head.

My nipples tighten as the cool air of the room hits them, but it’s the harsh inhale that gets my attention, my eyes flying up and finding them both staring at my breasts with fascination.

No…abovemy breasts. My chin dips, eyes widening as I catch sight of the source of the pain; a savage bite torn into one side, and a rune etched into the other, the skin raw and inflamed.