Page 26 of Heartless Heathens

His face turned brighter at the reveal that therewasa connection between us, despite what Frollo had said to him.

“Father Frollo doesn’t have the authority you think he does,” he said, leaning closer into my ear and whispering, “And someday he’ll have even less.” He crossed his arms over his chest raising his eyebrows high into his forehead like he was waiting for my reaction.

“If you don’t trust me, why are you telling me this?” I didn’t bother hiding the confusion from my voice.

“Maybe it’s a test. Maybe I want to know if you can bemygood little pet instead of his,” he told me and I scoffed at his audacity.

“I don’t belong to you.”

“I bought this chapel, and everything that came inside of it. Which means I own you,” he said, towering over me as he forced me to shrink down.

“That’s—that’s not how that works. You can’towna person.” I trembled and he laughed.

“Then leave…” He smirked something sinister while crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for my response.

Now he was calling my bluff.

I was lost, alone, with no sanctuary to turn to.

“Why would you even want me?” I asked, not bothering to wipe the tears that flowed down my cheeks, more from anger than anything flowing through me.

“Because I don’t trust you,” he gritted out. “There’s a reason daddy Frollo won’t take you back, and I’m itching to find out what that is. And if he tossed you out like trash and claims he has no idea who you are, which one of the two of you is lying, I wonder?” He grazed his tongue over the edges of his top teeth as he stared me down.

“I-I d-d-don’t know,” I stammered out nervously, too scared to let the truth out just yet.

What would he do with it anyway?

“Does it hurt? Feeling like you’re less than trash?” He leaned in closer as his voice took a vicious tone and the tears pooled in my eyes before dripping past the threshold of my eyelashes.

“It’s all I’ve ever known.” I closed my eyes and turned my chin away.

I’d never gotten a chance to be anything other than what Frollo demanded of me.

Even if these heathens were cruel, brutal monsters, I was raised by the worst monster of them all. If I could understand and survive the viciousness of the Pius Claüde Frollo, then I could survive these men too.

The tears rolled down my face once again and he tsked at me, shaking his head from side to side. “He picked a good one didn’t he? That’s the kind of shit that would have Felix eating out of the palm of your hand. Doesn’t work on me though.” He walked out of the bathroom, leaving me wrapped in the towel, unsure of where to go or if I was supposed to follow.

I’d never felt so disoriented.

I had no internal compass to guide me or tell me where to head next.

Iwassittingbymy brother’s bedside while he slept, when Sonny barged into Corvin’s room with a scowl on his face.

“She’s your problem for the night, I’m done.” He adjusted himself so quickly it was almost unnoticeable, but not for me.

“Oh yeah, is she causing trouble for you Santorini?” I chuckled out and he growled under his breath.

“I don’t trust that girl, Corvin clearly didn’t either.” He gestured to my brother, and I shook my head in disapproval.

“Don’t bring him into this, he wasn’t even conscious when he met her.” I walked out of the room to find the bathroom door across the hall open, her tiny frame standing in front of the tub with a towel wrapped around her.

“Mina,” I called to her using the nickname I’d decided to gift her with, and she shifted her gaze from the floor up to me. “Come on.”

I opened the door to my bedroom and she entered slowly, looking around and taking in everything inside the room. It was still relatively bare, most of my things were still in boxes aside for clothes and school necessities. Sonny was mostly unpacked, but only because his personality type simply couldn’t stand to live that way. I knew my attention span didn’t allow me to believe I’d be here long.

I pulled out a t-shirt and handed it to her, taking the time to admire the landscape of her body while she threw the oversized shirt over her head. She was a little too skinny, and with how fast she scarfed down that sandwich earlier I had to wonder in the back of my mind if that was by choice.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked me with a shaky voice.