Page 14 of Scarred Sacrifice (Savage Sisters MC #1)

CHAPTER NINE

MORRIGAN

I awake to a light tapping sound, groaning and stretching my muscles out. “Yeah?” I call out, my eyes still closed.

“Miss Fox, Mr O’Connor, breakfast will be served in one hour down in the orangery,” a woman’s soft voice states.

“Hhm, okay,” I mumble, half-asleep as I snuggle deeper into my pillow. I hear the door click closed as I fight to stay awake, wanting nothing more than to fall back to sleep.

“You talk in your sleep,” a deep voice mutters behind me. My body freezes and my eyes spring open as I feel a warm body press against mine and a heavy arm drape over me.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, remembering that he mentioned the cameras.

“Sleeping in the same bed as my woman,” he mumbles.

“You think that maybe I should have consented to this at some point?” I ask, whispering as quietly as I can while trying to keep my calm.

“We are in a relationship. I’m just doing what people do in a relationship.” He yawns.

I shift to get up, feeling something hard poking me in the ass. “Oh, my fucking god, are you hard right now?!” I screech, jumping out of bed.

He smirks, leaning up on his elbow. “Morning wood.” He shrugs.

“Although, I wasn’t expecting a show first thing in the morning,” he sighs, his eyes trailing slowly over my body.

I look down, realising I am stood there completely naked.

The towel I had wrapped around myself before bed must have come off in the night.

“Shit!” I hiss, trying to cover myself. Nyx just chuckles as he pulls the towel out from under the quilt, dangling it off his index finger. I snatch it. “Fucking jackass,” I mutter, wrapping it around myself and storming into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

I quickly use the toilet before starting up the shower. Dropping the towel, I step under the hot spray.

“Oh god,” I moan as the hot water pummels my body. This might be the most amazing shower I’ve ever had. I don’t think I ever want to leave.

I hear the door open and close, then the sound of running water. I peer around the steamed up glass panel that separates the shower from the rest of the bathroom to see Nyx stood there taking a piss.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?!” I hiss.

He casually looks over his shoulder while still pissing. “I needed to go. I couldn’t hold it any longer. You know, if this is going to work, we are going to need better communication,” he points out.

My fists clench at my sides. “Have you ever heard of fucking knocking?!” I growl.

He flushes the toilet, and suddenly the shower goes from beautifully warm to freezing cold, to scolding hot. I screech, jumping out of the shower. “Son of a bitch!” I scream.

“Oh, if you’re done, I will jump in there now,” he states, dropping his grey sweats to the floor. He strides towards the shower completely naked, without a care in the world.

I fight the urge to look down at his dick. “I’m not fucking done,” I snap, jumping back under the spray.

He shrugs. “There is enough room for two.”

My jaw drops, stunned at the sheer audacity of it as he starts shampooing his hair. “You are a man, and I’m a woman,” I start.

“10 out of 10 for your observation, sparky.” He snorts.

I will not stab him, I will not stab him, I repeat in my mind, trying to contain my rage.

“You know what? Fine. But if I catch you looking at my body, or if you even attempt to touch me, I will rip your balls off and make you choke on them,” I threaten.

He gives me a playful wink as he washes his hair. “You going to finish showering or continue to flirt with me?” he asks.

A feral growl rumbles in my chest. I whirl around, turning my back to him and begin furiously washing my own hair. “Mother fucking moron, pervert, jackass,” I mutter under my breath.

“If we are going to give each other pet names, then I think I should get a say in what you call me,” he says from behind me.

I finish rinsing the shampoo before whirling around on him.

“I swear, I will crush your dick if you continue to piss me off,” I threaten.

His lips twitch, fighting a smile as his eyes start to lower down my body.

“Have you forgotten what I said already? Look any lower and you’ll be choking on your own balls,” I warn him.

His eyes flicker back to mine. “Sorry. I’m a man, it’s a natural reaction.” He shrugs.

“Pfft. Of course, you’re just a red-blooded man, right? You just can’t help yourself,” I say, my voice laced with sarcasm. “Funny, rapists and sex offenders say the same fucking thing.”

Something flickers in his eyes, and he lunges forwards, his hand wrapping around my throat. He spins me around before I can react, pinning me against the cold tiled wall before he leans closer.

“Don’t ever compare me to one of those cunts,” he seethes, his vibrant blue eyes now dark and threatening as the water cascades over us.

“Pinning a woman by her throat while she’s naked.

What is it they say? If it talks like an abuser, threatens like an abuser, and grabs like a fucking abuser, then guess what it is.

Probably a fucking abuser,” I sneer. He blinks slowly.

“Release your hold of me right fucking now,” I spit, feeling anger coursing through my veins.

“I would never hurt you or any woman,” he states fervently. “I just don’t take kindly to being referred to as a fucking rapist.”

“Never had you down for being the sensitive type,” I quip.

His jaw sets tight, his eyes flickering back and forth between mine before he sighs and steps back, removing his hand. He turns his back to me and continues showering, not saying a word, acting as if nothing happened.

I shake my head before quickly finishing rinsing my hair. I step out, leaving him to shower. I wrap a towel around myself and my hair, walk over to the toilet and flush it.

“Mother fucker!” he roars.

I smirk as I walk past, flipping him off as I walk out the door. “Take that as your warning!” I yell as I slam the door behind me.

Once dressed in another overpriced outfit, another dress.

This one is plain black with long sleeves and a slash neck.

It hugs every curve of my body, stopping at my knees.

I grab a pair of black stiletto heels that have bright red soles.

I dried my hair, leaving it down in natural waves, and kept my make-up simple, apart from the blood-red lipstick.

I stare at my reflection, quite liking this outfit.

It’s me, if I was a powerful businesswoman.

I take a slow steady breath in. A full day of acting that I am someone that I’m not. I can do this.

I turn and grab my purse, and as I do I spot Nyx putting on his crisp white shirt.

I allow my eyes to briefly appreciate the hard lines of his tattooed body as he slowly does up each button.

How did I not notice those tattoos earlier?

Clearly, I was clouded by anger to not take in the details of his naked form earlier. Man, I hate how good his body is.

He clears his throat, catching me eying him up. “You want to work out some of that anger on me, by all means,” he goads.

I roll my eyes and flip him off. “I’m fed up waiting for you, so I will see you down there,” I state, opening the door and walking out, not bothering to wait for his response.

I make my way down each step, holding my head high and going over the plans in my head, which was difficult considering I had no idea what to expect. I just need to keep the act up and play the long game until the night of the ball.

Keep calm, don’t falter, get the information, I repeat like a mantra inside my mind.

As I reach the bottom step, Penny is there to greet me. “Is Lord O’Connor not joining you for breakfast?” she asks.

I give her a side glance. “I am not his keeper. He will be down to get his own breakfast when he is ready,” I state sharply. I inhale deeply. I need to bury my dislike for Nyx. “He will be down shortly, I’m sure. He decided to have a little workout this morning.” I grin.

Penny nods without a slither of emotion on her face. I wonder if they are given special training, to shut down any emotional responses to a situation. If it wasn’t for the fact that I know it’s impossible, I’d think they were robots.

I enter the orangery, noting the beautiful green plants lining the wall to wall windowed room.

The beautiful natural sunlight warms and lights up the stunning room.

Penny leads me to a table overlooking the expansive grounds.

I stand there for a moment, just staring out at the rolling green fields and the wildflowers, giving the view a pop of vibrant colours.

“It has always been one of my favourite views,” a deep voice states close behind me.

I jump slightly and whirl to see who it is, wobbling on my heels. Henry. He reaches out, placing his hands on my waist to steady me. I fight every fiber in me to not shove him off me, and instead, I force a smile to my face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he states with a hint of amusement in his eyes, his hands still firmly on my waist.

I clear my throat and try to shift out of his hold, but he doesn’t take the queue and keeps his hands on me. “No, it’s my fault. I was captured by your beautiful land,” I compliment as I again try to step out of his hold.

His hands tighten, his fingers digging in firmly as he leans in.

“I must say, Miss Fox, I find you very intriguing,” he whispers near my ear.

My skin prickles in warning and my body stiffens.

My fists clench at my sides, so tight my nails dig deep into the palm of my hands.

“Well, I can assure you that nothing is intriguing about me. I’m known for being rather boring,” I quip, as I try again to subtly pull away from his hold.

If we were anywhere else, I would have had him on the floor with a broken nose by now. I can feel my resolve wearing thin.

“Henry, get your hands off my woman,” I hear Nyx demand behind us. He grabs my hand, giving me a swift yank to him. I tumble into his chest, his arms coming around my waist.

Henry smirks, shrugging. “You can’t blame an old man for trying. Leaving her unattended around here is dangerous. Anyone could snatch her.” Henry smiles, but his tone is laced with a threatening promise that has me feeling sick to my stomach.

Nyx chuckles. “I am a lucky son of a bitch. I will make sure to take better of my things.”

MY THINGS?! MY THINGS?! The blatant fucking sexism. I try to break away from Nyx’s hold, but his grip tightens.

“Miss Fox, until next time.” Henry grins as he retreats back to his table. “That’s a promise, Nyx,” Henry adds.

“Motherf—” I begin to mutter through gritted teeth, but Nyx jabs his fingers in my side to shut me up.

“Trust me, I won’t be making the same mistake again.” Nyx laughs as he turns our backs on Henry and pulls out my chair for me.

I sit down, facing him like a sulking child.

Nyx sits down opposite me, and after he pulls out his napkin, he flicks it with his wrist before placing it on his lap.

He clicks his fingers and servers come rushing over like it’s life or death, and start placing platters of fruits and pastries down, while another fills my mug with fresh coffee.

I fight the urge to pick it up and sniff the beautiful liquid, and instead I keep my glare firmly fixed on Nyx.

He continues to load his plate with a croissant and some fresh berries.

I wait for the servers to disappear, giving one of them a tight grin as they leave, then lean forward.

“I had it under control,” I say through gritted teeth.

Nyx picks up his coffee and takes a long sip before placing it back down. “What you had was a situation you couldn’t get out of. Tell me, what is it you would have done? Punched him? Tackled him to the ground?” he asks, arching his brow.

I grab hold of the butter knife tightly in my fist and contemplate how easy it would be just to end him right now. Then I could end fucking Henry, and all would be right in the world.

“I have other ways of disarming a man without it becoming physical,” I snap.

“Really? I guess I was just lucky, then?” he quips. His eyes flicker to my hand gripping the butter knife, so tight I’m surprised it doesn’t snap. “And what do you plan to do with that?” He smirks.

I calmly place the knife down and reach over, holding his hand. To anyone else it just looks like I’m being affectionate. When in reality, I have hold of his middle finger in such a way, one quick move and I would break it. Nyx’s jaw tenses. I smile lovingly.

“Just remember we share a room, and you really don’t want to start pissing me off before I’ve had coffee,” I warn.

“This is a funny thank you for saving you back there,” he retorts, taking a bite of his croissant.

“You did not save me!” I hiss. “I don’t need saving, and I will never need saving, but even if the tiniest chance came along that I would need saving, you would be the last person I would ask for help. Know this, Nyx O’Connor. Not now, nor will I ever need a man to save me,” I state firmly.

“Fuck, you’re stubborn,” he mutters, surprising me. He is speaking so crass down here. I quickly look around to make sure no one heard him.

“You say stubborn, I say strong and independent,” I counter as I release my hold on his hand and grab a strawberry, taking a large bite out of it while smirking at him.

“No matter what you may think of me, or what I think of you, I will never stand back while a man mistreats a woman,” he says with honesty in his voice.

“How very chivalrous of you.” I snort, knowing I sound incredibly bitchy. I pause, placing two sugars in my coffee. “I apologise. I suppose it’s good to know there are some men out there that don’t treat women like an object,” I add.

“Careful, Miss Fox, or I will take that as a compliment,” Nyx teases. I subtly reach for the cream while flipping him the middle finger, for only him to see. A chuckle escapes him, and I can’t help but smile in return.

Enemies with a mutual respect. I’m not sure that is possible, but it is what this feels like.