Page 111 of Scavenger's Oath

Something about that feels so secure. That he’d ferociously fight to keep me around, no matter what I do or say. As if I could never push him away if I tried.

I glance up at the hallway wondering when he’ll pass again, pulse flickering at the thought of him coming back.

Picking up the can of peaches, I turn it in my hand and almost laugh at the fact that—once again—Myles gave me no way of opening it.

The handle of the front door rattles behind me.

My heart blooms. “Phoenix? Zane?” I call, a grin breaking across my face as I peer over the back of the couch.

Then the front door explodes off the hinges, splinters flying. The sound shatters my hope, and I lurch to my feet, blanket sliding to the floor.

Oh god…they’rehere.

Chapter 37

Ivy

There’s three of them.

One with a wicked scar from ear to chin. Another with a wolf tattoo around his neck and a few missing teeth. The third, bigger and meaner than both, with a crooked nose.

Time slows. My stomach drops through the floor and my limbs go cold.

Even though I don’t know their names, I recognise them instantly. Faces I can't forget, carved into my memory, haunting my dreams.

“There she is,” the big one growls. “You fucking whore.”

“Fucking finally,” the scarred one says.

They move fast. A fist slams across my face, knocking me to the floor, my back hitting the tile and my head bouncing with a sick crack. My lungs seize as my vision goes white, ears ringing.

I’m still blinded when a knee slams into my chest, pinning me down. Pain flares under the pressure but it shocks my body back into breathing and I gasp, choking for air.

Panic rips through me. I blink desperately, trying to clear my vision and ignore the pressure in my skull.

Before I have a chance to find my bearings, rough hands catch my wrists, forcing them above my head.

“You haveanyidea what we've been through chasing your sorry ass?” one of them snarls, spit hitting my cheek.

I'm dazed, gasping for air, ears squealing as they laugh and talk like I'm not even here. Staying frozen, I wait for it to be over.

That’s the only way to get through it.Don’t fight, don’t make it worse.

But that truth is being stretched like a chain under pressure, until it can’t hold the tension between one truth and another.

The chain finally breaks.

“She's already bleeding,” another chuckles, wiping moisture from my mouth and smearing it across my face. His voice makes my skin crawl.

Tossing my head back and forth, I try to shake his hand off.

“She'll be hurt worse when Father Bennet’s through with her.”

One kicks my thigh, hard. “You were always gonna get dragged back, you stupid bitch. You’re his property. You forget that?”

I try to scream, nothing but a pathetic wheeze chokes out despite the burning in my lungs. Stars dance across my blurry vision, but I can make out the three shadows looming over me.

In the past I would lay still, stop fighting and pray for whatever they planned to be quick.