Page 80 of The First Taste

Between hiccups and tears, I finally managed to tell my dad that somebody had bullied me all day. He walked me out of school, around the corner, and then put me down. He knelt and looked at me with a very serious expression, his brown eyes grave.

“You can’t let the person that hurt you see that they’ve made you upset, honey. That tells them that they have won. Not only that, but it tells them that they can make you react. That’s giving them power over you. Don’t ever give them the satisfaction of knowing that they can get to you, baby girl.”

I think about that as I vent my frustration and anger here, in an ancient, god-forsaken broom closet. Sure, I’m on the other side of the world from where my Daddy gave me that advice. But that doesn’t detract from the lesson my father taught me, not in the least.

I scream into my hands one more time, then straighten myself. Wiping at my eyes, I allow myself one curse.

“Fuck!”

Lady looks at me, growling again. I nod and wipe my eyes again, using my dress to dry my tears. Putting my hands up in the air, I quickly grab the plastic bowl of shredded chicken.

“Hey, Lady,” I say softly. I uncover the plastic wrap. The scent of the meat wafts out, smelling strongly even to my weak human nose. “You want some?”

She licks her chops, her eyes fixing on the bowl. Standing up, she gives a soft whine.

I fish a couple of choice pieces out of the bowl, feeding them to her slowly. Sinking down to sit on the floor beside Lady, I reach out my hand to her, letting her sniff and lick my fingers.

When the door swings open, I freeze. Lady growls at Keir as he pokes his head in.

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

I shrug, looking at Lady. “I just wanted to be with somebody that wouldn’t judge me for a while.”

He slides in the room, giving Lady a distrustful look. “So you chose the half-feral dog?”

I frown. “She’s not half-feral. She’s just skittish. And yes, she seemed like my best option at the moment.”

“Ah.” Keir gives me a rueful glance. “Mum was pretty hard on you. I’m sorry about her.”

“She is really…” I bite my lip, refusing to let Keir see me upset. “She’s something else.”

“Yes. My family causes problems, everywhere they go. It’s not just my mother, either. My father and James are just as bad.”

I let out a dry laugh. “No kidding. Lord Grayrose tried to give me his plate at the end of dinner. Like he wasn’t sure if I was going to clear the table for him? It was really confusing.”

Keir squints. “How embarrassing. Again, I can only apologize.”

“That’s nothing. James actually cornered me and tried to kiss me in the kitchen earlier.”

“He did what?!” Keir peers at me, his eyes going wide.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Wolf chased him off. He did it right in front of her, almost like she wasn’t there. I’m very glad that your brother is blind to the staff, I guess.”

Plowing his hands throw his hair, he makes a frustrated sounds.

“Fuck, Ella. I’m sorry.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Well, I am. My family has behaved abominably. I can’t apologize enough.”

At his pronunciation of abominably, I smirk. He slurs it just a little, sounding so very British that I can’t stand it.

“You’ve been drinking.”

“I admit it. It’s hard to make it through dinner without drinking a whole bottle of whisky.” He looks down at me, amusement in his eyes. “Did you come in here to hide from me, then?”

I tilt my head to the side. “I came in here to hide. Not from you, in particular.”