Thaddeus sits there, watching, his arms folded across his chest, glaring at me. His anger has no end. How long is he going to make me suffer? It takes another half an hour for me to finish everything on my plate. I drop my fork, resting my head on the counter. The cool surface offers relief from how hot I feel. Thaddeus grabs my plate, and I almost cry when I see him walk over to the other counter, thinking he will put more on the plate, letting out a breath when I see him place the plate in the sink.
“Do you want a drink?” he asks, and I shake my head. I am thirsty, incredibly so, but I won’t drink anything after what happened earlier. I don’t want a repeat of it. “You can go then,” he says, and I get up, walking up the stairs, when I hear him call out. “Our room, Evelyn!”
I groan but walk into the room and lay on the bed, which is a mistake; as soon as I lay on my belly, I jump up, rushing toward the bathroom and throwing up into the toilet. When I am done, I quickly brush my teeth. I feel better now; my stomach isn’t so full, but I know I will be hungry again later.
Laying on the bed, I feel the bed dip. Warm hands touch me and pull me against them, and I know it is Ryland. I fall asleep easily after the overwhelming day I just had.
E
velyn
I wake up because of the heat. Of all the times to wake up in heat when I want nothing to do with them is torture. My skin is coated in sweat, my hair damp and sticking to my face, and my stomach tightens as arousal washes over me.
Sitting upright in the bed, I toss the blanket off. My skin is burning, and my core is pulsating. Ryland pulls me against him when Orion walks in from downstairs. His eyes darken as I struggle to get out of Ryland’s hold.
Thaddeus is tossing and turning next to me. Arousal floods the bond as I hear Thaddeus growl, but hasn’t woken yet.
Desire courses through me, but I force it away. No way am I letting them touch me. I push against them, wanting their hands off me. Their touch makes me react to them, and I can’t help but moan at the feeling of their skin on mine as they reach for me in their sleep.
Orion approaches and places his hand on my head, and I have to fight the urge to lean into his touch. “You’re burning up; you’re in heat again,” he says, a concerned look on his face as his eyes dart to Thaddeus next to me. I don’t even remember them coming to bed; I only remember Ryland being in bed with me before I fell asleep.
“I know; help me get off the bed!” I snap at him.
I need to get out of this bed before they wake up, but it is too late. Ryland’s head whips to the side, his eyes open and he grabs me and pushes me on my back. “Get off me!” I scream.
His arousal makes it so much harder to fight my own. He reluctantly moves to allow me up, and I crawl over the top of him. He grips my hips as I straddle him, but I force his hands away and run to the bathroom.
Orion follows me, and I don’t even get undressed; I just turn the shower on to jump under the cold water just as pain washes over me, making me double over. Orion and Ryland walk in and open the shower screen door.
“Get away from me!” I snap at them, slamming the door shut as I try to breathe through the pain washing over me. Everything in me tells me to go to them, but my mind is clear for once. I will rather drop dead than give in to the mate bond.
No matter how cold the water is, it doesn’t ease the heat rushing through me. The pain is all I can focus on, yet the antidote sits on the other side of the shower. But I won’t give in; that’s what they want: some submissive plaything to order around. I just hope Thaddeus doesn’t wake up, but that hope is short-lived when I hear him growl, and I notice Ryland spin around, blocking the door.
Thaddeus shoves past him and he stops, opening the shower screen wider, right as I am forced to my knees when pain rolls over me again. Why is this so painful yet arousing at the same time? Longing fills me, and Thaddeus reaches down, gripping my shoulder. A moan leaves my lips at his touch.
“She is in heat; why is she here?” he asks.
“Because I don’t want you touching me,” I spit at him through gritted teeth.
Thaddeus growls, and I can feel his arousal through the bond only getting stronger as he takes a deep breath in. “You would rather be in pain than let us help you?” he asks curiously.
Is he mentally challenged? Who, in their right mind, would want anything to do with him after what he has done to me?
“Not like pain isn’t something I am not used to, Thaddeus. Now get out, all of you!” I scream as I feel stabbing pain move between my legs. It becomes worse as another scream leaves me and I force myself to breathe through it.
“Evelyn,” Thaddeus says, growing angrier, but he’s cut off by Orion.
“You can’t force her, Thaddeus.”
“I will, if I have to,” Thaddeus snaps at him. “Evelyn,” Thaddeus goes, but this time, I cut him off.
“You are no better than Derrick if you do,” I tell him.
I find myself lifted and slammed against the wall of the shower. His hands on my skin make me tremble, and as they burn into my skin, desire flows through me. I want to touch him, want him to touch me, yet I hate him.