“It’s not. I want you, not her.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s possible you want herandme, but I’m not getting in the middle of that shit right now. Especially if there’s this level of tension. You need to figure that shit out. I don’t know any of the details, nor do I need to, but you need to work it out for yourself,” I say, taking a step back. “Look, I’ve got some shit to figure out. I’ve looked three supes in the eye and not had any of them turn into stone, so I wonder if it’s a me thing at this point. Maybe I’m fucking broken. Or maybe I don’t even turn others to stone like I’ve been told.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Roxi,” she says, trying to reach for me.
I take another step back, feeling defeated. “I just need to go home for a bit.”
“They’re going to move you if you go back, and you know I will track you down again.”
“I’m not going anywhere unless I want to this time.”
Her hands go up in surrender. “Fine. Go then. I’ll give you a little space, but I won’t be far if you need me.”
“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
Separating myself from Avyanna when I did was a stupid idea. I have no clue where I am or where I’m going. It wasn’t like I’d gotten to wander around at any point when we left her apartment. Hell, I’ve never been able to leave the fucking house except when we moved.
I walk in the direction I think I need to go, keeping my eyes on the ground in case I accidentally make eye contact and can actually turn someone to stone. When I reach the edge of downtown, I glance around. A man stands down the street, looking at me like I’m the strangest person he’s ever seen, and I decide to chance it.
Walking up to him, I say, “Excuse me, sir. I’m a little lost. Can you tell me where I might find Cherry Street?”
“Uh, sure. It’s a few blocks north,” he says, pointing in the direction I assume is north. Then he looks me over and asks. “Are you okay?”
I give him a small smile while still looking at the ground. “Yes, I am. I apologize. I have a very hard time with eye contact. Thank you for your help.”
With that, I walk past him and continue in the direction he pointed. Three blocks later, I come across Cherry Street. Thankfully, I remember the address of the most recent home I occupied: 5280 Cherry Street. The house on the corner I’m at is 1401. Looking in one direction, I notice the numbers seem to increase, while in the other direction, the numbers decrease.
Looks like I’ve got a way to walk.
I get started, and I walk for what seems like forever before a van pulls up beside me. A man jumps out with a canvas bag in hand, running straight for me. I start to run, but he’s too fast. He throws the bag over my head and pulls me back against him so he can wrap something around my wrists. I struggle, but he hauls me back until I’m thrown onto a cold metal surface, which I assume is the van’s floor. Doors slam behind me, and then we’re off.
We don’t drive for long before the door is yanked open again, and I’m thrown over someone’s shoulder. I kick and thrash in the person’s arms, but they just laugh at my attempts.
“You aren’t going anywhere, precious curse. Daddy instructed us to keep a good eye on you, even after he died, and that’s what we plan on doing. After what happened with Merric, though, we plan to have a little fun with you,” a seductive male voice says.
I stop thrashing. “You wouldn’t fucking dare touch me without my permission.”
Several men chuckle around me, but the same man speaks again. “Who said we need your permission? You can’t do anything with this bag over your head. You won’t even know who’s touching you, so you can’t send someone after us either.”
My jaw clenches so hard I’m amazed I don’t shatter my teeth. “I will force every single one of you to look into my eyes and turn each of you to stone.”
A man tuts before a new man speaks. “See, one of us heard you’ve been looking at other supes and not turning them to stone, so I’m not sure it’s going to matter either way.”
“We’ll see about that,” I hiss.
The man carrying me begins walking up some stairs, and the scent of blood hits me. It’s overly harsh, unlike anything I’ve ever smelled, making me want to puke. When we reach level ground again, the scent hits me harder, and I start to gag.
“Aww. Is demon blood too much for you? The hunter must have ripped into him after you took off, so you weren’t exposed to it. We’ll get it cleaned up soon,” the man carrying me says.
I bring my foot down, trying to kick him, but he catches it with his free hand. “Put me down. I feel like I’m going to throw up,” I say.
The first man who spoke to me scoffs. “Take her to the other room. I’m not about to take that hood off right now. I want to have my fun before she tries to kill me.”
We pass the worst of the smell, and I try to breathe through my mouth so I don’t vomit. My stomach is nearly settled when I’m thrown onto a soft surface that feels a lot like a bed, stealing the wind from my lungs. In the next moment, I plant my feet against the surface and try to push myself away from the man who threw me down.
I’m not fast enough. Hands wrap around my ankles tightly and pull me until my ass is barely on the bed. I try to sit up, but another set of hands grabs my bound wrists, pulling them above my head.
My eyes fill with tears as I thrash against their hold. “Please don’t do this.”
