“Pretty shaken up. Stay out here until she invites you in. She needs to feel in control.” Liv patted his arm. “Don’t fuck this up any more than you already have.”
Jack sat down on the floor and rested the back of his head on the doorframe. Downstairs, he could hear his family arguing. Eventually everyone left, but the shower continued to hum, barely drowning out Zoe’s sobs.
Nearly a half hour later, the shower finally turned off and he heard the bathroom door scrape open.
He stood and knocked softly. “Open up, Zoe, I need to talk to you.”
“Leave me alone.”
Jack paced.Don't screw up. Take her before someone else does.How the hell was he supposed to do both? She wasn’t prepared to mate with him, and even if she was, he doubted she wanted to after tonight.
He took a deep breath, placed his forehead on the door and tried again. “Tell me what happened.”
Her footsteps crossed the room, but the door remained closed. He could hear her uneven breathing and soft sniffles.
“Zoe, talk to me.”
A heavy slap sounded on the other side of the door and he jumped.
“You want to know what happened?” Her voice rose with each word she spoke, anger laced with fear. “I took a walk and got abducted by your drugged up cousin. While he had me pinned to a table, the stalker guy oathed with me.” Her voice shook, and a small sob sounded behind the door. “Now you know and can go away–I'm going home.”
“Stalker? What stalker?” He pounded on the heavy oak. “Open the damn door.”
“I'm done being a pawn for oversexed warlocks. Go away. I'm notmatingwith anyone.” She spit out the word like a curse.
“Angel, what do you need?” He placed his hands on both sides of the doorframe and closed his eyes. How was he ever going to make this right?
“Besides getting out of here?” Her voice lowered so that he could barely hear her words. “Ice. My face hurts like hell.”
Jack raced into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of peas out of the freezer, then bounded back up the stairs. “I have something for your face. Open the door, Zoe.”
The key rattled a couple of times, and she cracked a tiny opening and stared down at the handle with furrowed brows. “It wasn't locked.”
His gut wrenched at the puffy welts on her cheek and the swollen eye that stared through the slit. The baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants made her look young, vulnerable. He ached to gather her into his arms until all the ugly was gone, but he would let her make that first move.
“I’m taking you down to the police station so you can press charges.” He handed her the peas.
“A slap on the wrist for them and severe embarrassment for me?” She placed the makeshift ice pack on her swollen face. “I don't think so. Besides, I thought this behavior was normal for you guys.”
Jack held back the curse forming on his lips. “The woman has to be willing. He tried to rape you.”
“I wasn’t willing the other night with you.”
“That’s not fair. I didn’t know that you didn’t know the rules. I thought you were willing. Besides, you said you wanted me. Don’t you dare compare me to him.”
“I know.” She opened the door wider.
He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “I'm so sorry about how I acted in the car. I thought you were going to mate with him.”
“Why would you think that? They’re foul beyond words.” She shut her eyes and hid her face behind the frozen bag, then cringed and pulled it off. “It hurts when I do that.”
He placed his hand gently over hers and placed the peas back over her eye.
“You were going to share yourself. I saw your vortex.” He tried to keep his tone soft, gentle. Still, the words came out harsher than he’d intended.
“I didn't want him. He hit me. Tried to force me to fight.” Zoe's hand shook.
“I know that now. I screwed up.” He tilted her chin with his thumb and forced her to look at him. “Forgive me?”
