“Uh…” I went to bite my lip, butholy motherfucking shitballsthat hurt. “Probably not going to buy it if I say nothing, huh?”
Alex’s eyes damn near bugged out of his head, and I sighed.
“Come in. I’ll tell you after I shower.”
He looked like he wanted to argue or punch something. His fists were clenched tight at his sides, but he gave a short nod and waited while I unlocked the door and went inside.
“Who did this to you, Violet?” Alex demanded, following me to my bathroom and hovering in the doorframe while I fished a washcloth out from the little linen cabinet.
Standing in front of the mirror, I hissed a sharp breath as I took in my appearance. No wonder Alex looked like he wanted to kill someone. I legitimately looked like I’d just had the shit kicked out of me.
Which, I kind of had.
“I’m going to fucking murder that prick,” I growled to my reflection, forgetting for a moment that I had company. “He’s fucking dead.”
“Who, Violet?” Alex damn near shouted, coming closer but pausing with his hands inches from my body. Smart boy. Pretty much nowhere was safe to touch me right now. I was one huge walking bruise. “Who did this to you? Who are you planning on killing?”
“Brandon Morgan,” I spat his name like a bad taste. “Him and that raging cuntface Claudette.”
Alex’s brows shot up. Maybe he hadn’t expected me to name names, but I didn’t owe those bastards anything.
“They did this to you? On academy grounds? They could be sentenced to death.” His voice was cold, devoid of emotions. It was a tone I’d never heard from the charming Australasian prince, but it was kind of a turn-on. In a sick sort of way.
I met his gaze in the mirror while wetting my washcloth under the faucet. “For beating up the poor little ballot winner? The charity case that no one wants here anyway, but you all put up with for the positive public relations?”
I was on a roll now, every pissed-off thought since I’d arrived here spilling out of me. Brandon had done more than just hurt me physically tonight; he’d shaken loose some long suppressed darkness, my past coming back to fucking haunt me.
Arms wrapped around me, gently, and then I was being lifted and carried bride-style to the shower. I wanted to fight him. I fucking hated being carried like this, but I was barely able to stand, so I let Alex baby me.
Just a few minutes.
I promised myself that I’d just take this moment of leaning on someone, and then I’d be back. The shower was turned on, but I couldn’t see anything because my face was buried in his chest. When it was warm, he stepped in, shoes on and everything, and held me under the warm spray. Spray that felt gentle, like he’d adjusted the pressure so it wouldn’t hurt my injuries. I mean, my cuts burned like bitches, but otherwise, it was almost soothing.
A sob escaped, but I sucked it back inside, hoping like fuck that Alex hadn’t heard me. It wasn’t the pain, I was well-versed in that; it was the degradation. It was submitting to that fucker. That bothered me on a level I doubted I could explain to anyone.
There was nothing I hated more than being weak.
Fucking hell, I was still in my bloody, soaking uniform, which was a total dead loss. Where I’d come up with the money for a new uniform, I had no idea. Right now, though, I just wanted itoff.
“I can take it from here,” I said softly, and I was surprised when Alex’s chest rumbled.
“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Something unraveled just a little in my chest, the icy hold my emotions had on me thawing. “I’m going to be fine,” I told him, some slow breaths escaping as I got myself further under control. “I’m no stranger to pain. I just need to soak for a bit.”
Alex’s chest rumbles seemed to increase, and I wasn’t really sure what part of my statement had upset him more until he growled. “Why are you no stranger to pain? Who hurt you before today?”
My chuckle was dark. “How long do you have?”
Alex set me on my feet, and I balanced myself against the wall, wincing at the agony that shot through almost every part of me.
“Do you have pain killers?” Alex asked, and I was surprised he let the “who hurt you” thing go. “A medical kit?”
“Yeah, in that top drawer.”
I pointed it out and then sank to the floor, cradling my body as the hot water ran over me. This close, I couldn’t miss that the water that hadn’t drained yet was bright red. Blood was dripping everywhere, over all the walls and down to the floor.
Holy shit. That was a lot of blood, and I was pretty sure Claudette hadn’t dropped that much animal blood on me.
