“How’s your breathing?” I can tell it’s shallow, but steady.
“Good,” she says, wiggling in the ropes.
“Pain?”
“Not too bad.”
She’s strong. A fighter. She doesn’t want to admit any kind of weakness, which in this case is stupid. It’s not weakness. She’s new to this. She’s never had a rope tied around her. Never felt it cinching tighter and tighter with each movement. Her skin is turning pink where the ropes are cutting in.
After another minute of Madame Dubois giving her speech, I lower Everlee. When she stands, her legs wobble and give out, causing her to fall into my arms and I hold her. She curls into me like she’s never experienced this kind of embrace before, and the thought of that pisses me off.
Fuck. NowI’mbecoming possessive.
There’s an electricity between us. A heat. At first, I think it’s in my head, but she feels it too. I can see it on her face.
Lights flicker in the room and pull her out of whatever trance she’s in.
“Sorry,” she mumbles quickly before pushing off me. “Can you help me out of these ropes?” She thumbs over her shoulder.
She’s antsy, nearly bouncing in the spot she stands.
“Knox,” she presses.
“Yes. Yes. Sorry,” I mutter, still trying to understand why the sudden change. She went from cool and collected to one rung short of freaking out.
Tugging at the quick release, I make quick work of the ropes, untying them at the same time she’s wiggling and pulling them down.
Madam Dubois stares at Everlee and then looks to the crowd, asking for a round of applause. That does little to calm her down. If anything, it makes her more antsy.
She pushes the rest of the ropes to the ground and steps out of them, bends to grab her clothes, and darts out of the room. Callum’s eyes are boring holes through me like I did something, but I didn’t. I simply caught her to prevent her from falling.
Madame Dubois continues to talk about safety, pulling the crowd back in, and I’m stuck between running off stage or staying put.
When I don’t move, I pump my eyebrows at Callum and he turns out of the room.
EVERLEE - BETTY'S BITCHIN' RIDES
Whatthefuckwasthat?
The heat. The lights flickering. My body. It felt like lightning, preparing to unleash.
My chest continues to heave rapidly as I stand in my bra and panties in the dark hallway, bent over with my hands on my knees. Footsteps are moving down the hall with a heavy thud, so I push off the wall and move deeper into the club. I can’t be around anyone. See anyone.
Did I make the lights flicker?
Impossible.
I have no powers.
A growl sounds behind me, from where I was just standing. Not Knox, but who?
They are angry. Frustrated. I can understand them.
What is going on with me?
“Hey,” a deep voice groans.
My hands continue to rove over my body, the ripples and indentions giving my mind something to focus on.
