I tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t move.
“Cat got your tongue?” He pressed, moving closer. His hand lifted close to my face, the blade still spinning. “If not, I could do the honors?”
Eyes going wide, I stumbled back.
“Boring, brother.” Asher chimed in, his gaze flicking up and down my form. “You think that suit’s flame retardant?”
“Interesting idea,” Nitro nodded slowly, lowering the knife. “Is it, Lucy?”
His piercing blue eyes collided with mine.
“I… I… I don’t… know,” I stammered.Dammit. I wanted to hold my ground! I wanted to show them they couldn’t bully me!
“Easy enough to answer that question,” Asher closed in, coming to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Nitro.
They wanted to set me on fire. On fire! Assholes!
I didn’t look away from them. I gritted my teeth and pushed out four words. “I. Need. To. Pee.”
Did I look tough? Or did I look pathetic to them?
The Alphas stared at me in stunned silence for a split second, then—as if orchestrated—they broke into identical grins. A shiver ran through me. Only yesterday, I’d been intrigued bythe idea of DemonX. I should have listened to Doctor Swann’s advice.
“We’ll bring you what you need, Lucy. Go back to your room,” Nitro snapped.
“No,” I protested, desperation creeping into my tone.
Just then, Asher casually produced a lighter. He began flicking the flame to life, then dousing it again. My heart raced.
“Please. Just let me go to the bathroom.” My words were brittle, crumbling at the edges.
Asher pushed the lighter towards me, yellow flame dancing. My fight-or-flight instinct kicked in and I turned, padding quickly back to the room. When the door shut, dampness built in my eyes.Don’t cry! Don’t cry! Don’t give them the damn satisfaction!
But the tears wouldn’t be dammed. They slipped down my cheeks, and I couldn’t even wipe them away.Stupid helmet! Stupid Alphas! Stupid life!
A scream was building in my body. The old me would have pushed it down, letting stomach acids do their worst. But the new me—the one who’d survived torturous treatments—let the sound out into the world. I yelled at the top of my lungs until I ran out of air. Then I pulled my knees to my chest, crossed my arms atop my kneecaps, hung my head low enough the visor hit my arms, and I continued crying.
When the tears had finally dried, the door swung open. They didn’t even bother knocking.
Nitro and Asher waltzed into the room, each lugging a bucket. More than a little confused, I silently watched them stride over to me and set them down at my feet.
“Piss,” Asher pointed at his bucket.
“Shit,” Nitro gestured to his.
I blinked. Another joke. This was just another joke.
Inside the buckets were nearly finished rolls of toilet paper. Barely a few squares clinging to each cardboard tube. Mortification knotted painfully in my stomach.
“She’s speechless, Nitro.” Asher cocked his head to the side.
“Can’t believe our five-fucking-stars hospitality, Asher,” Nitro quipped sarcastically.
Asher cackled.
I looked back and forth between them.This couldn’t be real.
“If you need anything else,” Nitro’s voice took on a threatening edge, “don’t.”
