Chapter 27 ~ #3
I chuckle quietly and push the door open just as Rory’s settling into the bath.
Oh, that makes more sense.
I place the clothes down on the counter and kiss the tip of Rory’s nose.
“Don’t fall asleep, gorgeous.”
“Luci,” Rory says softly. I stop with my hand on the door and turn to raise an eyebrow at her.
She lifts one hand out of the bath and crooks her finger.
Understanding what she’s asking, I hesitate in joining her.
“Rory, you’ve been drinking,” I remind her.
She smiles. “Luci, I’d ask even if I was sober,” she tells me. “Actually, I might not have asked but I’d definitely have thought it and wanted you to.”
There’s stage one coming back into play. At least I hope anyway.
I slowly pull off my shirt, giving her time to change her mind. Her response is to lean forward in the tub with a quirky grin.
I smirk at her shameless staring as I drop my jeans, kicking them into the corner with her clothes.
I slip into the tub behind her, the water splashing up against the sides.
At least half of her hair is soaked by the water.
She nestles between my legs as I settle in behind her.
Rory sighs and lays her head on my shoulder, exposing her neck as her eyes close. Unable to help myself, I kiss her sensitive skin and suck on it.
Rory makes a content noise, pressing her back against my front.
My hands roam across her soft body—from her hips to the silkiness of her hair.
She twists and starts kissing up my chest. She sucks on my neck, waiting for the blood to rush to the surface before releasing it.
Rory does this multiple times before she murmurs, “Mine.”
She says it with such fierceness and love that I almost come right there and then.
“Rory,” I warn and she hums against my skin.
Rory slowly pulls back. She changes positions so that she straddles me, resting her elbows on the tub on either side of me.
“Yeah, Luci?” She’s so close that I can feel every part of her body aligning with mine.
Rory’s pouty, cupid-bowed lips halt so that they barely graze mine.
“We…we can’t do anything while you’re drunk,” I reluctantly tell her.
She sighs, her breath fanning my lips. “Okay. But for the record, I’m going to remind you of this conversation tomorrow and tell you that sober me would have made the same decision.”
“Fine by me, gorgeous.” I kiss her forehead, beside the scar slowly healing itself.
“What happened to Butterfly?” She asks after returning to her place between my legs.
“Nothing, except it’s also what my grandmother calls you,” I remind her. “Gorgeous suits you better.”
I feel Rory smile as she says, “you romantic.”
I reach over and grab the wash cloth from the side of the bathtub.
“Only for you, gorgeous,” I tell her, using the cloth to gently wash her back.
My eyes fixate on the scars littering her back, all too similar to mine.
Cigarette burns, glass, blunt objects…
They make me angry—so angry—that she was alone for so long.
Jace told us life wasn’t great for her or Dec before she was taken away but I don’t think even he knew a lot of what went on.
Some of these…they’re too old for three years.
My fingers brush over a faint white line on her back up near her shoulder.
Rory picks up her glass from the edge of the bathroom and sips it. I eventually remember I was doing something and pick up the abandoned cloth.
“You can ask,” she says after a while.
There’s a short knock on the door. “Dinner’s ready, guys,” Dom calls out.
“Thanks,” Rory and I shout back.
She reaches behind her and stills my hand. She takes the cloth from my hand. Turning to face me, she dips the cloth into the warm water and uses it to wash my chest.
“You can ask,” she repeats softly. “I’m surprised no one has already.”
“We were waiting for you to tell us,” I explain.
“I don’t mind talking about them. Some are easier than others,” she tells me, dipping the washer back into the water again.
I take it from her and lay it on the side of the tub, wanting her full attention.
“Tell me stop if you want to stop,” I murmur. She nods slightly.
Her gaze follows my hand as I reach out, my fingers skimming the scar on her collarbone.
“Knife. Dear old dad.”
My fingers move to the one on her side. “Piece of glass from a broken mirror. A lower level Dark Rider at one of Marcus’ parties,” Rory says tightly.
I pause my fingers on a mark in the middle of her back, up near her neck. It’s like a scar but blue and angry. And familiar.
“Rory,” I murmur. “What is this?”
She’s silent for a moment and I wonder if I’ve pushed her too far.
“Do you know what Nightdust is?” She asks, refusing to meet my eyes.
I slowly nod.
Please, no.
Nightdust is horrific stuff. The first time is hard but the second time…most people don’t come back from it. It feeds on your worst moments. Takes the best moments and destroys them to the point where you can’t tell what’s real. After twice, most people chose death.
It’s sold on the black market—mostly to people wanting to torture their enemies. They’re little black, glittery pills or in some cases, a liquid.
It’s a Death Reaper original.
“Umm, well, Marcus thought that it would be fun to inject me at one of his parties. There were Dark Riders everywhere. They just…let me suffer,” Rory says softly, anger and despair circling in her voice.
“Just the once?” I double check, searching her back for any other markings.
“Yeah,” Rory tells me quietly. “I don’t know what I would do if it ever happened again,” she admits.
I hear stories about her father, Dark Riders, people from school but nothing again like the Nightdust.
We keep going until I touch one particularly painful looking one on her back and she flinches.
Rory exhales shakily, “Stop.”
I immediately draw my hand away.
“Okay,” I murmur.
We sit there until the water goes cold and we eventually get out.
I wrap a towel around her, finding another to dry her hair.
“You didn’t ask about mine.”
I’m surprised she didn’t. She showed me her scars so I expected that she would want to see mine—to know how I got them.
But she didn’t.
Rory glances up from pulling my shirt over her head. I keep my eyes trained above her naked body.
“I was waiting for you to offer.” Rory half smiles, using my words.
She hands me my clothes.
“Another day, Luci,” she tells me, stretching up to kiss me.
God, she’s perfect.
“Let’s go get something to eat, baby.” I squeeze her waist.
She leans over and releases the water down the drain. Unable to help myself, I smack her ass while she’s bent over.
She straightens and narrows her eyes, playfully on me.
“Watch yourself, Luci,” Rory purrs, her finger trailing down the centre of my chest to hook around the waistband of my tracksuit pants.
She raises herself onto her tippy toes so her mouth hovers over my ear. “Don’t start something you don’t want to finish,” she murmurs, nipping at my earlobe.
Her words go straight to my dick.
I see the heat dancing in her eyes before she releases me and steps out the bathroom door.
Fuck, she is so goddamn perfect.
I grab her glass and my beer, following her down the hall. She throws a wicked grin at me over her shoulder as she steps down the first stair.
Using my body since my hands are busy, I press her up against the staircase, kissing her deeply. Her hands reach for my face, keeping my mouth on hers.
I nip at her bottom lip and she gives it straight back.
Rory’s stomach rumbling breaks us out of it.
“Hush,” she looks down at her stomach, “he was just about to break.”
Aaand drunk Rory returns. They do say that drunk people can have a brief moment of clarity, right?
I shake my head and grab Rory’s hand, holding on tightly.
The second we step into the kitchen, Alec hands Rory a glass of water.
“Don’t think. Drink,” Alec tells her. She pouts at it, staring with discontent.
“Drink it, Sweetheart, then we can have dinner,” Dom drawls in that accent that seems to get Rory and Alec hot.
She obliges and we sit on the couch to eat since there’s only the four of us.
Halfway through dinner, Rory’s head starts falling forward and Alec starts leaning a little heavier onto Dom so we call it a night. It’s been a long day.
I shoo the three of them up. “I’ve got clean up—you guys go.”
Dom starts to interject and I nod pointedly at Alec who’s literally falling asleep against the wall.
Dom sighs, shaking his head with a peaceful smile on his face as he wraps an arm around Alec, grabbing Rory’s hand.
“My room,” Rory tells me through a yawn and follows Dom up the staircase.
I make quick work of the kitchen, throwing most things in the dishwasher.
After wiping down the bench, I call it good and trudge up the stairs to brush my teeth.
Remembering Rory said her room, I throw my shirt into my room before opening the door to hers.
It’s just Rory. Dom must have taken Alec to his room.
I slide under the cool sheets and wrap my arm around Rory’s waist. She snuggles back against me, her hand covering mine on her stomach.
“Night, Luci,” she mumbles, still half asleep.
I kiss her cheek and we both sigh. The weight of the world disappears when I hold her in my arms.
“Night, gorgeous.”