Chapter 17

Scarlett:

I whimpered, opening my eyes to feel the lower half of my body completely sore.

I raised myself to look at the empty bed. Alexei’s side was cold, meaning that he had been up for a while.

The memory of how he had brutally claimed me as his own, forcing me to submit was fresh in my head, and despite not even knowing what time it was, I knew that I had slept longer than I have in a while.

I sat up, wrapping my body with the white sheet we had on the bed, and dangling my feet from the edge of the bed before challenging myself to get up. My legs trembled, and the limp that I had could be seen a mile away, but I was thankful for the ability of walking; otherwise, I would have ended up crawling to the bathroom.

Holding the sheet for dear life, my heart dropped when I caught sight of my reflection, the scratch on my shoulder which was healing, its blood drying, reached my lower back where Alexei had run his canines last night.

Shaking my head, I opened the faucet and washed my face,