of power that quite a few of the Councilmembers at the table are watching warily.
It makes me wonder what they’re all capable of.
North chuckles under his breath and pulls my hand under the table so our joined hands rest on his thigh. The woman's eyes follow the movement and I see the flinch. Oh my God. Oh my fucking God, this is another one of his ex-lovers here to mess with me because she’s pissed that I’m his Bond. She’s sitting there snarking bullshit at me not because I left my bond, but because she’s pissed that I've come back and now she has to compete with me.
Well, jokes on her, I want nothing to do with this coldhearted bastard. My smile turns into a baring of teeth. “I’m aware of just how great my Bond is, thank you."
Can this dinner be over now, please?
Something as simple as finding out that my Bond has been having it off with one of our dinner guests is enough to change my plans of presenting a united front.
North can sense the change in me immediately, and I wonder if it’s simply an innate ability to read people or if it has something to do with whatever gift he’s hiding underneath those perfect suits of his. His fingers squeeze mine again and I tug them out of his grasp.
If he thought I was a petulant brat before, he has no idea what his dinner has brought out in me now. I might be willing to grit my teeth and struggle through this for the greater good but the second we’re out of this place, I’m going balls-to-the-wall on this asshole.
Chapter Nineteen
Dinner goes from bad to worse very quickly but I manage to keep myself out of the fray completely. It’s not an easy task, especially with North insisting on ordering all of my dishes for me as though I’m not capable of choosing anything for myself. It’s so insulting and demeaning that I really do have to talk myself out of stabbing the asshole in the throat with my fork.
The salmon en papillote is to die for and I hate him for choosing it for me because how the fuck does he know that I prefer fish and seafood over anything if given the option?
Two of the councilmen spend the entire dinner arguing with him in that polite ‘boys club’ way they all have. I keep my mouth shut, only speaking when addressed directly, and smile prettily at all of the servers because no one else here uses manners to them at all.
By the time we get back into the car, I want to die.
Not just because the entire evening has sucked the will to live right out of me, but also because I’m cramping like a motherfucker and there’s a good chance I’m bleeding all over this ridiculous gown right now. I ask North to stop the car at a drugstore on the way back and he completely ignores me, directing the car back to the dorms and leaving me there without a single kind word or, I dunno, saying fucking thank you for dealing with this night so well.
I really fucking hate him.
I strip out of the gown the minute I get back to my room and, sure enough, there’s blood fucking everywhere. I wrap a towel around myself and walk to the shared bathrooms, even though it’s peak hour and they’re all giggling and laughing at me for my state.
I don’t care about their opinions but, fuck, a friendly face would be nice right now. I do my best to ignore them, and all of the bullshit I’m going to have to deal with because of this, and instead crawl into my small, uncomfortable bed. The thin blanket scratches at my oversensitive skin, but I’m shivering and need whatever help I can get to regulate my body temperature.
The pain in my stomach is so bad that I can feel it radiating through to my fingers and toes, not a single inch of my body spared from the ache. I quickly check my phone to see if there's any drug stores close by that I can make it to before my curfew with no luck. Every single one of them in this small college town would be at least a half hour round trip.
I don't think North would consider this a good reason for breaking my curfew, especially since he wouldn’t even stop at the drug store for me. All I’d get