ribs while Rhys just stared, and worse, he was turned on by watching Cole play with me.
“Let me go, now,” I growled, standing up the moment he released me.
I didn’t wait for either one to speak or apologize. I threw open the door and started out of it, only to hear crashing sounds behind me. I came face to face with two knights wearing actual armor. One pulled his cloak off, rushing forward to offer it.
“Ma’am,” he whispered, taking in the tears rolling from my eyes. “Please take it before you incite a riot with your beauty.”
I accepted the cloak, covering my body as the sound of glass shattering filled the hallway. Grunts and groans followed it, and then the entire wall shook as something slammed against it. I didn’t wait to figure out what was happening or if they were fighting. I just wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
Rushing up the stairs, I entered my bedroom, rushing into the shower. Turning on the water, I slid beneath the spray, dropping the cloak onto the shower floor. Angry tears burned my eyes as I reached for the soap, washing my body until it was red and sore. I fought to remove both men’s touches.
The door opened, and I spun around, staring at Rhys, who peered down at the soaked cloak in the shower. His eyes held worry, and yet he didn’t look apologetic. He looked pissed off at me.
“I can’t stop him from touching you. You can, though. If I do it, he’ll only want to hurt you more to get to me.”
“Get out,” I whispered, turning around to dismiss him.
“I’ll have food ordered at the bar for you. Get dressed and be downstairs in twenty minutes. If you’re not ready, I’ll take you to the bar naked, Remi. Don’t make me into the bad guy. If I had reacted, he’d only worsen in his need for revenge. Cole has never forgiven me for what he saw as a trespass against him, even though the woman he loved was nothing but a murderous Silversmith whore. He couldn’t see her for the monster she was, and he was too young at the time to see the bigger picture unfolding. I do not intend to share you, but I also won’t give him what he wants, which is to make him think you’re a weakness for me. You’re not, and to pretend otherwise would only paint a target on your back. You have sixteen minutes now. I suggest you climb out of there and get over whatever it is that is bothering you.”
“I was just spread apart and violated, and you did nothing!”
“I couldn’t react.”
“I don’t belong here,” I groaned, exiting the shower to grab a towel, shouldering past him.
I walked to my backpack, pulling out a skirt and blouse. I dressed quickly, feeling his burning stare on my spine. I ran a brush through my hair, slipping a band around it, creating a messy bun, then slid my feet into sandals.
“Ready, asshole.”
I left him standing in the room as I walked down the stairs to where Cole stood with a smug smile on his lips. He watched me approaching him silently, opening his mouth to speak, but my hand cracked across his cheek, forcing his head to snap to the side with a comforting noise. Slowly, his eyes settled back on me with heat burning within them.
“Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again,” I hissed. Cole looked at Rhys before he turned back toward me, smiling as if he found me intriguing. “If I want to fuck you, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, don’t touch me, Cole Van Helsing. I’m not yours or Rhys’s fucking plaything. Don’t use me to get revenge for something that happened before I was even born. That isn’t fair to me, and I sure as shit have never wronged you. Don’t wrong me.”
I took in the pain that entered his eyes and watched it vanish before I could investigate it further. His cocky grin slipped back into place, and he stepped closer, running his finger over my cheek.
“Careful, Silversmith,” Cole said huskily, as if hurting him had turned him on. “I consider that foreplay, and after smelling your arousal, I’m officially fucking interested in you. You smell fucking addictive, and I like addictive things. Especially when they come in such a pretty package,” he chuckled. Pulling me against him, he lowered his forehead to rest against mine. “I’m going to