Page 39 of Aine
“He can hear,” she whispers.
I sigh, my shoulders deflating. Of course he can. I glance at the door with a frown, wishing I knew what was going on in his head. Olivia continues to watch me as I linger in the doorway, and I force myself to turn and leave before I start to look too desperate.
As much as I’d like to blame Jenna for getting me all amped up to see him, I know what happened here today is my fault. Damien has made his views of me quite clear, and it would do me well to stop searching for something that doesn’t exist. I shouldn’t have made myself so available for him.
I head straight to Damien’s house, eager to get in the shower and clean myself off. I don’t want his saliva on me, even if it has long since dried.
Walking in through the back door, I grumble quietly as I head upstairs. I’ve taken to hiding a spare change of clothing in one of the guest bathroom cabinets, which comes in handy when I don’t want to walk to my cabin first. As I reach the top step, I freeze, my eyes landing on the woman I spotted in Damien’s bedroom the other day. She stands in the bathroom doorway with a small, white towel wrapped around her body.
She looks shocked to see me here, but I can tell it’s not genuine. She’s a beast, and she most definitely heard me walking up the stairs.
“Aine!” she exclaims, stepping out of the bathroom with a smile. Her nostrils flare as she looks me over, her attention lingering on my exposed thighs. “Oh, Damien and his tongue.” She chuckles.
I shift uncomfortably. She can smell that from here? I know the beasts have good senses, but I didn’t realize they were that strong.
She seems to notice my discomfort and steps to the side, gesturing to the bathroom. “Don’t let me stand in your way!”
She takes another moment to examine me before walking into Damien’s bedroom, the door slamming behind her.
Chapter Ten
AINE
“This is sad,” Alex mutters as Jenna once again attempts to rip the bedsheets off me.
I groan and kick with my foot to keep her away. I don’t know why they thought it’d be a good idea to ambush me like this, but I’m not in the mood.
“Just tell us what happened,” Alex says.
I shake my head, too embarrassed to speak about it. Jenna’s constant talk about mates had a small part of me fooled into believing I meant something to Damien, and now I just feel dumb.
Knowing he was with that woman just hours or even minutes before being intimate with me has me feeling even dirtier than before, and any sort of interest I may have had for him disappeared the moment I saw her. I was annoyed when he touched Olivia, but knowing I instigated it helped soothe my irrational jealousy.
I’m done with Damien, and no amount of begging from Jenna is going to change my mind.
My embarrassment has led to me hiding away in my cabin, not wanting to risk running into Damien and his women. Besides my early morning ventures to the dining hall to get breakfast and my sneaky entries into Damien’s downstairs bathroom, I’ve successfully managed to avoid everybody and everything for the past three days.
Until now.
“Aine, you’re being dramatic. Just let me give you his blood so we can go to dinner.” Jenna holds up the bag. “He’s been coming in every morning to see if you’ve taken it,” she says with a wink.
I shrug, feigning indifference.
“I don’t need his blood,” I argue, ripping the blanket off my body to show her my skin. “I’m looking much better all on my own.”
The last thing I want is for him to turn around and use my need for his blood against me, claiming that I’m indebted to him or something because of it.
“Yeah, until you go outside and get all burnt again.” Alex laughs, ignoring the glare Jenna shoots in his direction. “You’re shit at remembering to put on your sunscreen.”
“Honestly, I don’t understand what he could’ve done to make you so upset.” Jenna sighs, sitting at the foot of my bed. “Maybe we should talk to him,” she suggests, turning her attention to Alex.
I sit up in a panic, unable to tell whether or not she’s joking. The absolute last thing I want is either of them asking Damien why I’m upset. I wouldn’t put it past him to happily share what happened between us in his office, turning me into the village’s newest desperate human. He claims he wants to keep up appearances and pretend he’s being an honorable mate, but he’s not very good at it.
Alex nods. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Please don’t,” I beg, angrily throwing my feet over the bed in a gesture of defeat. “I’m getting up.”
Alex smirks as he props his legs up on my bed, his long limbs easily crossing the entirety of the room. I don’t love the proximity of his feet to my pillow, and I glare at them until he moves.