Page 16 of Liberated By Sin
“Of course. I’m Cambri, by the way.”
“Thank you, Cambri. I’m…”
That girl was no longer here. The name shriveled on my tongue. They’d killed everything she was. It hurt to think her name, to live in her skin. No, she needed to die. It was the only way to hide from the pain.
Violated and shattered into unrecognizable pieces.
Athena was dead.
But where would I go from here? Where even was here?
The bruises and wounds littering my body raged when I forced myself to sit.
“Hey, you’re hurt. Please, lie back down.”
I slapped her hand as she attempted to restrain me again. Flashes of being held down and chained ripped away the security I’d felt just moments ago.
“Don’t touch me,” I gritted out, punctuating every word.
With her hands in a defensive gesture, she eased closer. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”
I shook my head as Cambri’s image blurred behind tears. Maybe she was a good person. She had to be to stop for a bloodied stranger on the side of a dark highway. But there wasn’t a soul on this earth I trusted. And the only people I gave a damn about probably thought I’d abandoned them.
I can’t go back.
Ronan…
I choked down his name. He had some of the world’s most dangerous people in his pocket. Kai and Derek wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I-I need to see…” I ripped out my IV and every goddamn piece of medical equipment keeping me confined to the fucking bed. My legs felt boneless when I touched the floor and tried to bear weight.
“You really shouldn’t be doing this. But if you insist, at least let me help.”
With a reluctant nod, I held out a shaky hand. But she ignored it and gently swung my arm over her shoulder. “Bathroom?”
“Please.”
Cambri was patient as I shuffled across the floor, clamping my jaw closed and holding my side as pain sparked through my body.
“Can you hold yourself up?”
“Yes,” I said between shallow pants, hands gripping the white sink, my head bowed. “Go.”
“Are you sure?”
My knuckles whitened. I wanted to scream, to tell her to fuck off. But as much as I desired to set the whole fucking world on fire, Cambri didn’t deserve my wrath.
“I’ll let you know.”
She backed out of the small space. The moment I was alone, I tugged on a strap and untied the gown, letting it drop to the floor. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to the mirror, where I was met with matted hair, littered with days’ old blood and debris, and slashes and bruises painting every inch of my flesh.
There was nothing left of the girl I used to be. Even my eyes were empty. Dead.
The words Jane Doe were written on the white bracelet on my wrist.
I’m no one.
Licking across my cracked lips, I lost myself in the broken reflection staring back.