Chapter 71

Rowena

I ran and ran, my heart pounding in my ears as the infirmary disappeared behind me. The halls blurred past in a dizzying rush, my feet carrying me forward faster than they ever had before.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my legs gave out—trembling and finally spent from the exertion. I collapsed against the wall in a breathless heap, sliding down until I was crumpled on the floor with my knees drawn up to my chest.

It was only then, in the silence that followed, that I noticed my ankle didn’t hurt at all. Not even a twinge of pain despite all of the running I had just done. I frowned, poking at my once-fractured ankle.

In that moment, a fleeting realization crossed my mind that it must have finally, fully healed, but the thought was gone as quickly as it came. I had more to worry about than a hurt ankle.

I blinked hard, trying to bring the world back into focus through eyes blurred with tears, but it was no use—I must have lost my glasses at some point during my mad dash. Everything was a hazy smear of indistinct colors and shapes.

Hugging my knees tightly to my chest, I fought to catch my breath. I shuddered, raking my hands through my hair in an attempt to calm myself.

It’s okay… It’s okay…

Even now, I could still feel the ghostly imprint of his unwanted touches searing my skin, the memory of his hot breath fanning across my face as he—

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps made my head snap up, my eyes going wide with fresh terror. Gripped by the irrational fear that Dr. Reynolds had somehow followed me, I scrambled to my feet—my back pressed against the wall as every muscle in my body tensed up, ready to run again.

“Rowena?”

The familiar voice made me freeze, although it took a few seconds for my panicked mind to place it. Then, before I could stop myself, a strangled gasp tore out of my throat as my legs finally gave out again.

“Eric!”

No sooner had he rounded the corner than I found myself throwing my body at him, my arms circling around his neck before he even had a chance to choke out a response. I buried my face against the soft fabric of his shirt as harsh, ragged sobs wracked my body.

For a long moment, he simply held me—his strong arms wrapped securely around my shaking form while one hand stroked my hair in a soothing, repetitive motion. I could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat against my cheek, its even rhythm slowly beginning to calm the frantic pounding of my own.

“Rowena, what happened?” he finally murmured, his deep voice filled with worry. “Are you okay?”

I opened my mouth to respond, to try and force the words past the lump constricting my throat, but all that escaped was a soft whimper. Shaking my head weakly, I simply tightened my grip on him.

No, I couldn’t tell him; part of me didn’t want him to cause a scene, knowing that he certainly would, but another part was still too shell shocked to even say it out loud. And most importantly, I knew that I couldn’t tell him because of Dr. Reynolds’ threat.

That if I told anyone, he would reveal what he had seen between me and Eric.

Eric didn’t press me further. Instead, he drew back just enough to look at me—his brow furrowed as he studied my face intently. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he leaned in and…

Sniffed me?

Blinking in confusion, I instinctively shrank back with a bewildered frown. “What are you doing?”

Rather than answer, Eric simply met my questioning gaze with an inscrutable look. “You don’t need to tell me what happened,” he said. “I can smell a man’s scent all over you. Just… confirm it for me, Rowena. Did someone hurt you?”

I hesitated, nausea roiling in my gut as my mind instantly flashed with images of Dr. Reynolds’ twisted, leering expression.

With a shaky exhale, I gave a small, jerky nod.

Eric’s jaw clenched, the muscle visibly twitching beneath his skin. For several long seconds, he was utterly motionless—his eyes burning with an intensity that made me want to shrink away.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was barely more than a growl.

“Don’t worry about anything else right now. I’m taking you home.”

The words should have been reassuring, but the hard edge they carried sent an inexplicable shiver down my spine. But, with exhaustion quickly setting in, I could only nod weakly and allow him to usher me away.

…

Some time later, I stood beneath the stream of steaming water—harsh and scalding against my skin as I tried in vain to scrub away the lingering sensations that still clung to me like cobwebs.

My hands worked tirelessly, dragging the rough loofah over every inch of my body until my flesh was rubbed raw and pink.

It wasn’t enough. I could still feel his touch, his presence somehow branded into me like a sickly afterimage that refused to fade.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed the heels of my palms against my eyes until stars danced across the backs of my eyelids—struggling to drown out the image of him in my mind.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the water began to run cold. With trembling limbs, I shut off the tap and stepped out onto the plush bath mat—wrapping myself in the thick white towel waiting for me.

My bedroom was dark save for the lamp on my bedside table, its soft glow casting everything in warm shades of amber. As I padded across the carpeted floor, my towel clutched protectively around my frame, I was only vaguely aware of the figure seated on the edge of the mattress.

“Eric?” I blinked, my brow furrowing slightly. “What are you—”

“I brought some cookies,” he said, averting his gaze as he held the plate out to me. “Thought you might want something sweet to cheer yourself up.”

A faint, weary smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I drew the towel a bit tighter around myself. “Thank you,” I murmured. “I’ll just get dressed.”

Eric nodded, remaining seated on the edge of the bed as I slipped behind the partition screen on the far end of the room. With a soft sigh, I took off my towel and hung it over the screen, leaving me exposed to the cool night air as I began to root through the drawers for a set of clean pajamas.

Something made me pause, then. An unmistakable prickling sensation at the nape of my neck, like eyes boring into me from behind. Frowning slightly, I glanced over my shoulder—and felt my breath catch in my throat.

There, through the thin slats of the screen, I could clearly make out Eric’s silhouette. I hadn’t realized it, but the slats allowed him to see my nude form. And although he was clearly trying not to look, it seemed that neither of us could help it; our eyes locked, and in that moment of stunned silence, it felt as though an electric current had worked its way through my veins.

Eric’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly, his jaw setting hard. And then, without a word, he was on his feet. He strode over to the door and slipped out.

The door clicked shut behind him, and he was gone.