Chapter 6

I’m too angry to function. Once back in my room I stomp around, raging. I toss my shirt in the bin. What’s the point in keeping it? When the fucking arsehole ripped it open, he shredded the delicate, thin material. I grit my teeth and wonder if I should order some more spare shirts now? I need my uniform five days a week. Thankfully my full-ride scholarship covers absolutely everything. I don’t have a fucking pot to piss in myself. Not that anyone knows that.

I hastily get changed into my workout gear and decide to go for a session at the on-campus gym. I would have gone for a swim normally, but I have a feeling all eyes will be on me, and that doesn’t need to be done in a bathing suit, although it’s always packed in my gym bag anyway.

Eyes burn me as I trudge across campus, but I refuse to turn tail and run. I quickly scan in through security using my ID pass, and head into the changing rooms to dump my stuff. I grab my phone and jam my headphones into my ears. I crank the volume and exit the changing rooms into the gym, Linkin Park’s Numb, screaming in my ears.

I hit the treadmill and crank the speed and incline so that I’m drenched with sweat within minutes. I run instinctively, eyes closed, and at full pelt. I don’t believe in taking it easy and my feet pound the belt to help me work through my rage.

Fuck The Father. I am not going to let him dictate my life. I’m also not going to hide or cower. There’s a reason he’s branded me The Doe – going behind the backs of the other two in order to do that, it would seem - so I’m going to find out why. If he wants to play games with me, I’ll ensure he’s met his match.

The treadmill slows unexpectedly and I stumble, eyes flying open to assess the damage. I stay upright as the machine stops and I turn to glare at the fucking knobhead who pulled my emergency stop cord. Who the fuck does that?!

“What the fuck are you playing at?” I spit out between gasping breaths.

A blond god grins at me, all dimples and baby blues. He’s even more ‘charming boy next door’ than Zie – which is saying something because he literally was the boy next door to me growing up. This guy is way too cute to survive the evil daggers I’m throwing at him with my eyes, but he grins wider. I’m not impressed. Obviously he’s stupid or has a death wish. Maybe even both.

I can see his mouth moving but can’t make out what he’s saying.

“What?” I snap, removing my earbuds and hitting pause on my playlist. Cute or not, he interrupted my run and I’m pissed.

“I wanted to say what an honour it is to meet The Doe herself,” he gives me a lecherous once over and winks, licking his lips. He just got a lot less cute. My insides shudder but my face is stone. “I can see why you were chosen.”

“Chosen?” I raise an eyebrow.

“To play in the Hunting Grounds.” This guy is seriously pissing me off. He stopped my workout to perv on me? He should have watched me run, even in a sports bra my tits bounce. There’s no way I’m giving him the satisfaction of asking him what the hell he”s talking about, dropping cryptic clues about hunting something or other.

“What makes you think I was chosen and not that I volunteered?” I throw back at him.

“Whoa, you’re a badass then.” His eyes seem to widen in shock and he swallows a couple of times while he tries to work out what the hell to say next. I save him the bother by turning away and leaving him staring in my wake.

Fuck what I said earlier about swimming. I need to cool off. I head back into the changing room and switch to my one-piece bathing suit, and then I head poolside. The university has impressive leisure facilities, and the pool is no exception.

I don’t waste time, lowering myself into the pool, careful not to dislodge my AirPods and infinitely grateful that they’re waterproof. The second I stepped poolside, all eyes were on me. Well, on The Doe. I could feel the weight of their stares searing my new brand. Thank fuck they can’t see my old one. Hence the one-piece suit. I don’t show that brand to anyone, and I tend to hope that when the time for revealing it is inevitable, the person looking is too distracted to think of it as anything more than a strange-shaped birthmark.

The water is cool and inviting, a soothing caress on my heated nerves. After a few minutes of swimming laps, I enter the zone and let all the shit in my head go.

Once I’m calmer, able to breathe and think, I start to consider what the hell is happening here. And where the hell Harry has got to?!

I swim laps, not keeping count, not trying to race, just letting the music wash over me. I’d like to say that I’m completely absorbed in my own little bubble, but it would be a lie. I’m all too aware when something shifts in the air and the other people in and around the pool tense. It’s tangible, I can almost taste it. Them. The Holy Trinity – or one of them at least – is here.

I don’t look up, I don’t pause. I execute my turn and make my way back along the length of the pool, aware of two bodies diving into the water on either side of me. A moment later there’s a disturbance in my lane and I think a third body has joined me. I remain calm. It’s just swimming. Why would I freak out about three people – could be anyone – getting into the water?

That’s what I tell myself until a hand wraps itself firmly around my ankle and tugs me backwards. I gasp in surprise, taking in a small amount of water and spluttering as I hastily spit it out. I’m pulled backwards again, luckily I keep my mouth closed this time, and a strong unyielding arm wraps itself around my chest. I’m crushed back against a very hard, very masculine torso and I glance down quickly at the arm to see there’s no ink whatsoever on it. The Son. Holy crap. My heart stutters at the contact I never expected from him, and the other two press in against me, coming at me from the sides.

The Father’s – damn it – Axel’s dark eyes lock onto mine. His lips move but I can’t make out what he’s saying. I go to remove my headphones, but I can’t move my arms. I shake my head and tell them I can’t hear them, my voice probably coming out too loud. Kaiden reaches out and removes my AirPods so that I can hear.

“I said, fancy seeing you here, little doe.”

“Don’t call me that,” I grind out.

“Shall I call you Peony instead?”

I cringe at the childhood nickname they all used to use for me. One I’ve not heard or thought about in so many years until coming here. I’m not her anymore and I never will be again. Between them and their daddies they ruined everything associated with that name.

“Fine. What do you want?” I snap. I’m hyper-aware of three things right now: one, the pool is now empty except for the four of us; two, I can feel the heat from all three of their firm bodies pressing up against me, despite the cool water: and three, I’m out of my depth so it’s damn lucky they have a hold of me. I can’t see McKenzie, but there’s no malicious intent in Spirit’s eyes – just devilish mischief – so I don’t think they’re about to drown me. Well, I hope not anyway.

“Watch your tone, Peony,” Axel growls at me and I scowl. “Those are your choices: you can be Peony or The Doe.”

“Doe,” I seethe. I don’t want any reminders of before. Axel gives a dark laugh and I shiver. I want to get out of this pool, but my eyes seem to have a mind of their own as they drink in the bare torsos of my tormentors.

Axel is absolutely covered in ink now, stronger and more muscular than I remember him, while Kaiden is so incredibly defined and powerful, like he used to be, but somehow even edgier than before. More tattoos cover his skin but fail to hide the flashing silver scars all over his torso. My heart pangs. I can’t see Zie but I can tell from the firm grip he has on me that he finally grew enough to be able to give the older two a run for their money. These boys have morphed into men in my absence but they fail to see that I’m not the weak little girl they dumped and left behind.

“You shouldn’t be swimming with a new tattoo,” Axel snaps angrily. “You better not fuck up that masterpiece.”

I wish I was on solid ground right now so that I could slap him in the face. But attempting to tread water while being held between two solid bodies and landing a solid blow on a third would be nearly impossible. I scowl at him instead but it doesn’t pack the same punch.

“I’m sorry that I don’t know the correct etiquette for post tattoo care. Maybe if I was conscious when it happened I could have taken notes!” What a dick. If he’s going to fucking brand me the least he could do is leave some aftercare instructions behind. Funnily enough, this tattoo was my first rodeo. And if I ever get any damn say in it, my last too.

“Just put the antiseptic ointment on when you get out and stay the fuck out of the water for a few weeks.”

“What ointment?”

“The ointment I left on your desk.”

I stare at him blankly. Yeah, I must have missed that with everything going on. It’s so unbelievably stupid of me, but with everything that happened – even though it’s completely obvious – I never once considered that Axel had been in my room. Both to drug and kidnap me, and to return me once he was done.

It no longer feels like the safe haven it once did. And I hate him even more for ruining that for me.

“We need to talk,” Kaiden tells me, fixing me with a hard stare. I can’t break eye contact. His silver eyes have always been haunting, even more so now he’s seen death so many times.

“Does it have to be here?” I huff in a desperate attempt to break the hypnotic spell he’s put me under.

“We’ll come to you. Don’t bother looking for us.”

I’m about to open my mouth to retort that hell would freeze over before I went looking for any of them, when McKenzie suddenly drops me. I quickly begin to tread water but Axel reaches over and with a firm hand to the top of my head, pushes me under the water.

When I resurface, coughing and spluttering and enraged, they’re gone. With my fucking AirPods too.