D O V E 

What had I been thinking?

I must have been out of my mind when I invited Rhys into my room. Maybe I had damaged the decision-making process of my brain when I hit my head. Any way that I looked at it, that had been a stupid decision but what was even more stupid was I couldn't find the ability to regret it. I wasn't the type of girl who did things like that but I found I wanted more – so much more.

This left me depressed and frustrated.

All I could think about was Rhys. The feel of his body pressed up against mine. His hot skin and calloused fingers. I had let him take me in the ways he had wanted and had been rewarded for it. No man that I had been with had ever made me feel the way Rhys had, not even Silas for all his alpha attributes, could compete.

Silas had always treated me like an object. He was no better than a selfish child with their favorite toy, lashing out when anyone else showed me a bit of attention or affection. His touch had been one of ownership and possession. At first, I had thought it was the passion that drove him to act that way but the more we were together I realized it was always about him. Silas was selfish and so was his love.

Rhys might've been confident and overwhelming, but he'd put me first. Something that Silas had never done. Rhys had been delighted by giving me pleasure, hungry for it even. He had worshiped my body with his mouth and hands. It had been a completely new experience for me. My skin still had a burning tingle where I had been touched.

I needed a cold shower, and maybe a lobotomy. I tried to ignore the soreness between my thighs as well as the aching emptiness inside me. It was like my body knew it would never find another man to satisfy it as thoroughly as Rhys had. I sighed heavily as I moved to the bathroom. My mild depression would be taking a turn toward incurable depression if I continued on with that train of thought.

I closed the door and turned on the water, jumping under the cool spray of the shower-head. Standing under the weak water pressure, massaging the tension in my shoulders and neck. After a couple of minutes, I reached for the provided bar of soap and began to clean myself, scrubbing until my skin was raw and red. I needed to get the lingering smell of Rhys off of my skin or I would never have peace of mind.

Maybe it was time to move on to the next town. This place was dangerous. I could feel it in the back of my mind. If I stayed here a moment longer I was bound to get sucked in by Rhys' green eyes and hot touches. I wasn't desperate to repeat the same mistakes I made with Silas. Yes, skipping out of town was the best thing.

Feeling a little better, I turned off the water and grabbed the last towel from the rack, wrapping it around myself. I stepped out, glancing towards the fogged-up mirror over the sink. I could see my marred reflection in the glass, my box-dye job was beginning to grow out, the blonde beginning to peak through at the roots. I reached out and wiped my hand across the condensation, getting a look at my eyes. They were looking more brown than green today, usually an indication of the mood I was in. From the dark coloring, I would say they weren't far off from showing what I was feeling inside.

The sound of heavy footsteps in the other room caused me to freeze and my breath to catch in my throat. Panic slid its icy fingers up my spine. I held the damp towel tighter to my body, listening carefully, though, it was hard to hear anything over the heavy thump of my heart. Dread began to build in my stomach like a great storm, swirling around as I crept towards the bathroom door, pushing myself up on my toes to be as quiet as possible. I cursed myself as I recalled my revolver was in the glove compartment of my truck where I had put it earlier that morning.

I prayed that it was Dace again or maybe even Rhys come back for another round. I would take either one of them over the other dark possibilities running through my mind. There was only one way out of the bathroom, whoever had designed this place was going on my shit list. I held my breath as I twisted the knob, cracking the door open.

My heart dropped into my stomach when I found Silas standing outside of the bathroom with Koldo his third in command. I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat, straightening my back as Silas glared down at me. He hadn't changed one bit. This was the worst-case scenario and all I could think of was, how did he find me? I thought I had been so careful.

"I've been on quite the hunt for you, Little Bird."

I moved a half step back, before slamming the door shut in his face, twisting the lock. My heart was hammering in my chest as I backed away from it, fingers fumbling with my towel as he let out a fierce snarl. I couldn't breathe.

"I don't need to huff and puff to get to you. I can just break the damn door down, Dove," He bellowed. The wood shuddered under the force of his blows.

I trembled like a leaf in a storm. I was losing it. I needed to regain control. I sucked in a shallow breath and gathered a seed of courage and began to search for something that I could use as a weapon. I opened the top drawer of the vanity only to find a bible and a pack of old matches with the bar logo on them. Well, at least I could start a fire. Now If only there had been a window for smoke signals.

The door gave way, splinters of wood flying inward at me. I let out a shriek, grabbing the nearest thing and throwing it in Silas's direction. He ducked out of the way of the holy book, it hit the wall behind him with a loud thump. He lifted his face with a dark look before his hand shot out, grabbing hold of my arm and squeezing it as he brought his face close to mine. My eyes were wide and my body tense. "That was very stupid. Almost as stupid as running from me."

I let out a yelp as he yanked me out of the bathroom and started dragging me to toward the door of my motel room. The curtain was flapping – that damn window. Why hadn't I been smarter? I had got caught up in Rhys and that mistake had ruined everything.