He just continued looking at her, as though trying to decipher her thoughts.
“All right, Mia,” he said slowly, “just take that shower now, okay? We’ll talk when you’re done.”
And then he left, walking around the broken door lying on the floor.
Chapter 13
She was going to live. He said he wasn’t going to hurt her, despite his anger.
Korum didn’t know about her real betrayal. She had gotten incredibly lucky.
Her head spun, and every muscle in her body trembled in the adrenaline rush aftermath. As she stood there, she felt her stomach twist with sudden nausea. Scrambling for the toilet, Mia barely made it before the contents of her stomach came up, the toxic brew of alcohol and residual terror proving too much for her system to handle.
Mortified, she kneeled naked in front of the toilet, shaking uncontrollably. Flushing the disgusting mess, she used her remaining strength to crawl back into the shower stall and turn on the water, shuddering in relief as the warm stream poured over her frozen body.
The hot shower worked miracles. After a few minutes, Mia felt well enough to get up off the floor. She washed and shampooed every inch of her body, rinsing away all traces of the horrible night. When done, she toweled herself off, put on a big fluffy robe, and brushed her teeth twice to remove the unpleasant taste in her mouth. She was now ready to face Korum again, even though all she wanted to do was pass out and sleep for the next ten hours.
He was waiting in the living room, again looking at something on his palm. At her tentative entrance, he looked up and motioned to have her come closer. Mia cautiously approached, still feeling wary.
“Here, drink this.”
He had picked up a glass filled with a pinkish liquid from the table next to him and was holding it out to her.
“What is it?” asked Mia with visible nervousness.
“Not poison, so you can relax.” At her continued reluctance, he added, “Just something to reduce the strain on your liver from all the crap you drank tonight.”
Mia flushed with embarrassment. He had clearly heard her vomiting earlier. Without further arguments, she took the glass and tried the liquid. It tasted like slightly sweet water and was wonderfully refreshing. She gulped down the rest of the glass.
“Good,” said Korum. “Now sit down and let’s talk about expectations in our relationship . . . specifically, my expectations for your behavior.”
Mia swallowed nervously and sat down next to him. The liquid was already working its way through her system, and she felt the cobwebs clearing from her mind.
He turned toward her and took one of her hands in his, lightly stroking her palm. His eyes were nearly back to their normal shade of amber, with only a few traces of the dangerous yellow flecks.
“You’re mine, Mia,” he told her, his thumb caressing the inside of her wrist. “You’ve been mine from the moment I saw you in the
park that day. I don’t share what’s mine. Ever. If you so much as look at another male – human or Krinar – you will regret it. And whoever lays a hand on you will be signing his own death warrant. Do I make myself clear?”
Mia nodded, unable to speak past the volatile mixture of emotions brewing in her chest.
“Good. The pretty boy you were dancing with tonight is very lucky he walked away. If there’s ever a next time, I won’t be so merciful.”
Her free hand curled into a fist on the couch.
“You acted foolishly tonight. Two pretty girls going out dressed like that – any number of bad things could have happened to you. And drinking until you throw up – you might as well schedule a liver transplant for yourself in the near future. Your human body is already fragile, and I won’t allow you to abuse it like this.”
Mia’s nails dug into her palm in frustrated anger. To be lectured like this, as though she were a stupid teenager, was beyond humiliating.
“If you want to go out dancing, I will take you. And no more nights out with your roommate – the two of you clearly cannot be trusted.”
Mia just stared at him with a mutinous look on her face.
“And now,” he said softly, “we should discuss your little misconception earlier . . . the fact that you actually believed that I would kill you for kissing a boy in a club.”
“You nearly killed Peter,” said Mia, frantically searching for an explanation for her earlier panic. “Why are you so surprised that I was scared?”
“Peter deserved exactly what he got for touching what’s mine.” He leaned toward her. “You, on the other hand, have nothing to fear from me. When have I ever hurt you – aside from the loss of your virginity?”