I reached down, wrapping my fingers around the hem of my thermal, and yanked the soiled material off. Then I threw it at her.
Breena’s hand snaked out, catching the shirt. The smirk faded from her face as she dropped the material onto the ground. “Cute. Does your bra actually have daisies on it?”
It did. Whatever. Unbuttoning my cargo pants, I shimmied them down my hips and thighs, then stepped out of them. Steam was quickly filling the bathroom.
“Pink panties?” Breena snickered. “How old are you?”
“Go fuck yourself,” I said, reaching behind and unclasping the hooks of my bra. My cheeks heated as the straps slipped down my arms.
“How about I go fuck your boyfriend?” Breena responded.
I’m gonna kill her. My hands trembled as I let the bra slip to the floor. I’m gonna kill her. I kept repeating those words as I slipped off my undies.
“I have no idea what he sees in you,” Breena observed, arching a dark brow. “Your tits aren’t that bad. The rest of you? Probably a good thing you skipped dinner.”
“Shut up, Breena.” Faye shot her a dark, scolding look. “Just shut up.”
Breena ignored her. “Oh, look. Your tattoo is in the same place as your boyfriend’s. How cute.”
I stiffened. The tattoo—the symbol of freedom that all Order members had—was way too low on Ren’s stomach for her to have seen it without his pants coming off. Stomach twisting, I struggled to take my next breath. Our gazes met. Challenge filled her pale eyes.
“Shower, Ivy.” Faye lightly touched my arm. “Go ahead and shower.”
Skin burning, it took every ounce of self-control to turn and step into the shower. The warm water hit my skin, stinging the bruise along my hip. Faye closed the door behind me, but it was clear glass, so there was absolutely no privacy. Embarrassment made my movements jerky as I picked up the bottle of shampoo.
Breena talked the entire time I showered. She spoke of how alive she felt after feeding on Ren, and how his muscles had flexed under her hands. Then she moved on to how things would be with the prince once I got “knocked up” and delivered his child. I’d be cast aside, and she would take my place. From what I was gathering, she had a lot of experience with Drake.
So cliché.
I ignored her and focused on the simple joy of being clean, even though I wanted to shove the bottle of body wash down her throat. I was biding my time. So I swallowed the humiliation and held the anger close as I finished showering. The door opened once, and a disposable razor was offered to me. I stared at it and then slowly lifted my gaze to Faye’s.
Pink flushed her silvery cheeks. “He wants you to shave.”
“He wants . . .” I knew why. Sickened, I swallowed a dry heave. “No. No way.”
“Gross,” muttered Breena. “Humans are so hairy.”
Did the fae not get hair in the same places we did? I had no idea, and frankly, I didn’t care. I wasn’t shaving. “It’s not happening,” I said.
Something akin to approval flashed in Faye’s gaze, but I figured I had to be seeing things. She nodded and stepped away from the shower. I wanted to be clean, but if being hairy and dirty kept the prince away from me, then I’d gladly be as gross as humanly possible. When I was done, Faye handed me a towel.
Goosebumps raced over my skin as I stepped out of the shower. It was then that I realized Faye was holding a bundle of black cloth. Water dripped from the ends of my hair as I clutched the towel close to my body.
“The prince wants you to wear this,” Faye explained.
This turned out to be a black gown. It was long-sleeved and low-cut with a high waist. Without even touching it, I knew it was incredibly thin.
“Are you serious?” I asked, and when Faye nodded, I grimaced. “There has to be something else.”
“It’s either that or you’re naked.” Breena rose fluidly. “Your choice.”
I watched her roam out into the bedroom and then I faced Faye. I didn’t get why she was being kind or helpful, but I hoped it extended to finding me something else to wear. “Please. I can’t . . . I can’t wear that.”
“I’m sorry.” And she sounded sorry. Again, I was surprised by this.
The chain and metal band lay on the bed, waiting for me. Frustrated, I took the dress from her. There were no undergarments, and I figured that was on purpose. Disgusted, I turned my back to Faye.
She stepped outside the bathroom, giving me the closest thing she could to privacy while I dropped the towel and slipped the silky dress on over my head. The hem fell to the floor, and my toes peeked out from underneath.
With no undergarments on, I felt nude.
I scooped my wet hair out of the dress, refusing to look at myself in the mirror. The top was tight, leaving very little to the imagination, and it gaped slightly if I bent over. Great.
“How long does it take one person to get dressed?” Breena sniped from the bedroom.
Smoothing my hands down the sides, I smiled tightly as I lifted my head. I walked out of the bathroom, stepping around Faye. Calmly, I stalked up to the bed and stopped a few inches from Breena.
“You make the gown look like you’re playing dress-up,” she said.
My smile widened as I faced Breena. She looked at me expectantly. I cocked my arm back and punched her right in her stupid face with everything I had in me.
Faye gasped as Breena fell backward onto the bed. I didn’t give her a chance to recover. Straddling her thin hips, I gripped the sides of her head and thrust my thumbs deep into her eyes.