~Valerie~
The taxi smells like stale air and old plastic, but it isn’t enough to drown out the scent of what I just did. I’m huddled in the corner of the backseat, my hand clamped tight over my neck. Every time the car hits a bump in the road, I wince. The bruise Ronan left is throbbing, a deep, hot pulse that tells me he didn't just bite me, he branded me.
My skin feels tight and itchy. It’s the dried slickness of Evander’s touch. It’s everywhere. I feel heavy, used, and completely messy.
I grab my reflection in the window, panicked. I look like a wreck. My hair is wild, my lips are swollen, and my eyes are too bright. I immediately start pulling my curls forward, draping them over my left shoulder. I need to hide that mark. If anyone sees that dark, purple hickey, they’ll know. They’l
