Page 18 (1/2)

The fact that I was in a strange place and had automatically reverted to the rules Father had instilled in hn itnessing it all just o and crawl into the nearest hole I could find

Vaughn’s eyes skih me as I realized I was naked from the waist up

I didn’t knohy that mattered because he’d seen me completely naked more than once

“Uhn said as he re I couldn’t force h, which caused him to frown Then he put the little bundle on the counter “When you’re finished in here, we need to get ain”

I ed a nod His eyes e to cover my body with my arms I’d never been allowed to do that with Father… to hide After a while I hadn’t cared either way, but with Vaughn… with Vaughn it wasn’t the sa

And it wasn’t because I was afraid

No, s on the matter were a lot more messed up than that

Vaughn looked away frolanced at the door “Do you want me to close this?” he asked

Yes

“No,” I said “I’ll… I’ll do it”

If he thought ht there, he didn’t show it He simply nodded and then turned away

Like he couldn’t get away frousted him…

I sed hard and looked in the nus were always urgingallowed to indulge in food Father had always decided what I was allowed to eat and how ure that out for nals to ry, so these days it was about re to eat and drink With the stress of Caleb’s abduction, I’d been even less focused on food than before

Did hn? Did he thinkable to take better care of myself? Did I remind him too much of the mindless boy who’d practically fallen on the pieces of butterscotch candy he’d handedman would throw himself into a pool in the middle of the desert?