Cruel Kings by Skye Knight

28

Camilla

I blinked blearily, feeling streams of hot water cascading down on my body. The heat seeped into my skin, waking me up from the dark, unrelenting coma that seemed to have drowned all my consciousness.

My hazy vision slowly cleared.

Tiled walls of a strange bathroom came into my view. I was sitting in a large porcelain bathtub with hot water submerging my body while a steady jet poured down on me.

Wiping the water droplets clinging to my lashes, I looked around.

“Julie?” I whispered confusedly.

“Hey.” She was still dressed in the gorgeous gown she’d worn earlier that evening. “Are you okay?”

Was I okay?

“How did we get here?” I asked. The last thing I remembered was being rushed through the hallways of Brian’s home. “Where are we?”

“You don’t remember?” Julie’s anxiety was a palpable thing, seeping into me, forcing me to recollect every single awful event.

“I remember what happened but how did I end up here?” I asked.

“I guess you sort of passed out in Luke’s car,” she said in a small, worried tone. Looking closely, I saw that her arms and parts of her dress were covered in drying blood. “We’re in his house right now. I came into the bathroom to help you clean up.”

I looked down and saw the skirt of my dress floating in the water. Most of the reeking blood was washed off me but I doubted I’d ever forget the stench off.

“Luke brought me in his car?” I asked after a moment’s silence.

“Yeah.”

“With me still covered in all that crap?”

Julie gave a grim nod. “You’re lucky to have him as a friend.” She moved closer to the bathtub. “Listen, I’ll get some change of clothes. Just stay in the tub, okay?”

“Sure,” I said, hating that I was putting my friends through a nightmare meant solely for me.

She stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Getting to my feet, I grabbed a bottle of soap from the tub’s side and squirted a handful of the sweet-smelling liquid. I was going to take advantage of Luke’s generosity a little more.

I scrubbed my arms, neck, and face clean.

Next, I took off the pins holding my hair in a bun. Rivulets of dirty crimson flowed down my arms as the blood soaking into the strands flowed away.

Bending down, I pulled the plug, letting all the dirty water flow out from the tub. I grabbed the shampoo next and started rinsing my hair like a madwoman.

Julie walked back into the bathroom with towels and clothes.

“You look cleaner,” she said, forcing a small smile. “That’s good.”

“Do you want to take a shower too?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’ll go back home with Wyatt and take care of things there.”

“Can I come with you guys?”

Julie shook her head with a mournful expression. “We want you to stay here for a while. Luke’s brought in a doctor to check up on you too,” she said, looking extremely worried. “You gave us a bit of shock when you passed out. You should stay here for the night. We can trust Luke.”

I switched off the water and stepped out of the bathtub.

Water dripped onto the immaculate marble floor from my soaked dress as I walked toward Julie.

“I’m fine now,” I said in a low, scratchy voice. “And I’m sorry to put you guys through that crap show. I never should’ve invited you guys.”

“None of this was your fault,” Julie said in a suddenly fierce voice. “Those guys are such assholes! They let you feel you were welcome in their family and then they treated you this way.”

I stayed quiet. Noah, Corey, and Caleb never welcomed me. They made sure to make me understand how much they hated me and my mom.

It really was my fault for inviting my friends to a place where I wasn’t welcomed in the first place. Brian’s enthusiasm made me forget the true reality of my relationship with the Amhurst brothers.

“They even waited for your mom and Brian to leave,” Julie shouted, unable to put a lid on her anger anymore. “Fuck! I thought you were lucky living with those hot-as-fuck guys but damn! For a moment, I was even jealous of you, Milla!” She swiped at her eyes but angry tears slid down her cheeks. “Shit! I don’t want you to ever go back to that house.”

She threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “You’re too sweet to be around those awful shitheads,” she said, choking the life out of me.

The stench of rotting blood wafted into my nostrils from Julie’s clothes but I stayed in her embrace. Even though I was at the risk of passing out again, her warmth made it all better.

Julie, Wyatt, and Luke were on my side. They even rescued me from that awful scene.

Warmth spread through me despite the heavy, soaked dress weighing me down. I didn’t have a lot of friends but the ones I had were worth their weight in gold!

“Julie,” I said calmly. “I’m okay. Really.”

My friend finally loosened her hold on me.

“Did you get these for me?” I asked, gesturing toward the towels and clothes.

“Oh, yeah,” she said as if she just remembered about them. “Get dressed and come out. Luke’s freaking out. Let him see that you’re okay.”

“Give me a minute,” I said, taking the towel from her.

Julie came behind me and helped with the zipper on the dress. While she did that, I wrapped a towel over my sopping wet hair.

Within a few minutes, I’d shed the black gown and donned on an overlarge t-shit and loose, flabby shorts that reached my knees. They clearly belonged to Luke.

“Done,” I said, turning around to face Julie.

She gave a nod. “You look like yourself now.” Relief spread through her features as her gaze swept over me. “Come on. Wyatt’s waiting too.”

We stepped out of the bathroom together.

A luxurious room came into my view.

“Milla!” Wyatt’s familiar voice grabbed my attention at once.

My best friend marched toward me and pulled me into a hug.

“Hey,” I said in a soft voice. “I’m okay now.”

He let go and leaned in so he could take a closer look at my face. His anxious gaze raked me from head to foot.

“At least, you’re not physically hurt,” he mumbled, hugging me again.

“Give her some space,” Luke’s tight voice called out. “Let her sit down first and warm up.”

“Oh,” Wyatt muttered, looking guilty.

Taking my hand, he made me sit on the edge of a king-sized bed. The room was extremely warm and well-lit, relaxing me immediately.

“How’re you feeling?” Wyatt asked, getting down on his knees before me.

“I’m pretty mad,” I said, forcing a smile. “That asshole ruined a perfectly good dress. But don’t worry. I’ll get over it.”

“I was so happy for you,” he said in a grim tone. “I thought those guys would protect you.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Milla.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” I repeated.

“There’s a guy waiting to see you,” said Luke as he came to stand before me. “He’ll check your vitals and make sure you’re okay.”

“Is that necessary? I feel fine.”

“Please, Milla,” said Julie in a pleading tone. “Get a checkup done. We’ll all feel better.”

I glanced at my best friend’s face. He still looked pale and anxious. There were spots of dried blood on his clothes too. He’d helped carry me out of the most humiliating situation of my life.

I was in no mood to have a stranger poke and prod me right now but I guess my friends deserved better. I had to make sure they knew I was okay physically so they could go home and rest.

“All right, then,” I said. “I’ll see the guy. But you both should go home now. You guys got into enough trouble for me.”

“We’d never let anyone hurt you,” Wyatt hissed through clenched teeth.

Seeing my usually cheerful friend get so upset sent an ache through me. Wyatt was like the brother I never had.

Swallowing the choke in my throat, I looked over at Julie. “Take him,” I said. “He needs to chill and relax too.”

“Will you be okay on your own?” Julie asked.

I gave a nod and forced a smile. “Luke’s here with me. I’ll be fine with him.”

Julie and Wyatt glanced at Luke who gave them a reassuring nod.

“Call us if you need anything,” said Julie, moving forward to hug me tightly.

“Don’t worry. I’m okay now,” I said.

Glancing toward Wyatt, I added, “Make sure you drop her home.”

“I will,” said Wyatt in an unusually grim tone.

He took Julie’s hand and led her out of the room. A different kind of pain stabbed through me as I watched them leave. I’d never been jealous of them but now, I wished I had someone who was as protective toward me.

Luke smiled warmly. “You’re being very brave.” Shifting closer to me on the bed, he placed an arm around my shoulder. “I’ll go get our family doctor. Will you be okay waiting here?”

“Yeah. I’m not that fragile.”

“Good,” he said, squeezing my hand. Getting to his feet, he walked out of the room.

For a few minutes, I was surrounded by complete silence. My lungs expanded wide, allowing me to breathe deeply. I almost relaxed but next second, the door was thrown open with a loud crash.

Corey and Caleb stood at the threshold, breathing hard and looking like they were ready to kill someone.