MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

31. ARIANA: WE ALL HAVE ISSUES

The room smelled.

Not only was it dirty but someone had emptied a few cans of air freshener to mask the stench.

"Keep the curtains closed and stay away from the windows," Lucas ordered softly.

"What do we do now?" Eva asked him.

Lucas placed the bags down on one of the beds before he turned to look at Eva. "We lay low for a few days."

Eva's face scrunched up as she made wild gestures with her hands to indicate the room. "How are we supposed to lay low here? Look at the room! It fucking stinks but you can't smell it because you're fucking human!"

"Fuck Eva!" Lucas shouted. "Will you stop being a prissy princess and think logically."

"Prissy princess?" she gasped in disbelieve, completely ignoring the rest of his sentence. "Do you have any fucking idea how badly this place smell?"

"I can smell it and I don't care because this is the only place we have to lay low," he told her.

"Your plan sucks!" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"You have a better plan?" Lucas tilted his head to the side and gestured with his hand. "Let's hear it."

Eva's arms dropped as he moved closer. "I would've circled back to get Dad and everybody else. I—"

"Would've gotten yourself killed or at the very least kidnapped!"

"Well this wouldn't have happened if Ariana had stayed at my side at the party!" Eva's eyes snapped to mine. "It wouldn't have fucking happened if she wasn't such a fucking pussy!"

I flinched and instantly dropped my eyes to the floor.

"It's all her fault!"

"Shut up," Lucas sneered. "You know nothing."

I quietly slipped away into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. The lock on the door was broken like so many other things in the bathroom. I shouldn't complain because we had a roof over our heads.

With my head hung low and shoulders slumped, I walked over to the basin and stared down at the stained marble for a few seconds before I raised my head.

My eyes instantly locked with my reflection's. Droplets of dried blood clung to my skin and some strands of my hair. I'd been the closest to Lucas when he'd killed those Hunters.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I unzipped the jacket and shrugged it off. There was nothing to use to wash away the blood, so after a moment's hesitation, I pulled the shirt off and opened the tap. Sticking part of the shirt under the water, I wet it.

I didn't realize how much my hands were shaking until I raised it to wipe my cheek. The more I scrubbed my skin, the harder it got to breathe. I tried to ignore the panic rising but my attempt only made things worse.

Bile rose in my throat.

Dropping the soaked shirt, I stumbled over to the toilet and fell to my knees. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I puked. My nails dug into my thighs as I fought the urge to grip the toilet.

It was all my fault.

All my fault.

I shouldn't have asked Ethan to call Dad.

I shouldn't have given him the number.

I should've fought Oliver.

Dark spots appeared on the edges of my vision as my body swayed. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get enough air into my lungs.