MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

46. ARIANA: UNAWARE

Eva was the first to pull away. Her eyes darted between Lucas and me before she turned slightly to stare at Lucas's stepfather. Swallowing, she slowly got up and leaned down to press two fingers against his neck.

A low gasp fell from her lips as she snatched her hand away.

"Eva?"

Shaking her head, she turned and glanced around the room. I caught the panic on her face before she could mask her expression. Something wasn't right but before I could start asking questions, Eva took control of the situation.

"We need to get out of here," she muttered as she glanced around.

"There's a first-aid kit in the bathroom, doll," Lucas said softly. "Second door on your right."

He wanted me to leave. I clutched at the hem of my shirt and swallowed the lump rising in my throat. Now wasn't the time to start sobbing. Eva was right; we needed to leave before someone sees us.

Without glancing at either of them, I got to my feet and made my way to the bathroom on shaky legs. It was small with no window. The bathtub was filled with water and towels had been set out on the cabinet next to the basin. Wallpaper was torn at some places, revealing the cracks in the walls underneath.

My eyes dropped to the dirty green tiles under my feet for a few seconds before I glanced around again. He hadn't said where to find the first-aid kit. The last thing I wanted to do was touch anything else.

Licking my lips, I walked over to the cabinet and hesitated a few seconds more before I opened the door. It creaked loudly, making me wince. The cabinet was a mess. There was no first-aid kit in it or anywhere else in the bathroom.

My eyes snapped to the doorway when Lucas appeared. His eyes locked with mine for a second and then dropped to the floor as he stumbled forward, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"S-see if you can find a big towel t-that you'll be able t-to wrap a-around my back and waist."

"There's no first-aid kit," I told him as I grabbed one of the towels that had been set out. "I can't find it."

"It doesn't matter."

I grabbed the largest towel and turned to find Lucas leaning over the bathtub, hands clenching and unclenching around the edge. My eyes trailed up and locked onto his back. Bile rose in my throat. I spun around and hurried over to the toilet just in time to empty my stomach.

When I was done, I flushed the toilet and turned back to him but avoided looking at the wounds in fear of puking again.

"I-I found a t-towel."

"Will it fit around me?" he asked.

I nodded. "It s-should."

Lucas turned his head to look at me. "Wet it but don't dry it out too much."

My brows dropped into a frown. "Why? You—"

"It'll stop some of the bleeding and prevent the wounds from tearing when they take it off," Lucas explained. "Believe me, doll. This is not the first time something like this has happened."

The scars he had on his back, I realized. So his stepfather had given them to him. Why hadn't his mother stopped him? Had she been abused too? Had she been the one to heal those other wounds?

I snapped out of my thoughts when Lucas suddenly crumbled to the floor. Letting out a cry, I dropped to my knees and reached out to steady him before he could fall backwards and onto his wounded back.

"T-towel."

Blood instantly started to soak the towel the moment I wrapped it around his back. How it was going to stop the bleeding, I had no idea but I kept silent and watched him worriedly.