Bitter Thorns (The Entwined Book 1)

by Chrissy Jaye

He turned, giving me a once over from head to foot and smiled warmly. “I’m not the best with words so I’m just going to say it. The bullshit needs to stop.”

  “What bullshit?” I asked, feeling my hackles start to rise again.

  “The evading, standoffs, the lack of trust in our family. Just all of it.” He walked closer to me and tipped his head down so that I couldn’t see his eyes anymore, just the tops of his lashes which were dark and impossibly long. “If you want to be like that at home, that’s fine. I’ll accept that. But not while we’re in public where people are watching. Not everyone around here is a friend.”

  This was probably the most candid conversation we’d ever had. Even so, it still pissed me off. He threw out the word trust like I should be blind with it. It felt more like he was trying to manipulate me into doing whatever he wanted and not what was best for me. I didn’t even really know what he wanted from me. Do we become friends? Family? Why was it so important that I had to immediately be everyone’s best friend?

  Tears burned at the corners of my eyes. My breathing grew ragged. I had to look away from him. At the wall. My feet. Anything but him. My fingers clenched into fists in my lap and it was with effort that I made them relax.

  I jumped when his fingers ghosted along my back, skimming over the raised skin there, but I still couldn’t look at him. “Where did you get these?” he asked softly. I didn’t have to ask what he meant. His quiet tone and his touch were obvious. He wanted to know about the scars on my back. They weren’t pretty. Angry, puckered red lines that could almost be mistaken for blisters. They stood out against my pale skin.

  A finger drew my chin upward. “This is what I’m talking about,” Flynn said when his eyes met mine. He didn’t say it in a mean or accusing way, it was just a fact.

  “I don’t like talking about them,” I answered, not at all surprised by the devoid tone in my voice. “Why do you care?”

  His mouth turned into a grim line, but he was saved from answering when the door opened, and Renee waddled inside followed by Demaric who carried two folding chairs.

  “Hi, Olivia. We haven’t met properly,” Renee said as she sat down and wheeled toward me. “I’m Renee, one of the council lab technicians. I took the chance to go over your file quickly while you changed and I just wanted to reassure you that aside from what needs to be reported,” her blue eyes cut to Flynn and then back to me, “everything else will remain private.”

  Flynn’s fingers ran up and down my back over my scars. Demaric unfolded one of the chairs while Renee spoke. Without removing his hand from me, Flynn dragged the chair right up next to the table and made himself comfortable. Had I not been so petrified of what was to come, I would have swatted his hand away, but right then, I need it, his warmth and presence to anchor myself. I refused to admit what that might mean in the future, still not ready to count him as an ally. As much as he pissed me off, I think I preferred his brooding and hostility. Or maybe that was just me trying to keep him and the others at arm’s length.

  Fuck, my mind was in shambles. How had my life grown so complicated? Life hadn’t been easy, but it had been simple. Survive, that was all I had to worry about. But now… now things were not simple.

  I was staring at Flynn as I tried to wrap my head around everything. He turned to me with a raised eyebrow and nodded toward Renee. Shit. She’d been speaking to me and I’d completely ignored her.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, giving her my attention.

  “That’s okay.” She smiled and patted my knee. “Just go ahead and lie back. I’m going to get the medical tests out of the way and then we can talk about the results.”

  What followed was a complete exam of my body, which thankfully both Flynn and Demaric turned away from me without me having to ask. However, Flynn clung to one of my hands at all times, which I was annoyed to find were trembling. I was blaming that on how cold the room was.

  She checked every inch of my body, even going through my hair, which she rebraided when she finished. My reflexes were tested, eyesight. Endless medical questions about my health. I sat through it all, answered what I could, and only blushed a little bit when asked about my sexual experiences. Go me!

  When Renee had me sit up to check my spine, I was thankful I couldn’t see her face. There was no gasp of surprise, so I assumed they were mentioned in the file she’d read. She traced the line of my spine with her fingers and announced that I had excellent posture before having me lay back again. As I complied with her request, I noticed that her face was guarded. I had to admire her ability to control her emotions. When I was sixteen there’d been a nurse who’d burst into tears at the sight of my back. I’d hated her for showing such weakness. They weren’t hers to bear so why cry about them?

  “Okay, all that’s left is the electrometer and the pap. You ready?” Her voice was light as she took her seat.

  “Sure,” I deadpanned. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Flynn smiling at me. He’d been surprisingly silent throughout the whole thing, something I hadn’t thought he was capable of.

  Demaric put a sheet across my legs and asked me to pull up my gown so he could put the leads on my stomach.

  “We’re going to do both at once and try to get you out of here quicker. Scoot down just a bit and put your feet against your butt and spread your legs,” Renee requested. I did as she asked, trying not glare at Flynn like this was his fault. It wasn’t, but I wanted to, if only to feel like I had control somehow. It was either glare at him or start crying and I was getting so sick of that. I didn’t want to be this bitter person who hated everyone and everything.

  The sheet was pushed down low on my hips as Demaric loomed over me and attached a few sticky pads to my stomach.

  “Try to relax, Olivia,” Renee asked gently.

  Honestly? That’s really the last thing someone should ask you to do. My body tense all over as she turned on a light and dragged it closer. I could feel its heat as it beat down on my inner thighs and wished I could be anywhere else.

  “What’s your favorite ice-cream?” Flynn asked suddenly, squeezing my hand.

  “Uhh, mint double chocolate chip,” I answered. I felt Renee down below and stiffened. “All of you suck. This was not what I expected my day to turn into.” The words blurted out of me before I could stop them.

  Flynn smirked at me. I turned my head to stare at him, trying not to wince at the uncomfortable pressure. Demaric stood back, writing down whatever readings he was getting from his little machine.

  “Almost done,” Renee commented. My hand clamped down on Flynn’s when I felt a sharp pain.

  “Fuck, that hurts,” I hissed. I blinked back a few tears as the pressure disappeared and Renee sat back. Something plunked into a metal dish and my head popped up, but I couldn’t see over the sheet.

  “Good job, Olivia. You can relax now.” She patted my legs and I put them down. “I’m going to have my sister Jenee rush the results and we’ll be back in a few minutes. Sit tight.”

  “So, I don’t need these wires on me anymore?” I asked, nodding toward the leads suck to my skin.

  “Nope. I’ve got everything I need,” Demaric smiled, taking the leads off before he turned and helped Renee stand. She waddled out of the room with her clipboard and a dish in her hands.

  Flynn finally let go of my hand and collected my dress from the floor. “Here. You’re probably freezing.”

  I mumbled a thanks and waited for him to turn before shedding the gown and pulling the dress over my head. “All good,” I mumbled once I had my underwear back on.

  I felt awkward as he reclaimed his seat. Had he just sat through that whole thing with me, for me? I blinked at him, overcome by a swirl of unfamiliar emotions. The words bubbled up out of my throat before I could collect myself, but surprisingly, there was no panic. “We were thirteen,” I started. “After our parents died, we bounced from home to home.” Images I could never forget leapt to the forefront of my mind. Two caskets side by side. Small hands linked t
ogether as a social worker walked us into our new home. It was always the same. Vian and I had clung to each other even harder after they died. “We’d always been close, but it became more after that. Neither of us could sleep alone. Families would take us in, but we never stayed for more than a few months. I was always the problem. I had—have—a lot of anger.”

  I pursed my mouth for a second, questioning whether I really wanted to tell him all of this. Flynn didn’t say a word. My hands ended up linked with his at some point, but I finally looked at him and found no judgement in his eyes. If anything, I think he looked relieved. That wasn’t going to last.

  “We ended up in the home of this very religious woman. A widow. All her kids were grown, and she liked to foster—doing God’s work, I suppose. Anyway, our bodies were starting to change, and I don’t know if she just woke up one day and realized I had boobs or what. She came to check on us one night. We woke up to her screaming at us. Me, really. She dragged me from the bed, yelling about sin and how I was a temptress.” A lone tear streaked down my face as a belt that wasn’t there flashed before my eyes. I didn’t flinch like normal. I just shut my eyes and shook my head to clear it. Taking a shuddering breath, I continued. “She beat me severely with a belt. I don’t think she meant to make me bleed, but by the time she came to her senses…” I watched his eyes for a few seconds, trying to gauge what he was thinking or feeling, but he gave me nothing. Just an open expression that wanted me to continue.

  “A teacher noticed the next day at school when I bled through the bandages and my shirt. That same night, Vian and I were taken from her custody, but she must have told them she caught us doing something wrong. Some therapist talked to me and the State decided we were too reliant on one another. We were placed in separate homes and I didn’t get to see him again for two years.” I sniffed and wiped at my face with my shoulder. “I know I started this, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I whispered.

  “You didn’t start it. I asked,” he said softly, placing a kiss on my forehead. I barely reacted, only quirking my lips up in a half-hearted smile. Telling him had been both a relief and a curse. Just one of the many demons I carried around with me. He didn’t need to know that one event was only the beginning to a cycle of abuse or how I still struggled to recognize that it wasn’t my fault.

  I needed to forget again, I thought, as I squeezed my eyes shut.

  Chapter 12

  It took Renee almost forty-five minutes before she came back with my results. Flynn and I had lapsed into a comfortable silence, him on his phone while he checked in with the others, and me to my own thoughts. When she entered the room, I knew something was wrong by the pinched look on her face and braced myself for the worst.

  Demaric followed her in and shut the door tightly before turning to face us. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that she’s a bit underdeveloped,” he stated.

  “How can you tell that? Maybe I’m just destined to be short,” I quipped, trying to cover the rise of panic stirring in my gut. “Also, right here!” I tacked on, realizing he’d once again talked about me and not to me.

  Flynn tried, and failed, to hide a grin behind his hand. Demaric looked a bit shocked. “Yes, of course. I apologize.”

  “Why don’t we start with the easy stuff first,” Renee suggested.

  “Right. Well, your resonance looks great. You’re a bit low on your energy flow, but Ben mentioned that you don’t have any control yet, so that’s to be expected.”

  I put a hand up, stopping him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “It’s fine,” Flynn said quickly. “I do. We can explain it all later.”

  I sighed. “I really hate not knowing things, just so you’re aware.”

  “I am aware. But we’re just going to have to go over it with everyone else, so it makes sense to wait.”

  I took a breath trying, and mostly failing, to find my patience. “I know I’m not the best with all this scientific magical stuff, but I really do want to learn more about it.” My gaze darted between Flynn and Demaric for a second. “Besides, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with everyone knowing more about me when I don’t. And they sort of ditched me.” I went for honest. I wasn’t happy with how everyone had run out of here.

  “You’re the most frustrating woman,” he barked.

  I released his hand, practically flinging it away from me. This was better. Angry Flynn I could handle with ease. The sweet guy he’d been for the last couple of hours had messed with my head

  I met his heated stare and narrowed my eyes. “You’re not going to budge on this, are you?” I huffed, crossing my arms. “Fine, “I conceded. “I don’t see how they wouldn’t find out anyway so it’s a moot point.”

  He closed his eyes, as if pained and sat back before answering. “Just get on with it, Dem.”

  Asshole.

  To his credit, Demaric looked slightly uncomfortable as he glanced between us, trying to decide whether he should listen to me or Flynn. Renee on the other hand was trying to hide a smile behind her hands.

  I finally relented and motioned for Demaric to continue. I’d deal with this later. They wanted me to trust them, I could try, but they were going to have to stop brushing my questions off for later.

  “I think it’s important that she understands as much as she can now. Some of what we found won’t be easy to deal with,” Demaric started. A small part of me wanted to grin or stick out my tongue at Flynn but I couldn’t. The look Demaric and Renee shared had me more worried about what they thought was wrong with me.

  “Fine,” Flynn muttered, turning his head to glare at the wall above my head.

  “Resonance is basically a frequency in which your body conducts energy. Our people are able to use that energy. Yours is perfectly in tune with the rest of your circle, so there are no problems there.” He paused, giving me time to absorb what he had said. It wasn’t much better than before, but I thought I understood. I nodded, telling him to continue. “Your chakras are completely open, which are sort of like ports in the body that help you channel the energy. I’m quite surprised by that since you didn’t know about any of this before you arrived. The problem that we’re seeing is actually witchcraft. Your growth, or the lack of growth, is due to a hex.”

  “What does that mean?” I blurted.

  Renee leaned forward, at least as much as she could, putting a hand on my knee. “What he means is that I found something during my exam, specifically attached to your body. You wouldn’t have been able to find it because of the intimate place it was put. Unfortunately, it’s a common practice in witch communities.”

  I was sure the blood drained from my face and my head swam. Flynn put a steadying hand on my shoulder when I listed to one side.

  “You mean someone…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Am I still a virgin?” I asked instead.

  “Yes. And I want you to know it was removed. That was the pain you felt during your exam. We’ve concluded that the spell was almost completely drained. Someone had been regularly keeping it charged. Which is the main problem.”

  “Someone tried to hex me,” I admitted quietly. “Just before we got here. How did I not notice?” My thoughts moved swiftly. It didn’t make sense. I’d felt that hex outside the building before we were even in town properly. How could someone have gotten it on—in—my body without me noticing or sensing it? “I don’t understand…”

  I took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. Black spots bloomed in front of my eyes and I knew I was going to faint soon. I felt disgusting all over. Violated. In the back of my mind, I realized there were two people who could have done it. One was unlikely, given she’d been—was—my friend but the other… My stomach churned and I bent over the side of the table, vomiting up bile.

  “—anything else?” Flynn asked in a tone colored with concern. “I want to take her home.”

  The door opened as I lifted my head. Flynn smoothed some hair out of my face that had fallen out of its br
aid. Vian strode into the room, lifted me bodily from the table. Liam and Kieran stood in the door.

  “Are you okay? I could feel…” Vian crushed me to him.

  “Get me out of here,” I begged quietly, closing my eyes.

  We moved across the room. Words I ignored were exchanged. Someone grabbed at my hands, and the world turned sideways. It was like I was being torn in several directions at once. Not in a painful way. It was like something or several things were plucking at my skin, whispering at me to let go. It only made me cling tighter and squeeze my eyes shut. The sensation died away and I opened my eyes to see the living room in our house.

  I stared around for one bizarre second. “What the fuck?” I whispered.

  “Liam Slipped to bring us here,” Vian answered. I shook my head, not understanding before letting it go. Did it really matter? Did anything matter right now? I pressed my face against his chest and focused on trying to calm down. It didn’t help. All I could smell was his stupid cologne.

  “I hate how you smell,” I muttered.

  “I know.”

  “You should change it,” I suggested.

  “Brooke likes it,” he replied. Then after a beat said, “Want to tell me what has you freaked out?”

  With a groan, I shook my head. I wanted to forget. Flynn wouldn’t let me though. I heard him behind me, explaining things.

  “I’ll get the others back here,” Kieran said quickly once his brother was done. Part of me wanted to be mad that he told them, but it saved me from having to do it later.

  “She’s shivering,” Vian added. “I’m gonna get her into a shower.”

  “I’ll help,” Liam said.

  “No, let me.” Flynn said quickly. I lifted my head to look at him before I realized the favor he was for doing me. Ugg, couldn’t he just be a dick? “I’ll explain later. Call my parents, tell them we won’t make dinner. Any excuse. I’ll call them later.” He handed a folder to Liam. “Give this to Ben when he gets here. And keep everyone calm.”