Page 110 of I Will Break You
Yes, I heard the protest from my cell and wondered if there had been a riot. It wasn’t until the warden called me into his office and said that followers of my unofficial fan club were gatheredoutside the gates, demonstrating against my unfair punishment for the sexual harassment. There’s a debate on whether the non-consensual touching of my genitals could be deemed an assault, but the issue under contention is whether prisoners should be punished for refusing to submit to invasive and unwanted searches.
When the warden ordered me to address the crowd, I asked if he would instate my visitation rights. He said no. Then I argued that speaking to a crowd of unofficial fans is a form of visitation, and he sent me back to my cell. As of today, I am still unable to receive visitors. All for the crime of not wanting another man to handle my private parts.
Love,
Xero
FIFTY-SIX
AMETHYST
I wake up naked and submerged in water with my back leaning against a muscular chest. A large hand cups my chin, keeping my head in place, while a strong arm wraps around my waist.
A rush of memories hit me at once, and I jerk forward with a gasp, my eyes snapping open. The arm around my middle tightens, pulling me back into the larger body.
“Easy now,” says a familiar voice.
“X-Xero?” I whisper.
“That’s right.”
I take in my surroundings. We’re in a circular pool made of worn stone that could date back over a century. It’s ringed by a paved walkway and columns that stretch up the walls. Up above, moonlight shines down from a stained-glass atrium, coloring the water’s surface.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“The old rectory.”
“In the cemetery?”
“That’s the one.”
I shudder at the memory of a building so dilapidated that the city built a small wall around its perimeter to stop sightseers from getting hurt. It’s a gothic structure that dates back to thenineteenth century that everyone knows is haunted. Even the gardeners who tend to the cemetery give it a wide berth, leaving the plants growing around it to extend to over six feet.
“Isn’t it crumbling?” I ask.
“It’s perfectly safe.”
“Are we dead?”
He chuckles, the sound deep and rich. “No, my love. We’ve never been more alive.”
“In that case, you can let me go.” I try to jerk out of his hold, but he’s too strong.
“Why?”
A hysterical laugh bubbles up from my chest. “Oh, I don’t know… How about lying to me about being dead, terrorizing me so I think I’m losing my mind, and then chasing me through a graveyard?”
He nuzzles my neck. “And giving you the best sex of your life?”
“I’ve had better.”
The hand cupping my chin wraps around my throat. “Be careful, little ghost. I still haven’t forgiven your treachery.”
“Are we going to keep arguing in circles?” I snap.
His fingers tighten with the threat that he’ll cut off my air, and I clench my teeth. Nothing good will come of starting a fight with a lunatic, even though I’m in the right.
“Hate me later,” he murmurs into my hair. “Let me take care of you now.”