Page 41 of The Vixen

lol yeah I’m on tiktok way too muchmy fyp is literally just dogs and gym vids rn

Age checks out.

Gender checks out.

But as soon as she starts talking about holiday plans, I exit and find a different site.

“What happened?” Luna asks.

“She’s too happy… And loved.” I start typing out a greeting in a different chat before pausing. “You know this is going to take a while, right?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she looks at the screen and doesn’t respond.

We spend the next three days like this, me engrossed at the keyboard, Luna standing over my shoulder like a gargoyle. She doesn’t bring up what happened at the training house. I don’t bring up Persephone.

But neither of us has forgotten.

CHAPTER 11

LUNA

It takes three days for Thorne to procure both women. And though they arrived no more than a couple hours ago, at least one of them has made a fuss.

I climb the polished marble steps to the Bower, my hand brushing the steel railing. Modern and sleek, recently renovated.Special. No expense was spared for our new members.

A deep voice bellows as I open the door, masculine pain booming in the vast, mostly empty sitting room.

Thorne.

His growl sounds down the hallway, but I take a moment to sweep my eyes over the room, furnished just yesterday. Two rocking chairs big and comfortable enough for a woman with child. A coffee table with a thin vase holding a single orchid, a leather-bound copy ofLittle Womencarefully placed by its side. In the second drawer of my desk is a catalogue with the samebookshelf positioned near the fireplace; the same white rug lies over stained oak floors.

Perfect.

Farther into the house, someone screams. Feminine.

A door slams.

My hands cup behind me as I make my way down a hallway and turn a corner to find Thorne with his back pressed against a door and his hand cupping his face.

“What happened?”

He jerks his head toward me with fury in his eyes. As though I’m to blame for whatever just occurred—which, to Thorne, I probably am. Lately, it seems we’re in a constant state of unease.

As I approach, the red, nasty stripes across his eye only seem to worsen. Lines of red hint at blood, but only a drop has bubbled on the tip of one welt.

My lips sag as I look at the door. “I don’t suppose they’re taking this well…”

“It’s theone,” Thorne grinds.

“She gave you an especially hard time in Spain, didn’t she?”

He takes my arm and guides me to the hallway monitor that displays all five rooms. Stabbing at the controls, he brings up both women side-by-side. One of them is sitting on the lone mattress, rocking back and forth. The other is pounding on the door, her mouth moving furiously as her face twists. Hair sticks to her sweaty forehead.

The doors are reinforced, and the walls are padded, but it’s nice to know it’s fully soundproofed.

“I’m sorry, my love.” Thorne stiffens as I reach up gently, but he doesn’t pull away when I caress his cheek bone, just below the scratch. “I’ll send for Mr. Hansley. He warned us of this.”

A bitter grin spreads across Thorne’s face. He scoffs and rips away from me, taking a step back as his arms cross. “You are putting anembarrassingamount of faith in that swine.”