Deviants (Badlands 2)

He gave Jinx as wide a berth as he could, pulling the door shut behind him.

“Babe,” she breathed, rushing at me.

Great, another one, I thought as she flung her arms around my entire upper body, almost knocking me down.

I allowed it for a total of three seconds before stepping away. She looked as healthy as could be. Her jade eyes were bright and there wasn’t a mark on her dark skin. A heavy frown settled on her face as she looked me over. “Calista,” she murmured. “What the hell has he done to you?”

Arlen made a sound in her throat that sounded suspiciously like a laugh turned into a cough. I refrained from rolling my eyes.

Two people had obviously seen them and hadn’t responded by looking at me like they just found out that I killed puppies for fun.

I followed Arlen’s lead and cleared my throat.

“He fucked me really hard, Jinx.” I said slowly.

“And…you let him do this to you? You like this?” Her tone was incredulous. I saw the heavy judgment in her eyes and I didn’t appreciate it. She’d likely faint if I told her murder and torture made me wet.

I wasn’t sure how to answer her questions. It wasn’t like I could stop him, and as for liking it, hell yes. I wanted more. I was a greedy pain slut when it came to him. My body felt like it had gone through the wringer and I was still craving more.

“I love it,” I shrugged, wheeling the food cart over to the bed so I could sit down.

I didn’t care if she liked it or not, I was done hiding who I was to spare someone’s sensitivities.

“You said you were her friend,” Arlen cut in when Jinx continued staring at me with a frown.

“I am her friend, which is exactly why I can pass judgment,” Jinx snapped.

“Well, I’m her friend now, too, and you don’t see me being a judgmental cunt. Let her get off however she sees fit,” Arlen retorted. “As long as she’s okay with it, you should be too. We both know Romero wouldn’t legit fuck her to death. Not literally,” she added as an afterthought.

I bit my cheek to stop from laughing as they eyed one another with open disdain.

“Girls, no catfights,” I interjected, lifting the silver lid off my platter.

I was so hungry I didn’t even care what kind of meat was in the soup in front of me.

I dug in with vigor. It tasted amazing and it was warm. Arlen took a seat on the window ledge and Jinx sat in the chair.

“So what’s it like out there?” I waved my hand, indicating outside.

“It’s full of your boyfriend’s cult members. And Tito’s here, if you were wondering,” Jinx answered, disapproval heavy in her tone. From the corner of my eye, I saw Arlen shoot daggers at her.

“I wasn’t wondering, actually. Whatever he got himself into with the Savages started far before I came along.” I dropped my spoon and reached for my bottle of water, feeling the sudden need to clarify something she’d just said. “Romero is more than my boyfriend. He’s my soul.”

“You mean soul-mate?”

“No, he’s my soul.”

Jinx eyed me like I’d officially lost the plot.

Arlen grinned at me, understanding my sentiment perfectly, maybe because she was there the day I made my deal with him. More than likely, it was because Arlen fit right in without trying.

“Right,” Jinx drew out. “So what’s the plan? We have to get away, you know that, right? We can’t be sitting ducks while we wait for Romero and his band of merry men or army of misfits to decide what they’re going to do with us. And the sooner we go, the better. It’s getting crazy out there.”

“Misfits? Is that what they’re calling them these days?” I took another bite of soup and met her gaze head on. Hers was frustrated, mine was glacial. I couldn’t pinpoint why I suddenly felt so defensive over Romero’s followers, but hearing her so openly judge them pissed me off. They were part of Rome’s life and that made them a part of mine. Not to mention, she might as well have been talking about me.

“Cali isn’t going to leave Romero. She’s fuckin in love with him,” Arlen scoffed.

What? “Um, no I’m not.”