KIER

I led her trembling body back into the stall. "What’s wrong?" I asked, eyeing the thick steam billowing from the showerhead. She had cranked the dial up to boiling.

I adjusted the temperature, dialing it back to a warm level. The steam faded. I turned to look at her naked form pressed against the tiles, hunched and shivering. My jaw clenched.

How could anyone be so terrified of a simple shower?

She faced me. The jagged scars on her skin stood out starkly against her pale complexion. Just seeing them made my chest tight. I took a deep breath. Losing my temper wouldn’t do her any good.

"Genesis," I...