The hall had mostly emptied, but I remained seated, unwilling to move just yet. Vivian had picked up her underwear from the floor I wish I had had the strength to see her do it, but I was still shaking. My body thrummed with leftover adrenaline, my mind struggling to catch up with the fact that it was over, and the rest of me was just bracing for the pain that would start to set in soon.
I pulled Dominic's jacket closer around my shoulders, hoping that the warmth of it, the solid weight of it, and his scent would stave some of it off. It seemed to be working so far.
Usually, I'd already be curled up on the floor in some dark room, eyes closed and covered, and too afraid to even move less than pain get worse. Dominic stood a few feet away, watching the last stragglers disappear through th
