Broken (The Captive #5.5)(34)
"Is that all you have?" Marie purred as she batted her lashes at her.
Fury slid though Genny, her teeth clenched. She glared at the woman that had given birth to her. "Yes," Genny replied crisply.
"You've been spending so much time amongst the humans lately that I would have expected more."
A trickle of apprehension slid through Genny as she continued to hold Marie's surprisingly observant, sea colored gaze. Did she know about Atticus, is that what she was getting at? Or did she suspect they had a stash hidden away somewhere? No matter what Marie was getting at, one thing was clear, she was nowhere near as drunk as she pretended to be.
"Are you holding out on me girl?" Felix grumbled.
Genny looked away from her mother's soulless eyes to Felix's sadistic ones. "They're humans, they don't have much money," Genny told him.
"Of course they do," Marie replied flippantly. She began to kick her feet like a gleeful child. "You're just not trying hard enough."
The realization hit Genny harder than Felix ever had before, Marie actually liked how Felix treated her. There could be no other explanation for her mother's efforts to incite his temper.
"I expect more from you tomorrow," Felix growled.
"I'll see what I can do," Genny murmured.
Marie let out a small cry when Felix shoved her inelegantly off of his lap and rose from his chair. Genny would have laughed out loud at the spectacle of Marie sprawled on the floor with her skirts all tangled around her, but Felix had already moved forward to loom over her like a hideous gargoyle. She forced herself not to flinch away from his fisted hands and clenched jaw. A vein stood out on his forehead, his face flushed a vivid shade of red.
Genny braced herself as he placed his index finger in her shoulder and shoved her back a step. "You'll do better than 'seeing what you can do'." She had to force herself not to wipe away the spittle he sprayed in her face with each word. "You will bring more home tomorrow or you will regret it."
Before she could respond he backhanded her across the face. The inside of her cheek split open, blood pooled inside her mouth. Her hand flew to her stinging cheek but instead of cowering away from him, her head snapped back around and she glowered at him. She was tired of being pushed around, beaten senseless when the mood struck him, and treated as if she were less than a rat. Tired of her pathetic mother, her drunken lover, and being frightened.
Without thinking, her hand flew up and she slapped Felix with enough force to knock him back a step. Maybe it was Atticus's pure blood in her veins, maybe it was because she was so infuriated, or maybe it had always been in her, but strength surged through her veins as his head came back toward her. Behind her Camille gasped and her hand flew to her mouth, Marie stopped trying to fix her cumbersome clothing and simply gawked at them.
Felix's eyes were a fiery red color when they focused on her. Those eyes made her realize he was going to kill her but even as panic slid down her back, so did pride. He'd try to kill her, but for once she was going to stand up for herself against him and Marie. She may not be a manipulative wreck like Marie was but up until now she'd been acting like a spineless coward when it came to this man.
He grabbed hold of her tunic and yanked her forward so forcefully that her head snapped back on her neck. Genny's hands wrapped around his as he lifted her up and held her off of the ground. She stared defiantly back at him, refusing to show him any fear as she grit her teeth together and thrust out her jaw. He pulled her so close to him that their noses nearly touched and his rancid, wine soaked breath washed over her.
"You'll pay for that," he snarled before throwing her across the room as if she weighed no more than a ragdoll.
Genny hit the wall with enough force that the whole hut shook. A small cry escaped her as the distinct crack of one of her ribs echoed in the air before she crumpled to the ground. The grinding of her ribs caused her to wince but she put her hands on the floor and pushed herself up as he came at her again.
"No!" Camille cried and ran toward her.
Camille grabbed hold of her arms but Genny shook her off. Her sister came stubbornly back at her though. Genny thrust out her arm and pinned Camille against the wall as Felix knelt before her. She should be scared but instead she found herself strangely focused on the bloodshot veins running through his eyes.
"You'll bring me more money tomorrow or it will be her." He thrust a finger at Camille. "That will be paying me back." For the first time Genny felt true terror course through her, he must have seen it on her face as a sadistic smile twisted his mouth and he leaned closer. "Oh yes my dear, and believe me I have no desire to bruise her flesh. At least not in anger anyway."
Bile rose up her throat at the implications of his words. Camille shuddered and shrank away from him. "No," Genny whispered.
His hands rested on either side of her legs as he leaned even closer. "Bring. Me. More. Money," he enunciated clearly.
All the fight went out of her; she swallowed heavily. "I will."
He stood up and walked away. Camille leaned closer to her but Genny couldn't bring herself to look at her sister. Her mother smiled coquettishly up at Felix and took hold of the hand he extended toward her. Hatred for her mother blazed through Genny. Marie's false laughter trailed behind her as they disappeared into the small room they shared.