House In The Woods Pt. 4

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Sorry about the long gap between parts. Life happened for a while, but I am back now.

WARNING: The cub protagonist of this story continues to be raped repeatedly throughout this part. Continue at your peril if you don't enjoy this sort of thing.

Some time had passed, Ava wasn't sure how much. She had to work hard even to catalogue the things she was absolutely sure were real and actually happening. She was still in Peter's house. She was kept naked at all times. She had a collar around her neck and a leash clipped to it most of the time. She kept taking the drugs, though she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she shouldn't.

No drugs meant a clear mind...but that was also the problem. How could she possibly cope with any of what was going on without a chemical barrier between her and the abuse?

There wasn't any way she could answer that without knowing she was either being hopelessly optimistic or flat out lying. The numbness afforded her by the pills (served to her in little fragmented pieces by Peter) was both physical and mental, a separation, a preservation of sanity...though she was no longer certain that sanity even applied anymore. Her definition of what was normal had drifted too far. Had something or someone come and plopped her back into the normal world, with her parents and her friends from school...would she even recognize it?

The only thing that kept tugging at some corner of her mind unaffected by the pills was a small insistence that if she kept her mind clear then surely she'd have a better opportunity to escape. Peter had to think she was broken by now, right? Surely if she wan't drifting atop a grayish plane of fuzzy vagueness then she'd be able to formulate a plan and slip away in the night. Or kill him.

But that second one seemed all but impossible. She had no weapons but her claws and teeth, and neither were very big, even if they were razor sharp. At times Peter took her into bed with him and lay, paws running over her body, enjoying her discomforted shiftings and shivers.

That was where she was now...

Sometimes it was hard to nail down a sense of place, especially when Peter had upped the dosage. He did that sometimes, when reality began to seep through even the chemical barrier. She'd begun to weep at one point, ceaselessly. He'd teased her at first, had made her present herself before slowly pushing into her pussy, but after he was done and she lay facedown on the bed, trembling, cum leaking from her tiny hole, the tears had still come and refused to stop.

Peter had grown annoyed and eventually medicated the little problem away. Ava still wasn't sure if that had been an hour ago or the day before or perhaps even something that hadn't even happened. Nothing seemed explicitly real when she was floating this high.

At least none of it really hurt.

Even when she was coming down she could tell, in some distant corner of her mind, that her body was growing accustomed to the abuse. Her holes had been trained to expect Peter's girth, the muscles of her jaw no longer protested quite so severely when the ring gag went on, and she thought her gag reflex no longer existed, even if she hadn't quite gotten used to snatching breaths when Peter was shoving his cock down her throat.

Oh.

She was still in bed, Peter cuddled up against her, one paw drifting between her legs. She tried to shut them, out of habit. But Peter seemed to like that. He forced his paw there anyway and traced her slit with a pair of fingers as she whimpered.

Ava could feel the otter's hardness against her back, just the faintest bit of wetness soaking through her fur where his pre was beginning to flow. His other paw roved over her chest. She thought he could feel her heartbeat, made languid and slow, even if the rest of her was tense and unhappy.

He nibbled at one of her ears, catching it with his teeth even as she tried to flick it away. Somewhere in the distance Ava could feel a little sparkle of pain, accompanied by the otter's hot, eager breath. Peter slid a finger into her, then another. Pumped into the little leopard hard enough to rock her in place, soft fur rubbing against his erection.

"I'm glad you've toughened up a little," Peter spoke into her ear, letting go of her ear, "makes stuff like this easier for both of us."

Ava sniffled. Felt tears prickle at the corners of her eyes before being borne away elsewhere. She couldn't seem to manage committing to anything while stuck in the haze. Had she been asked to count the windows in the room she'd have almost certainly given up before reaching the total. Three. All with the shades drawn, the only light coming from a lamp sitting on the nightstand in front of Ava. It afforded the scene a warm amber glow, deepening the shadows.

Peter fingered Ava for a few more moments before suddenly slowing, something seeming to occur to him. He moved onto his knees, mattress creaking under him, and pressed Ava onto her back, dragging his fingers free from her pussy. The otter smirked at her.

"Look how wet you are," he breathed, free paw dropping to stroke his pre drooling cock, "you don't have to pretend to hate this anymore..."

Ava tried to close her legs but Peter forced them apart again, seeming to enjoy the game. Was he being serious, or was he still teasing? She couldn't tell. Swallowing hard, she acquiesced to the position the otter had forced her into and clutched her paws together over her chest. Wasn't sure what good that would do her, but it felt safer for some reason. Like a shield between her and Peter, who she imagined was about to drive his cock into-

The otter leaned down and put his head between her legs, whiskers tickling her inner thighs. She could feel his hot breath on her pussy and tried to squirm away, but it was of no use, Peter had hold of her legs and refused to let her move so much as an inch.

He took a deep breath and exhaled approvingly before lavishing a long lick over her slit. Ava squirmed once more. Was he...?

She almost couldn't comprehend it. Why was Peter trying to do something that would give her pleasure? It turned everything upside down. The otter's tongue breached her folds and plunged deep inside of her. It felt odd, and given who was doing it...fear paralyzed her.

For an unsettling few minutes Peter continued his efforts but didn't manage to fish so much as a gasp or a moan from the petrified leopard he was attempting to coax an orgasm from. Ava whimpered, low in her throat, but felt nothing approaching pleasure coming from between her legs, she was simply too scared. For all she knew, Peter was probably doing all the right things, and she was certainly aware that adults did this, but...

Peter sat up straight, wiping his muzzle with one paw, a sour expression growing on his face. The otter's whiskers trembled, little beads of moisture rolling along them. For a moment he looked furious, Ava cringing down, then he smirked, the fury locking itself back for a moment, the otter seeming to get himself back under control.

"I get it," Peter said, licking his lips, cock twitching as he did so, her taste clearly agreeing with him, "...you want something rougher, don't you."

It wasn't even a question.

Ava blinked. Tried to say something, but Peter was already on top of her, forcing himself between her legs, cock sliding easily into her slippery pussy, but the abruptness of the intrusion still hurt and Ava yelped, her cry cut off as Peter's paw found her throat. He squeezed for an alarming moment, enough to bring black spots into the corners of her vision, then the otter eased up. Continued to rut her with vicious force, shoving the little leopard back against the pillows piled along the headboard of the bed.

Ava clutched at Peter's wrist but didn't dare unsheathe her claws. Instead she stared helplessly up at the otter as he thrust into her, her lower body gone numb once more. He was grimacing, his teeth bared. They looked incredibly white and very sharp.

"You like that?" He demanded.

"Y-Yes..." Ava squeaked. Knew there was only one acceptable answer to the question.

Satisfied, some of his good humor restored, Peter rutted into her, eventually letting go of Ava's throat, much to the little leopard's relief. Instead he clutched her shoulders, pulling her back against his crotch, fishing gasps and groans from her with each new vicious thrust he made.

Ava lay back, one cheek pressed against Peter's chest. She could hear his heart going, thrumming away. Then he was stiffening, gasping as he dumped his load inside of her, his balls tightening where they were pressed against the soft fur under her tail. Ava felt warmth bloom inside of her and sniffled. Took a deep breath to ward the bad feelings away. She didn't want to do anything else to provoke a bad reaction from Peter.

The otter, still clutching her tight, flipped onto his back, Ava resting atop him, still speared on his length. She swallowed hard, not enjoying just how exposed she felt. Being side to side was one thing, but now all she could feel was her abuser. His fur and muscle beneath her, the sensation of his gaze on the side of her face, the thickness of his cock and warmth of his cum inside of her.

Her lower lip began to tremble, and though she tried very hard Ava simply couldn't hold back the tears. Even floating as high as she was, away from the base realities of her situation, the horror kept finding her and breaching her clumsy defenses with contemptuous ease.

Peter fucked her twice more, then sent her sleep on the doggy bed, streaked with cum and trembling with exertion. The next day she was simply too drained to even think about crying. Peter shuttled her off to the bath and dumped her in without ceremony, though at very least he did take the effort to make sure the water was warm.

Her thoughts were a bit clearer, the drugs beginning to wear off, and that only accentuated just how helpless and absolutely alone she felt. As she scrubbed herself clean, lathering her fur with soap (she knew Peter loved how soft and flawlessly velvety her fur was) and gingerly cleaning her sore pussy, she found herself both wishing for and dreading another dose.

If she kept taking the pills, she realized suddenly, then she would never escape. Peter would break her down completely and use her up, until she either gave up and drifted from the world completely, or Peter got bored and killed her.

But if she didn't...

She had to take a deep breath. If she didn't take the pills, not only would she have to take everything unalloyed by narcotic distraction, but there wasn't even a guarantee she'd be able to find a way to escape in the first place. And if she put forth an escape effort, only to be run down by Peter or caught or...

He'd kill her.

He'd rape her one last time and then kill her.

It all kept coming back to that.

And suddenly Peter was in the doorway to the bathroom. Ava just barely mangled to keep herself from flinching. Stared down at the water instead. She couldn't see any blood in it...supposed that was a good sign. The repeated, hard rapes of the previous night hadn't torn her up.

The otter approached. He was wearing a bathrobe, the front open and his cock exposed, hard and ready, a bead of pre gathering at the tip. It all felt alarmingly, deliberately similar to how things had been that first time, an eternity ago, when he'd revealed his true intentions and...

Ava took a deep breath. Continued to lather her fur. Peter was holding something, half of a pill, a pretty hefty dose, enough to send her away for a while, to a place where nothing hurt anymore and she could escape.

The otter rolled it between two fingers, ever so casually, knowing her attention was focused on it. He did that a lot whenever the previous night had been bad or rough. Anything to make the pill seem tantalizing...like he might snatch it out of reach the instant she started begging. His free paw moved down and he stroked his cock. Was he going to get in the bath and fuck her?

"Brand new day," Peter said, remaining where he was, eyes roving over Ava's vulnerable little form, fur flattened by water, ears pinned back with fear and hopelessness, "you want the pill?"

Ava nodded without hesitation. But did she really? The horrible set of choices reared up once more, all too readily. Submit and be devoured by Peter's cruelty. Defy and very probably be murdered. She wallowed in terror for a long moment.

In front of her Peter smirked.

"Open your mouth." He ordered.

Ava did so, as wide as she could. Suspected what might be about to happen as Peter stepped closer, but all he did was place the pill delicately atop her tongue. She began to close her mouth, still wondering just what was the best path to take, but Peter shook his head. Stepped closer, still stroking his cock.

Ava shut her eyes as Peter positioned the tip of his cock between her lips and came with a satisfied sigh, ropes of hot seed hitting the back of her throat, splashing her tongue and all but filling her little mouth. She could feel the pill swimming atop a small lake of otter cum.

Peter stepped back, one last spurt landing atop Ava's muzzle, and smirked, spent cock beginning to droop.

"I want you out and in the living room in five minutes." He ordered, and exited the bathroom, leaving Ava as she was, mouth full of cum, humiliated.

Sticking out her tongue, Ava raked her teeth along it until she found the pill. Took it and held it delicately between two claws, looking at the little, cum streaked thing as she swallowed down Peter's load. It wasn't like she was about to further dirty her bathwater after all.

To swallow it or not...

She shut her eyes.

To submit was to guarantee her death, if not now then in the long term. She'd condemn herself to forever be an object of Peter's horrific affections. And he'd never let her go. She knew his face, where he lived...

To defy...

To defy meant to acknowledge that she had a chance to escape all of this, however slight it might be. To defy would be to put herself at great risk for however long it took for her to find out a way to escape...if one even existed. It was a dangerous path, no doubt about that, but not one that was guaranteed to end with her either enslaved or dead. Not if she played things right.

Ava took a deep breath and, before she could stop herself, flicked the pill back behind the bathtub. She heard it rattle down between the tub and the wall, someplace Peter would never find it. Took a deep breath and tried to reassure herself that she'd made the right choice.

With her choice made and her heart fluttering nervously in her chest, Ava rinsed herself off, dried her fur with a towel and limped to the living room, passing the front door as she did so. She could see the porch, the place where she'd come wandering in oh so long before...

She forced herself not to look at it. Continued ahead to the living room, where Peter was sat upon the couch, still in his bathrobe. She could hear the television going, the news. Something about Syria or Ukraine or...

How distant it all seemed.

Spotting her, Peter patted the couch next to him and Ava obediently sat down, stiffening as the otter put an arm around her, drawing her close.

"You're on the news." He said, and Ava blinked. Oh, right...people were looking for her. Her Cub Scouts group, her parents, the rangers...

The sight of the television transfixed her. Everything on it looked so bright and clean and perfect. The anchors were perfectly coiffed and done up, their clothes were straight and their expressions neutral and reserved.

"In local news," the first anchor, a brown bear with a pair of spectacles perched on his muzzle, said, "the search for a missing Cub Scout in the Westland National Forest continues into its second week. Eleven year old Ava Johnston of New Castle was reported missing on the third by members of her troop after hiking along the Hoffman Trail. Johnston, a black leopard..." And there was a picture of her on the screen, resplendent in her Cub Scout uniform, beaming at the camera. She'd been so excited to get it.

The rest of the broadcast seemed to tune out completely. Ava stared at the screen, trembling, but couldn't seem to make any of it come together.

Peter rubbed her shoulder with one paw, Ava hunching down in silent response, loathing his touch.

"Your parents are offering twenty thousand dollars for anyone who can find you," Peter said thoughtfully, "if I could figure out how to knock all these pesky memories out of your head I might be tempted to take them up on it. But alas..." His paw dropped from her shoulder to her chest, one finger circling an onyx nipple, making Ava tense up.

So they thought she might still be alive. Maybe. But this had to be the tail end of the search, hope was just about exhausted...and besides, if the map they were showing was correct, the search area was concentrated around the trail itself. Peter's cabin, where she thought the cabin might be, was on the very edge. The screen blinked off and Ava clenched her teeth, newly forlorn.

"Just wanted to show that to you," Peter said, setting down the remote, "before your pill kicks in."

Oh. Right. She'd almost forgotten. Peter thought she was still drugged, that was what her plan hinged upon. She'd need to pretend to be fuzzy and vague. For a moment she wondered how to go about doing that, but supposed she'd figure it out. Everything still felt sort of off, so she supposed she was still coming down from the last pill he'd given her...

That would probably help.

"Anyway," Peter continued, paw moving lower, over her chest and down to her stomach, Ava squirming but offering no resistance, "I thought today might be a privilege day."

Ava blinked.

"A privilege day is where you show me what you're worth," the otter explained, enjoying her confusion, "it's fun just taking you," his paw slipped between her legs and Ava winced, paws balling into little fists, "but I want you to participate as well. Everything you do for me will go towards privileges for you. If you want to watch television or go outside or sleep in the bed with me rather than the dog bed...all of that can be arranged. You just have to show me how much you want it."

"And if I don't?" Ava asked carefully, still rankled by how he'd teased her with the television broadcast.

The otter slid a finger into her, Ava biting back a wince of discomfort. She felt sore and bruised down there, a sparkle of pain accompanying each movement Peter's digit made inside of her.

"Then I show you what happens to bad girls." Peter said ominously. He made no move to hurt her, but Ava was suddenly all too aware of just how how much bigger and stronger he was. He could pin her down and force her to do anything he wanted. He could have his cock up her tail-hole in about ten seconds or so, no lube or anything, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop him.

That unspoken potential, the ugly weight of it, hung in the air like the sword of Damocles, ready to come down and cleave her open at an moment. Ava forced herself to nod, as though her question had simply been a casual hypothetical.

"Good," Peter said, recognizing her acquiescence, "now go ahead. Show me." He made no effort to get the ring gag or pin her down. He'd made his power known all throughout the course of her captivity, Ava knew that, now he was letting its repercussions dictate her future actions. She took a deep breath, helpless, angry tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She could slash his face with her claws. She could go to suck his cock, only to bite down...she knew she could resist, but...

What if it wasn't enough? For all she knew taking such action would only make Peter angry and ensure her demise. She needed something sure. Something that would absolutely work.

As much as she hated the thought of playing along, she needed to do just that for the time being. So Peter would relax. So he'd feel that he'd beaten her.

But what could she do? Using either of her holes was strictly out of the question, she didn't think she could bear actually taking a proactive role in fucking him, it felt too ugly to even be contemplated. Same with using her mouth. She'd already had him fuck her mouth multiple times and letting him do so again was...

Fuck. What could she do?

Slowly, she reached out her paws. Caressed the otter's thickening length, remembering to drop one paw down to his balls. He'd liked that the last time she'd done it. He continued to finger her as she moved into position next to him, adding a second finger, a move that brought fresh tears to Ava's eyes. Still, she ignored it as best she could. Glanced fearfully up at Peter as she moved, but the otter showed no signs of forcing her into a different position. No, he was still letting her make her own choices for the time being.

A bead of pre rolled down Peter's cock and she smeared it over his shaft, using it as lubrication, increasing her pace, fondling his balls, all too aware that she was trembling. A tear rolled down one cheek, cutting a track in her fur.

"I can't help but feel like we've done this whole thing before." Peter said, glancing down at her.

Ava felt a chill roll through her. Went to apologize for a moment but knew that wouldn't do anything. So Peter wasn't impressed. Shit...what could she do that didn't involve defiance or letting him fuck her holes?

Did he want something new?

Once more she was lost for an unpleasant moment, completely unsure what she could do that hadn't been done to her before. He'd fucked her pussy and ass, he'd cum in her mouth and...that was just about everything, wasn't it?

Then she realized something. One part of her hadn't been used at all. She let go of his cock and squirmed onto her back, not so accidentally forcing the otter to stop fingering her. His fingers, damp with her juices, slid free, Ava having to bite back a sigh of relief.

Peter watched her movements, curious, then smiled, gently amused, as she presented her foot-paws and moved them awkwardly into position around his length. Peter shifted so he was facing her, on his knees, giving her greater access to his twitching, pre leaking cock.

"I see," he smiled, "creative..."

Ava worked her paws over the otter's cock, lying on her back, the top of her head pressed against the arm of the couch, all too aware of just how exposed her pussy was...should Peter decide he wanted that more than what she was doing. But the otter seemed taken with what she'd done and stayed still, letting her amateur, frightened work continue.

It was difficult to maneuver her paws in such a way, and Ava could feel her legs beginning to tremble wth exertion even as pre slicked her pads, letting them glide over Peter's cock. He breathed hard, eyes half closed, bucking his hips against her foot-paws as his climax approached.

When he came he clutched hard onto her ankles and forced her foot-paws tight around his girth, humping against her pads, jets of cum landing on her inner thighs and stomach, a hot jet of otter seed drooling over her pussy and tail-hole.

Peter sank back onto the sofa, letting Ava slowly withdraw her cum streaked legs, the little leopard distinctly relieved. She'd managed to get Peter off without him penetrating her. And hopefully that had convinced him, at least a little, that she was well and truly broken.

As she relaxed, she made sure her body language was a bit slower, her eyes not quite fully open. The pill would be kicking in right about now, she decided. But behind her facade, she was alert and aware, heart pounding in her chest.

After a few minutes of recovery Peter got up and went to the kitchen, returning with a damp cloth that he used to clean his cum from Ava's fur. She let him, tensing at his touch but still not resisting. It was mostly an excuse for him to molest her further, and he continued even after he set the cloth aside, taking hold of her legs and dragging her close to him as he pressed the tip of his cock against her pussy. He wasn't quite fully hard as he pushed into her, Ava whimpering, just barely biting back a cry as he violated her again, but she could feel his length thickening as he responded to just how tight and soft and warm she was.

He wrapped his arms tight around her, his weight all but crushing her against the couch as he hilted inside of Ava, the leopard's legs forced apart, her tail twitching helplessly. It was about the only part of her that could move. She sniffled, paws still clenched into fists at her side as Peter began to thrust, taking his pleasure with deliberate, casual languidness. He nipped at the side of her neck as he did so, sharp teeth tweaking her skin through the fur, sending jitters of pain to join the greater hurt emanating from between her legs.

When he came he did so with a satisfied exhalation, thrusting into her another few times before reluctantly withdrawing, letting his load drool from Ava's abused pussy as she lay back, gasping for breath, tears shining at the corners of her eyes. Her inner thighs hurt from being forced so far apart and all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and simply lie still for a long time, until everything just went away.

But it wouldn't. She hadn't taken the pill. Everything would remain clear and vivid and present unless she simply let herself drift away. But he couldn't. Not now. Not with Peter actively making demands and clearly expecting things from her.

The otter sat back, letting out a slow breath, clearly satisfied for the moment. He swirled a finger at his drooping, cum smeared cock.

"Clean it." He ordered.

Ava hesitated for a long moment, then gritted her teeth and forced herself back upright, closing her legs only with some effort. The muscles there felt stretched and abused, like she had work twice as hard to get even a fraction of the motion she could expect from them any other time.

As much as she hated it, she knew she had to obey. For the time being. Until Peter let his guard down and gave her an opening. Then she could escape. Could kill him. Could...

She was getting ahead of herself.

Ava squeezed her eyes shut and took Peter's length into her mouth, the musky saltiness of his cum intermingled with an almost bitter tang she knew had to be herself. Peter's cock was warm in her mouth, she could feel his heartbeat going through it, blood coursing just beneath the pink skin. It was odd just how much pain and suffering such a vulnerable little thing had caused her.

She wanted to bite down but restrained herself. Did what Peter had requested and sat obediently back, still dripping cum from between her legs. Still no blood though. Still a good sign, even if she knew it would only embolden Peter in the future.

He was still testing the limits, she supposed, and wondered quietly just what they were. She hadn't wanted to fuck him, yet hadn't resisted when he'd violated her this last time. She hadn't wanted to suck him, yet had cleaned the legacy of his latest rape from his cock when he'd commanded her to.

Scraping her tongue against her teeth, trying to get the taste out of her mouth, Ava hoped she wouldn't 'privilege day' wouldn't go on for much longer.

But of course, it did.

By the end of the day Peter had used her in every hole, some more than once. She lay on the floor just short of the foot of Peter's bed, trembling, mind in disarray, cum leaking from her freshly abused tail-hole. Peter had ordered her to bend over and lift her tail and had taken her that way, after lubing both himself and her vulnerable little pucker.

The rape had been vigorous and quick, he'd gripped hard onto her shoulders, bent over her back, rutting her hole with hard thrusts that lifted her physically from the ground. The hot bloom of his cum in her rear had seemed to spread through every part of her.

Ava's tail-hole stung, a near constant pain that throbbed in concert with every other fresh outrage Peter had inflicted upon her. Even though Ava supposed she had to be sober at this point, so far removed from her last pill, she still felt almost numb, her mind elsewhere. The only real difference was that the pain felt so much more present. Her pussy ached, her tail-hole stung, and though her mouth felt less violated, if only because without he ring gag she didn't have to hold it open so wide, she still felt vaguely sick from the two loads Peter had shot down her throat.

The otter himself had gone into the next room to fetch something. When he came back, Ava glanced up at him out of the corner of one eye. Realized, without surprise, that he was holding another piece of a tablet, rolling it casually between his fingers. His cock was safely in its sheath this time, Ava noted with a hint of relief, and he had a glass of water in his other paw.

It all seemed almost positively normal compared to everything else that had happened.

"Sit up." Peter ordered.

Ava did so, reluctantly and only with the greatest of efforts. Leaned back against the foot of Peter's bed, the softness of the dog bed to her side. Next to her she could see smears of cum on the floor, still leaking from her tail-hole.

"Would you like the pill?" Peter asked.

Ava nodded tiredly and, to her surprise, the otter handed it over, without fuss or teasing or any catch at all. He set the glass on the floor in front of her. Smiled.

"You were a good girl today," he reached out to stroke a paw along the side of her face, Ava simply too drained to even contemplate flinching away, "I think tomorrow we can both take it easy. I'll let you know what to do and if you keep being a good girl then you wont have any trouble obeying."

Ava's eyes fell to the little white fragment of pill in the palm of her paw. She said nothing but Peter didn't seem to have been expecting an answer. He stepped away, said something about running a bath, and disappeared.

Ava went to put the pill in her mouth almost before she could stop herself. Hesitated, fingers just short of her lips. Remembered the conclusions she'd come to earlier, her little plan. She was so close now...too close to just throw everything away.

It cut through the despair and pain and ugliness of her situation just enough to convince her to tuck the hydrocodone away, into the lining of the dog bed, where a thread was loose and stuck out from the rest of the seam like a waving arm.

She drank the water and washed the taste of Peter's cum from her mouth as best she could. Wondered for a moment if she ought to break the glass and use a shard to slash Peter as he returned, but no...she was too weak. She could hardly stand, let alone fight.

This would have to wait until later.

Still, the fact that he'd left her alone with a drinking glass meant something. He was starting to let his guard down.

When Peter returned and shepherded her into the bathroom, where a warm bath awaited, she maintained focus on the water. Told herself that this would only last a little while longer. She'd end all of this soon.

She hoped.