Sea Lion Shores i.vi : who was broken by trained personnel

She wasn't watching his expression, focused as she was on her words, and when he came close, she flinched by instinct. God, he was gonna hurt her, they all hurt her. Maegi took a few stumbling steps back and stared at him, mismatched gaze filled with mistrust and fire.

Don't touch me, she said flatly, shaking her head. Don't. . .don't. It ruins everything, when others touch you. You can't let anyone in. But she had let plenty of people in. Maybe, though, that was the problem. Maybe that was why she couldn't escape the pain.

Peryite loves you, Maegi repeated, running her eyes over his tongueless mouth. Never forget it.