I gasp for air while clawing at his wrist. This isn’t Dominic. My vision blackens, but he doesn’t let up on my throat. Panic sets in. Through my struggle, my pussy begs to be filled. To be fucked hard. It’s a heady concoction of messed up.
The monster lifts his head and cocks it, studying me closely before he shifts off me and tosses me to the floor in a move far too quick to catch with the human eye. I crash into the bookshelf, knocking the wind from my lungs. Pain sears through my body, and I struggle to breathe as he climbs off the bed and cracks his neck.
He flexes his hands at his sides and crouches before me, his fingers coming away slick with blood when he strokes my hair away from my tender forehead. I whimper, cradling my injured midriff. The intense ache makes it difficult to focus on him ashe grips my chin. His eyes are hard and cold and nothing like Dominic’s.
Fueled by rage, I spit at him. “Give me Dominic back, you fucking coward!”
He swipes the saliva away and drags his wet fingers down my face, over the swell of my lips. “You love him.”
I bare my teeth like a savage, grimacing in pain. Every inhale is a struggle. I wince as I lean back against the bookshelf, coughs hacking through my chest. I should have known it was only a matter of time before the demon would go after Dominic or my mom. I gaze at him as the seconds tick by, my ribs on fire. “What do you want? Why don’t you just kill me?”
“Kill you,” he drawls, the sound trailing over my skin like a succulent promise. He cups my chin and swipes his thumb over my bottom lip before leaning in to nuzzle the side of my face like a lover. He hums softly, his hand sliding to the back of my neck as he brings his lips to my ear. “I want to taste you.”
My breath lodges in my throat. With his black eyes locked on mine, his grip tightens on the back of my neck. “Let me in.”
It’s hard to stare into those dark pits without being consumed by dread. He embodies terror. It’s in his touch.
“Dominic,” I choke out as tears fill my eyes. “I know you’re in there. You have to fight.”
The monster laughs, dropping me as he rises to his feet. Exhaustion washes over me as I slump back, and he brings his hand inches away from my face. I stare at his devastating face before my eyes drop to his fingers.
Fingers I’ve felt inside me.
“Have you ever known the meaning of true pain? It doesn’t take much to drive a human to suicide.” With a clench of his big hand, my head explodes in agony. I clutch my skull as a hoarse scream shreds my lungs.
Just as fast, he relaxes his fist. The pain ends, but my skull continues to throb. He steps forward to trail his fingers through my matted, sweaty hair. “You’re the most exquisite thing I’ve seen in centuries.”
I slap his hand away, but he pulls my hair hard enough to make me cry out, then lifts me off the ground, forcing me to my knees. “Such foreplay.” As he fists his free hand, a scream ripples through me. My head feels like it’s being cleaved in two. His knuckles turn white as I thrash in his grip. Seconds pass, maybe even minutes.
When he finally opens his palm, the pain recedes like a wave washing back out to sea, and I collapse to the floor, sobbing.
He crouches down and grabs my chin. “Let’s try it again, shall we.”
I recoil when he leans close to my ear, but it only makes him tighten his grip on my chin. His stubble brushes up against the side of my face, and his tongue darts out for a taste. He whispers against my damp skin, “Let me in.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, sensing a probing at my skull, an odd sensation that can’t be explained. It’s instinctual to push back.
An inhuman growl reverberates through his chest seconds before he throws me across the room again. But this time, as I roll across the floor, I launch to my feet and run for the door.
I stumble into the hallway and crash against the opposite wall, pain ricocheting through my shoulder, but there’s no time to succumb. I hobble down the hall, swiping at the blood on my face. A glance behind me is all it takes to break into a run. The monster is striding down the hall with murder in his black eyes.
When I reach the stairs, I almost lose my balance and go flying. It’s only by some miracle that I make it to the bottom floor in one piece.
I’m limping toward the front door, a sob rattling my chest when I hear him roar my name in a distorted voice at the topof the steps. I reach for the handle, only to realize the door is locked. I turn the lock, but it still won’t open. It doesn’t matter how much I yank or pull. It won’t budge.
Panic seizes me in its merciless grip. I’m frozen, staring at the closed door, when I hear him behind me.
“I can smell your fear in the air, human.”
Think, Camryn. Fucking think.
Movement in my periphery catches my attention, and I look in time to see the mystery man with the axe enter the kitchen.
“I can smell how scared you are. And how aroused your little cunt is.”
I dash for the kitchen, darting inside and shutting the door just as he slams into it on the other side.
“Fuck!” With all my strength, I shove it back, but my feet slide out from beneath me when he pushes down on the handle and bears his weight against it.
