I tremble as he prowls closer.
“Once you leave,” he growls, “there’s no coming back.”
My breath leaves my lips in a shaky exhale.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I whisper quietly.
“Is there anything you’d like to say before we begin.”
He stalks another step closer, his muscles visibly twitching and his free hand clenching repeatedly, like he can barely hold himself back from jumping me.
“Any particularword.”
My throat works as my pulse quickens.
“I’m not going to hold back, little prey,” he murmurs, the edge in his tone making the muscles at the nape of my neck tighten and clench.
“I’m not going to go easy on you. Iwill notbe gentle.”
My breath rasps over my dry tongue, my eyes locked on his ghostlyScreammask as he slowly advances, until he's looming right over me.
The fact that I can’t see his face or even his eyes chills me more than I thought it might. But his scent grounds me and gives me a sense of familiarity.
I mean, notmuch, but enough that I don’t turn and run, screaming “thunderthunderthunder” at the top of my lungs.
His gloved hand reaches up as if to cup my jaw. But he pauses when his hand is hovering right over my skin, his forearm flexing, making his dragon tattoo there ripple.
“Will you stop if I tell you to?”
He slowly shakes his head. “Not unless you say that safe word.”
Heat sparks inside me.
“Will you hurt me?” I whisper.
“Maybe.”
God…
“W-when do we start?” I croak.
“Now.”
The words pour over me like ice water.
“I’ll begin chasing you when I get to zero.”
My brow furrows. “What?—”
“Ten.”
Holy shit.
“Achilles—”
“Nine.”
