Page 130 of Fatality

His voice drops a few octaves, turning rough and dangerous.

“But we both know the truth.” His grip tightens. “I’m haunting you. Every fucking second.”

Heat floods my face with rage and disgust. The sheer audacity of him.

“You’re really full of yourself,” I snap.

I spit in his face. The saliva strikes his cheek and slowly trails down his skin.

He recoils slightly, maybe from surprise.

“Oh.”

He straightens to his full height, looming over me. His eyes seem to glow even brighter as a slow, crooked smile spreads across his face.

The sight of it sends a flicker of unease through me, making me feel small despite myself.

“So that's how you like it? Rough, huh?”

I don't get the chance to answer, his hand shoots out again and closes around my throat.

With a sharp tug, he hauls me up to his level. My feet leave the ground, kicking uselessly in the air as he slowly drags me closer to him—closer to the spit still clinging to his cheek.

“Clean it.” The order is quiet, but absolute. His rings bite into the skin of my neck. “Clean up what you did, Riven.”

He yanks me even closer.

I can still breathe. He isn't squeezing.

But that doesn't matter. I will not, even if he was squeezing the life out of me.

“No.” I choke out the word, spitting at him again in pure defiance.

This time, he doesn't even flinch. It's as if he expected it.

“Very well.”

Before I can react, he jerks me forward, forcing my face against the spit smeared across his cheek.

Humiliation burns through me.

“There.” His voice drips with satisfaction. “Now, you’re going to fucking behave, or I swear…”

He lets his words hang in the air.

“Or,” I grit my teeth as his grip tightens. “What?”

He stares at me for a second before leaning in again.

“You don’t get it, do you?” He chuckles darkly. “I'm done letting you walk away alive.”

He pulls back, a smug, satisfied smile on his lips as he studies me, searching.

This is it? I’m going to die?

Every instinct screams at me to run, but how? How am I supposed to escape this time?

I search his face, his eyes and my eyes land on his cheekbone.