Page 25

“Do you want me to forgive you?” he finally says.

I sniffle and nod. I’m desperate for his forgiveness, acting like a pathetic puppy. “Yes. I need you to forgive me,” I breathe. I don’t recognize the simpering mess I’ve become.

“Show me you’re sorry, Layla. I want you to punish yourself.”

I stare at the half-finished painting as if it’s speaking directly to me. I contemplate hanging up. I should hang up…and call the police immediately. With today’s technology, they could find out who’s doing this. And at the very least, prove to Regina and my mother that I’m not losing my mind.

Or at least prove it to myself.

Tapping on the speakerphone and placing it down beside me, I move my hands between my legs, arching my back and moaning into the phone, dreaming of a face I’ve never seen. “Like this?” I murmur, although this hardly seems like a punishment. One hand works my pussy, and I grip my thigh with the other, digging my nails in. It doesn’t take long for my orgasm to flourish, building deep in my core.

“Say you’re a bad girl, wildling.”

“I’m a bad girl.”

“Say it again,” he demands.

“I’m a bad girl,” I scream. My body trembles, my inner thighs pulsing. A burning sensation grips my stomach while the room spins around me. After a few seconds, my breathing evens out from the most intense orgasm I’ve ever experienced. My stomach drops at the performance I just put on for him—and even more, at how much I enjoyed it. My body hums with pleasure. I haven’t had this kind of release since before I was taken.

I’m not even sure he’s still on the phone—it has gone silent.

I wrap the towel around myself, turn off my light, check all my windows and doors again, and curl up on my bed, bringing the phone with me. Not that it matters. The Archer could pick any lock. He could access anywhere he wanted. Because I’m slowly believing he only exists in my head.

“Are you still there?” I ask, my voice trembling as I pull the blankets tighter around me.

“I’m still here.” His voice is calm and soothing, nothing like the dark, dangerous tone he usually uses.

My eyes grow heavy. “Are you going to tell me who you are now?”

“You don’t need me to tell you. Say my name, wildling. You know who I am.”

The memory of him floods back, but it’s a dark and unsettling one. He’s dark, cloaked in shadows, masked, and lethal. “You’re bad for me. You’re dangerous and kill people.”

“There’s something you need to understand about me, Layla. I only kill bad people and I’ll kill you if you keep hurting people.”

Panicked, I end the call and switch off my phone, tossing it on the end of my bed. I lean over and open the window, allowing the cool ocean breeze to fill the room. As I lie back in bed, gazing out the window, I tremble. My breath catches in my throat before I reach for three pills that will knock me out for the night. Then I splay myself out like a platter. “I hope you enjoy the show,” I mutter.

If he wants to come for me…let him come. My body belongs to him, anyway. There is no point in running because at some point down in that bunker, I already gave him my soul.

Chapter 11

Iwake up eight hours later from a dead sleep. My vagina is sore…stinging and pulsing like it did the other night when I woke up with bruises on my thighs and breasts. I reach my hand down between my legs and wince at how tender it is. Every part of my skin is tingling down there and all over my body.

Raw…vulnerable. Like I’ve just had the best fuck of my life.

Brief snippets fill my mind.

I still sense his lips on my body. My heart is still pulsing from when his cock punished me…finishing me while I slept. His teeth…like soft razors as they finessed my mouth, bit my nipple, then moved to the soft skin of my inner thighs.

Everything about it was satisfying.

My heart thrums at the thought of him doing all the things I’ve dreamed of these past few months, screaming his name like he wants me to. I pull my blanket over my naked body, gazing out the window, biting my lip as I try to gather myself.

My right breast hurts, and I notice small bite marks on my tender flesh.

Teeth…

I glance around the room, catching my breath. He fucked me while I was sleeping just like I wanted him to. He was in my apartment, in my bed, his flesh touching my flesh. The scent of him still lingers on my sheets. Like a wood cabin.