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Marcus rose to his feet, and I desperately looked around, seeking anything to use to get free, any sign of weakness in the chains. His knife clicked as he folded it closed and the sound of his footsteps were the only thing I could hear as he paced around behind me. My body quivered, and my mind cycled through the possibilities of what I knew he was capable of.
He stopped behind me, and his hands glided up my back, over to the front of my shoulders. As his hands slid up over my neck, I felt the urge to pull away from him, but I fought it. I knew that if I moved too suddenly, he may retaliate. Maybe I could wait until he got close enough and catch him off guard. I leveled my breathing, waiting patiently for an opportunity when his guard might fall.
One of his hands closed around my neck, anchoring me in place, while his other crept over my face. I closed my eyes, turning my head to try to escape his grasp as his fingertips brushed the cut on my lip before covering my eyes. He yanked me back against him as he lowered his face beside mine.
His whisper poured into my ear. “Let’s see that pretty little mind shatter.”
Blinding light consumed me, and it felt as if something were clawing its way into my head. My cries echoed off the walls as pain shot out to every corner of my mind, like needles prickling every inch of my body, tearing into the depth of my existence. My body bucked, fighting to pull away of its own volition, but he held me firmly in place.
Time became an intangible thing, and it felt like forever before he released me. I collapsed forward against the chains, suspended just above the concrete, panting. Saliva dripped from my lips as my stomach turned, leaving me on the edge of throwing up. My body shook and pain rippled through my chest as my heart hammered against my ribcage.
His fingers tangled in my hair, yanking my head back to him. “Who said you could leave? I’m not done with you yet.”
“Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing against him.
His head dipped back, a sickening ecstasy painting his words. “Yes, that’s what I was waiting for. I wanna hear you beg me.”
He released me and the chains tightened, hoisting me up until my toes could barely reached the ground. I grunted, my shoulders threatening to pop out of their sockets under my weight. He strolled around to my side, and my eyes followed him, unable to do anything as I hung from the ceiling now.
His hand grasped the sleeve of my sweater, ripping the fabric to expose my arm. He grabbed my wrist pulling it back and I heard his knife click open before the sharp pain of his blade burned my skin, cutting me down the length of my forearm. I cried out, fighting to pull away from him. His tongue trailed up my arm, catching the blood that dripped down. The sound that left his lips as he swallowed disgusted me, fueling my need to fight.
I jerked my face to Cole, tears flooding my eyes in my panic. “Please! Stop this! I’ve done nothing to you!”
Cole stared flatly back at me as I fought against the chains, his eyes remaining firm on me as he watched.
“I can hear your heart pounding, little songbird. Let’s see how hard we can get it working before we have to bring you back down.”
The shock was beginning to overwhelm me now, and I didn’t know how much more I could take. “What do you want with me?”
“Oh, it’s not you I want.” His free hand grabbed my shoulder, steadying me, and his knife scored the skin over my collarbone. I whimpered, clenching my teeth to try to hide it, my body tensing as it tried to flee. “I want to see the look on Damien’s face when he sees what I’ve done to you.”
His free hand grabbed my shoulder, holding me in place as he continued. I began to feel faint, my breathing erratic, the chains biting into my hands as I gripped them tightly, fighting back the pain. My chest throbbed and I tried to breathe through it. The familiar stabbing sensation penetrated my ribs, my heart ready to burst, and I winced.
Marcus signed. “This is your limit then.” Disappointment washed over his face as he turned. “Cole, our little songbird is getting a little too excited.” Marcus stepped back, wiping the blade of his knife on his pants. “We’ll stop here for now and pick it back up in a few hours.”
His words alerted me, and I jerked back away from him. My feet kicked, my toes uselessly grazing the floor as the chains prevented any further retreat. Cole rose from his chair, approaching me. He extended his hand to me, and I froze as his fingertips touched my jugular.
I shut my eyes, fearing what he was going to do to. The moment his fingertips brushed my skin, it was as if I could feel my pulse where he touched, hear my own blood pumping through my veins. An odd sinking sensation overcame me, as if the blood was pooling at my feet, and I slumped before I lost any sense of what was happening.
15
Fight him.
My own voice echoed in the darkness of my mind, bitter and venomous. Only… I hadn’t thought it.
I didn’t respond, couldn’t respond, as if I were a captive audience. I wasn’t alone now. It was like someone sat with me in the privacy of my own thoughts, their hands sliding over my shoulders as they leaned against my back, whispering into my ear.
A long silence resounded, my body floating in the emptiness. I couldn’t turn to whoever spoke, could do nothing but stare forward into the inky, endless void.
He’ll return.
As if I were looking in a mirror, a reflection of myself rippled into view, like smoke rising from embers. It formed before me, becoming corporeal, but something was wrong with me, there was a darkness that touched at my features. My skin palish, dark veins stretching out from my eyes, up my neck. My own face leaned in toward me.
When he does, bite back.
Cold water splashed over me, and I gasped awake, icy water biting my skin.
How many times had he woken me like this now? How many times had he invaded my mind? In the darkness of my unknown periods of sleep, I had no way of keeping track of how much time passed. How many days had it been?
