Page 15 of Marked By Him

Eve

My stomach crampedat the sight of the food. I’d never been so hungry in my life. I should’ve eaten instead of wasting time wondering how to survive. Survival was right in front of me. Now, I was going to starve to death by trying to prove a point.

My father always said I was stubborn like my mother. I’d rolled my eyes and argued. He’d laugh. Mom did, too.

Tears filled my eyes at the knowledge I’d never hear that laughter again.

“Tell me your name.” The man’s deep voice broke through the silence.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I looked up at him. I studied him. His blue eyes darkened again, the way they had earlier. That stare made me feel stripped bare. It held the kind of power that could make people do whatever he wanted them to, from a single look.

I’d been bred to fight. I’d been taught to never quit.

I should have fought to keep my thoughts my own, to keep my secrets locked away. But I had no idea where I was or how far away from home I’d run. Even if I did know, there was no guarantee I’d make it back through the forest alive. There were bears in the woods. There were wolves. There were enemies outside these walls who were far worse than this man. Maybe if I gained his trust, he’d send someone with me through the woods. Someone would help me find my way back alive.

Back to where?

There was nowhere to go. There was only here. Only him.

So, I broke.

“Eve.”

It was just a name, but something changed the moment I said it.

He set the plate on the floor, then stood. His jaw tensed, as though he were clenching his teeth again. I’d known him less than a day and I was already picking up on his habits.

His body towered over mine as he leaned down, stopping an inch from my face, so close that his nose swept against mine. His hands gripped the arms of my chair. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and he bared his teeth like an animal uncaged. Intimidating and ferocious.

“Eve,” he repeated, and then barked a laugh.

Every wave of energy in the room was filled with possessiveness, rugged and raw and so damn palpable my body vibrated with it.

He was too close, too strong, too intense.

I’d never felt so powerless yet so willing to let someone else overpower me at the same time. My heartbeat thrummed in my veins, hot and fierce. I curled my toes against the concrete floor as if that would help me stand my ground and find my strength. The image of him inching closer, sealing the space between my mouth and his, flashed through my mind.

What the hell is wrong with me?

There was a pregnant pause, a beat of a moment when I wasn’t sure I was safe. Instinct told me he was not a gentle man. There was too much bleakness in his eyes. They were too haunted. And power pulsed from his pores. He wielded authority like a sword.

I pleaded to him with my eyes.Say something.

He moved away, then pulled the knife from his pocket and panic coursed through me. And then quickly disappeared when he knelt and cut the ties around my ankles.

He looked up at me, his blue eyes etched with pain. Like somehow, he already believed he’d just made a mistake.

And maybe he had.

Maybe we both had.

I should’ve kept running. I never should have stopped at that gate.

“Come on, Eve. I’m taking you upstairs.”

I froze.

I was free, but unable to move. Funny how quickly the world changed. An hour ago, I wished for freedom. Now I wanted him to strap me back to the chair. I knew this chair. I’d memorized the basement. I had no idea what was waiting for me upstairs.Whowas waiting for me upstairs.

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