Page 68 of The Harbinger
I tensed and pulled my dampened fingers from between my legs, showing him evidence of my arousal.
Was this arousal or was this some psychological response?
“Tell me what you taste like.”
I glared daggers at him in the mirror. If only I could set him on fire with just my eyes. “No,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
His hand lashed out, and he dug his fingers into my cheeks, my teeth biting into the soft inner flesh. “That word will never cross your lips with me.”
“You don’t own me.” I wiped my fingers on my chemise. My jaw set, my chin raised in defiance. He dropped his punishing hold on my face and lashed it around my wrist, bringing my hand to my lips. I struggled against him, but it was no use.
“I own every part of you.”
His words were like a tether around my neck as he pulled me tight. The musk of my desire filled the air with the potent aroma, heightening my senses. My fingers touched my bottom lip as he strong-armed me.
“Open your mouth.”
I clenched my hand into a tight fist, rejecting his sadistic delights.
“You’ll regret denying me,milaya.”
My stomach swirled and for a moment, I second-guessed my revolt against his control. Until he’d accused me of lying about my role in Nina’s disappearance and the stint at his office today, he’d been kind, even caring. But something changed in him after my scan. Had he seen something and not told me?
A heavy weight settled against my chest. What if he knew everything about me yet said nothing?
I wrenched in his grip, pressing my lips together as I tugged my fist down with all my strength. His hand let go, and my fist shot upward, hammering my mouth.
“Ahh.” I clamped my hand over my mouth as the sharp tang of copper flooded my tongue like a virus, heightening my senses and deadening the pain for a moment.
He did that on purpose.
I hunched over, cradling my face in one hand and propping myself up on the vanity with the other. “You’re an asshole.”
His hand twitched, the smallest indication he’d heard me before he reached for me.
“Don’t touch me,” I barked, bolting away with a spin, only for my foot to slide out from under me like oil in a flaming skillet, launching me onto the hard marble. Pain erupted in my elbow and hip as I crashed down, my head smacking my forearm with a loud crack. The world spun around me, thundering in my skull as I rolled over, pressing my arm protectively against my chest.
What happened?
My feet skidded in a slimy substance as I held my arm close to my chest and stared at the ceiling.
Swords of fire plunged through my skull, searing my eyes, and Sacha’s monstrous shape loomed over me. The dazzling bathroom lights blinked and then burst like scorched parchment, replaced by menacing darkness.
Coldness seeps into my spine while the warmth of urine spreads between my legs. I’ve peed myself again, the putrid stench like a raging inferno in my nostrils.
He’s forgotten about me for days, the sun dipping beyond the window twice now. He left me strapped to the ground, my body so still that I blend into my dismal surroundings like a caged animal left to rot in its own filth.
Sometimes I welcome the warmth of my waste: it assuages the chill for a moment, and I’m almost grateful.
I freeze as footsteps draw closer, thundering off the walls like a freight train coming to claim me.
It’s the only thing I look forward to - demented as it may be - because it reminds me I’m not alone in this hellish prison. Fuego is here, offering me solace in his cruelty.
One blink and the pain rushed through me, like a dam breaking, flooding the valley below. But instead of destroyed buildings made of concrete and wood, it was my body composed of flesh and bone.
Groaning, I rolled onto my side, cradling my elbow in the darkness as tears wet my cheeks.
“It’s fascinating to watch.”