Page 2 of A King So Savage
What a strange dream this is…
“Keep your fucking eyes to yourself, Oliver.”
The warning emanated from beneath Ava’s head and, puzzled, she turned toward it. Was it wrong to thinkthatvoice represented something resembling safety? It didn’t sound like it belonged to a man who cared about anyone’s safety, much less her own.
The blood vessels in her head thumped in agreement.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
Greedy lust was apparent in every syllable when the other man replied with an ugly laugh, “Come on, King. I’m just saying the girl’s got a fine ass. Tell you the truth, my cock loved every second of her squirming before the tranquilizer took effect.”
“Motherfucker. If you touched her while she was unconscious, I’ll slice your throat myself. Brother or not.”
Thatvoice… that one sent chills through Ava, even as she inexplicably gravitated to its owner. Smooth cruelty lurked in its depths, swirling just below the calm surface. It reminded her of a fierce rainstorm on a dusty summer day, tiny droplets of water lashing and stinging until everything was washed clean again. The low rumble of it was familiar and frightening. Soothing yet terrifying.
Ava shifted her body, swimming toward a tiny sliver of light far above her. Something was verywrong. The ocean surrounded her. Deep. Inky black. Suffocating. A storm raged until the water weighed her arms down. She couldn’t move them… couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded in time with the blood in her head.
“Open your eyes, Ava…” The sing-song nature of the command was contradicted by the man’s steely tone.
Ava slowly blinked. Her face was crushed into someone’s chest, the crisp fabric of a man’s tailored suit silky against her cheek. She caught the sharp spiciness of cologne. Fresh like the sea air. Alluring but tinged with notes of peril.
A summer storm come to life.
Beware the storms at sea...
Ava’s eyes popped open then screwed shut again. The dim light burned her pupils. She knew in that moment she was not dreaming. This was terrifyingly real.
“There you are,” the man crooned, his voice a mix of silk and darkness. Muscled arms tightened around her. Strong and unyielding. Holding her captive. “Come on, now. Open your eyes for me.”
Ava let out a distressed moan. She was incapable of following that command for longer than a few seconds, and that was scary. Her headache swelled, banging with sharp thumps behind her eyes and into her brain. It hurt so bad.
She wiggled in a futile experiment at escaping the arms holding her so tight. But struggling was impossible. Terror built, gathering strength and forming as a scream in the back of her throat.
When she opened her mouth, nothing poured out. Just a silent cry she could hear only in her own head.
“Paulie. A glass of water for Miss Blue,” the man holding her snapped. “Now.”
There was rustling and lowered voices, but Ava could not make sense of their words. She was so foggy, her brain firing off bits of information too overwhelming to comprehend. A metallic taste permeated her mouth, leaving it dry as cotton. Heaviness weighed her down like a ton of bricks heaped upon her chest.
How had she ended up here?
Am I awake?
Ava took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. Her head thumped with the effort.
The last thing she remembered was stepping into the elevator. The hotel located in Savannah’s historic district served as a temporary home until her new apartment was ready. It seemed safe enough with its mix of tourists and business people.
When she smiled shyly at the handsome man already on the lift, he grinned in return before asking her, “Which floor?”
“Four,” Ava had replied.
The man leaned forward, stabbed the appropriate button with a manicured finger, and…
Blank.
It was all a blank. What happened next? Brow crinkling, Ava trembled in delayed reaction as the cobwebs began clearing. She opened her eyes, blinked again, then shut them tight once more.
“Let’s sit you up,” the owner of that beautiful voice murmured.