Page 41 of Dark Therapy
She froze, her body trembling under me, every muscle tense with panic she couldn’t suppress. The silence between us was thick, electric, as her mind scrambled to catch up with her reality. Her lips parted, but no sound came, herfearso complete it stole her voice before it could find her throat.
And me? Idrankit in. Every trembling breath, every flicker of terror in her wide, pleading eyes. It was fuckingbeautiful. That fear, that raw, primal thing—it was mine. My mark on her, proof that she couldneverescape me.
Slowly, I leaned in closer, letting my breath ghost over her skin, hot and deliberate, sinking her deeper into the abyss of her own helplessness. My shadow swallowed her whole, dragging her into the dark where I ruled, where she didn’t stand a fuckingchance. The silence between us stretched tight, suffocating, broken only by the faint tremor of her breaths. I could almost feel her pulse slamming against the air—erratic, frantic, a song composed just for me.
I drank it in—the wildpanicin her eyes, the way she froze under the weight of my presence—and it was pureecstasy. A brutal, twisted rush surged through me as her gaze locked on mine, terror widening those honey eyes until there was nothing else.Fuckingperfection.
She gasped, her hands shooting up to push me away, a desperate, useless little attempt that only made me smile. Her strength was nothing, and sheknewit. I seized her wrists in one swift, brutal motion, slamming them above her head and holding them there like a fuckingtrophy. The hitch in her breath, the flutter of her pulse beneath my grip—it wasintoxicating. She was trembling now, wild and fragile.
My other hand slid free, the cold gleam of the blade catching the dim light as I brought it to her lips. I didn’t press hard—notyet—but just enough for her to feel it, to understand that every inch of control was mine. The steel whispered against her skin,sharp and unyielding, a silent promise of what I could do if I wanted to. And I fuckingwantedto.
“Shh,” I murmured, my voice a low, poisonous drawl, the edge of it brushing her fear like a knife through silk. “You don’t want to scream, do you, Millie? Not unless you’rebeggingme for something you can’t take back.”
Her lips parted, trembling against the blade, her breath stuttering in shallow, panicked bursts. A single tear welled in the corner of her eye, sliding down her cheek like a slow admission of defeat. I could see her mind fracturing, the terror warring with some ember of defiance that refused to burn out. But she wouldn’t fucking win. Not here. Not againstme.
“Good girl,” I whispered, and the words curled out of me like smoke, dark and possessive. I tilted the knife just enough to catch her gaze, forcing her to focus on the razor-sharp glint of metal and the promise it carried. Her eyes were wide, desperate, screaming in silence as her body betrayed her, frozen beneath me like a bird trapped beneath a cat’s claws.
Finally, she found her voice, weak and shaking but there. “What do you want from me?” she choked out, every syllablelaced with raw fear, her words barely audible over the pounding of her heart.
I laughed then, low and dark, the sound rumbling through the air like thunder before a storm. “What do Iwant? Oh, Millie,” I said, leaning in so close my lips almost brushed her ear, my voice a vicious whisper that twisted the knife already embedded in her psyche. “I want to drag you into another one of those sweet fuckingnightmares.”
Her body jerked beneath me, a futile attempt at escape, but the words had already started working their way into her mind. Confusion flickered across her face, and I could practically hear the gears grinding as she tried to piece it together. “What… what are you talking about?” she stammered, her voice cracking like glass, her gaze darting between mine in frantic disbelief.
“Thinkharder, sweetheart,” I urged, pressing the knife a fraction deeper against her lips, watching her flinch under the touch of cold steel. “Those dreams you’ve been having? The ones that make your heart race, your skin crawl, your head fuckingspin? They’re not dreams.” My voice dropped, venom dripping from every word. “They’re all very real.”
Her breath hitched, her eyes widening with the weight of my revelation. “No,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, the word trembling on her lips like a lifeline she couldn’t bear to lose. “No… that’s not possible. I… I would know.”
I leaned back just enough to let her see the truth in my eyes, the manic, unrelentinghungerthat burned there. “Would you?” I hissed. “Because, Millie, every night, you’ve been mine. And every time you wake up thinking it’s over, I’m still there. Righthere.” I tapped the knife lightly against her temple, watching as her face twisted in horror. “In your head. In your fucking dreams. In every shadow you’re too scared to look at.”
Her world was crumbling now, her mind shattering under the weight of my words. And I relished every second of it.
I leaned in, so close I could feel her shallow breaths, my voice low and jagged with menace. “You didn’t realize it, did you? Every scream, every fucking whimper you thought was locked in your head—I was there, Millie. Whispering in the dark. Guiding you. Claiming you. Those nightmares? Those were my gifts. Sweet, twisted little presents. Now tell me,Doctor, how do you separate reality illusion?”
Her eyes widened, that perfect flash of disbelief I’d been waiting for. There it was—the spark of realization, the sharp sting of horror lighting up her gaze. She shook her head, trembling, her lips parting on a shaky, breathless denial. “You’re lying…” The words came out so weak, so goddamn fragile, I almost laughed.Almost.
A smile curved my lips, sharp as a blade. “Am I?” I let the question hang there, my tone dripping with venomous amusement. “Look at you. Solost.” I brought the knife to her jawline, the cold steel kissing her skin as she flinched—a gorgeous, involuntary dance offear. I could feel her pulse beneath the blade, a frantic little drumbeat begging for mercy.
“Let me spell it out for you,” I murmured, my voice dipping into something feral, something raw. “Every night, I was there. Taking you. Molding you. Twisting your dreams into a fucking symphony of terror. And now, Millie—now we bring that symphony into your waking hours. Let’s make your nightmaresreal, sweetheart.”
Her lips trembled, a soft gasp escaping her, and I watched her crumble under the weight of the truth. “You’re insane…” she whispered, voice trembling, barely audible.
I barked out a laugh, sharp and cruel. “Really, Doctor? That’s yourdiagnosis? Fucking lazy for someone with a fancy degree, isn’t it?”
From my pocket, I pulled themask, sleek and black, its surface glinting under the dim light. Attached to it was the little bottle, dark as my intentions, its contents shifting with the slightest movement. Her reaction was fuckingperfect—her eyes widened, her pupils blown with panic. She was shaking her head before I even said a word, as if that could undo the inevitable.
“What… what is that?” she stammered, her voice breaking. Oh, thefearin her voice—it was like music, a delicious harmony that sent a thrill straight through me.
I leaned closer, the mask dangling between us like a promise. “This, my dear, sweet Millie,” I murmured, my tone dark and mocking, “is your one-way ticket to hell. And I’m the devil holding the fucking reins.”
She tried to recoil, her body pressing back against the headboard, her limbs scrambling in vain. Pathetic. Fucking adorable, but pathetic. I caught her easily, my grip steel against her fragile wrists. In one swift motion, I pinned her down, myknees framing her hips, locking her in place. The mask hovered above her face, a weapon of my own making.
“Breathe,” I whispered, my voice smooth and cruel. “Come on, sweetheart. Breathe for me.”
Her body thrashed beneath me, all wild limbs and panicked desperation, but I was stronger. So much stronger. Her fists slammed against my chest, her muffled screams breaking through the mask, but it didn’t matter. It only made it better. She was fighting, andfuck, I loved it when she fought.
“Shhh,” I cooed, the mockery dripping from my tone. “It’s useless, Millie. Just let go. Let me in. Let meownyou.”
Her struggles began to falter as the drug took hold. Each gasp she managed pulled her deeper into my grip, her body betraying her as her strength melted away. Her eyes, so wide with terror, started to glaze over, the fire dimming as the poison worked its magic.