Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 130048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“Finally.” Victor laughed and lowered the gun. “About damn time.”
Claustrophobia pounced.
I was stuck in a nightmare.
Trapped on a cross.
Forbidden from moving, hiding, running.
“No,” I gasped. “Let me go. Let me go!”
Ever so slowly, Henri stood.
Blood trickled faster from his nose.
The sane part of me—buried beneath drugged insanity—froze in horror.
I’m sorry.
So sorry.
I didn’t mean—
Sniffing loudly, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. With icy control and shut-down black eyes, he looked at the smear of red decorating his knuckles.
A primal, guttural noise rumbled in his chest.
He shuddered as if an earthquake tore through all his barriers, all his binds, all his perfected behaviour.
And in my mad delusions, I heard a crack.
I saw him fracture.
I witnessed a good man transform into a beast.
His chin tipped down.
His eyes grazed my lips, my nose, my cheeks.
And when they settled on mine, I no longer saw Henri Ward—the man, the cop, the saviour.
I only saw the man who would bleed me, rape me, kill me.
I broke.
Terror welled.
Tears flowed down my cheeks.
With calculated stealth, his fingers curled out and captured a single droplet. Slowly, silently, he brought it to his tongue and shuddered as he mixed my tear with the blood I’d already drawn.
Whatever cracked inside him flung its gates wide open.
Locks sprung.
Bars broke.
With a snarl, he fell on me.
His hand lashed out, wrapping around my throat. “I told you not to cry around me.” His fingers squeezed tight. “I told you not to fight me.” His tongue landed on my chin, licking his way up to my eyelashes, capturing every droplet of salt. “I told you what I truly am.”
And when his lips found my ear and dropped to a drunken whisper, he didn’t vow to keep me safe or beg me to play along with him. He merely sucked in a breath, nipped at my throat, and growled, “I told you what would happen, little nightmare. I told you what exists inside me. I told you.
“And now…I’m finally free.”