Chapter 2 #3
Then, he grabbed me by the throat with undeniable, consuming hunger, and slammed his mouth against mine in a kiss that devoured every shred of trauma I ever had.
I’d never been kissed like that. It was devastating. And with every stroke of his tongue, he took my heart with it.
What happened in that backseat burned itself into my very soul forever.
His hands moved over me with perfect dominance and startling tenderness in equal measure—claiming, worshipping, and knowing exactly what my abused body needed.
I never said no, I didn’t want to. I felt safe under him.
We were two feathers on the same storm-driven wing, souls knotting together with every deep, rhythmic thrust. The rain hammered against the windows like an applause, while inside, he unravelled me completely.
Even now, lying here broken, I can still feel the ghost of his touch searing across my skin.
“I’m going to marry you one day, Blaire. I knew it from the very first night you were brought to me, and I looked into your eyes,” he murmured against my ear, his voice rough with something that sounded dangerously close to devotion.
“And when I do, there will be no place left in this world where you can go that isn’t back to me.”
“I’m here, and I’m already yours,” I breathed back, completely lost in him as he entered me.
With tears streaming down my temples, mingling with the rain, I roll onto my back, reaching toward the darkening sky, like I’m reaching for the old him, and the beautiful memories we hold.
My lungs seize through the heaviness pressing down on me while, in my mind, our small wedding plays out in a hazy, lost dream.
“I vow to never leave you,” he says, his voice steady and worshipful, carrying a weight I believed. “And I’ll never let my hand be the one to break you.”
With a sharp, desperate gasp, I’m yanked back into cruel reality once again—my lungs seizing as they flood with a huge gulp of air, the sound loud and ugly.
Don’t you dare go back. Get up, Blaire. Get up and fucking run.
My own voice scrapes through the fog in my head, harsh and insistent, looping louder with every repetition.
Get up. Get up. Get. The. Fuck. UP!
I lie there, muscles trembling, exhaustion pressing me into the floor like gravity itself is against me. But the command doesn’t stop, so with gritted teeth, I shove my palms against the dirt, and push myself upright on shaking arms.
My legs nearly buckle as I stumble forward, crashing through the underbrush, branches whipping at my face and arms, leaving stinging cuts I barely feel.
The woods are a blur of shadow and rain-slicked trunks. I run, half sprint, half stagger, every snap of a twig behind me sending fresh panic spiking through my veins.
◆◆◆
As the trees finally thin, spitting me out into a wide clearing of the local country park, dim yellow lights glow along a winding path, haloed by mist.
I wait, rain pattering steadily on the leaves overhead. I scan the area until my eyes lock on a lone figure standing by a bench under one of the lights.
An umbrella tilts slightly in their hand, shielding them from the downpour, and I start approaching them cautiously, every step unsteady.
The figure turns as I get closer, and luckily, it’s a woman, roughly in her mid-thirties, maybe. She has kind eyes that widen in shock at the sight of me—wild-haired, bloodied, and trembling.
“Can you help?” My voice cracks, barely above a whisper. “Do you have a car? I need to get out of here. Please.”
She lowers the umbrella slightly as she steps forward with instinctive empathy.
“Oh my God, honey… what happened to you? Are you hurt?”
Her gaze darts all over me, softening with concern.
“My boyfriend’s picking me up any minute, and you can ride with us, okay? We’ll get you somewhere safe. Or—or do you want me to call the police right now?”
“No,” I say quickly, too quickly. Police would only make it so much worse. Law is far too superior, they will never believe me, and I don’t even know if he’s dead already. “No police. Just… a ride. Please.”
She nods, already pulling out her phone to text.
I glance back over my shoulder, eyes sweeping the dark tree line, searching the shifting shadows for any sign of Law, yet there’s nothing but heavy rain and silence.
I’m too exposed out here.
I suddenly hear a swift metallic shing, followed by a wet, gurgling croak.
Warmth sprays across my cheek and neck in an arc, and my head whips back around. The woman’s eyes are huge and locked on mine in frozen terror.
Her hand flies to her throat, but it’s too late. A deep, vicious gash yawns open beneath her fingers, and blood pours between them in rhythmic pulses.
She sways, mouth opening and closing soundlessly, then crumples to the wet pavement with a sickening thud.
I stagger back, a scream dying in my throat.
Then something sharp jabs into the side of my neck from behind.
Fire floods my veins fast and my knees give out instantly, the world tilting sideways as strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.
As darkness rushes in, swallowing the horror, a low, familiar male voice murmurs against my ear.
“Welcome back, flower.”