Chapter 15 #2
Tears sprang to her eyes as she processed the enormity of her emotions.
Rather than resisting, she’d relinquished, not from fear, but because the idea of surrendering had driven her crazy.
Whatever the genesis of her strange sexual awakening, there was no denying her excitement.
She’d wanted him to control her, to claim her and, once they were both replete, to coddle her.
What the hell had happened to the science postgrad who’d moved in with Tina and Melanie?
Blowing out a breath, she rubbed at her eyes.
She had to stop thinking between her legs and start using her brain again.
Whatever was going on had clouded her logic, just like the coffee shop had fogged in her dream.
The moment he returned, she sensed he’d seamlessly be able to regulate her once more.
She had to come up with a plan before then.
The good news was that he hadn’t bound her that time around, and she could move her hands and ankles freely.
Sitting up, she swung her feet from the bed and glanced at her surroundings.
Having Kronos around had meant she hadn’t been able to explore, but tugging the blanket around her, she finally had the place to herself. Not that there was much to explore.
The small, white space was mainly characterized by its clean and bright appearance and the peculiar glowing wall that thrummed from every direction.
Rising to her feet, she wandered toward it, pressing her palm against its warmth.
As the odd heat diffused over her skin, a flashback of the time Kronos had pushed the side of her face alongside it while screwing her burst into her mind’s eye.
It had been so good yielding to him that way that in the frenzy of that moment, she’d hoped he’d never stop.
She shouldn’t have invited his advances at all, let alone be revisiting the memories, but closing her eyes, it was all too easy to recall the guttural whimpers she’d made when his hard body had enveloped hers right there beside the mirror.
‘You loved it, little one.’
Kronos’ voice echoed around the room, and she turned with a gasp, half expecting to find the Goliath waiting behind her with a smirk. She was disconcerted to discover there was no one there, so she couldn’t have heard his dulcet tone at all.
“I’m losing my mind,” she whispered, gripping the blanket harder. “A few hours here as his prisoner and I’m literally hearing voices.”
The hallucination could have been another side effect of whatever he’d given her to get her there, but she was struggling to think of a drug that would have been so effective for so long.
She didn’t have a grasp of the time since she’d arrived, but given everything she’d gone through, it made sense that some hours had passed.
Possibly even a day. She recalled reading about a type of barbiturate that could stay in the system for days and potentially cause delirium, but not only was the side effect rare in its use, but Kris didn’t feel delirious.
Standing there, running her fingers over the glowing heat, she felt anything but fevered.
Even though she was a prisoner, she was also rested, repleted, hydrated, and well-fed.
She was also struck by that same creepy calmness she’d experienced when she’d first stirred.
But if she was so clear-headed, the question lingered; how had she witnessed Kronos do so many impossible things?
‘Too many questions, Kristina.’
She looked around when the voice came again, sensing that veil of calm splinter. It was one thing to be disturbed by his presence and the things he did, but quite another to hear his voice when he wasn’t even there.
Shock. She heaved in a breath as she stumbled for the chair. I’m just in shock, and settling on the seat, she accepted she had good reasons to be.
In the last couple of days, she’d been rejected by her most recent crush, acquired a new stalker who’d turned out to be the muscle-clad giant who was keeping her there, attacked on the streets by three unknown thugs, and then kidnapped by Kronos.
No wonder her senses were reeling.
“Keep it together,” she mumbled, gripping the edge of the chair. “I’ve got to find a way out.”
She glanced around, as though a new exit had been torn into the strange white wall since she’d been sitting down. Inevitably, though, she found she had no such luck. The glowing wall was still an unbroken seal surrounding her.
“There has to be a way out,” she decided, planting her feet on the floor before she rose to her full height again.
And voice or no voice, she had to look for one.
She couldn’t stay in a room with no way out. What if she ran out of air? What if he never came back for her?
“Stop it,” she chided herself. “Of course he’ll come back.”
Ironically, that in itself was another reason for concern. Her antagonist would return, and when he did, he’d make all attempts for her escape impossible. She had to calm down and make the most of the time she had, even if she was spiraling and hearing his voice in her head.
Staggering toward the wall, she reached out her hand again and skimmed her fingers over the humid glow. Her logical mind still couldn’t discern what the structure was made from, but brushing her digits along it, what mattered was discovering a door or a window; some way to get her out of there.
She followed the curve of the room until she found the bed again, pushing down her panic as she climbed onto its soft mattress to continue her exploration. By the time she’d clambered back to the floor, she’d completed a circuit and had found no indication of any way in or out.
Turning to lean against the wall, she let out a frustrated cry. How could she be trapped in a room with no exits?
Glancing around, her head ached. It was almost as though the room was getting smaller around her, as if the white glow was closing in, hellbent on her suffocation.
Similarly, her throat felt constricted, the opportunity for air waning with the restriction.
She knew there was enough oxygen in the room, and that her breathlessness was only due to alarm, but somehow, that did little to console her.
Gasping for breath, she slid to the floor. She had to slow her respiration. Everything would be okay. She wasn’t sure how, but pulling herself into a ball, she had to believe that it would be.
Kronos would come back and let her out of the tiny white cage. She would survive his onslaught, and when the right opportunity presented itself, she would find a way out.
Closing her eyes, she tugged her knees closer and hugged herself.
Maybe she was going mad.
“Little one.”
Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, its volume convincing her that it was real that time. Craning her head to meet his concerned gaze, she caught her breath. Unless he was the most tangible hallucination yet, Kronos was back, and he was standing right beside her.