Page 41 of Vicious Kingdom

The truth of it hit like a physical blow.

Demons preyed on children whose fathers were weak.

It was a proven fact.

“I need to get some air,” I insisted.

“Will you come back?” He cocked his head, studying me. “Or are you going to run into the arms of yourboyfriend?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have one.”

“That’s not what your mother was insinuating.” His touch dug into my flesh.

“I am single. I broke it off with the techy the other night,” I explained. While I didn’t owe this fiend a reason, it seemed to be what he needed to hear. “Mom doesn’t know it yet.”

His touch slid up and down my waist. “Good—so good. You knew what would happen to him if you persisted in this madness.”

Did I? The Tormentor never touched one of my boyfriends. Not that I’d dated anyone in public. But that look in his eye told me he was capable of destruction.

“I cut him loose,” I insisted.

I didn’t think the Tormentor was capable of harming another human. He was always focused on me, driven by his delusions.

“Alright, Pookie Bear, go find your air.” His touch lightened.

I broke free, sprinting away.

Every gathering.

It was always the same. Heinfectedany chance of fun and happiness.

The Tormentor was good. He always pretended at indifference whenever society was watching, played the part of the disinterested businessman. But the moment he caught me alone, when he had me cornered like a cat with a mouse…fuck him. If ever there was a creature deserving of death, of a slow and miserable end, it was the man who’d plagued my life like a disease I couldn’t shake. I didn’t care if society, and my owndamn family, adored him. The world would be a better place without his insidious games. His lies. His cruelty.

I moved with a frantic desperation, stumbling through the Symphony Center, heels clacking relentlessly on the floor. The pain from my bummed foot was momentarily dulled by the rush of adrenaline. I ducked behind a group of waitstaff and slipped out the side entrance to the manicured gardens, pushing into the humid summer night with a gasp of relief.

The attempt to draw in deep breaths, struggling to fill my panicked lungs, failed. The night air was thick, wrapping around me like a damp cloak, but the calm I craved failed to sate the chaos in my bones. I was still too close. I could still feel his touch like a ghost on my skin. Would he come after me again? Would he follow me into the night? With each passing second, I expected him to appear, his voice oozing through the shadows like the demon he was.

Reason vanished.

If I was thinking straight, I would have gone for a cab. But the need to hide away, to find somewhere safe, drove me into the dark.

I glanced around wildly, looking for a place to hide. His hold might never completely disappear, but at least out here I stood a chance. I could run and run until my lungs collapsed. Until the world swallowed me whole. Until there was nothing left to chase.

I had to keep moving, had to put distance between us, knowing he could appear at any moment, and no one would stop him. Fear overwhelmed every thought.

I dashed through the maze of sculpted hedges, terrified he would follow.

I thought I was alone.

Until I wasn’t.

“Funny seeing you out here,” a voice called from the end of the hedge row.

Oh, lord! I couldn’t deal with the businessman right now.

I stepped between the shrubs, wishing I could just vanish for a little while. There was little strength in my bones to deal with the CEO.

Leo stalked after me. “Annaliese! Wait.”