I scanned the sidewalk, hoping campus security would swing by. Brian could be moody, especially with the help of his friend Bud Light, and I fervently prayed another student or professor appeared out of the dark.
“Come on, Phoebe,” he pleaded, clutching my upper arms and narrowing his gaze. “Give me one more chance. I swear I’ll make you happy. I’ll take you to the Halloween masquerade. I know you enjoy all that artsy-fartsy stuff. You’ll have a great time, and I promise not to drink.” He gave a rueful smile and crossed his heart with a finger. “Swear to God. I’m a mess without you.”
Good-guy Brian appeared only when he wanted to manipulate me into something. A year ago, I might’ve fallen for the empty promise, but not anymore.Will he ever get the hint?No matter how many times in the past he’d sworn to do better, he always broke the vow.
“No.” I shook my head and tried to discreetly pry his fingers from my skin. A spike of anger slid through my veins. “We’re never going to date again. Get it through your head.”
He narrowed his eyes, then he fisted the front of my blouse and jerked me into his chest. “You get this throughyourhead.” The words growled in the quiet night. “We’ll never be done. You don’t get to walk away.”
“Stop it.” I beat my fists against his pecs and struggled to break free, but his grip was iron.
Grabbing both of my wrists in his large hands, he bent forward and crushed his mouth to mine, forcing his tongue between my lips.
Gagging, I slammed a knee against his crotch and twisted, trying to get free, but he held tight, only giving a slight grunt.
He bit my bottom lip and snarled, letting go of one of my wrists to yank my ponytail, tearing some hair from the roots, the pain so enormous I changed the slap I’d directed to his face to reach up to my hair to scrabble at his punishing hold.
“Wanna play rough, Phebes? I’m down for it.”
The metallic taste of blood welled on my tongue. Tears swam in my eyes. The taste of stale beer and cigarettes swirled in my mouth. I managed to scream, but with his lips locked on mine, only a garbled cry, barely louder than a whisper, escaped.
Hate and loathing for Brian rose inside me, and a pressure tingled through my limbs, urging me to strike out. The sensation, strange yet familiar, clawed its way from deep in the marrow of my bones, like a rising tide.
As I latched on to the sensation and imagined myself blasting Brian thirty feet across the parking lot, the horrible pressure of his lips disappeared, and I stumbled from the sudden lack of resistance.
“What the hell?” I stood under the streetlight, alone and free, one hand still in the air from where he’d held it. I lurched forward a couple of steps then stopped, the path to my car clear. A quick sweep of the area showed no one in sight.How could he have disappeared?One minute, Brian had held me against my will; the next minute, he’d disappeared. A shiver of fear shot through me.
Maybe Ididget a concussion yesterday, and something’s wrong with my brain.
Wasting no more time, in case my mind conjured up purple hyenas or talking dogs falling from the sky, I fumbled the keys from a pocket in my backpack with shaking hands.
“Are you okay?” asked a smooth voice from my right, his low tone carrying a hint of an accent.
I let out a small scream and jumped, my heart pounding, lips throbbing, scalp tingling.
A large, dark figure at my side held Brian by the throat with one hand, but the bigger man’s attention lasered on to me. “Are you hurt?” His words were urgent, worried.
“No.” I ran a hand across my mouth, wincing at the sting. “I mean yeah, but I-I’m okay.” Realizing this guy must be my rescuer, my shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you.”
Brian’s fingers grasped at his captor’s hand. “Wait,” he croaked out.
My savior squeezed Brian’s throat tighter, and his feet, two inches from the ground, kicked outward.
A small, shameful part of me felt vicious glee watching Brian getting his ass handed to him.
I turned my gaze to the mystery man at my side. A hooded jacket covered his head and chest, casting most of his face in shadow. But an intricate tattoo peeked out, curving around the outside of his left eye.
Cain. The hot guy from earlier. The thief.I couldn’t decide if I was happy or angry—maybe both.
His electric-blue eyes peered into mine then moved to my lips, still aching from Brian’s bruising kiss.
With the tip of my tongue, I swept it across the skin, hoping Brian’s teeth hadn’t cut too deeply.
Cain’s stare followed my movement, and his irises darkened from silver-blue to a stormy cobalt ocean.
The weight of his attention on my skin caused a rush of blood to pool in my cheeks. Even though I still had no idea who he was, his momentary rescue grounded me. His petty thievery seemed small in comparison.
Cain’s attention twisted to Brian, but he kept his face hidden in the shadow of his hood. “You will die this night.” His black-gloved hands began to crush Brian’s throat.
