Puffs of his breath blow hot against my skin, while rough fingers trace across my cheek. My body quivers against his unwanted touch that tucks my hair behind my ear.
I try to pull away, but the world rips out from under me. His hand clamps around my arm, cold enough to bite through my jacket, rough enough to bruise. I scream, the sound tearing raw from my throat as I’m yanked away, ripped from Scott’s side like I weigh nothing. My fingernails scrape at the floorboards, scrabbling for anything to hold, but splinters only tear into my skin as he drags me away and up into his arms.
“No! Let me go! Sco—tt!” My voice cracks.
He hauls me across the rotten floor, intent on leaving the cabin. I dig in my heels, dropping my weight to try and throw him off balance, but it doesn’t work. My weight is no match for his strength. He continues toward the front door unperturbed.
If he gets me out of here, away from Scott… The horrors of what could happen crash into me.
I fling every part of my body in a different direction, hoping something loosens his grip. My head doesn’t connect with his nose. My boots don’t quite reach his shins. My arms are still pinned tight to my sides as he drags me away like a prize.
It’s no use.
My frustration boils over. Tears spring from my lids in rapid succession, tracking down my wind-chafed cheeks. A never-ending scream burns through my throat until it dies on my tongue like a forgotten promise.
My heel finally connects with something hard, earning me a grunt of annoyance from my captor.
“Stop testing me, Ava. If you want, I can kill him now. Then you’ll have no reason to stay behind.”
His threat slithers cold across my skin, stilling me in his grasp at the entrance to the cabin.
Before us, Scott coughs, sputtering back to life, like a reanimated corpse on a coroner’s slab. The ragged, broken sound from his chest is a starting gun reverberating throughout the entire forest.
He stirs, struggling against the weight of his body. His hands twitch weakly as he tries to gain purchase on the floor to sit himself upright. His scratchy voice cuts through my terror.
“A… va.”
I cry out, ignoring my keeper’s last threat. Twisting again against his hold, I reach behind me, hands landing against thick material. I dig my fingers in, desperate to draw blood, to cause pain.
“Mine,” he growls, yanking me tighter to his chest, drawing my feet up from the floor, and my ear close to his lips.
“He’ll never have you again, little thorn. I’ll set this fucking hovel aflame and make you watch from the ridgeline.”
Unhinged laughter assaults my ears. But this time, I don’t stop fighting. The longer I do, the more time Scott might have to get his feet under him.
My eyes lock on Scott’s, but they’re not clear. They flicker open for only a moment before slamming shut and staying closed for far longer than we need.
“Say goodbye, my beautiful girl. I think it’s time we’re finally alone.”
No. No. No. This can’t happen. My leg flies free, and hishold shifts, dropping me nearly to the ground. The heel of my boot catches on the raised edge of the threshold. It’s enough to send us off balance. I feel the world tilt as I lose my footing. Crashing backwards, my head collides with something hard before I crumple to the ground.
I moan, reaching up to feel the tender spot. It’s warm and wet. When I pull my hand free, the crimson smear contrasts against my pale skin.
“Fuck,” I groan.
The pain sets in immediately, a thunderous pounding pulses, swirling the non-existent contents of my stomach.
“Now, look what you’ve done, little thorn.”
His voice is a cattle prod to my nervous system. My feet scramble, slipping against the grime-coated wooden planks. Every movement makes the pain worse, and the nausea teases at the back of my throat.
“Up you go,” he says, lifting me to my feet.
The world sways. My vision swims, and his dead eyes are the last thing I see before everything goes black.
EIGHTEEN
SCOTT
