No.
Something in me snaps. Not breaks—snaps back.
I'm not dying like this. Not quiet. Not compliant. Not making it easy for him.
I thrash. Slam my head back into his face. Feel the crack of his nose against my skull. He swears—loss of control for half a second—and I scream.
Not words. Just sound. Raw and ugly and loud.
"Shut up—"
I scream again. Louder. His hand clamps over my mouth but I bite down hard, taste blood, and when his palm jerks away I fill my lungs and scream again.
Daniels wrenches my head back. The gun finds my temple.
"No one's coming." His breath is ragged now. Blood dripping from his nose onto my shoulder. "Now shut up and—"
Footsteps.
Heavy. Fast. Coming down the hallway.
Daniels goes rigid against my back.
I don't think. Don't hope. Don't let myself believe.
I just scream.
"DIESEL!"
Chapter 12
Diesel
I'm already at the door. Already reaching for the handle.
Then her voice hits me through the wood. My name. Screamed. Breaking.
The beast I've caged for fifteen years rips free.
No fight this time. No struggle for control. It surges up and I let it. Welcome it. Become it.
I've spent fifteen years trying not to be a monster.
Today I stop trying.
The door explodes inward.
Wood splinters. Hinges scream. My shoulder takes the impact and I barely feel it.
I'm through before the debris settles.
My eyes find Eden first.
Bent over the counter. A man behind her. Gun at her temple.
His hand over hers. Her finger on the trigger.
The beast howls.
