I’ll thank him every day and every night for the rest of my life.
28
SKYLAR
Asharp and punishing pain yanks me out of my sleep.
A hand is clamped over my mouth. Another one is squeezing my hip.
The scent of leather and blood clings to this man who’s hurting me.
His breath on my shoulder isn’t warm.
It’s a threat.
It’s my death sentence.
This isn’t Knox. Can’t be.
Though I’m too shocked to open my eyes, I know who it is.
Jett.
He’s here to ruin Knox, to destroy him through me.
Oh God.
I can’t die like this.
Not now, just when I found my soulmate. The love of my life.
Scream, my mind begs.Scream.
The slightest sound, even with his hand on my mouth, could wake Knox up.
But my throat won’t cooperate. My mouth won’t open.
He’s going to kidnap me, then rape me. He’s going to kill me.
I’m going to die in Jett’s house if I don’t alert Knox that I’m being taken.
Do something. Anything.
Jett’s hands dig deeper into me as he picks me up and lifts me off the ground, carrying me into the basement’s shadows. Far away from Knox.
Oh, thank fuck, my eyes listen to me. They finally blink open.
This late, there’s only light coming from the flickering light bulb, and that’s it. Fuck. We’ve been asleep for hours.
Exposed. Vulnerable.
Way too complacent.
Desperation crushes me when I see that, just as I thought, he’s completely unaware of what’s happening here.
Knox, my savior, my haven. He has one arm slung over his eyes. His chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm.
So close and yet so far away.
