Her shocked cry sets my blood on fire.
She’s a perfect little thing.
Balanced in my arms, I ignore her and drag the washcloth down the length of her calf, never once letting her go.
A few seconds pass before her body rewards me with her scent. Rich, intoxicating, the same sweetness I recognize as her need.
It turns me into a ravenous monster. My cock throbs with it, pulsing at the source of everything I crave.
I—
Focus.
A growl rumbles in my chest as I return to being meticulous instead of giving in. I guide her leg higher until she straightens it, until her calf is inches from her face.
“I could tell you’d bend for me.” My chin rests heavily on the crown of her head.
“Never.” Sweet little liar.
As scared as she is, there’s no denying how easily she does bend for me. In every way that matters.
What happened in my basement proved that, and it was only the beginning.
“Never, hmm? We’ll see about that.” I lower her leg, shift my grip, and hook my hand under her other thigh. “This one’s next.”
When Skylar grows quiet, I know it’s not because she’s being obedient. I sense how she’s slipping into her head, retreating where I can’t follow.
Her breathing slows, her body sagging back into me.
I want her present, of-fucking-course, but I let her drift anyway.
She can run as far as she wants in her mind.
I’ll still be here when she comes to. Until my dying breath.
As I scrub her left leg, I realize that, for once, I’m not fixated on hides, alive or not. On softening and tanning dead things.
I’m consumed by her.
I’d burn down this entire town and my family in it before anyone gets too close. Before they bring a knife or an axe to her flesh, I’ll slash their throats.
Skylar will never be some man’s belt. Never some woman’s one-of-a-kind purse.
But then she starts crying, sniffing.
Her tears are proof that she thinks I’ll hurt her. That I’ll let anyone get close to her, let them kill her.
She’s reading the situation all wrong.
And it’s my fault. I’ve prioritized the cut on her skin while her heart was just as wounded.
I lower her leg and move on to the most challenging part, the one I thought I could avoid.
Talking.
“You shouldn’t be scared.” I toss the washcloth aside, the wet slap on the tub making Skylar grimace. She pushes deeper into me, then flinches at her reaction. So sweet. “You’re fine. You’re mine. I’m taking care of you.”
“I did everything you asked.” Her gaze fixes on the shower curtain. I look down at her in time to see her face draining of color. “Then I woke up to you strangling me. To all thesememories. My sister will be dead soon if she isn’t already. That means I’m next, no matter what you say. How…”
