None of those options sounded promising, especially since Hadrian had done this before.
She tried to think of him as a boy. She pictured a baby cutting teeth on a diamond ring, a toddler terrorizing au pairs when they tried to tell him no. Over time, their salaries likely increased, but Daisy bet that even the tough ones didn’t stay for long. And so he learned that force of will would eventually give him his way.
“You’ve gone quiet again.”
“I’m just thinking.”
“Save yourself the effort.” He lifted his chin, breathing in the night air, his hands resting casually in his pockets. “You won’t be making many decisions after this.”
“This?”
He pointed. “There’s a spot up ahead. We’re almost there.”
She realized then that she wasn’t leading him anywhere. She was being corralled.
Gravel crunched underfoot as she slowed her steps. He shortened his strides.
“Turn at the rose bush.”
That wasn’t the way to the Green Lanterns. “I need to?—”
“Your needs don’t concern me.” He caught her arm and steered her toward the lawn.
Daisy’s legs stopped, but he dragged her toward what she could only describe as some sort of torture chamber.
“Come on.” He tugged her forward, impatient with her hesitation.
She dug in her heels. Her body had nothing left. She shook her head, struck mute by the large wooden cross draped in so many ropes that the planks looked more like a centipede.
When she refused to go easily, he sighed and stopped pulling her. Instead, he faced her, cupping her chilled arms and chafing her skin softly. “You’re scared. That’s natural.” He gently tucked a curl behind her ear and tipped up her chin. “You’ve been running all night, haven’t you? And getting away with it, too.” He tipped up her chin and smiled. “I told you I was going to be the one to take your innocence, didn’t I?”
Her shoulders jerked, and his grip tightened.
“I don’t know whose blood is stained on your dress, but I can promise you won’t see a drop of mine. Yours however… That’s up to you.” His hand slid softly into her hair, then tightened with a painful yank. “Now, march your ass over to that cross and take off this filthy dress or I’ll fucking drag you there by the hair.”
Her head pulled back, but he yanked her hard. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Did you think I was fucking kidding?” He yanked her forward, and something snapped.
“Don’t touch me!” Daisy swung out a hand, and he caught her wrist in an unbreakable grip, a look so terrifying in her eyes, she knew she had to do more than break away. She had to disable him.
So she clawed at his face with her other hand. Her nails raked down his cheek, leaving three parallel lines that welled red in the moonlight. He jerked back with a snarl of genuine surprise, and his grip loosened for a fraction of a second.
She tore herself free and went sprawling in the pebbled path, wincing as her battered palms tore open again.
“Bitch!”
She swept up a fistful of gravel and rocks and hurled it back at him. He clutched his face and howled, blindly stomping forward.
Daisy scrambled to her feet, sliding awkwardly on the path. His fingers snagged the back of her gown, fisting in the fabric at her nape. The chain of her locket bit into her throat. For one terrible moment, she thought she was done, then the fabric tore and she broke free, running toward the green lights.
“You’ll pay for that!” His voice chased her into the dark. “I’ll make you beg!”
The world fractured into sensation. Rocks wedged between her toes. Blood in her mouth. A prickling at her scalp. The ragged saw of her own breathing. She ran until her lungs filled with fire, until her legs turned to water, until the only thing keeping her upright was the certainty that the safe zone was up ahead.
She could see it now, a shining beacon blazing green against the black trees in an almost radium glow. Her foot caught on her gown, and she stumbled, tripping forward, falling over her feet, until she was sprawling on a cobblestone path.
Panicked, she rolled to her back, eyes wild, ready to fight. No one was there. She pushed herself up, only to stumble again as a wave of vertigo threw her off balance. Her arms and legs were scraped and shredded to a concerning degree she could handle. But dizziness…
