I’d seen the look in his eyes before. It was frightening because they gave nothing away. His jade green eyes were flat and showed no emotion, reminding me of a reptile. He’d hypnotize with his stare, then strike. But not today.
I swerved to the side and lunged for the door. Eric grabbed my arm. I surprised him when I stepped forward and broke his hold. I fumbled for the door. He kicked it closed when I unlocked it. He spun me around and back into the room. I flew toward the bed. He followed and held me down, whispering in my ear.
“If you can’t scream, this can be our secret. I think you’ll like my surprise.” He flipped up the skirt of my dress and tugged on the band of my underwear while I struggled. He snapped it against me with a sting. Playing, drawing out the moment of power, something he got off on.
I should have struck when I’d broken his hold on my arm, but I’d lost my chance. I wanted to hit him, but I’d sworn never to strike anyone again. The memory of the sound of his nose breaking and of the sensation as my hand smashed into his face made me freeze. He was much stronger than I was. He kept me pinned with his tight grip. Without the element of surprise, I wasn’t strong enough to break free.
I needed him off me. My stomach roiled.
Taking a deep breath, I kicked and caught him a glancing blow. A regular flailing kick, not a karate kick that would cause damage. I rolled to the side, off the bottom of the bed, and stumbled toward the window. The ABC’s of self-defense went out the window. Avoid was a failure. Breathe was a failure, as mine came in gasps. Neither had I remained Calm. It was hard to focus. What next? My brain seemed short-circuited. Silent tears escaped. I had to get out of the room, but I didn’t know how. The door was too far.
In my head, I yelled,“NO!”He advanced, backing me up against the wall as far as I could go. I shook my head in terror.“NO!”
“You aren’t going anywhere, baby. Stay here. I’ve known since the moment I saw you outside that we were destined to be together.”
The door flung open with a crash and Christopher stormed into the room. Fury radiated from every line of his powerful body.
Despite his position, Eric tried to bluff his way out. “Slut,” he said. “She was coming on to me, dude. Your girlfriend’s got a problem.”
He didn’t get to finish. Christopher’s fist connected with Eric’s face. Knocked him across the room. When Christopher lunged again, Eric ran. Christopher stood at the entrance of the door and watched him flee. We said nothing. Then the door at the bottom of the stairs slammed. We still didn’t speak as I listened to the roar of Eric’s car as it screeched away. His ultimate departure broke the silence.
“You should’ve kicked him into next week,” said Christopher, turning to me at last.
I stepped back. His frosty eyes froze my blood and stopped me in my tracks.
Was it disgust in his voice or anger? My eyes filled with tears. My hand shook as I pointed to the door.
“Lizzie, I…,” he started, but he got a better look at my face and stopped talking.
I wrapped my arms around myself. Without another word, he left the room and retreated downstairs. Each footstep, like a blow. I couldn’t face anyone. I wanted to thank Christopher for coming to my rescue, but I’d sent him away and now I felt stupid.
I locked the bedroom door, curled up on my old bed, and wept until my pillow was a lake. I’d held back the majority of my tears for years, but the levee had broken. The sobs hurt my throat and I couldn’t stop them. I cried for my old self that Eric had seduced and then broken. I cried for Brandon’s death. Now I was sure I’d lost my only friend, the only connection I’d felt in years.
When my tears stopped, I remained on the bed, wishing I hadn’t come to the party. I didn’t know what to do. When someone knocked on the door, I didn’t want to answer. My phone buzzed. I checked. It was Christopher.
“I’m sorry if I scared you. Let me in.”
I didn’t answer.
He sent another.“I know you’re listening.”Then he spoke aloud. “Your family has been kind enough not to kick me out, even though this looks bad. You’re up here locked in your old room and I hurt my hand. I’m lucky they’ve waited for your explanation. We need to talk, and it’s getting late.”
I stood up, straightened my dress, and glanced in the mirror. Most of my mascara was on the pillowcase and my hair was a mess, the curls smashed. I smoothed my hair and tucked the front behind my ears. Better. I unlocked the door and stepped back. I couldn’t look at his face, afraid of what I’d see. I looked at his shoes and tried not to cringe.
Christopher entered and closed the door. He held an icepack against his knuckles.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper.” His voice was soothing and low.
I raised my eyebrow as I risked a look upward. His eyes had defrosted several degrees.
“I was furious, but not with you. You didn’t let him molest you. I’m an idiot not to have just comforted you. I was too mad to realize how scared you were. He hurt you for years. You lived like that every day and I can’t imagine what you went through. I have no right to judge. I wanted to protect you and was useless. You were only gone a few minutes, and the creep attacked you.”
His last words hit home. I’d been thinking and had a wild theory. There’d been multiple clues, so I took a chance.“How did you know I needed you?”
Christopher’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “Yes, sometimes I can read minds. Yours less than most. Your mind is guarded, like a wall. But at times, you let down your barrier. That’s why I believed you about time travel, how I knew who Eric was. I sensed your panic and heard you call for help. I’ve seen flashes of him mangled in a crushed car, covered in blood. You torment yourself with that, but he got what he deserved.”
He slid closer. “I’ve seen the scars on your back, though they aren’t there anymore. Your skin is flawless.” He stroked the skin of my back to illustrate his point.
Goosebumps raised everywhere and tendrils of current shot through me at his touch.
