“Did it make you hard?” Eden asked, praying she hadn’t taken things too far.
“Shut up!”
“It did, didn’t it?” She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat before tempting fate and saying, “I bet you’re getting hard just thinking about it.”
Cold, angry eyes flew to hers. “They were hurting.” His voice turned low. “Just like you are.”
Josiah went to the metal tray and picked up a scalpel. Eden’s heart felt as though it would fly out of her chest any second. She was running out of ideas…and time.
“The only one hurting me, is you, Josiah.” She tried to get through to him. “I’m happy with my life. Really.”
“You’re lying.” He turned to her. “I saw you on the news. All those reporters yelling their accusations at you.” Josiah moved back toward her. “I saw the look on your face. The pain behind those stunning eyes.”
“It was all a show,” Eden explained. “Designed to draw you out.”
He stopped at her side. “Congratulations, Eden.” Josiah smiled wide. “Your plan worked like a charm. However, there is one, major flaw you’re forgetting.”
“What’s that?” She whispered.
“I read your mind, remember? I could tell those ignorant people’s words hurt you. Here.”
Josiah pressed the scalpel’s sharp blade on her chest, just above her heart. Eden gasped, then clamped her jaw shut.
She refused to scream, even when the metal tip pricked her skin and warm blood began slowly running into the hollow of her throat.
“What those reporters said hurt, yes,” she gritted out. “But only because they brought up old memories.”
“You’re lying.” He lowered the scalpel to her side. Placing it just beneath her ribs, Josiah cut her again.
Eden squeezed her eyes shut and rolled her lips inward to keep from crying out. Her heaving breaths moved in and out through her nostrils at a high rate of speed, but she somehow managed to remain quiet.
Determined to stay strong and not let him see her pain, Eden looked back up at Josiah. Trying her hardest to make him see she was telling the truth.
“I’m happy with my life, Josiah. I found someone who loves me just the way I am. Someone who supports my gift rather than seeing it as something to be ashamed of. I no longer feel alone in this world. Read my mind, if you don’t believe me.”
Knowing the temptation would be too great for him to pass up, Eden closed her eyes again and concentrated on what she wanted him to see.
She pushed away the flashes still floating around in the back of her mind from the other victims’ memories, as well as the pure and utter fear she was feeling.
It was harder to fight against the dark colors and emotions swirling inside her from his touch, but Eden called upon every ounce of strength she had and forced herself to focus solely on the memory of Alex’s face.
As Eden lay there, helpless and bleeding, she cleared her mind of everything but the way Alex made her feel when they were together. She focused on things like, how even on the roughest of days, he could still make her laugh.
And though she hated giving this man even the tiniest part of her and Alex’s private moments together, Eden opened her mind to the pleasure she’d felt each and every time she and the sexy detective had made love.
Fire erupted along the entire right side of her face as Josiah backhanded her. Hard. The painful blow took her by complete surprise.
Her head whipped to the side as the pleasant images she’d brought to the forefront vanished in an instant. Eden lost the battle to remain strong and cried out as blood began to run down her chin from the fresh cut in her lip.
“You’re lying!” Josiah accused loudly.
It took Eden a second to clear the stars flashing before her eyes long enough to respond. Running her tongue over the swollen spot on her lip, she said, “No, Josiah. I’m not.”
He hit her again. And again. Between the painful blows and physical contact with him, Eden was precariously close to passing out.
“Stop.Lying!” Josiah’s meaty fist hit her once more before he got right in her face. “I know what you really feel, because I felt it, too. I learned to hold back, though. To force it all away. But you and the others…you didn’t. I know you felt the loneliness I did because I saw it here.” He poked the side of her head. “And I saw it in those other women, too.”
“Why…now?” Eden slurred, doing her best to stay conscious and keep him talking. “Your sister and parents…that was years ago. Why wait until now to start…liberating”—Eden spit out the sarcastic word— “other, gifted women?”
