He slid his hand under my back and jerked me intohis chest.
He is going to snapher spine.
He gripped my thigh with his free hand and forced my legsopen wider.
He is going to breakher legs.
Riyan pressed his chest into mine as his hand left my thigh to undo his pants. My ribs bowed under his weight. My heart raced. I couldnot breathe.
He is going to crush herto death.
My arms were trapped between the mattress and his chest. I weakly punched him in the clavicle, but he did not feel me. I scratched at him as my lungs burned and I wrenched my lips away from his and gulped in a shallow sip of air before I pleaded formy life.
“Riyan!”I gasped.
His mouth found mine again and he kissed me even harder. He pressed his chest deeper into mine. My ribcage was going to crack just like the bed had. I struggled underneath him as much as I could but he either did not notice or didnot care.
I finally understood why Derrick wanted me to have the dagger at all times. He knew brutes lose control. He was just trying to keepme alive.
Stars danced in the dark edges of my blurry vision. I turned my chin to the side to escape his lips and let out a final cryof desperation.
“I cannot breathe,”I croaked.
Riyan threw himself off me with a short gasp and the room shook as he hit the floor. I let in a strained, shaking breath as my chest inflated. I laid my hand over my pounding heart as I slowly breathed through the burning inmy lungs.
My back muscles flared with pain as I slowly climbed into a sitting position on the mattress. I took short, staggered breaths and tried to calm myfrantic heartbeat.
Riyan kneeled on the floor beside the fallen mattress. His shoulders slumped forward and his hands gripped his knees—somehow his pants had stayed on. Tiny drops of blood blossomed out of the little cuts in his arms where he had hit the broken glass on the floor. His big eyes watered as he watched me struggleto breathe.
“Serafina, I’m so sorry,” he said with a heavy voice. “I thought you were enjoying yourself. I didn’t even knowyou were—”
He cut himself off. He squeezed his eyes shut and dipped his chin toward his chest. He took in a sharp breath and rose to his feet. He walked to the door with heavy footsteps, crushing glass beneath his bare feet withouta flinch.
“Where are you going?” I asked, myvoice hoarse.
“Outside,” he replied, keeping his eyes bolted toward the door. “I don’tbelong here.”
The golden light of our bond wrapped around my granite heart and tugged on the smooth surface. As the bond squeezed a new crack in the stone, my hand jolted up to reach outto him.
“Wait,” I pleaded. My voice was stronger than before, but my stomach wasstill weak.
Riyan turned his head. His jaw was set tight but his eyebrows furrowed as he let out a breath. I curled my outstretched hand back to my chest and placed it overmy heart.
“Stay,”I asked.
Riyan turned his body toward me but shook his head. “How can you trust me after what I just did? How could you ever want me to touchyou again?”
Because I just…wanted him to. Even if it made nological sense.
The cold mountain air pricked my bare skin and raised the hair on my arms. I needed his warm body and strong arms around me if I was going to face another night with all my confusing feelings fighting each other inmy head.
The muscles in my face relaxed but I did not take my eyesoff him.
“Stay,”I ordered.
Riyan’s face softened. He carefully walked back to the plush mattress and eased himself next to me. All the tiny cuts on his arms had already magically closed up and healed. He laid on his side and curled his body to fit on the square mattress. Riyan rested his head on top of two pillows, his shoulders sloped forward and his back curved, and his glassy eyes looked up at me as I sat nextto him.
“I never wanted to hurt you,” Riyan said, his warm breath making the skin on my belly tingle. “Not on Selection Night,not now—”
