If he thinks he can intimidate me by size alone, he’s mistaken.
“Listen to me, you tiny, littleant.” He grabs the top of my hoodie and shakes. “The moment, and I mean themomentI get the green light to hurt you, I’m going to cause you so much pain, you’ll be begging to take the place of thesewhoresyou want me to think you care about.” He sucks in a deep breath, fueling to spew more while my mind catches on a word:whores. All his sadness, all his guilt vanishes with that one, derogatory word, and shatters the empathy I swore he had.
I’ve missed something.
But no… No, I know he feels for Luna. I’ve seen it.
“I’m going to start with your teeth.” He stares at my mouth. “I want to know what you sound like without them.”
“Hopefully, not as daft as you.” I shove his hand from my hoodie and pull my shoulders back. “You think you can intimidate me because you can dish outpain?” I laugh.
Thorne’s glare breaks with a smile. Sinister. Sadistic. Because he really is going to get his chance, and he’s absolutely going to enjoy it.
I know. I know it’s coming. Any time now.
My hands lower to my sides as I take a step back and let my scowl loosen. “Listen… We don’t like each other. We can agree on that.” I straighten my hoodie and dust off my arms. “But whether or not you want to admit it, we both care about the girl. If we put our bullshit aside, we canhelpher, Thorne.”
His smile fades, expression blanking. His eyes dance around my face like he’s sizing me up. Searching for truth. For once, he’d find it. “How?”
My chest releases, and with it comes my first breath in hours.
I’ve got him.
“Take me to her.” I shift closer. “I just need five minutes to tell her what I know. If she trusts you, you can take it from there.”
If she trusts him…
I think she will. I think she’ll have to.
“And what is it that you know?”
My lips draw tight as a second passes, a pause that somehow feels loud without words. I study his eyes, the draw of his brows, the arms bent with tension. It’s a risk telling Thorne. It could be a fatal mistake.
But I let myself picture his arm around Luna once again… And I just can’t see the odds tipping in my favor.
Any minute now, they’ll come for me.
No one is coming for him.
“I know a way out.”
“Out of the compound,” he clarifies.
I nod.
He stares.
I stare back.
Where is it?
I wait for him to ask,hopefor him to ask. If I tell him, Luna becomes his responsibility.
I could leave.
Imightstill have time.
But he doesn’t ask. He breaks his gaze from mine; runs a thick finger absently along his tattoo. Considers it.Reallyconsiders it.
