Page 87 of Dare To Fall

I stifle the urge to knock the faint smile off his face by curling my fingers into my palms.

Eli’s gaze drops to my clenched fists. “Are you getting ready to claw me, Kitten?”

His words send a jolt of … something … through me. “I’m not a kitten.”

“Yes, you are. A cute ball of fluff, with razor-sharp murder mittens … when she finds her courage to use them.”

I roll my eyes. “Shut up.”

“Getting you to purr is my favorite thing to do,” he continues. “And when you hate-fuck me, it’s like riding a living storm.”

I snatch up a cushion from a chair and throw it at his head. “I said, shut up.”

He catches the cushion easily. “I love the way you mark my skin with your teeth and nails. You’re the only girl I’ve been with who’s done that.”

I clench my hands tighter. “You fucked half of the female population at the school, right?”

Eli quirks an eyebrow. “Jealous?”

“In your dreams, asshole.”

I don’t want to hear about who else he’s been with or remember how it felt when we were together. Or how good the sex made me feel.

Grabbing another cushion from a different seat, I launch myself at him with it and smack him in the face. As I bring it back to hit him again, he uses the one I’d thrown at him to whack me gently in the chest. An irritated growl rips from my throat, and I beat him over the head with mine while he continues his assault on my torso.

This is getting me nowhere.

When I realize he’s not hitting me as hard as I am him, I step back, dropping my cushion. My chest is heaving from the effort, and my jaw is aching from being clenched so hard. “I’d rather be mauled by the bear than be ravaged by you.”

Eli tilts his head to the side and smiles. “Liar.”

“You’re impossible.”

“And you’re scared of letting all those emotions you have bottled up out,” he replies, his eyes studying my face. “Do they frighten you, Ari? Are you scared of losing control? Is that why you stopped hitting me?”

I wrap my arms around my waist and back away from him. “No—”

Eli gets up off the couch. “You can be vulnerable in front of me, Kitten. I’m not going to use it against you. You’ve been keeping yourself together for so long. Let go. Let yourself fall. I promise to catch you.”

I shake my head, my heart stopping and starting in my chest. I’ve already been helpless and exposed in front of him once, when he found me in the chapel with my insides ripped to shreds. Where had that gotten me? Nowhere. He just turned on me again. Became my nightmare.

I flee along the hallway toward my room.

“I’m not going to let you ignore me forever, Ari.”

***

I jerk awake, shaking and sweating. It takes me a second to remember I’m not in my dorm but in the cabin where Eli is holding me hostage. The nightmare is still fresh in my thoughts, and I shudder. I’d been tied up, sightless, helpless. Hands touched my body, and every caress had been agony, leaving me screaming over and over.

I check the clock on the wall. It’s only been a couple of hours since I fled to the room. I roll onto my side. I’m bored, but the thought of running into another bear prevents me from going outside. There’s nothing to do, and I’m already feeling restless. All the times I’d been at home alone, I had things to keep me occupied. The closet and dresser here might be filled with brand-new clothes I like, but Eli has made sure I have nothing to keep me occupied.

Just another form of control. A way to get me to talk to him.

I climb off the bed and move to the door. Twisting the handle, I step out into the hallway. Eli is sprawled on the couch with his eyes closed. I tiptoe along the hallway and make my way toward his bedroom.

There has to be a phone or radio—something he’s using to stay in contact with Kellan. I just have to find it and call for help. The door creaks for a split second as I open it. I screw my eyes closed and hold my breath, waiting for him to wake up and start shouting. Nothing stirs—no movement or sound. I relax a little and slip into the room, leaving the door ajar.

His room is a lot like mine. The same tasteful, expensive furniture. There’s a hoodie draped over the end of the mattress, and his bed is a rumpled mess. I search every inch of the space but find no sign of a phone. It’s not hidden in any of the drawers or under his pillows.

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