Page 16 of Unhinged

What is he going to do with me?

His dark eyes meet mine. “Strip.”

I shudder and cross my arms over my chest. “Why?”

A muscle in his jaw contracts. “Strip now.”

I may still have the fight in me, but the command in his voice is like a knife pressing against my ribcage. My power to ignore is nonexistent as I take off my dress and underwear, standing before him, exposed and vulnerable. I look into his eyes, and the flames in them burn me. Swallowing hard, I cross my arms over my chest to at least hide my breasts.

“No,” he growls, marching forward and yanking my arms down. “I want to see you.”

A tremor of fear travels from my head to my toes. I’m frozen like a statue. Too scared to even breathe as he gazes at me like a hungry predator.

Are the events of two years ago about to repeat themselves?

I feel flashbacks trying to resurface, but I push them away.

Not now. I can’t go there. I need to be strong.

“Are you scared, little bird?” he murmurs, his fingers dancing over the skin at my collarbone. “Do you want to fly away?” His fingers move lower, brushing against my nipple. “Oh, that’s right. You can’t because your wings are broken.”

I shiver, hating that I’m standing before a madman right now. The way he talks isn’t normal, and his eyes have an unreadable expression as he stares at me, his fingers moving over my skin.

“Such pretty feathers you have.” He squeezes my right nipple hard, and I gasp, jumping back in shock. He chuckles. “I’m going to have fun playing with you.”

Fuck.

This man could rape me, and there’s nothing I can do. I’m locked in a room with a maniac. I admit I had a lapse of judgment the other day when he tended to my bruises. At that moment, I wanted him to fuck me. I was practically begging, but I’ve come to my senses now. I’ve got no idea what this man is truly capable of.

“What do you want?” I ask, hoping somehow I can reason with him.

He tilts his head, gazing into my eyes which such intensity it makes me wish I hadn’t spoken. “A beautiful little bird,” he muses. Those dark eyes flash with desire. “My beautiful little bird.”

I shudder. “I’m not yours.”

His smirk widens. “Not yet, but all in good time.” He steps back, and his eyes move across my body, assessing. And then he rubs a hand across his crotch, drawing my eyes to the straining fabric barely containing his erection. “So hard. Damn it. You, little Alice, make me hard.”

My thighs clench at the same time fear churns my stomach. “W-What are you going”—

“No questions.” He steps closer, my heart hammering erratically. “Is my little bird wet?”

I shake my head, but it’s a lie. A man like this, so dark and twisted, excites me for all the wrong reasons. My body has been broken for a couple of years now, ever since theincident.A shiver skates up my spine as memories of the cold floor against my face flood my mind, but I push it away.

“Are you lying to me?” he asks, his fingers dancing over my bare nipples, making them tighten painfully. “Shall I find out?”

“No, Taren, please.”

There’s a flash in his eyes when I use his name. “I wanted to hear you say my name,” he breathes. “Such a pretty voice. I bet you scream so well.”

My throat bobs as my eyes dart around the room, searching for exits. There are none. Even the windows on the right side of the room have large metal bars across them.

“There’s no escape.” He grabs my wrist suddenly and yanks me toward a door on the left, dragging me into an opulent bathroom with a huge tub and a shower big enough for an orgy.

He turns on the faucet in the shower and strips off his own clothes until he’s naked. Flames fan across my skin at the sight of his cock. It’s huge, and so hard it’s pressed flat against his muscular abs. He has tattoos across both arms, adding to his rugged allure.And I notice the burns and scars across his abdomen too.

I swallow hard, trying to ignore the throb between my thighs.

“Get in,” he orders.

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