Page 88 of Cruel Dominion

Itried the patio door and the door to the side garden before moving to the windows that didn’t look like windows at all anymore.

They looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Hard gray metal everywhere there should’ve been natural light.

I banged my fist against the cold slats, making it rattle.

“Anna, stop. You’ll only hurt yourself.”

Snatching my empty glass from the kitchen, I threw it at the metal, making broken shards rain all over Carter’s expensive rug. “Make it open.”

The bastard didn’t so much as move or even open his mouth to speak, his ocean eyes watching me warily, like a cobra ready to strike.

My phone. I could call?—

No sooner did I have it back in my hand than Carter was there snatching it from my fingers. “Face it, Anna. You’re staying. At least for now. Let me?—”

“Let you? Let you? I’m not letting you do anything, Carter. You just do whatever the fuck you want.”

I tried to get my phone back, but he held it higher than I could reach and I wouldn’t play that game with him. Spinning on my heel, I went to claw some more at the metal enclosure, sure there must be a chink in its armor I could use to get free.

“Anna, don’t?—”

I hissed as a shard of glass bit into the bottom of my foot, burrowing itself in deep.

“Fuck.”

“Goddamn it, Anna.”

He caught the back of my knees, swinging me up into his arms without any warning whatsoever. I yelped, reflexively grabbing around his neck.

“Put me down.”

“No.”

I pushed away from his chest.

“Anna, stop, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder.”

I redoubled my efforts and kicked my feet.

He gave me a dangerous look before easily maneuvering me so I was over his shoulder, the bulge of it digging into my stomach.

“God, you are just the worst fucking…fucking…”

I couldn’t even come up with a word dirty enough or angry enough for what he was.

But as he carried me up the stairs, I felt the fight going out of me and something far worse than anger started to take root.

Because when those fucking shutters went down, I didn’t feel caged. Not really. I felt safe. Safe with him. And that was a dangerous feeling. I couldn’t feel that. Couldn’t want that. I’d just get hurt.

I knew how this ended. When he got tired of me, he’d throw me away. Just like he did six years ago.

The bit of fight I lost somewhere on the main floor reignited as we got to the top of the landing and Carter pushed into a bedroom.

I dug an elbow into his back, earning myself a pained grunt before I was unceremoniously tossed down onto a bed. The plush silk covered duvet swallowed me whole and I had to fight it to get free, the lure to stay wrapped in it and just cry so strong I almost couldn’t resist.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

Carter caught my ankle before I could clamber from the bed and tugged me back across the covers until he had me right in the middle of it. He flipped me onto my back and pressed his weight into my middle as he struggled with something on the bed.

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