Page 149 of Ruthless God

I choose to fight.

I move fast. A sharp lunge, my arm swinging up, aiming for his side, but he’s faster. His hand clamps around my wrist mid-swing, stopping the blade an inch from his ribs. Shit. A growl rumbles from his chest, low and dangerous. His grip tightens, pain lancing up my arm. My breath hitches, but I refuse to let go.

His gaze locks onto mine. Something unreadable. Something dark. And then he laughs. Like this is funny to him.

“There she is,” he murmurs.

My stomach plummets. Because that voice— It’s different. It’s not Claudius. Not the man I thought I knew. It’s someone else. Someone I should have seen all along.

His fingers twist, and suddenly the blade is wrenched from my grasp. My back hits the desk hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. He cages me in. Trapping me. The letter opener now resting between us, but in his hand. Not mine.

His other hand lifts, trailing a slow, deliberate touch down my jaw. I flinch.

“Poor mama,” he murmurs, voice dripping with mock sympathy. “You just figured it out, didn’t you?” His smile grows. “Too bad you’re a little too late.”

I refuse to let him win. My knee jerks up, slamming into his ribs. A sharp grunt escapes him, but he barely stumbles. His grip tightens on the letter opener.

His eyes flash. Amused. Thrilled, even. It reminds me of the night in the woods. Fuck. How was I so blind?

Before I can react, he grabs me, spinning me around, twisting my arm behind my back. Pain flares, sharp and sudden. I gasp.

His lips hover against my ear. “You should’ve stayed sweet, Cecely. Now I have to remind you who’s in control.”

I won’t let this happen. I thrash, kick, anything?—

But he’s too strong.

He shoves me down against the desk, pressing me into the cold wood. The letter opener skims my throat. A warning. My body goes still, heart slamming against my ribs.

No.

No, no, no.

This can’t be how it ends.

To add insult to injury, something catches my eye on the floor next to the desk. A mask. A fucking Ghostface mask.

The letter opener presses hard against my neck.

This is it…

But Claudius lets out a sharp hiss, his body pressing against mine. I turn and see a syringe sticking out of his neck. His grip weakens. His body jerks once and then he crumples.

I shove him off me and stagger away, sucking in a breath.

Agnes stands behind him, her face unreadable. She just saved my life.

But before I can speak, she gives me a sharp, knowing look. “Run, dearie.”

I don’t hesitate. I turn and run. Because even as he collapses to the ground, I know this isn’t over. Not even close.

31

Cecely

I don’t look back. I can’t. My legs move on instinct, pushing me forward, away from the basement, away from the darkness, away from him.

Agnes bought me seconds. That’s all. And I need to use them. I reach the staircase, my heart pounding. One step. Two.

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