Page 39 of Back In the Shadows

Unable to defend myself, I stumbled backward, hitting my forehead on the corner of a table as I collapsed. Something warm trickled down the side of my head as I peered up at him.

“No, you ruined it by drugging me. It’s making me sick.” As soon as the words left my mouth, my stomach cramped.

“You fucking bitch! How dare you ruin my plan. It was supposed to be perfect!” Furious, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me toward the bathroom, my head screaming with the movement and pain. I attempted to dig my heels into the floor, but he was too strong, especially with the drug in my system.

“You’re a fucking mess and you ruined your beautiful dress.” He sneered at me. “On your knees.”

Too weak to argue, I did as I was told. The cold cement floor bit into my skin as he jerked my head backward, nearly hitting the edge of the rust-stained toilet. His bony fingers pried my jawopen, then he shoved a finger in until it hit the back of my throat. He moved away just in time for me to puke again, landing in the toilet with a splash. Before I could recover, he repeated the vile action. My stomach muscles cramped and strained to get rid of any leftover remnants, but I was only puking up clear bile.

He washed his hands, then grabbed a green washcloth and wet it. The rough material scratched over my skin as he wiped me off. He rinsed it, then placed it on the side of the sink.

“Get changed, and I’ll get rid of the dress tomorrow.” He stared at me, sadness in his gaze. “The drug should mostly be out of your system. I’ll get something else that won’t make you sick.” Xavier knelt in front of me, cupped my chin, and ran his knuckles down my cheek. “I suppose it’s my fault since I didn’t dose you properly.”

Exhausted, all I could do was nod.

“Sleep now. We will have to resume our date tomorrow.” He traced his fingers down my neck and to the top of my breast that was peeking out of the dress. “You’re more beautiful than I could have imagined. The second you stood in front of me in your bra and panties, I knew our wedding night would be even more special once I was inside you.”

Suddenly, my body contorted in agony, and I vomited violently, spewing bile all over his face. Enraged, he stood up and roughly wiped his cheeks with a washcloth before turning to me with disgust. With a swift backhand, he struck me so hard that I fell backward, my ears ringing and vision blurring.

“You will learn to mind me and be more respectful, or you’ll end up at the table with the rest of my family, you stupid little bitch.” His expression twisted as his cheeks burned red.

I struggled to sit up, my head reeling from the impact of his hand.

Xavier grabbed my fingers and tugged on my wedding rings.

“No.” I managed to clench my fist so he couldn’t remove the jewelry, but I didn’t have enough strength.

With a sharp tug, he jerked them off and stuffed them inside his jeans pocket.

“There’s no need for those anymore. Soon you’ll …” His jaw clenched, then he stormed out of the tiny bathroom.

Grabbing the lid of the toilet, I lowered it, then used it to pull myself off the floor. My vision blurred through my tears, then I spotted what I hoped was an answer to prayers I was sure had fallen on deaf ears. I glanced over my shoulder, a burst of adrenaline clearing my foggy brain long enough for me to do what I needed to.

A few minutes later, he stomped back in and took my hand again. He shoved a black wedding band onto my finger.

“Whenever you look at it, you’ll remember who you belong to. Forget your past life, Ella. It’s over. The sooner you admit it to yourself, the happier you’ll be with me.”

My mind wasn’t working quickly enough to fire off a smartass remark, but it was for the best.

Ten minutes later, I was out of the wedding dress and wearing my sundress again. He shoved me into the cage and locked the door behind me. I crawled across the cement floor and collapsed, landing on the pillow he’d given me a few days ago, or at least I thought it was a few days ago. I wasn’t sure anymore.

The soundof banging pots and pans penetrated my aching head. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep. My best guess was a few hours, and I was relieved that I was feeling better than I hadearlier. My stomach seemed to be a lot calmer as well. Slowly, I sat up and looked around and winced from the light in the living room. For some reason, Xavier had all the lights turned on. He was furiously scrubbing something at the kitchen sink. The wedding dress. He was trying to save it. A wave of disgust washed over me.

“It’s useless!” He picked up the gown and threw it on the floor before he marched over to me. “This is your fault!”

I cowered away from him even though the glass cage wall was between us. Last night he’d admitted he was to blame for drugging me and making me sick, but it seemed as though he’d changed his mind.

“You’ll pay for this.” He stared down at me as he removed his cell from his back pocket and tapped the screen.

A phone ringing filled the speaker before a familiar man answered.

“Hello?”

“Little lamb?”

Death!His voice was music to my ears. My emotions stumbled over themselves as I shifted from fear to imagining the sweet taste of revenge. A sadistic smile eased across my face as I glared at Xavier, wondering if he knew who he was talking to this time. “One. Two. He’s coming for you,” I whispered, the sound barely audible but filled with hate.

Xavier stared at me, and he clucked his tongue, his expression filling with understanding as he rubbed his hands together like a greedy child waiting for dessert. “I have what you want.” He cackled. “No one calls Ella ‘little lamb’ except for Death. Welcome back.”

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