Page 12 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

When she awoke, Praevus offered her a plate of food. Bound with her wrists in front of her, she fed herself. Madeline pushed the items around, sampling small bites, not trusting the meal he’d set on the floor beside her. It might be drugged. Still, what choice did she have? If she didn’t eat, she’d weaken and be unable to escape when an opportunity arose.

With a spoon of something resembling fruit salad hovering near her lips, she stared into Praevus’s unnatural, freakish white eyes. She shoved the bite inside her mouth.Not so bad.The man was depraved, and whatever he had done to her made her temples pound like the drum solo in a heavy metal band’s song. She swallowed a second taste, her arm quivering from fatigue or fear.

Praevus snatched the plate away before she finished. “Time for another session.” He pulled his chair close again, reaching out to touch her hair, resting an unwelcome hand on her head.

He was rummaging around in her mind.Crazy, huh?

Twisting her head from side to side, she dislodged his palm. With more wiggle room in the rope, she raised her hands to fight the dissolute Scourge.

When she scratched his face, he slapped her so hard her teeth rattled. “Enough,” he screamed, his white eyes an imitation of flashing headlights as blood dripped down his cheeks. One point for the prisoner.

While she was recovering from the blow, he fisted her hair. Maddy’s eyes rolled up as pain shot through her. “Stop. W-w-what are you doing?” She just wanted relief from the bulleting agony. Praevus was a dentist drilling out a deep cavity, striking nerves without the benefit of Novocain.

She’d recited the Dewey Decimal Classification System. She’d re-organized her closet. Time for famous authors in alpha order while she ignored the throbbing spasms rocketing through her, a dark cloud eclipsing her concentration. But she forged ahead. American. Alcott. Angelou. Baldwin. Faulkner. Fitzgerald. Hemingway. Lee. O’Connor ...

Once Praevus removed his hand from her head, she sighed with immediate relief. Still, something was wrong. She’d been ... violated. She felt dirty, as if his fingers had been everywhere. She’d been mind-raped.

Madeline struggled to speak. “W-w-what? W-w-why?” Slurred words tumbled from her mouth.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Praevus leaned back in his chair. “I am making you mine.” His shoulders slumped and he released an exhausted sigh.

Maddy’s chin rolled to her chest, but she jerked up to fix on his crazed, chalky eyes. “D-d-don’t understand.”

“It’s none of your concern. After I rest, I have an errand. Don’t miss me too much.” He cackled.

Worst movie villain ever.

But Madeline couldn’t let go of his words. “I am making you mine.”

No. Never. Not happening.

Still, how do you fight someone who can touch your mind? Make it feel dirty, violated?

When he returned, she resisted the next incursion by focusing on alphabetizing canned goods. Darya and Fia had drummed survival into her. They taught her control, that every situation had a way out, that she could protect herself, and that she was self-reliant.

But she collapsed, dreaming. She returned to the house with her drunken mother. Surrounded by empty booze bottles and overflowing ashtrays, the woman hurled insults, blaming Madeline for everything. For the father who had left. For her miserable life. For her addiction. For the steady stream of men who wouldn’t stick around.

“No,” Maddy shouted, jolting awake.

I am responsible for myself. For every situation, there is a solution. I will get out of here because I’m in control.

But something wasn’t right. Her head bobbed forward when the dark cloud swallowed her again.

****

Praevus studied thehuman from a shadowy corner, eager to continue his sessions with Madeline but content to observe for the moment. He was lucky a Scourge had warned him of Ike’s betrayal so he could escape with the female. The hard-won prize he’d found at his employer’s cabin in the Razor Mountains.

Serita, the trustee Scourge who was his boss at the restaurant, had called him to her place to give him an assignment. She told him she would be absent from her cafe for a while and asked him to manage it while she was gone.

That’s when he heard a sound from the other room. Sheets rustled as someone tossed and turned in their sleep. Curious, he shoved inside to find a human tied to the bed, a delicious female whose mind was ripe for the taking. Praevus lost control of his urges. After nearly beheading his employer with his bare hands, he stole Madeline. After all, he deserved a chance to use his gift. Then he panicked.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. But the deed was done. Now he would enjoy the fruits of his rashness.

Stroking a palm across his jaw, he tilted his head to the side. The pretty young thing was unconscious again. Though her blonde, chin-length hair was dirty, the choppy cut gave her an air of innocence. She was a tall female with a trim but lush body. Revealed beneath a torn white blouse, her breasts were full. He closed his eyes to imagine testing their weight. He’d raped her mind. In time, her flesh would be his. His cock stirred, a rarity for him these days.

Not yet.

She was a fighter. Usually, he abhorred strong females, preferring fractured, subservient ones. Still, he loved the prospect of breaking this one, splintering her mind. He would enjoy the look in her eyes once she realized her will was shattered. His mouth watered with anticipation.

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