Page 10 of Vendetta Crown

I need to stay present. Alert.

I need to look for another way out.

When the elevator doors slide open, I hesitate for a split second. Is this my last chance to run? But where would I go? The lobby is endless marble with nowhere to hide.

The elevator doors close behind us with a soft ding that sounds like a death knell.

We're alone.

He pulls me against him, his body pressing into mine from behind. I feel his erection through his pants, hard against my lower back. Bile rises in my throat.

"Oh, Jamie, Jamie, Jamie." His hands roam freely over my breasts and squeeze the tender flesh mercilessly again and again. "You're finally back. This is finally real. It's not a dream anymore."

Another wave of nausea washes over me. I close my eyes, desperately trying to dissociate from what's happening. I imagine Ruslan finding me. I imagine him tearing Kristofer apart with his bare hands.

But I can't count on that fantasy becoming real.

The elevator stops with a gentle chime, and the doors slide open. Kristofer walks me forward, his hand still gripping my ass possessively as we move down the carpeted hallway toward our suite.

The hallway seems to spin in front of me with each step, and somehow we're standing in front of our door in what feels like the blink of an eye.

Kristofer opens it with the room key and walks me inside. The suite is luxurious, with floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the neon glow of the Strip stretching into the distance.

But all I feel is the cold grip of hopelessness seizing me by the throat.

Kristofer closes the door with a decisive click, and then throws the deadbolt for good measure.

The sound of metal sliding on metal might as well be my death sentence.

"Finally alone," he growls, shoving me forward.

I stumble and fall onto the king-sized bed, my heart hammering against my ribs. Before I can scramble away, his weight crashes down on top of me, pinning me to the mattress.

"Wait," I gasp, panic clawing through me. "You said I can freshen up first."

His breath is hot against my neck. "You can freshen up after I'm done. I've waited seven years for this, Jamie. Seven fucking years. I'm not waiting another minute."

I struggle beneath him, trying to twist away, but he's too strong. His weight crushes the air from my lungs. My fingernails scrape uselessly against the bedspread as I try to crawl out from under him.

"Stop fighting this, Jamie," he snarls as he holds me down in bed.

His other hand yanks at my shorts. The sound of fabric ripping suddenly fills the room. Cold air bites my exposed skin, and I scream. A raw, desperate sound that tears from my throat.

Kristofer clamps his hand over my mouth, mashing my lips against my teeth until I taste blood.

"Shut up," he hisses. "Nobody's coming to save you, you fucking bitch."

The metallic sound of his belt clinking apart is deafening in the room. My entire body goes rigid with terror as I realize what's about to happen.

He's going to rape me.

And there's nothing I can do to stop him.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I try to beg through Kristofer's hand clamped over my mouth. The words are trapped, just muffled sounds that don't even sound human to my own ears.

"Save those tears for later, Jamie," Kristofer whispers, his tongue suddenly trailing up my bruised cheek. "Because this is nothing compared to what I'll doafterwe're married."

His teeth sink into my shoulder, hard enough that I scream against his palm. The pain shoots through me like electricity. His free hand gropes roughly at my breast, pinching and twisting until I'm sobbing.

---