Page 79 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

He crosses his arms, leaning against the chair behind me. “Well, maybe I can be persuaded to come to some sort of… agreement.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see his eyes trailing down my body as he licks his lips. I hide the shiver of revulsion running through me and paste a small smile on my face, knowing this is the only way I might get out of here on my terms.

Turning toward him, I see his eyes light up with a wicked delight.

Looking him over, I adopt my finest bitch face, adding a layer of disgust for good measure. I need him angry, not turned on.

“Sorry, but you're not my type. Conceited men usually aren’t.”

“Conceited?” His smirk drops, adopting a sneer as he fumes. Leaning in, he bites out each word.

“Then I guess it’s time to have a little fun until you come around.”

He steps back, his heated gaze still on me. “Fun for me, I mean.” Not getting any time to prepare, his magic whips out, punching me backward into the wall, cracking the plaster and a couple of my ribs in the process.

Sliding down the wall, I bite my lip, holding in the groan threatening to slip out. I wasn’t feeding any of the twisted psycho’s ego, thinking I was frightened of him.

Reaching a hand up to my head, I wince, touching a fresh cut dripping down the side of my face.

“How’s that?” he sneers.

“Still an arrogant prick.” My mouth seems to have lost its filter.

It’s not too long before my ability kicks in. The cut on my head knits and closes over. My ribs grind and move as they fuse together.

“So that’s how it works. Nifty little trick you have there.” Kaladar’s power strikes out again, lifting me into the air, my body no longer my own. He jerks me forward onto the table, breaking it and me on impact.

A groan slips out making me pissed off. “You son of a—”

“Mm, there she is. I was wondering when you’d come out to play.” I can hear the smile in his voice as he assumes I’m playing right into his hands.

Kaladar’s power surrounds me as he slams me into the glass door. The glass shatters around me, lacerating my skin and face.

Panting through the pain. I look over, seeing excitement spread across Kaladar’s face, making my stomach churn.

Yanking me up once more, he moves me over one of the broken glass doors; I brace myself just as he drops me, the thick chunk of glass impaling my stomach and wrenching a moan from my lips as I drag myself off it.

His chuckle grows along with his fascination as my wound slowly heals once again.

“What else can you do? Huh? How far can I break you? How much can you take?”

Glancing over, I see a sick look of delight to his unanswered questions. I brace myself for what is sure to be a long night.

“Let’s find out.”

Long seconds blend into minutes that stretch out to hours.

My body now paralyzed from the injuries, I can only watch on as Kaladar hunches down beside me.

“Now who’s arrogant.” He backhands me, whipping my face to the side. The deep throb in my jaw and face is nothing new. Grabbing my hair, he pulls me backward, a trail of blood left in my wake.

Coming up to the kitchen, he grabs a knife and runs the tip down the side of my face.

“Do you fear me now?” He smirks, putting pressure on the knife, hoping I’ll flinch back. But this was all just a sick game, one I had become proficient in.

Spitting out blood, I look at him with disgust. “No. You’re nothing, and will continue to be nothing, long after I leave this world.”

Violence flickers in his eyes. I knew the pain was coming before it hit.

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