Page 5 of Monster's Claim
“How do you know my name?”she whispered,remembering he’d called her that when he took her.
“I’ve been watching you for a whilenow.”
She swallowed.Bile rose up in her throat.Fear knotted her insides.She wanted to throw up, but refused toshow him any signs of weakness.Maybe this sick bastard did thisall the time.Took women the rest of the world wouldn’t miss andexpected them to be begging for his mercy right about now.
Lara refused to yield.She wouldn’t breakeasily.Part of her mind wondered how long her bravado wouldlast.
“Why?”she managed to ask.
“Because you might have information weneed.”
Lara didn’t miss his usage of the word “we”.She forced herself to think, to not be intimidated by him and thecontents of this scary room.
“Who’s we?”He didn’t answer her.Shecontinued, “Lisa and Dan were terrified of you, enough that Lisadidn’t let Dan call the cops.”
“This city belongs to us.Anyone who thinksthey have the balls to defy us, dies.”
He said the words simply, matter-of-fact.Disturbing.Us.So, it wasn’t just him she was up against.Theprospect of escape seemed to be only getting further and furtheraway.Despair welled up inside of her, but she refused to give into it.Once she gave up, it would be game over.
He hadn’t hurt her, didn’t threaten her.Yet.If Lara read all the signs right, he seemed to be attracted toher.God help her, if that were true, she could use that to heradvantage.
She took a chance.“Show me your face.Iwant to know the bastard who’s about to chop me to tiny littlepieces.”
“You’ll scream, like you did before.”
Was it her imagination, or did he sound alittle sad?Why the hell would that matter?She lifted her chin andcrossed her arms over her breasts, well aware the movement seemedto capture his pitch-black gaze.
“Well, when you kidnap someone that’s boundto happen, right?What do you expect me to do?Fall into your armsgratefully?”Those lips curved into a smile.
“You might as well see the monster who’sabout to claim and ruin you in every single way imaginable,” hesaid.
His words shook her.How could he sound soconfident, so certain of his conquest?Goosebumps appeared acrossher arms.She rubbed at them, steadying herself at what horror heplanned on showing her.
The captor lowered his hood.Lara gasped,unable to help herself.Under the dim light, the horizontal scarsacross the left side of his face looked harsh, ragged.The otherhalf on the other hand, was clear save for one scar that bisectedcheekbone to jaw, a hint of beauty before the ruin.It reallywasn’t so bad.
Stop it, Lara,she chided herself.Ifshe started feeling even some semblance of pity for her captor,this would lead to nowhere good.She’d watched a couple of crimedocumentaries online.She certainly didn’t want to end up like oneof those poor brainwashed former captives with StockholmSyndrome.
He laughed, and the sound startled her.Lararealized she was staring.He didn’t get mad though, didn’t so muchas a lift a hand towards her.For some reason, that only elevatedher fear.Intelligence and cunning stared back at her from thoseblack eyes.
“Most people would flinch, seeing what Ilook like underneath the hood.Then again, the poor fuckers whofind themselves in my special little lair, start panicking andscreaming by now.”
“You expect me to do the same?”
“No, I knew you’d be different.Brave.Fiery, like how you fought me tooth and nail in that alleyway.Thatmakes everything so much sweeter.”
She clutched at the blanket, wondering justwhat kind of monster she was dealing with.Lara couldn’t speak orformulate a sassy reply.She’d spent her entire life struggling.Topay the bills, her rent, her mother’s hospital bills.An endlessrat race.
Lara thought she was tough.Sure, she letherself become weak when it came to Skip.Lara really thought heloved her, that she couldn’t do any better for herself.Just whenshe finally got free of that rat bastard, she ended up here.
Nothing in the world had prepared her forthis kind of situation.
“What’s your name?”she finally had thecourage to ask.
“Matthias Severin.”
Only then did Lara truly understand themeaning of his earlier words.Hopelessness filled her heart.Sheslumped against the wall, finally tasting defeat for the firsttime.
This city belongs to us.
