Page 107 of Map of Pain
Nick let his breathing become rapid and panicked as he moved into position. Shaw needed to believe he was winning before Nick could strike. “Please don’t hurt me. Please, I’ll be good, I’ll do whatever you want—”
“Shh, I’m not going to hurt you, Nicholas,”Shaw murmured, but the sound was predatory rather than comforting.“ I’m going to help you. Just like always.”
Shaw moved behind Nick again, and the sound of a belt buckle being undone sent the submissive into overdrive—not with panic, but with strategic positioning.Head to the wall. Look for weapons. Wait for the right moment.
Stay focused,the hunter voice cut throughsharply.Don’t get lost in the memory.This is now. This is choice.
We’re not the same person who was here before.We’re here for Luka. Stay present.
“Please,”Nick whispered, letting determination sound like fear.“Please don’t. I’ll be good, I promise I’ll be good—”
“You will be,”Shaw agreed, his hands settling on Nick’s shoulders.“You’ll be perfect when I’m done with you. Clean. Pure. Free of that monster’s corruption.”
Shaw guided him forward until his forehead pressed against the cold brick wall. Nick’s eyes swept the floor while his body performed the familiar submission—broken shelving, scattered debris, anything that could become a weapon.
“I’m the only one whotrulyunderstands you, Nicholas,”Shaw said, his words taking on that hypnotic cadence.“The only one who can help you become something better. The vampire couldn’t love you—creatures like that aren’t capable of real affection. But I can. I do.”
The sound of Nick’s belt buckle being undone was the signal. All three parts of his mind screamed in unison:No. Not again. Never again.
His hand shot out, fingers closing around the broken piece of shelving. He spun with calculated precision, driving the makeshift weapon toward Shaw’s chest with all the force and accuracy his training had given him.
Shaw twisted away, the wood scraping along his ribs instead of piercing his heart. He grabbed Nick’s wrist, trying to disarm him, but Nick fought with cold fury rather than desperate panic.
Every move calculated.Every strike purposeful.This is what we trained for.
They crashed through the storage room door into the diner’s kitchen, grappling among the abandoned equipment. Shaw was stronger, more experienced, but Nick had rage and tactical precision fueling his movements.
Nick slammed an elbow into Shaw’s sternum, then drove a knee toward his groin. Shaw blocked the knee but took the elbow, his breath whooshing out in a pained grunt.
“Stubborn,”Shaw panted, grabbing a heavy pot from the stove and swinging it at Nick’s head.“Just like always.”
Nick ducked under the swing and tackled Shaw around the waist, driving him backward into the prep counter. Shaw’s spine hit the edge with a sickening crack, but he didn’t go down.
Instead, he brought both hands down on Nick’s back, and followed up with a vicious kick to Nick’s ribs that sent him sprawling across the kitchen floor.
“You were always my favorite,”Shaw saidconversationally, advancing on Nick.“So much potential. Sobeautifullybroken. But you never learned when to quit fighting.”
Because I was never broken,Nick thought with fierce satisfaction as he rolled away from Shaw’s reaching hands.I was always choosing to survive.
Nick came up near the kitchen’s knife block, grabbing the largest blade he could before backing toward the door.
“What are you doing, Nicholas?”
“I have to save him,”Nick said, meaning every word.“I have to save Luka.”
Shaw laughed, the sound echoingstrangelyin the empty kitchen.“Save it? You can’t even save yourself.”
He lunged forward, faster than expected, grabbing Nick’s wrist and slamming his knife hand against the counter.
“You’re mine,”Shaw hissed, his grip tightening until Nick’s bones creaked. “You’ve always been mine. That monster was just borrowing you.”
Shaw’s other hand closed around Nick’s throat, lifting him until his feet barely touched the ground. Nick clawed at Shaw’s fingers, but Shaw’s grip was like iron.
“I’m going to fix you,”Shaw whispered, his face inches from Nick’s.“I’m going to break you down to your component parts and rebuild youproperlythis time. No more defiance. No more fighting. Just perfect, beautiful obedience to the mission.”
Nick’s vision was starting to gray around the edges when his desperate fingers found the second knife he’d grabbed. With the last of his strength, he drove it up into Shaw’s chest, feeling the blade slide between ribs.
Shaw gasped, his grip loosening just enough for Nick to break free. He stumbled backward, gulping air, watching Shaw stagger against the prep counter with the knife protruding from his chest.
