Page 58 of Bound by Love
Brie sucked in the air she needed and began coughing violently. Darius only stared at her, no sympathy in his eyes.
Was he planning to kill her?
A force she never knew existed boiled up inside her and suddenly erupted. With an angry howl, she bucked her hips, and he was momentarily thrown off balance. She struggled to get out from under him, growling like a demonic animal.
But Darius was far stronger and wrestled her back down, both hands around her neck this time. The smirk on his face as the darkness closed in around her terrified her. Brie gave a strangled cry, the blood pounding in her skull.
Darius laughed when he finally loosened his grip. “I like seeing your eyes bug out like that.”
He looked her over with a cold gaze when she grabbed her throat, coughing uncontrollably. His eyes landed on her open shirt, several buttons having broken off in the life-and-death struggle.
She felt a new level of terror when his expression changed.
Darius took hold of her wrists against, pushing them painfully to the ground as he got uncomfortably close to her face. “I want you to do something for me.”
Brie shook her head.
His cruel smile returned. “Show me your titties.”
She shook her head more violently.
“Yes…” He released her arms again, resting his full weight on her pelvis as he stared at her chest. “Unbutton your shirt and show them to me.”
Again, she shook her head, her bottom lip trembling.
“Show me,” he demanded.
Brie was only twelve, her chest still flat like a boy’s. There was nothing for him to see, but she couldn’t bear being exposed to him like that.
His eyes flashed with malicious anger. “Do it.”
Brie looked around, hoping against hope that someone would walk by and save her.
Darius only chuckled. “It’s just you and me…Brianna Bennett.”
Brie couldn’t bring herself to do it even though she knew he would hurt her if she did not. After several moments of waiting, he smiled strangely at her.
She hoped he was having a change of heart, but those hopes died when he wrapped his hands around her throat again.
Brie whimpered as he squeezed even tighter. Her body, having experienced it before, went straight into panic mode. No matter how desperately she clawed at his hands, she could not break his hold. This time, he did not stop—he squeezed until the twinkling lights in her head faded to black and she lost consciousness.
The return was frightening and confusing. She first became aware of a lone dog barking somewhere far off. Her vision seemed blurred—seeing but not seeing—and she found every breath painful. It took several minutes before her brain could process as she slowly came back to reality.
The dark form in front of her slowly crystallized into Darius. He was still straddling her with that smirk on his lips. “Welcome back.”
Brie swallowed hard, the pain in her throat causing her to wince.
“You know what I want.”
Rescue wasn’t coming. She was completely on her own, and she wanted to live. With shaking hands, she fumbled at the remaining buttons, but her fingers refused to cooperate. Darius appeared to take pleasure in watching her struggle and made no move to help her.
Brie closed her eyes, tears falling, the humiliation she felt threatened to swallow her whole as the first button finally gave and she went to unbutton the next…
She dropped her hands in shame and defeat when she was done.
A cold breeze swirled around her skin when he pulled the material of her shirt away, and a sob escaped her lips.
“Don’t make a sound,” he warned her. A chill like ice coursed through her veins when he touched her. He said nothing as his hands ran over her flat breasts and the tiny buds of her nipples.
