Page 4 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

I gulped and turned my back to him. I started to collect my clothes and pull them on when he gripped my wrist in his firm grasp, stopping me. I hissed and settled my gaze on him. “Jared, stop. You’re hurting me.”

“I haven’t even begun to hurt you. I can hurt you if that’s what you want. Do you want me to hurt you?” he screamed.

“No. Let me go,” I said forcing back the fear and the tears that burned my eyes.

“Not until you tell me what is going on,” he demanded.

I had hit the point of no return. My plan was a bust. He figured everything out. Suddenly, I found myself stuck with trying to figure a way out of the situation that was quickly moving from bad to worse. And I absolutely had to figure it out before Jared’s temper got the better of him and he used me as his personal punching bag.

“All right,” I said. “Just let me go first.”

The man I had met three months ago was gone. The charming, romantic, sweet personality that I had fallen for was a ploy. A game of his. All to keep me ensnared in his dangerous trap.

And I had fallen for every single move.

He shoved my hand toward me, releasing my wrist. I rubbed the ache out of it. Already a bruise was starting to form.

“You better start talking,” Jared said.

His patience was non-existent in these moods. I hated it when he was like this. And it seemed like he was in a similar mood more often than not anymore.

I nodded. “I have a trip I have to take for the coven. To visit our sister coven in Washington so we can have help with this group that’s been causing us problems.”

“Like hell, you’re leaving,” he said. “I told you, didn’t I? I said you were going to leave, and I said you can’t. Tell them to find someone else. You’re not leaving me.”

“There is no one else,” I said.

“I don’t care. You’re not leaving and that’s final,” he said and punched the bed. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“I wasn’t calling you stupid,” I said, my voice shook. My heart raced, and my palms started to sweat.

“You implied as much thinking this show of yours was going to trick me,” he said. “What did I tell you would happen if you kept insulting me like that?”

“I didn’t mean—”

“What did I say?” he asked again.

I shrank back. “You would punish me.”

He stood up and started to walk around the bed. I took the opportunity to slip on my underwear. That was all I had time to do before he was on me, tossing me back onto the mattress. He then slammed his fist into my face.

It was the first time he had done that. Normally he was much more careful not to make his abuse obvious.

“Stop!” I cried out as he punched me again. This time, in my lip.

He continued to waylay me as I screamed and cried and begged for him to stop.

“If I can’t have you, no one can,” he growled out. His fingers wrapped around my neck, and he squeezed, choking off my air.

I gasped and clawed at his hands, desperately trying to force him off of me. When that didn’t work, I called on the little self-defense I was able to learn from one of Savannah’s men and dug my ankles into the mattress and bucked.

The move worked better than I had hoped for. If only for a very brief moment.

I didn’t waste any time. As I choked and gasped for air, blinking through the tears that blurred my vision, I collected the rest of my clothes, pulling them on as I ran toward the front door.

Jared growled and his footsteps charged after me.

My heart felt like it was beating through my throat, and I held my breath in fear of him catching me. Because if he managed to do so, I was dead.

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