Page 46 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

For the first time since I’d met him nearly six months ago, Reuben smiled.

I swallowed as I watched the corners of his lips twitch, and then his eyes darkened as his face broke into an evil, twisted grin, and he chuckled under his breath. There was something very dangerous about the way he was looking at me.

Then he stood up and began stalking towards me with long, fast strides.

“Oh shit,” I whispered, and turned and ran.

I thought I was faster than him, but maybe the sheer shock of him actually coming after me gave him the advantage. Before I even made it out of the room, he fisted my hair in his hand. I jerked back when he caught me, and he dragged me by the hair towards the elevator.

“Let go of me, you big fat jerk!” I shouted.

“Shut up.”

I squirmed in his grip, trying to escape, but it was completely pointless. He had a good grip on my hair, and it made my scalp feel like it was going to explode. I threw my arm up to try to hit him, but he caught it with his free hand, wrenching my arm behind my back and then pulling my back against his chest, pinning my arm behind my back and holding me tight as he dragged me into the elevator.

He let go of me with one hand once we were inside, flipping a switch near the top that only he could reach, forcing it to stop mid-journey. Then he grabbed me by both shoulders and spun me around, shoving my back against the wall of the elevator.

“You asshole, let me go! You think you’reso scary–” I lifted my hands to push him off, but he caught my wrists, crossing them above my head and holding them firmly with one hand. I was about to shout again, but he covered my nose and mouth with his other hand, holding my jaw closed and covering my nose at the same time so I could barely breathe. I tried to kick him, but my legs were literally too short to even reach him.

The look on his face was raw power. He looked hungry and was practically vibrating with energy as he stared down at me, dark eyes full of anticipation. It made me freeze at the sight.

“You mouthy little bitch. You just can’t control yourself, can you?”

I tried to curse at him, but it wasn’t working with his hand over my mouth. I opened my mouth to bite him, but the angle was wrong and I couldn’t do anything but lick his hand, which was just weird and stupid. His hand over my nose kept me from breathing, and I shook my head to try to get his hand off me, but he was about a gazillion times stronger than me, so it did absolutely no good.

He was unimpressed by my antics. “Keep struggling, Alice. Go ahead. See how that turns out for you. I will absolutely hold you here until you pass out.”

Nervous, I stopped squirming, hoping he would let go of me, but he didn’t.

“You want to be a snot? Fine. I’ll help you remember why it’s a bad idea. But don’t do it in church, it’s not cute.”

“Okay,” I tried to say, but it came out muffled.

“What’s that? Are you trying to say something?” His voice was sarcastic, mocking me.

“Lrm mrrmff grr!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand you.” His voice was condescending. “Oh, maybe it’s becauseyou can’t fucking breathe.” His hand tightened around my face and leaned in closer to me.

I stopped struggling, begging and pleading with my eyes. I had the urge to keep fighting, but I was getting dizzy. Excitement and fear rose up in me as he leaned in closer, looking directly into my eyes. Worse, his proximity, the thrill of his power over me, and the feeling of his hands on my body were making my blood hot.

“Are you going to continue running your mouth?”

I shook my head as much as I could with his hand holding my face.

“Are you going to throw more ice cubes at me?”

Another shake. “Plllmrh! Prrfhl!”

“Are you going to be a little bitch in front of your friends?”

My eyes burned and a few tears escaped, and I shook my head again.

He finally removed his hand from my mouth, and I choked on a huge lungful of air.

“Look at me,” he growled. I forced my eyes open and met his gaze, my pulse racing as I realized how close he was to me. I could smell his breath and his cologne, and it made my mouth water. His fingers tightened around my wrists, and I felt his fingernails dig into my skin.

Oh no. Oh God, not here, not now. But I was still catching my breath and powerless to resist, so I let out a choking moan as I felt his nails bite into my skin, pain burning down my arms and settling in my gut.

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