Page 7 of The Devil We Crave
My heart is racing as I cross the floor in silence, then stand up on tip-toe, reach up, and drop the thong behind a row of leather-bound books.
Hope you like prison, motherfucker.
There’s a sense of relief as soon as I let go of the evidence, almost peace, and I grin. You know what? I think Iwillhave a drink tonight, to celebrate?—
The feeling of elation shatters like glass, and my scream dies in my throat when I’m grabbed from behind. My adrenaline spikes, my entire body turning to ice as the powerful figure behind me pins me hard to the bookshelves.
Hot breath teases over my neck. Strong hands grip my ponytail.
Your hair x my fist.
My eyes bulge as the dim light in the room glints wickedly off the razor-sharp edge of a knife that’s suddenly in front of my face.
“Now, little prey…”
My brain short-circuits, my insides liquifying as the words are rasped into my ear in a deep, dark, masculine baritone. My breath catches as the very tip of the knife slowly drags over the skin of my cheek.
“Are you going to be a good girl and fucking run for me?”
2
YELENA
At first,it's like I'm falling headfirst into a dark pool, breaking the inky surface and sinking into the murky depths in slow motion. It feels like my legs have become heavy, my lungs have filled with water, and my very pulse has slowed to a dull, syrupy thud beneath the frozen surface of my skin.
Then, just as quickly as everything slowed down, it speeds back up. Instantly, despite the weight of the man’s body pinning me to the bookshelves, the strength in his hands, and the edge of his knife in front of my face, I comealive.
My elbow jerks back, slamming into his side. It barely elicits a dull grunt.
But it’s enough.
His grip momentarily loosens to the point that I can do it again, jamming my elbows back and breaking free. I choke out a broken non-scream as I whirl away from him, darting out from between him and the shelves andboltingfor the door to the bedroom.
I don’t have time to think about why the fuck there’s a man with a knife lurking in the shadows of the Para Bellum party.
I just need to get away from him.
I’ve barely made it three steps before his weight crashes into me again. This time, one powerful hand grabs me around the throat from behind while the other grips a handful of the waist of my leggings, yanking me back so hard that I jerk clean off my feet.
I go slamming into a rock-hard chest, thickly muscled arms instantly circling me and pinning me tight as hot breath rasps across the shell of my ear.
“Yesss, I was hoping you’d run, little prey. Your pussy will taste so much fucking sweeter if I have tohunt youfirst.”
My eyes bulge. Another choked scream withers in my throat. Adrenaline screams and whines in my ears like a siren, neon warning lights blaring and stabbing through my brain as I twist and fight and kick to break free of his grip.
My heel comes down hard on the top of his foot. Again, it’sjustenough for his grip to release a little. I lurch away, staggering erratically through the pitch-dark bedroom. My hip slams into the pointed corner of a dresser, bringing a scream to my throat before I can swallow it back.
A lethal, quietly sinisterchucklerumbles through the darkness, swirling and surging closer as I bolt to the right. Instantly, I crash into the side of the bed and go sprawling face-first across it. Fight or flight chemicals flood my system as I kick and scramble to drag myself to the other side of the bed before he can get to me.
I’m not fast enough.
My scream chokes off as his strong hand wraps around my throat again. The full weight of his body lands across my back, pinning me to the bed beneath. His other hand grabs a fistful of my hair, making me spasm and jolt with blind fear as he yanks my head to the side.
Your hair x my fist.
But this is no TikTok. This isn’t one of Galina’s “morally gray book boyfriends”.
This is fuckingreality.
