“The what?” I ask, shifting onto my side. I struggle not to give in to my body’s need to rest. I’m so achingly tired.
He tightens his jaw and shakes his head. A muffled rumbling noise sounds through the door. It trembles on its hinges, jerking Dante’s attention away from me. “Never mind about that. It’s not imperative information for you to know.” Swiveling, he motions to the robe hanging on a hook. “Get out of those wet clothes and put on the robe. Lucian is ready to see you.”
“Lucian?” The name sounds harsh coming from my lips. He keeps mentioning this man like he might be his boss or something. “I’m not seeing anyone.”
“You don’t have a choice, pretty soul. If you don’t, I’ll carry you out like the unruly mortal you are. Lucian likes that, but only because the disobedient are that much more fun to break,” Dante says gruffly, grabbing a towel from the cabinet. He throws it in my face, not giving me a chance to take it from him. “Now don’t make me help you get undressed. You made it clear you don’t like that right now.”
Right now? He’s delusional to imply that I might eventually like it. Because fuck.
I shudder at the thought, imagining him transforming into his monster façade. This guy is crazy. Psychotic. He’s out of his damn mind if he thinks he can just drag me out of here and force me to meet—
Dante steps forward and looms over me, his arms folded across his broad chest. He starts to kneel, staring at my boobs with more intensity than any man has ever looked at my chest. But it’s not sexual. It’s in determination. He plans to follow through with his threat, reaching his hand out, ready to rip my bra right off me. He stops short, his fingers open and waiting to strike like a snake if I give him an opening.
I whack his muscular arm away and wince. The bone-hard denseness of his bulging bicep is like hitting my hand against a concrete wall. The pain doesn’t stop me from doing it again. I will not make anything easy for this asshole, but especially when it comes to this twisted game of take my clothes off or else.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” I yell, raising my voice even louder. Maybe the neighbors sharing a wall will hear and call the cops. If not out of concern, then hopefully out of annoyance. “I swear to God, Dante. You will regret it!”
His whole body shudders, and he bares two sharp fangs with a hiss. “Then fucking obey me and get changed! Now!”
Hot air blows in my face with his holler, and I scramble back, hitting the side of the tub. Fear stops me from arguing. I slowly reach behind me and unhook my bra but don’t pull it off my boobs. Dante only watches me until he’s sure I’ll do as he says before he spins on his feet and strides out of the bathroom. I swallow the pain and exhaustion inside me and force myself back to my feet. I keep my bra firmly in place with my hand, shuffling across the room to grab the robe hanging behind the door.
Voices drift into the bathroom from the living room, and I wonder which of the bedrooms has the backdoor slider. The layout is different than Joel’s place, two bedrooms instead of one, but every ground level apartment has a patio. If I can pick the right room, I can make a run for it.
I hook my bra back on and shrug into the robe to cover up. The last thing I want is for another man to see me in this state of undress, and if I don’t make it, I know whoever this fucker Lucian is will get a look as well.
Gathering my nerves, I focus on the low voices coming to me from down the hall. The gross rotting smell still permeates the air, consuming the warm scents of Dante and Kase, and I pinch my nose, praying I don’t gag and make noise. I peek my head from the bathroom and get a clear view of the living room from my spot. My mouth dries at the sight of a towering beast with a sleek, shiny red body and a long black tail. Three thick horns protrude from its forehead, jutting out several inches in a crown. It stalks forward on two legs like a human. The unsettling sight worsens as I watch its long claws penetrate the wood floors, sending flames shooting around each talon. And that’s not the freakiest part. The monster doesn’t leave a single mark behind. No scratches or anything. It makes me question reality.
This can’t possibly be real. Maybe I’ll wake up at any second, hungover and tripping on whatever pills Joel had been drugging me with. If I didn’t bang my elbow on the doorframe, sending a jolt of pain ricocheting through me, I might’ve just attempted to run to see what would happen.
I cover my mouth with my hand, muffling any noise I can make. “Oh, God. Help me. Please let this be a bad trip.”
I immediately regret the prayer, hearing the vicious roar of the beast rumble through the air. Instead of retreating back into the bathroom to lock myself in, I rush toward the end of the hall and the bedrooms. I whip my head from one to the other, spotting the slider in the one on the left.
I bolt into it and slam the door closed, turning the tiny lock. It’s no deadbolt, but I don’t think it matters. There is no way the door will keep a determined beast of that monstrous size out, but it will hopefully slow it down. Rushing across the room, I grab a desk chair and roll it towards the door, using it to block my path. I fling the blinds open, ripping a few down in the process. My heart hammers against my ribcage, and I flick the lock open on the slider, gasping as cool air engulfs me. I can’t believe I’m going to make it...or not.
An arm blocks my exit, stopping me from running outside. How the fuck did this asshole know what I would do? Has he been waiting for me to try to escape?
“Where do you think you’re going, angel-girl?” Kase’s hulking form startles me, and I trip backwards and fall onto the bed. He steps through the back slider and closes it behind him, slowly shaking his head in annoyance. Narrowing his eyes on me, he strolls closer, clicking his tongue like I’m some sort of disobedient pet needing correction.
I grab the pillow and throw it at him, trying to get him to stay the hell away from me. He looks even more determined to grab at me than Dante was to rip my bra off. It strikes a nerve, his handsome features leering like he hungers to punish me. A psycho like him shouldn’t be so attractive. It makes it harder to see him as a threat. It’s in this moment that I understand just a little how some women can fall for serial killers. Because he looks so damn hot, it makes me hope a little bit that maybe I’ll be different and not his victim. Maybe he’ll be the type to kill for the sake of love like some psychotic romance...fuck. I need to take a long look at my taste in men—if I can even call him that.
“You shouldn’t stare at me on my bed like that. Don’t you know I’m a devil and can sense your darkest desires?” he says, mapping his gaze over my body. “You want me even though I scare you. Isn’t that right?”
Shit. His words prod at my human rationale, reminding me that he might be hot, but I’m not an exception to his brand of torment. If I were, he wouldn’t push me. He wouldn’t tease and taunt me. He wouldn’t look ready to climb into bed with me and pin me down...
I’m so fucking twisted. My vagina clenches in anticipation, loving the idea of being beneath him.
“We’ll have time to discover how dark you truly can be soon enough, but for now, it’s time to meet Lucian.” Kase holds his hand out. “Be a naughty girl. I dare you.”
I spot a weird curved blade on the nightstand and reach for it, holding it out in front of me protectively. Did I take him up on his dare? Fuck yeah, I did. But what exactly am I going to do? Can I brave stabbing him? I guess I’ll find out. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will. You can’t keep me here.”