4:37
I squinted at the bright red numbers on the bedside clock, trying to focus, but my eyes felt like they were stuck together with glue. Apparently, I hadn’t been sleeping long, but I must have fallen down hard. Lying on my stomach, I mashed my fingertips into my forehead and sighed. Tomorrow—today would be rough. Already it seemed there was a trail of gunk behind my sinuses, and my mouth felt like an entire sack of cotton balls had been stuffed inside.
I rolled onto my side and was met by Blake’s warm skin. No matter what the temperature was, he always radiated heat like a small ray of sun. Even through his slow, even breaths, he instinctively reached out, cupping my waist to pull me closer. Wearing only a pair of underwear, I hooked a bare leg over his waist and settled comfortably into his embrace, feeling his warmth coat my nipples. With the soft light of the moon a cloak over our mingled bodies, I almost fell back into a peaceful slumber in the timed rhythm of his breaths. I dozed off a few more minutes, but I couldn’t ignore the nagging dehydration that was parching me senseless.
I tried to slip away, but Blake tightened his hold with an adorable grunt, letting me know that he wasn’t as asleep as I had thought. I huffed a light laugh and traced the outline of his strong jaw. “I need a drink before I die. I forgot to leave one on the nightstand. Be right back.” I inched up and kissed the edge of his nose, relishing in the slow smile that crept across his face, though he never fully opened his eyes.
How’d I get so lucky?
I wondered this over and over, but I didn’t think I would ever find the answer. I tried as best as I could to recall the end of the night as I slipped Blake’s T-shirt over my head. Knowing the house was still full, I opted against leaving the room in just a shirt and underwear and slipped my legs into a pair of his sweatpants as well. He was so much taller than me that the extra fabric bunched beneath my feet and only the tips of my toes peeked out from them. I smiled as I looked down, wiggling my little pink piggies and thinking Blake would love the sight of this. It was a comforting and protective feeling, as though I were actually wearing him.
I closed the door behind me with a soft click. The house was much quieter now. Eerily silent knowing how many people still remained. I guessed I wasn’t the only one who had crashed hard.
Reaching the top step, my palm fell to the banister and then I tensed. Hackles raised along the back of my neck as my mind immediately went to Abby. I glanced behind my shoulder to the closed door, staring at it a few seconds. Tracing my steps back in that direction, I bunched the pants into my hands as I approached on my tiptoes. Hearing no sound still, I moved closer and pressed my ear against it, listening closely when a loud snore ripped through the room. I rolled my head until my forehead rested against the wood, a long, slow sigh leaving my lips. Good.
Feeling more relaxed knowing they were sleeping everything off, I quietly stepped the rest of the way to the kitchen.
What a wreck.
Remnants of the previous night lay strewn about the foyer in a scattered mess. Somehow, a buzz from the music which pumped so loudly still lingered in the air from the deejay equipment which sat abandoned now. Stepping over discarded cans and red cups, I decided not to allow myself the anxiety of looking around. Blake did this every year, so I trusted he had a way of easily righting it again.
The bare skin of my feet met the cool tile, sending a chill up my body. I rubbed away the little bumps traveling up the tops of my arms and then covered my mouth with the back of my hand as a yawn escaped. Through the large picture windows lining the kitchen, the sky was turning a husky shade of off-black, signaling that the sun would be waking up soon.
I opened the refrigerator, searching for a bottle of water, but all I could find was beer and some cheese cubes. Guess we’ll be shopping today, too.
The dry in my throat was unbearable. With another yawn, I moved to the cabinet, searching for a glass. I filled it with water from the tap and sucked down half of it in hearty gulps. Once the urge was sated, I slowed down and rested my hip against the counter to finish the rest.
The kitchen overlooked the back of the house. Hidden in the darkness were rolling green fields mingling with courts for sports and the pool. The sun began to poke her head through the grayed darkness, an orange hue sneaking into the skyline. A smile spread across my face. I had missed so many of these lately, and that only meant one thing.
I was happy.
Rays of light bled into the dark, illuminating the grounds little by little. My smile grew in a returned good morning to my old friend as she greeted me over a very different landscape than I was used to. My smile widened as I caught myself dazzling in a daydream, where Blake was mine forever, and we were raising a family and living out our dream as husband and wife, leaving the rest of the world and our heavy pasts behind us. My life was about to change. I could just feel it.
But then I felt something else.
Something hard poking me in the backside while a firm grip tightened at my hip. The remainder of the sunrise whirled like a kaleidoscope as I spun, praying I’d be looking into a pair of baby blues when I knew, without a doubt, that I wouldn’t be. My body was all too familiar with the ice that ran through my veins at this touch. The stench of what I would ultimately see was the second thing to hit me. I’d never seen hatred with such a distinct look as I did when my wide eyes found the dirt brown color of his.
Though my chest was heaving, he barely moved a muscle—his calm, a stark contrast to the banging beneath my ribs. This was normal for him, like air. He the quiet predator, and me the shaking prey. A twitch of a smirk hit his lips, and I instinctively retreated a step, but it only pressed my back against the counter behind me. With a racing heart, I tried not to panic. Instead, I was gathering my bearings, taking inventory of my surroundings.
The room was cast in contradiction, the bright light of the sun just coming awake, meeting the shadows of the setting moon. I allowed myself an internal laugh at the irony of how it so closely mirrored my existence. How fitting a setting it was. I had danced amongst the shadows my whole life, maneuvering through the gray areas just to get by. It was home to me, comfortable. I had lived in this space, owned it for so long. It was time to make it mine.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Damon?” I used the quietest voice I could spit out at him.
He remained still, the only movement was his arm as he took a swig of beer. After he swallowed, his tongue came up to cover his top teeth. He sucked back the liquid with a distasteful click, eyeing me like I was poison. The pause and lack of response so unlike him, it skidded a chill down my spine.
Something’s off.
Instinctively, I tried to step back once again, but the back of my heel hit the cabinet. Though the beats of my heart seemed to be racing each other for freedom, I huffed, trying to seem bored by his game as I rolled my eyes and pushed off the counter to shoulder past him. I needed space. This spot that he had closed me into feeling as though it were constricting, creeping into me from the outside in. My shoulder banged into his chest, trying to shove him aside, but bounced back off of it as though it was cement rather than flesh. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” I tried to appear calm, in control.
Strong.
Even though I wanted out of this situation, I couldn’t let him see my panic. I wasn’t his defenseless lamb anymore. I was a lion. A warrior.
He took a step closer and the lip of the counter bit into my back. I gripped it on either side to steady myself. Blake and Abby are both resting peacefully upstairs. I pulled all my inner strength into my center as my eyes dragged to the beer bottle dangling from Damon’s fingers.
“Binging again, I see? We both know how well that went over last time.” I gulped back the memory, knowing that I had been the one who’d bared the worst part of that episode.
He took a long pull from the bottle, then smacked his lips together. “Yep. Couldn’t resist.” He leaned in. “Your pussy feels so much better on the inside when I got a buzz going.”
The water I had just consumed bubbled up my throat, but I couldn’t give away the shake in my belly. I steadied my voice, not biting into that comment. Knowing I would be dead before he was ever able to touch me again fueled my strength.
I straightened my shoulders, needing some height since he towered mere inches from me. “You need to go to bed.”
“Nope.” His eyes glistened with the effects of the alcohol.
“Well, I’m going to bed.” I tried more forcefully to shoulder past him, but his firm grip wrapped around my arm, his fingertips indenting my flesh.
“Nope,” he snarled, so sure of himself. The smell of liquor, stale and new rested on the breath that landed on my lips. My stomach rolled, but I didn’t recoil as I stared into the most evil set of eyes I’d ever seen. Dark and daring and partially hooded as if completely turned on by violating me. But they also swam with malice, equally as turned on by the thought of causing me pain.
Get away from him. He’s not right.
“Let go of me.” I yanked my arm back, but that only made him clench harder to keep his hold. My heart raced faster. The sound of blood banged in my ears as his lips moved closer still, only a whisper away from mine. Right before they made contact, his face swept to the side of my head. His hot breath covered my ear as he breathed the most terrifying word once again. The only word he needed tonight. The word that held all the promise in the world of what he intended to do.
“Nope.”
As strong as I was trying to be, I couldn’t help the shake that rolled over me. “We aren’t alone right now, you sick fuck. Do you realize what you’re doing? Everyone will know.”
Then . . . the game changed.
All hope I’d had of leaving this situation vanished like a puff of a cloud.
His face emerged back into view as slowly as the rising sun, which now almost completely warmed the kitchen, making it even easier to see the complete state of undone he was in. His clothes hung disheveled, his hair a tattered mess, but his face . . .
His face was so certain, so sure, so unconcerned with my words as a devilish grin emerged.
“We’ve never been alone, beautiful. That’s the beauty of it. I’ve always taken you right . . . under . . . their . . . noses.” He tapped my nose at each of those words and my body jolted in response. That earned a deeper smile. “Made you squirm in silence.”
“You don’t care if Abby knows anymore?” I was desperate, grasping at straws and wanting to protect her.
Then the real hammer came. The truth of how sick this whole situation actually was.
His eyes trained on his finger as it traced the V of Blake’s T-shirt, which rested protectively over my heart and my skin ached to concave beneath it. “Abby sleeps like a rock. Always has.” His eyes flicked back to mine. “Those little blue pills I slip her every now and then work like a charm.” Then he bore his stare into mine so I wouldn’t misconstrue what he was saying. “Always have.”
I gasped, my breaths halting in a ball beneath my rib cage as my mouth immediately dried. The fuzz in my head from a dawning hangover was making it hard to grasp what he was really telling me.
At my shock, Damon continued. “What? You thought I would ever just leave it to chance that she’d wake up and catch us? Give me a little more credit, beautiful.”
“I can’t . . . I can’t believe you would do that to her.” My voice was so low, so soft, so . . . insignificant. Like I had always been.
Damon shrugged. “Wasn’t enough to hurt her and it wasn’t all the time. Everyone does it. She’s fine.”
Reality whirled back into me in a blur as his finger dipped lower, between the crevice of my breasts. I slapped it away and tugged back on the other hand that was still holding me so tight. “Get your fucking hands off me,” I grit out.
He didn’t seem to hear that. Just studied my face as though it were no longer familiar to him. “You think you’re cute, don’t you? Flaunting, teasing, testing my limits. Dancing all sexy on your boyfriend while you’re eye-fucking me. Daring me to come and take you out of his arms.”
I gasped. Is he that delusional? He was sicker than I’d thought. I half-laughed as I stepped to push past him once again. “You need help. You should seek some out.”
He whipped me back against the counter once more, his eyes pinning me to the granite. “Don’t play coy with me. Your body may have been dancing with him, but you were looking at me. You don’t have to beg, beautiful. I’m right here.” His hand came down and cupped my sex.
I gasped into his palm as it shot up to cover my mouth. Once I was silenced, his hand began its descent, his fingers plucking at my bottom lip before it trailed past my jaw, skimming over my throat. His nail clipped my collarbone, pricking me just enough to snap my mind back to what was about to happen.
Again.
No.
Suddenly, calm washed away my fear, peace at the fact that this wouldn’t happen. I would stop him or die trying. He could fuck a corpse, but he wouldn’t take me alive. Not again.
As my body composed, absorbing my new fate, Damon released his grip on my arm, bringing both hands to the flat of my chest to finish his descent down. Still in a haze, Blake’s blue, loved-crazed eyes filled my mind, his smile warm and reassuring, his dimple so fucking cute and amazing. Warmth coated me, and I took his love with me, borrowed his strength as a cool hand slipped beneath the cotton of my shirt and squeezed my bare breast.
At the intrusion, Blake’s face exploded into a million bright stars, revealing the crazy person standing behind it. I sucked in a breath, Damon’s eyes opening wider as that action puffed out the breast he was holding. His greedy thumbs began to circle my nipples, his mouth hanging open as though he ached to taste one. His eyes flicked back to my lips, his face inching toward me to take my mouth. My lip curled back over my teeth, and I took my palm, mushing his face and throwing him back.
Finally.
Damon stumbled, trying to find his bearings, and I took the opportunity to move away from the counter he had locked me into and gain back a little more advantage.
“Remember it all, Eva. Remember all that I taught you. Every word I fucking said and every time I made your back hit those mats. Remember it and harness it and come out of the gates fucking swinging. Do not let this motherfucker own you. Not anymore. This is your life. Your house. Your rules.” The words Drew spoke only hours earlier rushed through me.
Crouching my knees a bit, I sat into them and flicked the sweatpants at my thighs to hike up the extra fabric beneath my feet and give myself more traction. The cool tile sent a wave of energy through me, like a jolt of adrenaline, and I widened my arms. Turning my palms up, I raised a mocking eyebrow, a half-smile crooked in the corner of my mouth as I trained my eyes at my violator. My enemy. “Come at me,” I recited Drew’s words.
Damon cocked his head, studying me. Then a smile slid across his amused face. He laughed. “You’re not serious.”
I adjusted my legs, not letting my guard down, then sunk deeper into my squat. “Oh, I’m serious. Come at me. Unless . . .” I quirked a brow. “Unless you’re scared.” I made a pouty face. “What’s the matter? You afraid I’m about to fuck you for once?” He stepped closer, and I swallowed deep, knowing this was it.
“Watch your fucking mouth.”
“Nope,” I spit his word back at him. “I’ve watched it long enough. It’s time for you to watch my mouth now.”
“Oh, I’m watching all right.” Evil dripped from his twisted features his lip pulled back over his teeth, and he took a step toward me. “And I’m gonna shut it for you.”
Quicker than I could register, he was on me then, but my body instinctively took over, slapping his hand away as it made to reach for my neck. I smiled once again. “Gonna have to try harder than that, asshole. I’ve been waiting years for this day, and if you don’t care who finds out, then neither. The fuck. Do I.” I curled my fingers into his shirt and threw him back.
Damon almost fell, landing in a crouch, one hand slamming to the floor to steady himself. When his eyes rose to mine, a chill washed over my entire body, and I knew it was over. He was coming at me with full force. My breathing loaded as the anticipation heightened.
“You little slut. How many times do I have to tell you they’ll never believe you?” He stood and brushed off his hands. “See all this?” He motioned to me. “You attacked me.” He grew more confident as he began to walk toward me. “Everyone saw your little display earlier.” Another step. “How you were looking at me, licking your lips and begging for me to touch you. To fuck you, as you call it.” Damon licked his lips and trailed his eyes down my body, still closing in on me. “Now you wanna cry victim?” He raised a brow, his smile widening. “Doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. The world is on to whores like you.”
My confidence dipped for a mere second, though my stance never did.
Was he right? Would no one trust my word?
He must have picked up on the hesitation because he took the small opportunity to lunge at me, coming full force for my torso like a barreling football player. My body slapped my mind to the forefront, screaming at it to look alive and do what it was trained for.
Survive.
The flat of my foot met his gut, and all the air whooshed from him in one large oof, taking him back a couple of steps. But I didn’t stop. Something in me clicked off. Rationale replaced with rage as I advanced on him.
He straightened quick, attempting to slap my cheek, but I easily smacked that hand away. He tried the other cheek, and I did the same with the other hand, still coming up on him. “Come on, hot stuff. Hit me,” I goaded, wanting the excuse to hurt him.
But something happened as Damon realized his position was being challenged. A familiar veil fell over his face, replacing whatever normalcy remained and displaying the true evil underneath.
There he is.
The devil himself stood toe-to-toe with me then. Staring at me on the other side of the island. One finger at a time, his fist curled in, and I knew he’d decided a mere slap wouldn’t do. He charged at me. In a flurry of fists, he attacked. But I had been expecting this. Trained to dodge them, no matter what.
One-two
One-two-three
One-two-three-four
I danced. And his breathing became heavy. Maybe too heavy to carry any weight if he was actually able to make contact.
But he couldn’t.
I was too good for that.
The air moved through my lungs fluidly. Entering and exiting my mouth in small, quiet wisps as he circled and threw, missing one after another. I couldn’t help myself then. I decided to excite in a small victory and take my shot, landing an open-handed slap to the side of his face like the little bitch he actually was.
Damon seethed. His teeth bared, he came at me again, and I covered his other cheek with a full-on punch. His head bucked back, and I moved in, landing another square on his nose, and I delighted at the small red trickle that ran down.
But then he tasted it. Tasted the copper running between his teeth. He swiped at it and stared down at the color swatch on the top of his hand. The anger on his face stopped me cold, making all this too real. “You’ll pay for that.”
He was too fast.
The moment it took to stun me was all it took for him to be on me, for him to have the advantage. His large fingers wrapped firmly around my neck, blocking off all air and bringing a darkness into my eyes from all outside points. I covered his hands with my own—clawing, pulling, begging with wide eyes for him to loosen his grip, but he didn’t. Something completely consumed him, fueling him to follow through with the final betrayal I’d fallen victim to at his hands. At this very moment, he seemed intent on stripping away that final piece of me. My air. My life.
Darkness closed in in graying spider webs, my tongue poking through my lips as a dull numbness prickled the skin on my face. Beneath my skull boomed a pressure I didn’t think it could withstand.
The last thing I saw before my eyes lazily slid closed was that swipe of red between Damon’s two top teeth and the way his mouth curled around it. The last sound was the beats of my own heart rocking into my ears in slowing thumps. I was swimming. Levitating. Drifting off into a darkness filled with electric blue eyes, spiraling into a tunnel. A low voice whispered from somewhere in the darkness.
You’re dealing with someone who already knows all your weaknesses, Eva. The day you forget that is the day we’ll be peeling you back up off the floor.
The vision of Drew screamed at me then, hazel eyes blazing with fire. Go!
I pulled everything in. Though I couldn’t breathe and my arms felt like lead, my eyes shot open, my knee coming up to connect with Damon’s junk with as much force as I could find. I choked, coughing as he stumbled back, dragging in whatever oxygen I could while he straightened and came at me again.
“You thought I fucked you against your will all these years? Well, you’re about to really get fucked now. Hold on tight, beautiful. Your world’s about to end—”
“What the fuck! Eva?” The boom of Blake’s voice came from the entryway, and my eyes immediately shot to his, quickly begging him to put the pieces together and understand what was happening as I strained to catch a breath that was barely even there.
Crack!
The world melted away, blurring my vision in a swirl as I rolled over the side of my feet in a free fall. Searing pain met my skull for the second time as the other side of my head hit the granite countertop, a spiral of lights and darks falling with me as the back of my head screamed out in pain once more, hitting the marble tile beneath me. And then . . .
Nothing.