The Fae vanished after pinning him with a final look that shook Grison to his marrow and filled his blood with ice. The stifling air lightened, but the weight of Thaddeus’s final words pressed down on his shoulders like the ceiling of thispitiful cavern. His parting words were not founded in sincerity.
Nay.
Grison poured himself a full goblet of tasteless wine and gulped it down in one pull.
Goddess, he wished for once he could find some solace in alcohol like those bloody worthless mortals.
Thaddeus’s words echoed in his mind, his soul, spreading the ice until his entire body succumbed to chills the fire couldn’t thaw.
He was no fool.
Those final words were naught more than a lethal threat.
8
“You did wonderful today, Rori. You had a difficult patient load and approached it with professionalism and eagerness. Your evaluation for today’s clinical will reflect your attentiveness and growing skill set.”
Rori shared a closed-mouth smile with her instructor as they stepped through the sliding doors of the hospital’s lobby. Her classmates had already left for the day, but Rori had asked to stay a little longer due to her phone call with the lawyer and the complexity of some of the patients she was helping with. Her instructor had agreed without hesitation and happily stayed to oversee her through the end of the day’s shift. Immersing herself in her clinicals distracted Rori from the unease of the lawyer and the situation with Cael and Thaddeus.
“Thanks again for allowing me to stay later. I know you must be wanting to get home. I appreciate your time,” Rori said, motioning vaguely toward the opposite side of the parking lot. “I’m over here. Have a good night, Ms. Colsten.”
“You, too, Rori. See you in class.”
Rori waited as her instructor headed toward the opposite lot. She pulled her phone from her bag, turned it on, and started her trek toward her car. Several text messages and two missed calls popped up almost immediately. She listened to the message from her lawyer, confirming receipt of the medical records from her emergency room visit the night of the assault, and erased the message from a spam number.
Her stomach tilted as it often did when she saw the dozen or so text messages from Rich. With a groan, she erased the thread without opening the messages. Brandon, Cassy and her work had left texts while she was in clinicals, Brandon’s text being the most recent.
However, it was “Steve” that drew her attention. Her brows cinched as she opened the text.
Steve:Hey Rori. Know you’re at the hospital but hoping to catch you before you make plans. Any chance you can swing by when you’re done? Have some things to discuss with you. Alone.
God, would there be a single day she didn’t have to deal with the world caving in on her? With a heavy sigh that pressed down on her shoulders, she ignored the text and moved to Cassy’s. An update of her evening plans with Steve once she got out of work and an invitation for Rori to three-wheel it at a local pub. She politely declined under the pretense of exhaustion. A small part of her wanted to tell Cassy her boyfriend had invited her to meet up, but how was she going to explain that away?
“Secrets. Gotta love them.”
Her secrets would send her to a mental institute for sure,or drive a wedge between Rori and her best friend. It was only a matter of time before the secrets would be questioned.
At least Brandon’s text was a simple,“Hey hermosa, let me know when you get out and stop making all of us slackers look bad.”She couldn’t help but chuckle at the lighthearted jab and quickly replied that she was headed home.
Then she scrolled back to Cael’s text. Reread it. Contemplated answering him or ignoring it altogether. Unfortunately, her damn curiosity would be the death of her. She replied with a short,“Heading over now,”and locked her phone?—
Strong fingers grabbed her upper arm in a steely grip. Her body jerked as a hand smacked over her mouth before she could start screaming. She stumbled against the burly body and merciless grip until her back slammed up against the side of a dark van. She blinked, terror soaking through her mind, adrenaline exploding through her body. It took her a few crucial seconds before the face hovering near hers came into focus.
“Hiya, doll face. Since you’ve decided I don’t exist anymore, you left me no choice but to get your attention this way.”
Rori’s eyes widened, her heart about to rip from her chest. Her stomach twisted in a knot, threatening to spill the meager contents from her midday snack. She struggled to free her arm from Rich’s bruising grip while shoving at his shoulder with her other hand. The bastard wedged his legs between hers, pinning her to the van, leaving her little room to fight back. His fingers dug,fucking dug, into her biceps until she cried out behind his hand and tried to shrink away.
He snickered, glancing one way, then the other. Despite the receding sunlight, it was early enough there should have been more cars in the lot. Instead, it was almost empty. There was no one in sight to help her. Damn her for parking towardthe back. Damn her for being too engrossed in her thoughts and text messages to bother assessing her surroundings like she normally did.
Damn—
“Aw, doll. Why aren’t you happy to see me?” Rich cocked his head, narrowing his eyes. His smile turned cold, predatorial, as he leaned closer. Mere inches from her face. She could smell the grease and oil from his shop mixed with his cologne. Smell the hint of alcohol on his breath.
He finally released her arm and twirled one of her waves that didn’t reach her hair tie with belying tenderness. Traced her cheek to her jaw, lower to her throat. Her breath seized in her lungs as his hand wrapped her neck and began to apply pressure slowly.
Panic surged. She pounded against his hard chest, fought to wedge a leg between his. Air slowly thinned, each draw harder and harder. She shrieked, screamed against his hand, but her sounds were nearly inaudible against the distant interstate and local traffic.
“You promised me you’d always be mine, remember?”
