Page 20 of Cruel Betrayal

A shiver runs through her body.

“I haven’t met anyone else I’ve been able to talk about literature with. Which adds an intriguing layer to us, love. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t know who the fuck you are.”

My fingers brush over her sensitive skin again. “That’s fine.”

Jade’s eyes get wide, and she looks away from me. “Leave me alone or kill me. Stop with this shit.”

“Not going to happen, love. We’re going to be spending some time together, but if you promise to behave yourself, then I think I’ll allow you to stretch your legs for a little bit.”

There’s a flash of hope in her eyes. She’s going to try something the moment I untie her.

I know her. I’ve been watching her. I can see it in her eyes, and yet I want to tease her. Just a little.

I want her to think that she’s escaping me, only so she can find out there’s no way to leave me.

I want to see the hope drain from her eyes as she realizes that I’m the one who holds the keys to her cage.

That I’m never going to let her go.

I loosen her ties, starting with her ankles. My fingers move over the buckles, letting them drop before I go to her wrists and unbuckle those as well.

The second she’s free, she lunges.

It’s faster than I expected. The last time I watched her fighting, she wasn’t this fast.

Her fist collides with my stomach before she grabs the back of my head and slams me into her knee.

My nose crunches under the impact. Blood pours.

That’s it.

I spit out a mouthful of blood as she scrambles away from me, running to the edges of the plastic and looking for a door. Then she whips around, looking at the counter of knives.

It doesn’t matter, though.

I’m faster than her.

I grab one of the syringes, flicking off the cap.

This is going to be for her own good. She’s only going to get herself in more trouble if I let her go.

As I stalk toward her, she rushes around the room, trying to find the door.

This is the part of the game I love the most. Stalking her. Watching her. Knowing what she’s going to do before she does it.

Even with the blood pouring down my face and the difficulty I have breathing, the excitement is pounding through my veins.

“Come now, Jade. You don’t have to make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“Fuck you!” She rips down several of the pictures of her, but there are still so many others.

I push the air from the syringe, grabbing her by the bicep and hauling her against me.

She tries to fight me off, but it’s weak. Her nails scrape at my skin, and I’m sure she gets a couple cuts in.

It doesn’t matter, though.