Page 57 of UnWholly Angels (Crestview Cardinals #1)

My own thoughts seemed far away as a sinister voice appeared in my ear.

“Ya feeling tired?” his voice chuckled.

“I’m going-I’m so tired. Ju-just giv-e-e me five minutes.”

Nicholas?

Maya?

Anyone?

Where…where is any?

Where is everyone?

“You’re a big guy. I had to double my normal dose,” the eerie voice chuckled darkly behind me. Then everything went black.

A deep, groggy breath brought me out of the comatose state, and I could briefly feel long fingers gripping my waist, squeezing.

The sharp nails digging into my flesh would surely leave an imprint on my skin.

But that was nothing compared to the intrusion I felt; the head of his dick sat at my asshole, waiting to rip me wide open.

“I thought I’d killed you for a moment,” he chuckled darkly.

“I wanted you to be awake for this.” My eyes widened as he forced the head of his cock into my asshole, stretching and tearing it apart, and I couldn’t help but clench around him, making the pain of this worse.

Each time he dragged himself out and shoved himself back in felt like I was trying to shit out razor blades covered in tar.

I wanted to scream for him to stop. My mouth was moving, but I couldn’t say a word.

With nothing but pure will, I tried to use my forearms to get away, get to my phone that was right next to me on the edge of the bed.

I tried to scream again, feeling nothing but skin on skin and the sharp pain of the smack on my ass before he used the death drip on my hips to pull me back into him.

I fought the feeling as hard as I could, but I was drowning, and I was afraid of what would happen if I passed out again.

I couldn’t help it, though.

Please don’t let me fall again…

I don’t want to be alone…

I could feel his hand move to my dick, stroking to the rhythm he had forced me into, and I felt the shame as my body began to betray me. Immediately, my eyes closed again and imprisoned me in the darkness.

Fucking stop!

Please make it stop…

My body jerked awake, but this time was different.

The weight was gone and pain flared in every direction.

I just lay there in disbelief. He was on the phone speaking with someone.

His voice sounded muffled, like he was underwater.

But loud and clear, I’d heard, “Well, it’s done, what do I do with him now? ”

So far, I’d counted three hundred and sixty-two pieces of carpet that were out of place, some longer than others, or missing.

Clearly, they needed to update that, refurbish it or something.

I was lucid and groggy, but I wouldn’t deny what happened.

Tell someone; absolutely not. I took that shit like a man, and now I could move on.

I groaned, not giving the motherfucker the satisfaction of knowing just how bad he’d humiliated me. The stranger was still here, sitting and watching me. A shiny, steel blade twirling around each finger, and for the first time in my life, I was truly afraid for my life.

My eyes fluttered, struggling to remain open when I heard him rise from his spot and stalk over to me.

Doing my best to brace myself on my forearms, I only made it a small distance before I was pulled back where I was.

I wasn’t fast enough, and he was able to grab hold of my jaw, forcing his thumb into my mouth while the other held the blade at my throat from behind.

“N…Fu…Please.” Sobs wracked my body as my chest tightened.

He leaned down and whispered so dangerously that every hair on my body stood at attention.

I was still far away from here, my body and my mind completely disconnected.

“The best way to catch a queen, Riley,” he snickered.

“Is for a smaller, yet important pawn to check the King. You should have played more chess with Maya.”

One slice was all he needed, and I would be out of the way. How dare he say her name? Is this what she had gone through all of these years? A drowned-out scream ripped from my throat as the tip of the knife skated across my neck, narrowly missing my jugular, but deep enough to send a message.

“No matter how you play the game, this story does not end with you winning, or running off into the sunset to live a happy life. Maya belongs to the Vitales.” The blade cut straight across, but not enough to dig into the layer I needed to survive.

“This will be your last warning, Riley Kingston. Heed it before she’s gotta watch your casket lowered to the ground. ”

Before I knew it, the knife left my body. I’d heard him wiping the blade along his pants. My head slammed back to the floor, and he rose without a word, taking long strides to the door and leaving just like that.

Now, I had to pick up the room, clean up, and act like nothing happened.

I need to call the one person who would understand.

I need you, Freckles. Please pick up.

Maya

I jolted awake with a sinking feeling in my stomach, or was it just…

Oh fuck yes! It was my phone. Hopefully, Riley and the guys were back from the bar.

He’d kill me if he saw the state of the house.

Children were fast asleep upstairs while the adults lay sprawled out on the floor in different areas.

Drinks and snacks were laid out everywhere.

I chose to opt out of drinking but still had fun.

Charlotte and Rowan were nice, and I hoped that I would see more of them once Riley came back.

Careful not to wake anyone, I stepped over the half-dead bodies and ran to the kitchen to answer. “Hey, how was it?” Seeing the state he was in made my blood run cold, and I wanted answers immediately. “Riley, what the…Riley, look at me, please.”

When our eyes locked, his empty, emotionless look terrified me.

He faced straight ahead, jaw clenched so tight I thought it would break, bruises lined his chest, and he was sitting awkwardly.

It also looked like he’d been cut with something.

His neck was a bloodied mess. When he did finally speak, it didn’t make any sense.

“You know my favorite song, right? The one I’m always blasting and singing along to?”

I started seeing the signs, but I was in denial. Not Riley. Not my Riley. “He’s in hell, you know that? He dies and ends up in hell. He keeps trying to escape, but he can’t,” his voice cracked with the last words. “I’ll never fucking…I should have listened.”

“Riley, I’m going to ask you one question, and I need you to be honest with me, okay?” I had to take the reins right now. I needed to be there for him. “Did someone hurt you?”

He scoffed. “Maya, a little rough sex isn’t going to kill me.”

I heard a slight commotion in the living room, but ignored it, keeping my attention on Riley. He was completely out of it, and my blood started to boil from the truth neither of us could accept right now. “Do you want me to come to you? I’ll find a way.”

“Nick told me that I normally wouldn’t go for someone like him.

Why did I do it, Maya?” his voice cracked.

“I took it exactly like I was expected to.” The phone shook in his hand, and I could see his chest rumble with the sobs he attempted to hold back.

Riley was trying to shield the emotions that sat below the surface.

He should know by now he couldn’t wear that mask with me, never with me.

“I’m not so sure I feel much of anything anymore, Maya, and that scares me. ”

Riley was spiraling, and I needed to get to him.

Wasting no time, I took the stairs two at a time to pack what I could in my duffle bag, throwing random shirts and pants as fast as I could and zipping it up, not even bothering to see if they matched.

I’d run if I had to. I was so focused that the clearing of a throat on the other end had me holding the phone up, forgetting I had him on the line, when I heard the unmistakable pop of a beer bottle cap.

“No, Riley. Please don’t. I’m coming for you. ”

“Don’t bother. Leave me alone, Maya. I don’t even remember why I called.” With that, he hung up, and I moved faster, practically jumping to the bottom of the stairs and dashing for the door.

“Hey,” Rowan yelled. I whipped around to see him already dressed in a suit and heading my way. “I’ll get you to the hotel, then you’re on your own.”

I shrugged my shoulders, annoyed. I didn’t need anyone to hold me back right now. “You drive fast?”

“You ever been a backpack?”

“A what? You know what…Never mind. Take me to Seattle. Get me to Riley.”