Page 15 of The Prey
“What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Do?” Each word is a growl of rage.
I need to say something, to respond, but I can’t, and that’s terrifying all on its own. I’m not sure how long he stands there staring at me, anger rushing off him and slamming into me like a truck. When he lifts his hand, I flinch, thinking maybe this time he will hit me, that he'll punish me like my father and my father’s friends used to do, but instead, he pinches the bridge of his nose.
I don’t dare hope. Hope is a seed that you learn very early on not to plant.
Exhaling, I suck a wobbly breath into my lungs and then force the first words that appear in my mind out of my mouth.
“I-I'm sorry. I...”
He drops his hand and shakes his head, and I stop speaking.
I watch cautiously as he crosses the room, taking a seat in the armchair in the corner. “Sorry does not fix the clothing you’ve destroyed, Elyse. I’m not sure what you thought shredding my suits would do or how it would make me feel, but I can assure you it’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you.”
“P…please…” My voice trembles, and I hate it because I promised myself months ago I would never beg someone to stop hurting me again, but lo and behold, here I am.
“Shhh. I think it would be smart of you to keep your mouth shut right now because I’m barely restraining myself as it is. But if you want to see what happens when I snap, go for it. I can sincerely promise that you won’t enjoy what I do to you, nor likely will I.”
With shaky fingers, I swipe at my cheeks and feel the wetness there. I didn’t realize I was crying, not until this very moment. It only makes me look and feel weaker than he already sees me as. I should’ve learned that crying doesn’t fix anything a long time ago, but my body doesn’t seem to understand that. Every time my fight-or-flight instincts kick in, I end up a blubbering mess.
“Twenty thousand dollars, give or take.” His voice cuts through the air like a whip, and I jump, startled by the sudden sound. “That's how much those suits you decided to cut up cost, and now how much more you owe me, on top of your father's debt.”
I nearly sigh with relief. Maybe that’s my punishment in all of this. I can handle that. Not like I’ll ever pay it off, anyway. With force, he shoves out of the chair and stands, buttoning his black suit jacket. He tugs the edges down hard, stretching it across his broad shoulders and chest.
“Luckily for you, I don't have a lot of time, so your punishment will have to wait until we return, or at least until we arrive where we’re going. We’re already pressed for time. If we don’t leave in the next five minutes, I’m not sure there will be any point in going.”
He extends his hand to me, and I blink, confused, until I notice the pill he’s holding between his thumb and forefinger.
“Take this.”
I shake my head. “What is it?”
“Doesn’t matter what it is. I’m telling you to do something, and it would be in your best interest to do it. You’ve pissed me off enough this evening.”
“I don’t like pills.” I’ll do a lot of things that he tells me to, but I draw the line at allowing him to drug me.
Before I have the opportunity to react, he pounces. With one hand, he grasps my jaw, his fingers digging into my cheeks hard enough to leave bruises. I open my mouth, a scream on my lips, and he presses the pill onto my tongue.
“Swallow.”
The cold edge of his voice chills me to the bone, and I shake my head, my teary gaze unwavering from his.
His nostrils flare, and his gaze hardens to steel. “Fucking swallow it, Ely.”
I scowl at the name but don't move. The bitter pill melts on my tongue. If I don't want to take it, I need to spit it out now, but even I’m not naive enough to think he doesn’t have a backup plan. If I spit out the pill, he’ll just find an alternative.
My thoughts shift when one of his legs slides between mine, his body radiating heat that wraps around me like a dark cloak.
With him so close, I have to tip my head back to peer up into his emerald eyes. It's darker around his pupil, like the evergreens at night, fading to lighter around the edges with a few flecks of gold. He’s so stupidly handsome that my breath hitches in my throat with one look.
He’s so close I can see the very faint stubble blooming across his perfect jawbone. The gold in his sandy blond hair as it curls across his forehead. Damn. No man should be so beautiful. Too bad his beauty hides such anger and fury. Every breath, every word he utters, is lined with that heat. He hides it well, but I was raised looking for it, hunting for it in my father to keep myself safe, and I see it in him every single day.
“Little Prey, you’re trying my fucking patience.” His voice is soft, but his hot temper still underlines each word. “Swallow, or I will stick my fingers into that sweet mouth of yours and shove this pill down your throat.”
He...wouldn't? Who am I kidding? Of course he would.
Especially after what I just did. I’m sure it would be nothing but a pleasure to him. The time to make a choice is dwindling away, and if I don’t swallow the pill, things will just get worse. But the thought of simply rolling over and taking it makes me volatile. While I’m willing to make the best of a bad situation, I know that if I’m ever going to make it out of all of this alive, I can’t just keep saying yes. I can’t keep doing as I’m told simply because I’m told to do it.
I have to draw lines.