Page 107 of Protect Me
I hurry through the door to the stairwell, but instead of heading to the apartment, I race upward all the way to the top. Bursting out onto the rooftop brings a rush of fresh air against my skin that feels good after the hot tears that blurred my vision all the way here.
I blink them back as I make my way blindly to the spot where we had our picnic. It’s the last happy memory I have here. Or the one with the most freedom in it. A moment where all possibilities still existed—even one where I got to have my own happily ever after.
It was a fantasy, sure, but for that moment, it felt real. I’ll always have that, I guess.
“Fucking finally.”
The snarling voice is so unexpected it takes me a second too long to register its owner. The moment I do, strong hands wrap around my arms and I’m yanked backward then spun and slammed against the retaining wall.
I let out a yelp as my face hits the concrete with a painful thud. My eyes squeeze shut, and when I open them again, my wrists are being dragged behind my back and secured with a thick cord that digs painfully into my skin.
I don’t need to see his face to know who’s taken me hostage. But he leans forward anyway, grinning when our eyes meet.
“Robert,” I say, trying not to sob. Or panic.
He leans in and plants a wet kiss on my mouth so hard there’s no chance of me pulling away. “In the flesh,” he says when he pulls back. “Mm. I’ve missed you, baby.”
“How did you get up here?” I demand, my thoughts racing.
Duncan. Bracken. Killian.
They have to know the wards have been breached.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt your precious fucking lions. Yet. No, they’re up next, baby. But I couldn’t keep myself from you any longer.”
Panic turns to anger then, and when he finishes tying my wrists and spins me around, I use the momentum to slam into his shoulder, driving him backward.
“You won’t get away with this,” I yell as loudly as I can, hoping that someone—anyone—will hear me.
He stumbles but gets his balance quickly, eyes narrowing. “You think your boyfriends are going to stop me? Too bad they’re down in their apartment with every other fucking member of this fucked up circus, oblivious to what’s happening up here.”
My eyes widen, and his smile turns cruel.
“Oh, you didn’t realize they decided to throw a party without you?” he adds. “Guess they’re done with you.” He leans in and whispers menacingly, “But I’m not.”
I yank away from him. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His eyes gleam with something that sends a true shiver of fear down my spine. “Who said anything about going?”
He shoves me with enough force to send me tumbling to the ground. My wrists are tied too tight to break my fall, and I land on my hip and elbow hard enough to make me whimper.
It’s not until I sit up that I realize he’s tossed me inside a chalk outline of some sort. Around the edges, a few candles are scattered. He goes to work lighting them, and I look past him to the door, gauging my chances.
Before I can make a move, Robert crouches in front of me. “Don’t fucking move, you little bitch. I plan to suck every last drop of juice from your body before I kill you, but if you don’t behave, I’ll skip to the end and just kill you now and be done with it.”
Real fear slams into me then. I can see in his eyes that he means every word he’s saying. More than that, I can feel it when I let my power test his mind. He didn’t come here to drag me back. He came here to take revenge. Knowing I have nothing left to lose, I unleash my magic, exploring deeper into his mind for some foothold of intention I can use to free myself.
But there’s nothing.
Every part of him is dark and full of hatred. There’s no way he’ll ever let me go.
I manage to choke back a sob that seems to satisfy him.
As if I’ve somehow agreed to his terms, he goes back to work, setting out tools just inside the chalked circle. One is a long, jagged knife that nearly paralyzes me with terror as his earlier words sink in.
“If you’re hoping to buy time until your lions show up?” He throws his head back and laughs. “Then you’ve clearly forgotten who I am. That bitch witch’s wards are fucking nothing compared to my power. And, thanks to whatever magic is shielding you from me tracking you with a spell, we’ll be nice and cozy up here for a while before anyone thinks to check.”
“What do you plan to do with that?” I ask. “What are you taking from me?”