Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 66503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Since the minute I left, I’ve been wrecked by nothing but guilt.
Not a moment has gone by when I didn’t wish I could take back the words I said.
But it’s too late now.
My words are floating through her head, and when I spoke them out loud, I became the kind of monster I swore I’d never be.
Aurora
Screech.
Even a tiny sound puts me on edge.
I inch toward the window and push aside the curtain.
There’s a car parked right outside. But it’s not the one Beast left in.
Oh God. They’re here.
Panicked, I close the fabric and step away from the windows. Sweat drops roll down my forehead as I walk backward into the bedroom and lock the door, even though I know it will never stop them from reaching me.
Nothing ever will.
Not without him.
Oh God, where is he?
Please, Beast, come back.
I grab my weapon, the knife, and hide underneath the bed. It’s cold and musty down here, but it’s the best place I could think of while my mind is going crazy.
I should’ve gone with Beast when I had the chance.
I don’t want to end up in Lex’s claws.
Not again.
He’ll force me to go back into that cell, into the never-ending darkness, used only for his abominable, disgusting needs.
The thought of that wretched man putting his hands on me makes bile rise in my throat, but I swallow it back down.
BANG!
I jolt up and down from the noise of wood. That sounded like … the front door.
And it was definitely opened with violence.
Feet stomp all over the house. Not just two of them but multiple.
Adrenaline courses through my veins as things get pushed and shoved and thrown across the house. Every sound makes my eyes flicker and my heart rate shoot through the roof.
BAM!
Someone slams the bedroom door.
I have to slam my mouth shut to stop the squeal from escaping.
Oh God. Will they see me?
Can I fight them off with this knife?
My fingers dig into the handle of the knife as I prepare myself for the worst of the worst.
BANG!
The door falls to the ground as though it was made of mere paper. Two feet appear from the rubble, and a man slowly walks inside.
I hold my breath and stare at the boots as they walk by the bed and circle around the room. My hand is shaking, and I physically have to hold it steady.
Until the man leans over the bed … and stares right at me.
WHACK!
I stab my knife straight into his foot out of pure instinct.
The man yelps in pain. “FUCK! She stabbed me!”
More men pour inside.
“She’s under there!”
Shrieking, I fish the knife from his foot and slice around at their hands, desperate to escape my attackers. But there are too many, and soon one of them circles behind me and grabs my feet.
“No!” I scream.
He drags me out from underneath and flips me over on my back. I fight him off with the knife, cutting and slicing away as hard as I can, just like Beast would have done.
I slice right through his hand and cheek.
He roars in pain.
“Fuck, help!” the man growls at the others.
His hands are still on me, despite the blood dripping down his face.
“No, let go of me!” I scream, but the man quickly grabs my wrist and knocks the knife from my hand.
Another one kicks the knife away as the one who holds me sits down on top of me to grab my other wrist too, but I won’t go down without a fight. I scratch away as hard as I can, clawing at his throat, leaving marks left and right.
“Get away from me!” I shriek. “Beast, help!”
The guy grabs a fistful of my hair and slams my head down onto the floor so hard everything begins to spin. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know!”
“LIES!” the man growls at me, and he punches me so hard I can’t see straight anymore.
He quickly straps my wrists together with a tie wrap and gets off me.
“Bring her back to the car. We’ll come back for him later.”
“No … no …” I mutter, still dazed.
When they drag me through the house, I bite down on the floor.
That’s how desperate I am to stop them.
But even my teeth aren’t strong enough to hold on.
WHACK!
A sudden hard kick to the gut has me groaning in pain.
“Don’t resist, or I’ll fucking cut you instead,” the guard barks.
Blood drips all over the floor from my gums that sank into the wood as I desperately tried to cling on to the freedom I finally had.
But the pain doesn’t faze me …
Not compared to the thought of the place I’m headed.
Hell.
Beast
I swallow back the remorse and focus on driving to the beach house safely, but every passing second is another one wasted.
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” I yell as I slam the steering wheel.
I push the car to the limit, slamming the gas as hard as I can.