Read Online Fire and Ice by Sara York - Free Book Online

Mac’s apartment.
    “Hey, Rafe, how’s it going?” Mac called over his shoulder.
    “Good. You two going to hang out together tonight?” Rafe asked.
    “We’re going to grab some food. Want to join us?” Mac had a protective arm around his cousin, giving Rafe no chance to manipulate her into going with him.
    “No, thanks, I have some things to take care of.”
    Rafe waited until Alexandria and Mac had entered the apartment before taking off towards Alexandria’s place. Eventually she would come home, and when she did he would strike.
     
    Alexandria felt better after spending some time with Mac. Scott had stopped by, and they’d all enjoyed some pizza and beer. After eating, Scott had begged off, making some excuse about needing to head home. She’d been disappointed that he hadn’t stuck around longer.
    Her cousin had pulled her to the couch, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and told her to spill it. They’d always been close, so she’d felt comfortable voicing her concerns about Lash. Mac had reassured her about the man, telling her that anything weird could be chalked up to nerves on his part.
    A blast of freezing air hit Alexandria when she opened the door to her apartment. Had she left a window open? Dang, she’d been so out of her mind after Lash had passed out. She checked all the windows, finding the bathroom window wide open. One of them must have opened it to get Lash some fresh air.
    She grabbed an extra blanket and stripped out of her clothes before sliding between the sheets. As sleep came close, making her brain fuzz, she thought she heard a noise and jolted out of her stupor.
    The dark apartment spooked her, but nothing moved in her room. She sat up, groping for her robe. Damn it—she’d left it in the den after Rafe had taken Lash. The street lights outside her apartment gave her enough light to see around the room as she lay in bed. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The noise was probably a bird outside or a dog barking. Her head hit the pillow and she snuggled under the covers, trying to ward off the chill in her apartment.
    Tomorrow, she’d go visit Lash. He had to be mortified about what had happened, but she wanted to see him again. Everything about their relationship seemed strange. He wasn’t her type, but something unexplainable connected them.
    Alexandria slid further under the covers, wrapping herself in warmth and comfort. Thoughts of Lash filled her mind. Maybe they could plan another date for this weekend.
    She had just begun to shut down again when she heard the shuffle of feet inside her apartment. Her heart stalled before thundering at a rapid pace. Her mind batted around a few different things she could do to protect herself, but they all seemed impossible with a real threat only feet away.
    The attack happened quickly. Her breath whooshed out. Her head slammed against the mattress and her arms were pinned at her sides. The scream she wanted to let loose clung to her throat, only eking out as a whisper. A cover slid over her head and blocked all the light from her view. Her attacker tied the cover tight around her neck, only giving her just enough room to breathe.
    Panic set in as she tried to flail her arms, but nothing worked. He lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder before she could even get in one hard smack. Her attempts to beat his back with her arms proved useless. The man had overpowered her and won. He carried her outside, banging her into the door on their way out.
    He threw her to the ground, and her arms scraped against gravel. Her efforts to scramble to her feet ended when something hard slammed against her head. Everything went blank.
    When she came to, her body was freezing. The hood over her face had been removed. The light in the room glowed yellow, giving her skin a sallow cast. She tried to stand but her knees gave out. Her attacker stood with his back to her. He had tossed his shirt, revealing muscles that bulged with each movement of his