asked, pushing her back down.
“May I have some water?”
He frowned. “Yeah, I guess so. Don’t move.” Brian crossed the room to the door she had guessed to be the bathroom. When he returned, he had a plastic cup full of water and a roll of duct tape.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the cup of water awkwardly between her bound hands and eyeing the duct tape. Her fears were confirmed when he crouched at her feet and wrapped her ankles in tape. “That’s really not necessary,” she said. “I wasn’t going anywhere; I just didn’t want to ask you to serve me.”
“Finish up,” he commanded, holding his hand out for the cup.
She tipped her head back and downed the rest, then handed it to him.
He ripped off a small piece of duct tape.
“Oh, hey,” she exclaimed, trying to scoot down the sofa away from him. “That’s not necessary. I’ll keep qui—”
The tape slapped over her mouth. She screamed between closed lips and brought her bound feet up, right between his legs.
Brian grunted in pain and his hand shot out, catching her hard across the cheek with an open palm.
She gasped, but with her mouth closed, couldn’t suck in enough air, her nostrils coming together and locking, which only made her suck harder until the outer rim of her vision started turning black and lights danced before her eyes.
Calm down. Exhale.
Tears ran out of her eyes, not from the pain of the slap, but from her body’s response to not breathing. She managed to get some air out of her lungs and back in, but it didn’t feel like enough. The assholes had already walked away, which was a relief, because she wouldn’t have wanted them to see her cry. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch, schooling her heart rate to slow down.
You can breathe through your nose. You can breathe through your nose…
She didn’t know how long she’d sat there like that before the door opened. She unglued her eyelids to see Ben striding over to her, his expression dark and furious. She shrank down, not wanting to be the object of his anger.
He peeled the tape off her mouth, which hurt like hell. She blinked to keep back the pathetic tears that had sprung up at her relief to have it off. Glowering, he put a finger on her chin and turned it, looking at her cheek, which still stung.
He stood up. “Who hit her?” he demanded.
The huge guy walked over and said without concern, “She kicked me in the nuts.”
Ben emitted a snarl and tackled the man in a flash, rolling on the floor in a tangle of flying limbs and inhuman growls.
She heard herself shriek and held her bound hands to her mouth to shut herself up. The other men gathered around, seeming largely unconcerned. Actually, they looked excited, like this was a cock fight and they had money riding on the winner.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” she demanded, looking at Stanley, their leader.
He shrugged. “Not yet.”
Ben’s fist emerged and he slammed it into Brian’s nose, sending blood spurting in all directions. As it leaked onto the floor, she realized, with a lurch of disgust, that all the dark stains on the plywood must be from blood.
The men continued to roll and tumble, punching, and… yes, biting, slamming each other’s heads into the floor or against their own heads. Ben’s eyes glowed yellow, and his teeth seemed longer than human teeth.
“All right, that’s enough,” Stanley cut in, still without any tone of urgency.
Brian obeyed his leader, lumbering up to his feet.
Ben had not surrendered, and he launched another attack, but the three wolves grabbed him and pinned his arms back. “Stanley said enough,” the pierced eyebrow growled.
Ben stilled, but his muscles stood taut, face twisted in rage.
Stanley held up his hand in a signal for Ben to stand down. “She wasn’t marked,” he said mildly.
She wondered what the hell that meant.
Ben shook off the men holding his arms and stalked toward her. In a smooth motion, he
“May I have some water?”
He frowned. “Yeah, I guess so. Don’t move.” Brian crossed the room to the door she had guessed to be the bathroom. When he returned, he had a plastic cup full of water and a roll of duct tape.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the cup of water awkwardly between her bound hands and eyeing the duct tape. Her fears were confirmed when he crouched at her feet and wrapped her ankles in tape. “That’s really not necessary,” she said. “I wasn’t going anywhere; I just didn’t want to ask you to serve me.”
“Finish up,” he commanded, holding his hand out for the cup.
She tipped her head back and downed the rest, then handed it to him.
He ripped off a small piece of duct tape.
“Oh, hey,” she exclaimed, trying to scoot down the sofa away from him. “That’s not necessary. I’ll keep qui—”
The tape slapped over her mouth. She screamed between closed lips and brought her bound feet up, right between his legs.
Brian grunted in pain and his hand shot out, catching her hard across the cheek with an open palm.
She gasped, but with her mouth closed, couldn’t suck in enough air, her nostrils coming together and locking, which only made her suck harder until the outer rim of her vision started turning black and lights danced before her eyes.
Calm down. Exhale.
Tears ran out of her eyes, not from the pain of the slap, but from her body’s response to not breathing. She managed to get some air out of her lungs and back in, but it didn’t feel like enough. The assholes had already walked away, which was a relief, because she wouldn’t have wanted them to see her cry. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch, schooling her heart rate to slow down.
You can breathe through your nose. You can breathe through your nose…
She didn’t know how long she’d sat there like that before the door opened. She unglued her eyelids to see Ben striding over to her, his expression dark and furious. She shrank down, not wanting to be the object of his anger.
He peeled the tape off her mouth, which hurt like hell. She blinked to keep back the pathetic tears that had sprung up at her relief to have it off. Glowering, he put a finger on her chin and turned it, looking at her cheek, which still stung.
He stood up. “Who hit her?” he demanded.
The huge guy walked over and said without concern, “She kicked me in the nuts.”
Ben emitted a snarl and tackled the man in a flash, rolling on the floor in a tangle of flying limbs and inhuman growls.
She heard herself shriek and held her bound hands to her mouth to shut herself up. The other men gathered around, seeming largely unconcerned. Actually, they looked excited, like this was a cock fight and they had money riding on the winner.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” she demanded, looking at Stanley, their leader.
He shrugged. “Not yet.”
Ben’s fist emerged and he slammed it into Brian’s nose, sending blood spurting in all directions. As it leaked onto the floor, she realized, with a lurch of disgust, that all the dark stains on the plywood must be from blood.
The men continued to roll and tumble, punching, and… yes, biting, slamming each other’s heads into the floor or against their own heads. Ben’s eyes glowed yellow, and his teeth seemed longer than human teeth.
“All right, that’s enough,” Stanley cut in, still without any tone of urgency.
Brian obeyed his leader, lumbering up to his feet.
Ben had not surrendered, and he launched another attack, but the three wolves grabbed him and pinned his arms back. “Stanley said enough,” the pierced eyebrow growled.
Ben stilled, but his muscles stood taut, face twisted in rage.
Stanley held up his hand in a signal for Ben to stand down. “She wasn’t marked,” he said mildly.
She wondered what the hell that meant.
Ben shook off the men holding his arms and stalked toward her. In a smooth motion, he
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