Page 44 of Sin Like the Devil

“Fucking lunatic! My leg!”

Grasping the switchblade, I drag it out of his thigh with a sick pop. “You slipped and fell, right? Better go and get stitched up. I’d hate for you to bleed out and fail to spread the word that I’m still in charge here.”

After wiping the blade on his t-shirt, I climb off him and inch backwards. Rick presses a shaking hand to the wound in his leg as he wobbles to his feet. With a final filthy glare, he limps away towards the west wing.

My entire body is vibrating with vehement rage. Seeing the trails of blood left in his wake does little to appease me. I rebuilt my life after Holly’s death on pillars of control—choosing Harrowdean, becoming their stooge, discarding everything I believed in for the same job she once did.

I took the deal.

I sacrificed it all.

But am I the one to blame?

Hands clamp down on my shoulders from behind, two steely traps preventing me from fleeing the scene of the crime. The scent of spearmint brushes over me as a soft, cold pair of lips teases the shell of my ear.

“Old Ripley was a delight to break,” Xander murmurs. “But you, little toy? You’re going to be my favourite project of all.”

A sick shiver curls down my spine. “Let go of me, Xan.”

“You know, it was quite the surprise to hear who arranged for us to be admitted into the program before vanishing from Priory Lane. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

Fury boils in my gut. “It clearly didn’t work.”

“Oh, but it did.” His tongue flicks out to tease my fluttering pulse point. “They broke us, dearest Ripley. Every day for months. But that’s what you wanted, right?”

“I dreamed about it every night,” I spit, acutely aware of his tongue lashing my skin. “I imagined you bleeding and in pain. Locked in a cell. Cold. Alone. Maybe dead.”

He sucks in a breath at my words. “Did you enjoy your revenge?”

When his teeth scratch my earlobe, sinking in with a sharp bite that feels deep enough to draw blood, I gasp. He’d tear my throat out with his bare teeth if he felt so inclined. Probably without blinking.

“Answer me,” he demands.

My body still remembers its ordeal. Obeying his every command to obtain even an ounce of relief. I’m powerless to stop it from surrendering once more.

“Yes.”

“There’s a good girl,” he purrs.

Slipping a hand into my short hair, he grasps the messy strands then tugs so hard, it causes tears to burn in my eyes. My head is pulled back, exposing my throat to his fingertips. He trails them over my skin, a gentle caress yet full of threat.

“Then you know why I must now repay the favour,” Xander says coolly. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you all over again. And I won’t stop until you’re begging for death.”

“I don’t beg for anything. Not anymore.”

“But you will for me.”

I hate him so fucking much, it’s searing my insides like I’ve swallowed acid. Yet I can’t convince my body to respond. Nor does it stop the hot flush of want from curling in my core. I know just how it feels to be broken by him.

“Your institute won’t protect you from me, Ripley. I’ll take everything you’ve built here and burn it all to the ground long before I let you escape again.”

Releasing my hair and throat, his hot breath vanishes from my ear. I stand stock-still, paralysed by too many conflicting emotions to make any logical decisions.

“Run. You know I love the chase.”

As much as I want to stand my ground, defend the life I’ve spent rebuilding to never be that weak, submissive girl again, she never truly left me. Not beneath the shields and defences I’ve constructed.

So I run.

---