Page 16 of Clash of Sin and Secret

I know they’re there.

The stench of smoke and sweat assaults me, vivid and raw. The room is dimly lit and full of shadows. Laughter echoes in my ears, warbled and distorted. I can’t make out the faces of the men taunting me, but I feel his eyes on me…

He never leaves me unguarded. Even when it appears like I’m alone, I know he’s watching me. I feel his invisible touch crawling over my skin, into my mind, and through my most intimate…

The orgasm that takes me is unwanted, the throbbing pleasure at my core unnatural.

Why is he doing this to me?

He says I’m his, but I’mnot—will never be.

I let myself belong to a man once and look what it got me. I felt invincible with Zane at my side—until I wasn’t.

Something sharp pierces my arm, and suddenly I’m falling into darkness. Drugged. Helpless. Violated.

A scream echoes through my mind—the sound of utter desperation. It hits me like a punch to the gut. I thrash against invisible restraints, every fiber of my being screaming for freedom.

How long has it been? I can’t even begin to guess. So many nights. So many events like this where I’m displayed like some sick trophy.

The memory flashes are always the same…

Men’s laughter ricochets off brick walls as they drag me away from everything I knew and trusted. Their hands are on me, hot and clammy. Their voices blend into an unintelligible chorus, mocking my terror.

“Please…” I choke out, tears streaming down my cheeks as helplessness floods over me like ice water.

The flashes continue…

The women crying, bunches of them locked in every room of the house. They force them to do things…terrible things. These monsters shoot needles filled with drugs into their arms and they soon stop fighting back.

I’ll never stop.

Fingers claw at the air around me. Each attempt to escape brings nothing but frustration and rage bubbling up inside me. “Let go of me! Stop!”

He’s coming. My body responds unbidden at the idea, my mind unable to shut him out. I don’t want to do this—not again. Never. Him closing in—like a dark shadow dancing on the edge of my sanity—and there’s nothing I can do to fight back.

“Shh…bella. Don’t fight me. This will go so much better for you when you accept the inevitable. You’re mine, bella. I’ll never let you go.”

The truth of his words drags me under, threatens to drown me beneath a tide of despair…The worst part of all of this is that I know he’s right. I want him. I want everything he’s promising me. And the moment I give in, I’ll be his forever.

Suddenly, warmth envelops me from behind—a presence so solid and reassuring it cuts through the nightmare’s grip.

“Scottie!” Tucker’s voice slices through the chaos like a lifeline tossed into turbulent waters.

My eyes snap open. I wake tangled in the sheets, the weight of my body suffocating me. My heart races as I shake off the remnants of the nightmare, but the memories cling like a groping slime.

Images swirl in my mind—the deep, silky voice of an evil man, the faceless figures looming in the shadows, the sobs of women that make my skin crawl.

I can’t catch a breath.

I gasp for air as reality floods back in—I’m not there anymore. I’m here, safe in bed with Tucker and Zane. But even safety doesn’t erase the chill creeping up my spine or the guilt festering inside me for what I did.

“Scots, what’s wrong?” Zane’s voice is low and steady as he wraps his arms around me. “What the hell was that?”

“Leave it alone,” I stammer between ragged breaths. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Zane’s emerald eyes are wide as he cups my face in his hands and wipes my tear-streaked cheeks with his thumbs.

“We used to talk about everything. You’re safe with me, Scots. I love you.” His tone is urgent yet soft—a strange dichotomy that twists something painful inside me.

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