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Staring up at him, she shivered as a rash of goosebumps pebbled her flesh. She didn’t care for his command at all. He wasn’t going to rape her, was he?

“But...but, why?” she asked.

Closing the space between them, he hunched menacingly over her svelte form. Forcing her to meet his stormy gaze, he bristled with pride as he saw terror flash behind her green eyes.Good. She needed to be afraid.

“So you don’t try to escape,” he bit, his voice hard and unforgiving. “You’re smart enough to realize that if you tried to run outside completely naked, you’d die of hypothermia before you made it halfway down the mountain, right? Now take off your clothes before I take them off for you.”

Blinking back the hot tears welling in her eyes, Lexi gave a single nod. He was growing more and more tempestuous with every passing second. She knew he was barely holding on to the leash restraining his inner beast. Until she held that knife in her hands, she was powerless against him. She needed to placate him.

With trembling fingers, she followed his command and began to remove her winter clothing. Piece by piece, they tumbled onto the darkly stained floor, fanning around her like wrapping paper on Christmas day. Pulling her frilly bra from her chest, she hesitated once she noticed the feral look on her captor’s face.

Quirking his head, Kade stomped his booted foot to snap her back to the present. Why did she continue to test him?

“Takeeverythingoff,” he barked.

Jumping from the agitated tone of his voice, she immediately dropped her bra to the floor. Unable to keep her frazzled nerves in check, she felt herself sob as she quickly shimmied her cotton panties from her lower half. Her confidence was faltering with every passing second, she wasn’t so sure she could go through with her plan.

Oh, would you just pull yourself together?! Now is NOT the time to get all emotional! Wipe those tears from your face and do whatever you need to get to that damn drawer! But if you really are too chicken shit, then let me step in and I’ll take care of things, myself!Nikki growled.

Not wanting her to take control just yet, Lexi lifted her rounded chin defiantly. Meeting his wild gaze, she squared her shoulders to psyche herself up. Her alter was right, now was not the time to let weakness set in. She couldn’t allow him to think he had any power over her.

“Now what?” she asked, trying to best to harden her voice.

Smirking at his hellcat, Kade lifted his hands and gently cradled her face between his hands. Bending down slightly, he licked a salty tear from her cheek before moving to claim her mouth in a possessive kiss. As livid as he was, he wanted her to know that he still desired her with every fiber of his being. He wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if he didn’t desperately need her by his side.

Freezing beneath his lips, she tried to process what was happening. Her head was spinning from the mixed signals he continued to throw in her direction. Did he want to fuck her, or did he want to kill her?

Probably both,Nikki snickered.Why don’t you just enjoy the ride while it lasts?

Taking her advice, Lexi gave into her temptation and returned the kiss with fervor; gliding her lips and tongue over his in a delicious game of give and take. This was the last few minutes they would ever have together, and she wanted to take advantage while it lasted. As demented as their relationship was, she knew deep down in her soul that she would miss him. She needed this passionate memory to last her the rest of her days.

Enjoying the moment longer than intended, he reluctantly ended the wanton kiss. Reminding himself that he still needed to grab the restraints, he pulled away with a sigh and released his hold of her flushed face. There was nothing he wanted more than to take things further, but they both needed time to forgive one another. They would have plenty of time to enjoy each other physically once they had cooled down.

“Stay here,” he ordered, stepping away from her and heading towards the staircase leading to the loft.

“Ok,” she whispered.

Taking in a cleansing breath, she pushed the consuming kiss from her mind. Eyeing him as he made his way up the wooden staircase, her stomach dropped in a mixture of excitement and dread. This was her chance to make her move. She wouldn't have much time, she needed to act quickly.

Certain that he was upstairs in the loft, she sprang into action. Racing towards the kitchen as fast as she could, she kept her thoughts intently focused on finding the weapon that would give her freedom. Running to the corner cabinet, she quickly located the hidden drawer. Pausing a moment to look over her shoulder,she yanked on the metal pull. Glancing back to the drawer, her eyes widened in shock as she realized that it was completely bare.

Not a single steak knife to be found.

“No!” she whispered, her heart plummeting to the floor. “No, no, no!”

Well, there goes that idea.He’s a smart son of a bitch, I gotta hand it to him.

Stammering as her adrenaline spiked through her veins, Lexi stood dumbfounded over the sudden turn of events. The drawer had beenfilledwith knives only the night before, where the fuck had they gone? She hadn’t imagined them. No, they wererightthere.

Instantly panicking, she began to tear through the neighboring drawers. Opening them as fast as she could, she silently cursed herself as she took stock of the harmless kitchen utensils. Rusty whisks and plastic measuring spoons wouldn’t take him down.

She was absolutely fucked.

“No!” she squeaked. “This isn’t happening...this isn’t hap—"

“Looking for something, Alexandria?” Kade interrupted, silently stepping behind her.

Whipping around on her bare heels, Lexi held out her hands in a protective measure. He had completely caught her off guard. She knew she was in danger, but it wasn’t until she registered the feral look on his face that it really began to sink in.

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