Page 37 of Penance

And then, my hands are on her.

One of my arms snakes around her neck, the other one finding her waist and smashing her against my chest.

Her shock is palpable, a sharp intake of breath that cuts through the air like a hot knife. The apple slips from her fingers, falling to the carpet with a muffled thump.

“Hey!” she gasps, her voice a breathless whisper. “What are you—?”

“Shh, little lamb,” I murmur, my voice a low growl in her ear. I try my hardest to keep my voice soft, deeper than its normal tone. I don’t want her to know it’s me. “Stay quiet. If you scream, I will kill you.”

She trembles in my grasp, a delicate bird caught in the jaws of the wolf. I can feel her fear pulsing from her in waves, like the breath of a living thing.

“Please,” she whimpers. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

“Quiet,” I whisper.

Mercy’s breath comes in quick, shallow gasps, her chest heaving against my arm as I pin her against me. I can feel her heart racing, a frantic rhythm that taps into her sternum.

“Please,” she whispers. “You don’t have to do this. I won’t tell anyone. Just… just leave, and we can forget this ever happened.”

I laugh, a low sound that echoes in the room.

“Forget?” I snort. “Oh, little lamb, you won’t ever forget this. I promise you that.”

She struggles against me, but not hard enough. I watch as her delicate hands try to pry my arms away, her nails digging into my forearms in a vain attempt to escape.

It’s cute, I’ll give her that, but she won’t get away from me.

I’m stronger, faster.

Angrier.

With a swift, practiced motion, I spin her around, slamming her back into her mattress and holding her there. Her eyes widen in terror as I reach into my pocket, pulling out a zip tie. Realization blooms like wildflowers across her gorgeous face.

She’s really scared now.

She bucks against me, a wild animal fighting for its life, but I’m not worried. I’ve hunted bigger game than her and won.

“Hold still, Mercy,” I tell her. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the switchblade and hit the button that makes the blade slip free with a click of finality that has her eyes widening. She falls still.

I’m serious, and she knows it.

I loop the zip tie around her wrists, tightening it with a sharp tug. She’s stuck now, bound and at my mercy.

The irony of the thought makes me smile.

Her breath hitches, a sob catching in her throat.

This is for her own good, I tell myself.She needs to understand, needs to see the truth. She needs to know what it feels like.

I can feel her trembling, her body shaking between me and the mattress. I want to reach out, to comfort her, but I know better. She’s not ready for that yet, but she will be. In time, she’ll understand. She’ll see that this was all necessary.

“Why are you doing this?” she whispers, her voice cracked, and tears streaming down her cheeks.

I lean in, pressing my chest against her, feeling her heart beating through my skin as I reach up and press the blade of my knife against her throat. She swallows hard, and her throat touches the sharp edge just enough to show her it’s real. She freezes.

“Because I can.”

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