Page 67 of Hideaway

Jace took to her bare breasts and dealt each a punishing blow. Kara let out a sharp gasp. Jace moved his hands lower to Kara’s hips and dug his fingers into the hallows. Kara looked upward to avoid spilling the traitorous tears that had begun to pool. The break of eye contact drew another reprimanding blow to her already stinging cheek. Jace grabbed her jaw violently and captured Kara’s gaze once again.“When I finally deliver you to Cade, I want him to know every place I touched you.”Jace clawed his way down her inner thigh. “Used you.” He marred the other thigh with the mark of his teeth.“Fucked you.”And, as if to emphasize his meaning, Jace lowered his jeans and boxers and entered her suddenly with all the force of his body.

Kara cried out in protest, but could do nothing more than lie prostrate beneath his weight. She looked at Jace through shimmering eyes of unadulterated hate as he maintained a steady onslaught of thrusts. Jace lowered his lips to hers and delivered what resembled more of a punishing assault than a kiss. Vengeful lips crushed her own, his tongue claimed her mouth as unwilling territory, and his teeth drew blood from her bottom lip. Kara’s teeth found their own easy target and bit down on his unwelcome tongue as hard as she could.

Jace gasped in shock and rage as he wiped the stain of red from his lips and wrapped a firm hand around Kara’s neck in retaliation. His thumb pressured her windpipe until she was at the brink of passing out. Kara looked into Jace’s eyes and dared him to press harder. She’d rather he amused himself with her unconscious body than be aware and awake for the festivities. Jace understood her longing for oblivion and cruelly kept her just at the edge of pain without tipping over into unconsciousness. His pace quickened as he continued his assault, pounding into her weakened body eagerly. Finally his release neared, and he lowered his mouth to her breast, biting with a violent force equal to his punishing thrusts as he finished inside her. Kara cringed inwardly as she felt his essence fill and merge with her body. She didn’t know if she would ever be free of his scent on her body. Even if she peeled flesh from bone, Kara felt her spirit would always bear the dark mark of Jace, like he possessed a piece of her soul.

Finally finished with his task, Jace removed his body from hers, cleaned himself on the sheets of the bed, and walked out of the room without another word, shutting the door behind him. Kara tugged hopelessly on the restraints Jace hadn’t bothered to remove, finally giving in to exhaustion after a few minutes of struggling. She liberated the desolation that had taken root in her core and allowed it to consume her. Kara wept away her endless grief until her body had no more tears to give and then slipped into the welcoming oblivion of sleep.

Kara startled into consciousness with the sound of fabric tearing and the sickening scent of cologne. Jace hovered above her, his hands on her wrists as he freed them from his makeshift restraints. Wishing she had the strength to pull away from Jace’s touch, Kara trembled beneath him, fearful that he was merely giving her the false hope of freedom before continuing his assault. Without a word, Jace dropped her abused wrists on the bed, removed himself from his position on top of her, and moved to her ankles. Free at last, Kara attempted to rub the life back into her deathly cold hands, watching disinterestedly as crimson rings blossomed on her wrists in the wake of the tight ties. The marks were merely another memento of her night spent in hell.

As soon as her ankles were unfastened, Kara closed her legs and drew them up toward her chest, her aching muscles protesting the swift change of position. Kara’s eyes filled with tears of relief as she relished the first chance she’d had at comfort or privacy in countless hours. Jace watched her stoically, making no move to touch her or talk to her. Slowly, Jace’s hands drifted to the front of his shirt, unfastening the buttons one at a time as he kept his eyes locked on her. Cowering with dread, Kara wrapped her arms tighter around her knees, rocking slightly back and forth in an attempt to calm her nerves as she watched Jace undress. She flinched as Jace walked toward her, his chest and abdomen bare and the top of his boxers visible from the low rise of his jeans. Keeping a slight distance, Jace stopped in front of her and offered his shirt with an outstretched hand.

“Here,”he said coldly, the harshness of his tone eliminating any gallantry that his actions might have portrayed.

Kara looked at the proffered article of clothing and shook her head, not trusting herself to say anything to Jace without sobbing after what he’d done to her. No matter how cold she was, there was no fucking way she was wearing his shirt.

“I suggest you swallow your pride and take it, sweetheart,”Jace retorted cruelly.“Unless you want to walk out of here completely naked. Trust me, you’ll get no complaints from me. And I’m sure Avery’s men wouldn’t mind a nice show either. The choice is entirely yours.”

Jolting with equal parts horror and hope at the announcement that she was being released from the room, Kara summoned her strength, sat up, and reached for Jace’s shirt, being very careful not to touch him in the process. She cringed as the material made contact with her skin, still warm from Jace’s body. The lingering smell of his essence and cologne on the pale blue fabric made her want to wretch as she held the shirt in front of her to shield her body from Jace’s gaze.

“We’re leaving. You have five minutes to be ready,”Jace ordered before walking out of the room and locking the door behind him.

Jace’s shirt still clutched tightly to her chest, Kara exhaled shakily. They were leaving. Perhaps, she still had a chance at freedom. The hopeful thought granted her enough motivation to pull herself from the bed and head for the adjoining bathroom she hadn’t had the privilege of using in god knows how many hours.

Five minutes.

She used her few minutes of freedom to attempt to gather the shattered pieces of her soul and rearrange them in such a way that she would be able to survive whatever trials came next. Swallowing her revulsion, Kara slipped into Jace’s shirt, thankful to at least have some form of covering. She had no undergarments, but the shirt was long enough to cover her mid thighs and provide some level of modesty. The sleeves were far too large, so Kara rolled them until they hung at her wrists. Though she had no underwear or shoes and was dressed in merely a shirt, Kara exited the bathroom feeling a little more human. She’d avoided the mirror entirely; she had no desire to see Jace’s handiwork reflected back at her. In fact, she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to stomach looking at herself again. Far too quickly, the door opened again revealing Jace dressed in a new shirt, jacket, overcoat, scarf, and boots. If Kara wasn’t already feeling underdressed to be venturing out into the winter weather, she definitely was at that moment.

Jace eyed Kara appraisingly, taking a keen satisfaction in seeing her dressed only in his shirt, knowing Cade would be forced to smell himself on her. His marks were all over her body, his shirt doing very little to cover the bruises and bite marks. Jace’s cock hardened at thought of the agony Cade would feel in discovering each and every one. The bastard would be able to see every place he touched his little whore. Every spot he used her and hurt her. Jace only wished he could keep her longer and fuck her more before disposing of her, but he had to stick to the plan.

There was no way Cade would risk Kara’s safety again. He would know Kara would never be free from danger unless the book was in Avery’s possession. Kara was more than willing to sacrifice herself for the stupid fucking book, but Cade absolutely would not allow that to happen, not with how far gone he was for the bitch. So they’d borrowed Kara,briefly, to give Cade a little taste of what would happen if he didn’t cooperate and get the librarian to hand over Avery’s book. After delivering his girlfriend in her current state, Jace had little doubt of Cade’s assistance in acquiring the text. Avery would get the book. Jace would get the commission. And Cade would get to keep his slut in one piece. Win-win for everyone without a bit of bloodshed. Of course, the violence was the fun part, but their plan was one of convenience not amusement. As long as he got the money, Jace was happy.

“We are going on a little trip, sweetheart. Time to pay the boss a visit,”he announced darkly.

Kara blanched. Though Cade was the one person in the world she longed to see, the thought of him seeing her in that state had the chilling effect of ice in her veins. Jace looked at her with sadistic glee, and Kara remembered that Cade was the exact audience for which her body had been destroyed. Jace may have used her for his pleasure, but the marks he had ensured would remain afterward like a receipt for services rendered were specifically for Cade’s perusal.

“The car is waiting outside.”He took a moment to admire the view, and Kara wrapped the shirt around her body even tighter, hoping to conceal as much as inadequately possible. Jace noticed her tension and endeavored to increase it, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pressing his body against hers, and very physically escorting her from the room down to where the garage was housed.

“Is the manhandling really necessary? I am perfectly capable of walking to the car without your assistance,”Kara complained, trying to escape Jace’s hold.

His forceful embrace tightened as he lowered his head to hers, his breath chilling her heart as it warmed her skin.“Where is the fun in that, sweetheart? And we need to be keeping up appearances. Can’t have the hostage escorting herself to the getaway car, now can we?”

Kara scowled but said nothing as Jace continued to physically push her toward their destination. Avery Reed’s estate was nearly as grand as Cade’s, and they walked for some time. Finally, Jace stopped in front of a door in the middle of the hall and a large garage full of black vehicles of various sizes awaited on the other side. Leading her down the stairs, Jace pulled Kara to an SUV with the headlights already on and ready to go. As a driver was being utilized, Kara assumed Jace would be keeping her company in the back.

Lovely.

“Ladies first,”he said as he opened the side door and ushered her in.

Kara took a steadying breath and stepped up into the car, sliding as far to the other side as she could. After signaling the driver on, Jace entered behind her and shut the door. Kara looked around the car and was both revolted and relieved to find herself alone with Jace.“Was Mr. Reed not interested in seeing his endeavor come to fruition?” she asked warily, cautious of Avery’s absence.

“Were you disappointed not to have received a farewell from my client? I believe he thought it best not to implicate himself further in the situation.”

“He didn’t seem to have any trouble implicating himself last night,”Kara couldn’t resist retorting with tart sarcasm.

Jace laughed with tainted amusement as he stroked the bruises on her neck, then his fingers trailed suggestively lower to the button of the shirt over her chest.“Care for round two?”he asked as a single finger slipped beneath the thin material and found the mark he left on her upper breast. Kara shivered, her fear palpable. Jace relished her terror; he inhaled the scent of it hungrily as if he could feed on it. To savor that feeling, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that was neither passion nor violence, just a final expression of power and control. Kara sat frozen to the point of empty surrender until at last Jace withdrew his lips.

“Lucky for you, I don’t enjoy having an audience,”he said, gesturing to the driver ahead.“I’ll have to save it for next time.”Her safety momentarily assured, Kara relaxed slightly in her seat and observed from the window as the barren trees of winter passed in a blur.

Kara had no account of the time elapsed, but she eventually found herself in familiar territory. They would be nearing Ashford Manor soon. The cold silence of the car was filled with the incessant patter of water droplets upon the roof and windows as a sudden rain covered the outside world in a blanket of bleakness. Kara wrapped the thin material of Jace’s shirt tighter around her chest, but it aided little against the internal chill that threatened to consume her. Finally, Kara saw the welcome gates of Cade’s estate come into view, and a thankful sigh escaped her lips. She was home.

---