Page 44 of Meet Me in the Vines
He cocks his eyebrow up once his hand is beneath my legs. “Youarewet for him. You littleslut.”
Fucking fight, Audrey. Fight back.
Tears are forming in the back of my eyes, the familiar sting balling up, ready to be released. Donovan’s face refuses to leave me. He’s begging me to not give up. Those pleading ocean eyes, telling me to fight like hell.
I stare daggers into Kellan’s gaze, a rush of motivation flowing in my blood. I brace myself, turning my spine to steel as I flash him the same devilish grin he gave me earlier.
You want a fight, Kellan? I’ll give you a fight.
“You willnevermake me wet the way he does. You willnevermake me feel the way he makes me feel,” I seethe, my voice sharp like a double-edged sword. “And you willneverfucking touch me ever again,” I growl out, my voice unrecognizable.
Before Kellan can react, I spit in his face and jab my knee up into his balls, forcing him to release me.
Run, Audrey.
Adrenaline pumps through my blood as I slide off the couch, Kellan groaning behind me. As I get up to run, he grabs my ankle, dragging me back toward him.
“You fucking cunt, get over here!” he yells, fighting the pain in his groin. He yanks me by my ankle, dragging me on my back. I use my free leg to kick him in the chest, sending him stumbling.
I scramble to get back on my feet, making a beeline out of his office. His heavy footsteps are close behind me. I know I can’t outrun him.
Think fast, Audrey.
A large vase sits on a display just within my reach. I outstretch my arm and grip the neck just as Kellan’s fingers grapple with my top, trying to pull me back into his hold. The adrenaline charged in my body fuels my strength to heave the vase at his head, smashing apart into tiny fragments around us.
“Agh, fucking bitch!” he grunts angrily, grasping at the eyelid that’s slashed with glass. Blood. I see blood.
Keep going.
I frantically stumble into the hall, picking my feet up as fast as they can take me. My heart thumps a thousand beats per minute. My entire body stings. I can’t move fast enough. A rip of fabric, a firm hand twisting my hair, and the brute force of a man’s power slams me facedown onto the cold, marble floor.
“I fucking gave you everything, Audrey! And this is how you repay me? Fucking another man?!” he screams out as I struggleto get back on my feet. Next thing I know, I’m being flung against the glass coffee table in the middle of the living room.
Sharp pain shoots through my body as the glass shatters around me. In me. Kellan grasps my nape and jerks me through the glass, lacerating my legs with every inch. Searing pain. I scream until my vocal cords fry. I can’t get his hands off of me.
Don’t give up. Keep fighting.
He tosses me on the cold floor and straddles my torso, hitting the side of my head so hard with his fist that my ears ring.
“I gave you this penthouse! I gave you lavish gifts! I gave you a fucking life here when you had nothing!” he roars in my face. His saliva sprays across my cheek. My head spins. I’m losing control.
Keep going, Audrey. Don’t give up.
I open my palm and strike him hard against his cheek, but it barely makes a dent. I go in for another hit, using all the strength I have left. He catches my wrist mid-air, slamming it down.
“Fuck you, Kellan!”
My scream is guttural, casting out from the depths of my soul. Tears soak my face. I feel no pain, even though I’m bleeding from so many places. How much blood can a person lose before they die? I wish I knew the answer. I’m afraid I’ll find out.
Kellan wraps his hands around my throat, immediately cutting off my oxygen. My eyes bulge, flitting back and forth between his pupils, the blood from his face dripping onto my clothes.
“I fucking love you, Audrey. Why do you do this to me?!” he grunts out. The edges of my vision darken. I’m losing air quickly.
Stay awake. Don’t go.
“I love you. God, I love you, little bird,” he sobs. His hands grip harder. Anger shakes his body. I lose my hearing. I’m fading. I can’t hold on anymore.
In my last lucid moment, I see a shadow blurring in the corner of my eye, and Kellan’s hands suddenly release my neck. I gasp and struggle for air, my throat on fire.
