Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
I reach for the scalpel I always keep in my tote bag, but it falls to the ground.
“You—” My tongue stops moving and my vision blurs.
The last thing I see is Isabella’s vicious smile as the world goes black.
14
DAHLIA
Hush now, my darling, the moon’s in the sky,
The waves on the shore sing a soft lullaby.
The stars in the heavens will watch while you sleep,
And carry your dreams to the ocean so deep.
Mama’s soft voice echoes in my ears as my lids fall closed, flickering in that dreamy place between wakefulness and sleep.
“Mommy?” I whisper, but I’m not sure if any sound comes out.
My head’s heavy and my limbs are gripped by paralysis, as if I’m shackled to the rugged bed beneath me. Mom’s gentle features appear blurry behind my reddening eyelids, but her soothing voice carries on in the darkness.
Rest now, my sweet one, the night’s gentle song,
Will cradle you close as the tides move along.
The sea whispers softly, the wind hums a tune,
And soon you’ll be dancing beneath the soft moon.
“Are you here to get me, Mom?”
A calloused hand lands on mine and she stops singing. “Do you want me to get you, dear?”
“Hmm. I’m so tired, Mommy. It’s exhausting.”
“Then come join us.”
“Dahl!” a familiar voice calls, panicked urgency lacing its usual softness.
“Vi?”
“Don’t leave me, Dahl. We promised to be each other’s family. Dahlia! Dahlia, please! I only have you.”
The sea whispers softly, the wind hums a tune,
And soon you’ll be dancing beneath the soft moon.
Mom’s lullaby echoes around me mixed with Violet’s screams, until my senses explode in maddening chaos.
My eyes pop open.
A white ceiling with a moldy spot at the corner greets me first.
I try to sit up, but my limbs are so heavy, my head crashes back down.
Hot.
I’m so hot, the back of my throat is dry and I feel as if my clothes are my worst enemy.
Where am I?
What happened?
I cast my eyes around. A small white room, completely sterile except for the metal bed I’m lying on.
The place is dim, bathed in a soft amber light that casts long, flickering shadows on the walls. Everything feels wrong. Hazy. The air around me is thick, pressing in, suffocating me with its weight.
Again, I try to get up, but it’s as if my body is tethered with unseen bonds.
The world swims around me, blurring at the edges. Then my senses come back in sharp, jarring fragments. Unbearable warmth spreads over my skin, a fire igniting from the inside out. My heart pounds in my ears, each beat loud, pulsing through my veins.
Every brush of fabric sends shivers through me, amplifying the burning heat.
I breathe in, but my chest is tight, each breath shallow and ragged. The faint tang of sweat and something spicy hangs in the air and my throat every time I swallow.
The bed beneath me is soft, a contrast to the tension coiling in my muscles.
Something’s wrong.
My body’s too hot, my thoughts too sluggish. My skin prickles, every inch of me out of sync yet too aware of everything.
The air is like fingers ghosting over me, teasing, pulling at the heat that’s building at an overwhelming pace.
I try to move again, but it’s like I’m disconnected from my body, my limbs barely responding to my brain.
My mouth is dry, my mind racing, but everything is clouded in this thick haze of need I can’t stop.
The pounding of my heart drowns out my thoughts and the faint hum in the air that throbs with the same rhythm as my pulse.
My legs lock together and that triggers the pressure. I can feel the wetness gushing from my pussy. My skin burns with an ache I’ve never felt before.
The door opens and I stare up as two men wearing the familiar silver masks walk in.
“Who…who are you?”
Oh God. Why does my voice sound so husky and needy?
They approach me and I slide back against the bed.
“No. Stay away…”
Doesn’t matter what the hell Isabella and her minions injected me with, I won’t let them touch me.
Not even if this is related to the organization.
“How about I start?” the taller one says to the other, his voice rancid and scratchy. “I wonder if she feels as good as she looks.”
“No…” I try to kick him when he reaches for my leg, but he easily catches it and tugs on my jeans.
“Stop acting like a prude. We all know you let Kane use you like a slut.” He undoes the buttons and pulls them down, exposing my bottom half. Only my panties and the oversized hockey jersey cover me.
“I will kill you if you don’t let me go.” I kick and flail, fighting sluggishly as my eyes fill with tears. “I swear I will.”
Their cruel laughter echoes in the air, condensing over my head like a mocking cloud. “Good luck with that.”