Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
“No. NO!” I cry out, my wrists yanking against the restraints as he gets closer, my body bucking to get free. “Please, no. I’ll do whatever you want. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
He steps up to the edge of my bed, his blade brushing across my skin as I fret, terrified of death, of never telling Jonah how much I’ve loved him all these years, of never getting to see Izzy’s face just one more time, never getting to say goodbye. But fuck, never getting to tell Knight how I really feel, never having the chance to make things right with him. I can’t.
“It’s been fun, kitten,” he purrs. “But it’s time to go now. Just close your eyes. I promise, it will only hurt a little.”
My body violently jerks around, frantically trying to get away from the sharp bite of his blade as my vision grows blurry with tears. “GET AWAY FROM ME,” I scream. “HELP! HELP! HE’S GONNA KILL ME.”
The door bursts open, the hinges squealing under the force, and before it’s even had a chance to rebound off the wall, Knight is storming into the room, his eyes wide and wild as he searches the room for a threat.
“Harper?” he rushes out, the doctor flying in just behind him. “What’s wrong?”
“HE’S GONNA KILL ME. HE’S—” I cut myself off, the sharp sting of the blade fading to nothing at all, and as I lift my gaze back to my stalker’s, confusion rips through me. He was right here, right beside me, but now he’s back against the wall, his blade nowhere to be found.
How did he get there so quickly?
“Who?” Knight demands, his eyes frantic and locked on mine when he should be focused on the stalker. Why is he looking at me like this? Why isn’t he doing anything to help?
“The stalker,” I say, watching the masked killer across the room, refusing to look away, knowing he will strike at any time. “He’s right there. Why aren’t you doing anything?”
Knight glances around the room, slowly striding around the side of my bed, putting himself directly in my line of vision, turning his back on the killer behind him. “Doll,” Knight says too slowly, his voice filled with a cautiousness I’ve never heard from him before. “There’s nobody there.”
The blade appears in the stalker’s hand again and despite his horrifying mask covering his face, I know he’s smiling. His eyes light up like Christmas has come early, and when his attention flickers to Knight, my stomach sinks.
“Come back to me, doll,” Knight says as if coaxing me to focus on the sound of his voice, trying to draw my attention away from the blade wielding lunatic behind him. “It’s not real. Come back to me.”
Knight inches toward me, and with every step he takes, the stalker moves with him, his blade clutched tightly in his palm.
“No,” I beg, shaking my head, tears streaming down my face as I try to fight against the shitty hospital-grade cuffs on my wrists. “Please. I’ll do anything. Please, just don’t hurt him. You can have me instead.”
“Doll,” Knight coos. “Look at me. He’s not real.”
“I can’t,” I tell him, and when the stalker raises his hand, ready to plunge his blade through Knight’s ribs and straight into his heart, a petrified scream tears from the back of my throat. “NOOOOOOO!”
Something slams against my neck, a sharp sting pinching my skin and sinking deep into my bloodstream as I feel hands on my body, clutching my arms and holding me down, but I can’t fight it. My body immediately goes weak, but the fear is too strong, and I keep my terrified gaze locked on the masked stalker. Only as my body grows heavier, the stalker lowers his blade and looks back at me, a sadness creeping into his eyes as if forfeiting the game I never wanted to play.
“It’s been fun,” he purrs, a fondness in his tone as he fades out of existence, his once solid figure morphing into a transparent ghost. Then as unease continues to pound through my veins, I hear the subtle tones of his deep voice one last time. “Don’t be mistaken, kitten. I’ll be back for you. And when I do, it’ll be a game worth dying for.”
Silence follows, and my pulse pounds in my ears as I stare at the empty space where my stalker was just standing, disbelief coursing through my veins.
He’s gone. Just like that.
Knight was right. He was nothing but a figment of my imagination, a sick hallucination my brain had fabricated to torment me. My chest heaves, a new kind of dread sinking into the pit of my stomach, trying to work out what the hell this means for me.
I’m sick.
My gaze shifts to Knight. He’s watching me with profound concern, and I realize just how much I’ve put him through over these past few weeks. Overwhelming emotions tear through me all at once, but Knight is right by my side before I can even draw my next breath. The stoic SWAT officer is gone, and I’m left with the man who has caught me every time I’ve fallen, the man who burns every time I go up in flames.