Lady Death by Beth D. Carter

Author:Beth D. Carter [Carter, Beth D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Published: 2024-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The night sky swam with the incandescent lights of the city. The heat of the day remained trapped in the concrete and steel. Keres linked her arm through Abigail’s, laughing as they made their way home. Unaware of the snakes emerging from the shadows. They hadn’t been aware of the danger until they’d already walked into the trap.

Hands grabbed her, ripping her away from Abigail. Her screams were abruptly cut off when they threw her onto the ground. Terror filled her as her clothes were sliced off. She tried fighting, tried escaping, but there were three of them. All larger. Stronger.

She and Abigail never had a chance.

Keres couldn’t stop screaming. She fell out of bed, painfully landing on her front. Crawling away when the dream morphed into reality and hands reached for her. Not again. Dear God, not again! A door was thrown open and she saw men rush inside. Too many. She found a corner and curled into herself, throwing her arms over her head. Maybe if she couldn’t see them, they wouldn’t be able to see her.

“Keres,” a gentle voice said. +

She whimpered and tried to make herself even smaller. Someone touched her arm, and she screamed once more.

“Keres, it’s me,” the gentle voice continued. “It’s Ronin. And I can’t help you, baby, unless you talk to me.”

“No! No more! Please don’t hurt me.” The words became a mantra, repeated over and over. “Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me.”

“Ronin, why don’t you step out into the hallway. Maybe if we give her some space, she’ll snap out of it.”

She didn’t know who talked. It didn’t matter. It was male, and therefore a predator. The presence left her side, and she was alone. Unfolding from the corner, she looked around to find someplace to hide and spotted the closet. She scrambled for safety inside the darkness, pushing into the small space, and tried to wedge a shoe under the door. Sitting down, she rocked herself as tears streamed down her face.

No one could find her there. No one could hurt her.

“Montgomery. Juneau. Phoenix. Little Rock.”

Keres repeated the capitals over and over, all fifty of them. How long she stayed in the dark she didn’t know, but the horror in the dream began to fade. Sanity slowly returned, along with embarrassment and dread. There wasn’t any chance in hell Ronin would let this episode slide. Footsteps outside the closet door came and paused, and a light knock rapped on the wood.

“Keres?” Ronin asked. “I’m going to open the door. Okay? It’s just me and I promise I won’t hurt you.”

She didn’t bother responding. The handle turned, and the shoe she had shoved under it did absolutely nothing to prevent him from entering. Ronin looked at her, and he immediately crouched down. She watched him, wondering if he was going to tell her to get the fuck out. She wasn’t normal. She’d never be normal again.

“Oh, baby, I wish I could take away your pain,” he whispered. He held out his hand.

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