Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

“ You're shaking, Tess. And I haven't even done anything.” Her breath hitched, face reddened with embarrassment. Her brow creased in anger and confusion at how hard her chest was pounding, and why her body was trembling like that. But she cared not about any answer at the point, she just wanted to get away, from his heat, from his touch that was barely there but felt. “ I was after the light switch.” She breathed, voice shaking. She has never felt this helpless. Powerless. And humiliated. “ What…are you going to force yourself on me now?” His gaze darkened for a second, his grip tightened but loosened the next second. A flicker of amusement flashed in his eyes. “ No. I would never.” He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, brushing her ear with his breath. “ You are going to ask me. Beg me. To touch you.” She scoffed at the absurdity but coldness washed down her veins as he was gone the next second, like he was never there on top of her, like he never touched her or whispered

They started heading back when dusk slowly began to approach, but the clouds were beginning to gather like a quiet conspiracy overhead. They rolled in thick, and heavy, swallowing the sun inch by inch. Everyone could feel it, from the whispers against the trees to the steady gush that tugged at their clothes. It sent loose strands of Tessa's hair dancing wildly across her face. It was going to rain, the scent of it was already beginning to linger in the air. She tilted her head back to look at the churning clouds. She loves rain, loves the way the sky darkens, the chilled breeze —that for a moment she forgot the road beneath her feet, not until her heel caught on a crack. The world tilted. A gasp tore from her throat as her body pitched forward, but she never met the ground. His firm arm swept around her waist, pulling her sharply back against solid warmth. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself pressed against him, his gri

He had pressed himself against the nearest wall, knees drawn up, every sense straining for the smallest hint of light. Memories he had buried clawed their way back: the darkest nights. His mother's laughter. His father's voice. Trapped. Helpless. Little hands banging against the door. Blood. Predatory darkness. Every creak, every distant drip of water made his heart hammer faster. His voice caught in his throat, a strangled whisper escaped, half plea, half panic. “ Please.. turn.. it on.”The darkness was suffocating, alive, and unrelenting. His mind raced with invisible threats, each one more terrifying than the last, until he felt paralyzed, caught between a pounding fear and the desperate foolish hope that someone, anyone, would flick the lights back on.That was when she switched on the light, pointing it at him. The sight slammed something hard against her chest and hurt right to her rib. Her body moved before she c

‘ Your company? You creep!’ she wanted to spat at him, but Grayson's hand touched hers just then. Without looking back, nor looking away from Crimson, his hand reached to hers softly and firmly grabbed her wrist.He didn't answer Crimson immediately; instead, he pulled Tessa behind him in one swift motion. The movement was so sudden that she barely had time to react before his body was between her and Crimson, broad shoulders blocking her completely from the man's view. For a moment, she stood there, staring at the back of his head, stunned. Protected. The feeling struck her strangely hard. Grayson leaned slightly back, his voice dropping into a low whisper meant only for her.“ Are you okay?”Her heart skipped a beat; she swallowed, but was still a little shaken from the encounter in the garden. She leaned closer and whispered back quickly.“ He's… a strange deranged man.”Grayson went still. Then slowly, very slowly, he looked back at Crimson with a death stare that sent chills c

Grayson’s phone buzzed insistently, he glanced at it, a name flashing with urgency that made his jaw tighten. He answered the call. “ Mother.” He muttered, voice clipped, the softness from moments ago evaporating. Tessa's pulse skipped as she watched him flip the phone open. “ What is going on?!” She yelled over the phone. “ We've been trying to get in touch with you, why on earth were you not reachable?” He glanced into space for a second, guessing the network must have worsened due to the rain that fell, but he said nothing. “ Grayson! Are you listening to me?” “ Speak. I'm listening.” “ What is wrong with you? I called also now and you almost took forever to answer your damn phone.” She fumed, her voice sharp through the line, her tone more irritation than concern. Grayson's lips pressed into a hard line, his eyes narrowing. “ Do y