2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Skyla

M y head is reeling, and I’m rendered absolutely speechless.

“Wh-here are you taking me?” I stutter.

“Somewhere safe,” he assures me before turning back to face the road.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” I ask.

The car slows for a moment as he turns his head to look at me once more. That familiar face, a face I never would have guessed, never would have suspected.

“Professor Corwin, what’s going on?”

“I told you I’d come for you, my love. It took a little longer than I would have liked, and I’m sorry for that. Those boys were circling you like sharks,” he says with a sneer and a shake of his head as he glances back to the road.

“I don’t understand. You’re my stalker? How? Why?”

“Stalker?” he asks with furrowed brows before he lets out a deep chuckle. “Is that what they told you? You can’t listen to them, Giselle. They will say anything to turn you against me.”

“Skyla,” I say shakily.

“Hm?”

“My name. You called me Giselle, but I’m Skyla. Giselle was my mother.”

“Oh yes, that’s what I meant. The resemblance is uncanny, though. You’re like Giselle reincarnated,” he says, his eyes running over me as slow as molasses, leaving behind a thick, sticky feeling in their wake.

I hear his blinker before he veers the car to the right, turning into a parking lot of a warehouse. I frown at our surroundings, looking around as much as I can before coming to the realization that we are in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

Shutting off the car, he pockets the keys before grabbing a duffle bag from the front seat. He gets out of the car and opens the back passenger door, scooping his hands beneath my arms and lifting me up and out of the car.

My balance wavers as I stand on my feet before he lifts me up and into his arms. I can’t hold back the terrified whimper that escapes me when he rests his nose against my neck, inhaling deeply.

An angry noise reverberates through his chest as he growls.

“You smell like them. It’s disgusting. Make no mistake, there will be consequences for letting them touch what is mine,” he says as he starts walking us towards the warehouse.

I tremble in his arms as the cold night pricks at my skin, sending chills running up and down my body. Then again, that could be the paralyzing fear.

When the door to the warehouse opens, I’m surprised, no, stunned. On the outside, it looks like a storage facility, maybe some kind of factory. On the inside, though? It’s a house. Like a fully blown decorated and furnished home. The layout is open, where you can see nearly every room and hallway from one spot. The furniture is a soft cream color with deep brown hardwood floors throughout. The kitchen is large, with a four-stooled island and a commercial-grade oven.

“It’s amazing, right?” Professor Corwin boasts proudly. “It cost me a quarter million dollars to get it ready. I’m sorry for the delay,” he says, pressing a wet, slimy kiss to my forehead that makes my skin crawl.

My mind races with what to do, how to act, how to get the hell out of here. The best thing I can think of is to play along, engage enough to where he lowers his guard, and I’m able to break free. Or try to wait it out long enough for the guys to track me down and rescue me.

If they are even alive. For all I know, he murdered them all while I was out cold.

Fuck, I can’t think like that.

“Thank you,” I say quickly. “My love-e.”

I cringe at the stiffness in my tone, knowing I have to do better than that.

“It’s too much trouble. I wish you didn’t have to go through it all for me,” I say as I stare up at him.

I hadn’t noticed him all that much before. Sure, I saw him in class every day, but from a distance. Not so close that I can count every single smile line. Not so close that I can see the practically colorless brown that fills his eyes, accompanied by his extremely receding salt and pepper hair.

He smiles down at me sweetly, or at least I think it’s supposed to be sweet. Instead, it makes my stomach roil.

“It was no trouble at all, nothing but the best for you.”

I do my best to muster an adoring smile as I nod.

“I appreciate it more than you know. How…how did we get here, so quickly, that is?” I ask, fishing for any and every bit of information I can gather.

“It wasn’t all that quick. I may have overestimated the dosage for the packet of apple cider,” he says with a frown.

“Apple cider?” I ask, my mind trying to follow the last memory I had.

The drink Wesley gave me in the kitchen, right before everything went black.

“You drugged the cider packet?” I ask.

“Well, my options were quite limited, and I know what a weakness you have for the stuff,” he smiles, like it’s an endearing thing. “Don’t be mad, my love. I did it for us, for your safety.”

“I-I know,” I say, giving him a shaky smile. “Thank you for coming for me. Did you…take care of the guys?”

In a split second, his demeanor shifts. His posture becomes rigid, his hold on me practically punishing.

“No, not yet. My first priority was getting you out of there and home where you belong. I’ll take care of them soon, though. Don’t worry.”

Fear pangs inside me as I give him a watery smile.

“T-thank you.”

He nods and presses another slobbery kiss to my face before walking us deeper through the ‘house.’

“You’re probably still tired, aren’t you?”

“Very. Would you mind if I rested for a little?” I ask.

“Not at all, my love,” he says as he walks into a bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

He sets me on the edge of the bed before placing down the duffle bag that was also in his arms. My legs and hands are still bound, and he bends down and begins untying them. Relief fills me, a perfect opportunity practically being laid at my feet once I feel the rope loosen. Though as quick as that hope came, it fades when his hands reach for the waistline of my leggings as he begins dragging the material down my legs.

I pinch my thighs together, attempting to scoot away from him.

“What are you doing?”

His eyes flick up to me in irritation; the former adoring look long forgotten.

“You reek of them. You need a bath.”

I pull away from his grasp, doing my best to keep my tone even.

“If you just undo my hands, I can get undressed. I’m kind of shy,” I say with a weak smile.

A short laugh escapes him as he shakes his head.

“My love, I’ve watched you get spit-roasted over a dozen times. You’re a slut.”

His hand cracks on my bare thigh as he rips the material down my legs before tossing them behind him. I feel his hand raise, pinching my face, squeezing my cheeks together punishingly, forcing my lips to pout as he speaks.

“But you’re my slut,” he says before crushing his lips to mine.

Nausea rises inside me as I do everything I can to fight against him. My legs thrash, and my tied hands pound against him, but nothing works. He’s stronger than he looks, a lot stronger. Bile begins to pool at the back of my throat, but instead of trying to push it down, I let it go.

Vomit spews out of my mouth and all over him as I heave. He shouts, shoving me to the ground, wiping the puke from his face before grabbing the rope and quickly tying my legs up as I begin to crawl away. My nails dig into the long carpet, and for a moment, I think I have a good hold. Until one sharp yank from him has my bare legs dragging across the carpet and beneath him.

“Stop fucking moving!” he snarls. “Ugh, disgusting!”

When he finishes the knot, I do the only thing I can think of, I kick. Granted, with my legs tied together, it isn’t all that effective, but I do land a kick to his knee that seems to take his breath away. Until rage turns his eyes black, and he draws his leg back, delivering a kick to my gut. Then another, and another. By the fourth kick, I’m vomiting all over again. I don’t know if it’s from the drugs, the fear, or the pain. It doesn’t matter either way.

On the last kick, I hear a sharp crack that steals all the air from my lungs and forces me to lay on my back. I howl and scream in pain, and it seems to shake Professor Corwin from his anger fueled haze. He stares down at me for a moment, what looks like remorse across his face, as he turns his back and stomps off towards the shower, shutting the bathroom door behind himself.

There I lie, half-naked, covered in vomit, hurting, and absolutely terrified of what’s to come.