Mike began talking again, but Liam had stopped listening to him. A knot worked its way into his belly. He frowned as he tried to figure out where it was coming from. Becoming completely still, he used his mind to probe the area around him as he scented the air for the source of the unexplained fear. He turned into himself, searching for anything that would explain it.
Then he realized the fear was coming from Sera.
"I have to go," he blurted, cutting Mike off in mid-sentence.
"What?" Mike asked dully.
"I have to go. Find someone else to do the last tour."
"You can't just leave Liam."
"I have to. Get my car and meet me at Sera's dorm."
"Liam, wait!" Mike grabbed hold of his arm and swung him around. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Let go!" he ripped his arm free. "It's Sera; she's in trouble, just meet me there."
Mike gawked at him, but Liam didn't wait for a response as he turned to run. Liam burst through the front door as the next group was getting ready to come through. They stared at him in astonishment, but he barely noticed as he started to run toward her dorm.
"I hear you have a new boyfriend," Jacob's mouth hovered near her ear. Sera squirmed beneath him as she tried to turn her head away. "Are you giving it up to him?"
Sera choked against his hand. He smiled chillingly as he licked her ear. Bile rose in her throat, and it took everything she had to shove it back down. She would probably choke to death if she threw up now.
"I'm going to take my hand away so you can answer me. If you scream again, I'm going to gag you, understand?" he asked.
She nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. She hated herself for the sign of weakness, but she couldn't stop it. He eased his hand away, and she felt something cold press against her throat. She tried to retreat further from him, but it was impossible as he smiled down at her.
"Yes, it's a knife,” he said. “Now, answer me."
Her heart hammered in her chest, and she couldn't stop shaking. "Are you sleeping with him?" he demanded, his face twisting into a sneer.
A wave of defiance washed over her as she tilted her chin. "Yes, I am."
He smiled coldly as he leaned down to kiss her. She turned her head away in a desperate attempt to get away from his repugnant touch. His hand twisted cruelly in her hair as the knife pressed more firmly against her throat. "That's what your friend said."
Revulsion swamped her, and it took everything she had not to vomit as he ran his hands over her body. "Stop it." She tried to squirm away from him, but he pressed the knife more firmly against her throat. "What friend?" she asked as his words registered.
"Your girlfriend called me. She told me where you were. I decided to visit you to finish what we started."
With a violent jerk, he ripped open her shirt. Sera cried out in distress and horror as his hand ran down to the edge of her jeans. Tears spilled from her eyes as she bucked crazily in an attempt to dislodge him. "I'll slit your throat, you bitch!" he spat. "Stop moving!"
Sera whimpered as his hand cruelly squeezed her breast.
"You feel good," he purred as he licked her ear.
A knock on the door froze his movements. "Are you expecting anyone?" he asked in a low voice.
"No," she answered honestly.
"Get rid of them." The knife cut into her flesh. She could feel blood running down her throat. She froze, unable to move, unable to breathe as she fully realized he would kill her. "Now!"
She inhaled sharply. "Who is it?" she called.
"It's me, open the door," Liam replied.
Her heart gave a little skip of hope that quickly faded. Liam was big, but Jacob was bigger and obviously crazy. She didn't want Liam to hurt, and Jacob would kill him... or her. Hopelessness filled her as she resigned herself to what she had to do. Jacob would hurt her, but she wasn't going to let him hurt Liam too.
"I'm not feeling well," she called out.
"Sera, open the door!" he yelled.
The annoyance in his voice puzzled her, but she didn't have time to figure it out, and right now she didn't care. "Just go away, Liam." Her voice cracked as tears spilled down her face. "I can't see you tonight."
Jacob gripped her hair painfully and dug the knife in a little deeper.
"I don't want to talk to you! I... uh... I just need to be alone. I have to study!"
Silence came from the other side of the door, and she held her breath as she prayed he would stay there all night. "Fine," he finally said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
She almost screamed for him to help her, but she kept her mouth closed as tears flowed freely and her hope vanished. Jacob's eyes sparkled with malice. She closed her eyes, unable to look at him anymore, unable to think anymore.
The loud crash startled her eyes open. Jacob gasped as he was ripped off her. The knife sliced her as she was thrown to the floor. She cried out as she fumbled at her injured neck. Blood spilled between her fingers, ran down her arm, and dripped onto the ground. She sat numbly, barely hearing the crashes around her, and the grunts of a fight.
She stared dazedly at her bloody fingers as her mind spun in directions she didn't understand. She couldn't grasp a single thought. Liam was suddenly before her, his face pinched, and blood streaked his mouth and cheek.
"Are you all right?" he demanded. "Sera, are you all right?"
She was unable to answer.
He gingerly explored her wound. "Don't move."
He swiftly strode over, shut the battered door, and slid the chain lock into place. She watched his legs as he walked to the other side of the
