world is. Keep testing me, and you will find out very quickly what happens when
someone crosses me.”
I stiffened, unable to move at his words while the feeling of defeat washed over
me. I felt my eyes wander from his to the blankness in front of me. Goddamn him.
“You should consider the fact that if you continue to fight me and continue to
hate me as much as you do, it will only eat you up inside. But if you let go, if you
accept your life, if you learn to blur that thin line between love and hate, you might
come to find yourself better off in a situation you cannot change. Stockholm
syndrome doesn’t have to be all bad, Jaden. It’s just another form of survival; one I
think you can appreciate, given the circumstances.”
Unable to contain the rage that shocked me like a lightning storm, I shot out of
my chair and chucked my untouched plate across the room where it crashed into
the wall, shattering ceramic and food all over the wall and floor. I glared down at
Darren, a feral snarl on my face as I prepared to beat the fucking shit out of him.
“I will never love you,” I roared.
It was supposed to be the other way around. He was supposed to fall in love with
me. It would be easier to manipulate him that way, get him to lower his guard and
sympathize with me like I needed him to. If he thought I was going to succumb to
some psychological bullshit to combat my traumatic life, then he was a bigger fool
than I thought. I was beyond insulted that he thought me so weak minded.
Darren’s shaded eyes never left mine as he slowly rose from his seat, his hands
planted on the table as he towered over me; the intensity of his eyes reminded me I
was about to experience a world of pain. His sheer size alone overwhelmed me, and
I could feel my body wanting to cower while I tried to ignore the liquid heat
beginning to collect between my legs. I hated how he had somehow conditioned my
fear to turn me on, but I stood my ground, my clenched fists at my side as I glared
back at him.
“You act like you have a choice in the matter.” His voice was smooth, low, and
laced with enough venom I could almost taste it.
“I always have a choice,” I spat. “Consequences or not.”
“Just like your body has a choice?” he sneered.
I snarled back at him, suddenly lost for my rebuttal. My body was different. It
didn’t know the difference between rape and consensual sex, but my heart certainly
did. And I would never surrender that to him.
“You may have a degree in psychology, princess, but you’ve never seen firsthand
how easy it is to warp the mind. And how much fun it can be. I’ve already
conditioned your body to respond the way I want it to, and I have to tell you … it
didn’t take very long. I bet your fucking soaked right now.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up!” I snapped. “You have no idea—”
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more intense, Darren casually
cracked his neck in the middle of my little rant. Abruptly lifting the table, he ripped
it out of his way, sending the heavy oak crashing to its side and shattering all of its
contents to the floor. Panic electrified me as I flinched at his strength, and I
couldn’t help but find myself immediately backing away as he stormed toward me.
My hands came up defensively, but Darren easily bypassed them, grabbed my
throat, and shoved me into the wall, cornering me completely. Another gush of
heat escaped.
I tried not to whimper, but the sight of seeing him flip that heavy table like it
was nothing was enough to remind me that even though my body was strong, I was
still very fragile in comparison to him and what he could do. He’d broken my body
once before. He could do it again.
“Just who the FUCK do you think you’re talking to, Jaden?” he growled down at
me, his fingers squeezing just enough to remind me how vice-like they could be.
Fear consumed me. The adrenaline-fueled panic rushed through me in the wake
of Darren’s violent aggression, causing my body to shake and nearly crumple to the
floor. I’d never been one to run from a fight, but right now, I wanted nothing more
than to dissolve into a little ball on the floor and hide from him until the blazing
intensity of his eyes finally left me.
But that wasn’t me. I wasn’t a coward, no matter how much I wanted to be.
Some days, it was better to lie down and be a good girl but not every day. No. Not
every day.
Not today.
“Answer me!” he roared.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Apparently, no one,” I said bitterly.
“You’re goddamn right,” he snarled. “Keep pushing me with that smart mouth
of yours, and I’ll have your jaw wired shut again.”
I could feel my stomach drop in response to his threat, felt all the blood from my
face drain out at the thought of having my jaw wired shut a second time. I could not
handle that again. It was bad enough the first time.
“Do you understand
