"R-Raaf?"
Even when he's wearing a half-mask of his own, I can't be mistaken. I know it's him, and he's just seated there on the couch like a beautiful king waiting to be delivered his entertainment for the night.
"You can let her go now."
The boy does as he says, and just like that I am free.
Or am I, really?
Raaf pats the empty space next to him. "Come here, my dove."
"I don't understand."
"I will explain everything to you," he murmurs, "but right now, you must come here."
The urge to yell at him threatens to overwhelm my senses.
WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING, FOR GOD'S SAKE?
But the urge only lasts for a second, and in the end, I still find myself obeying him, and Raaf gifts me with a smile of approval as I claim the space next to him.
It's a sexy little smile, and while it still makes my heart skip a beat, it's no longer enough.
"Tell me now, please." My voice, already strained and scratchy from all the screaming I've done, becomes even hoarser as I find myself recalling how terrifying the past few minutes had been.
He answers me with two words, and while I hear them just fine, I'm unable to digest them.
Is he seriously saying that the hell he's just put me through—-
"And it's only just begun, I'm afraid."
—-is merely an extreme version of not mainstream?
I squeeze my eyes shut in a desperate attempt for control. The feeling inside of me is painfully familiar, in the worst way possible. I want to believe there has to be some kind of silver lining about all of this, but when my mind keeps replaying those minutes when I couldn't even bear to think of the reason why no one could hear me scream—-
I thought he was dead!
Dead!
Something inside of me snaps yet again, and before I realize what I'm doing, my lips have already parted, and the words tumble out in a voice that's shaking with rage and hurt.
"Fuck you."
But he doesn't even flinch, doesn't even blink, for God's sake. All he does is stare at me with those eyes that are so deceptively blue like Paul Newman's - they're just so wonderfully blue that it's almost impossible to believe how much depravedness is hidden under its brilliance.
"You said it yourself."
The calmness of his voice pushes me closer to the edge, and I barely manage resisting the urge to spit at him.
"I am both your dream ang nightmare—-"
"FUCK YOU!" Does he really have not have a heart? Why now? Why now of all times, would he throw my own words against me like that?
"And that you believe it is inevitable for you to fall in love with me."
A sob crawls out of my throat. My God. I can't believe he went there. Does he really not care about me at all?
"I want to believe you meant every word you said, my dove."
I can't even speak this time. All I can do is sob—-
"Because if you do, then this is how we shall know if it is true."
—-that my body starts shaking violently.
"And this, too, is how we shall know if I can let myself fall in love with you."
God.
Will he ever run out of things to say that would hurt me?
"You're insane—-"
"If I were, then you would never have been attracted to me. What I am, however, is someone who is incredibly fucked up..."
The way his voice trails off seems to suggest that I asked to be scared out of my freaking brains, and I just find myself screaming again.
"Fuck. You."
"I'll pass for now, but Mickey there, on the other hand..."
Mickey? Who the heck is—-
I hear someone snivel, and I feel myself go pale. I can't believe I actually forgot all about my second attacker, and that moment of distraction is all Raaf needs to make his move. Just one moment of me glancing at Mickey, the boy who's now blubbering like he's eight instead of eighteen (or nineteen?)—-
Just one moment...
And it's all over.
Raaf bends down, and I hear something click as fingers curl around one of my ankles—-
NO!
But of course it's too late.
A subflooring mechanism reveals yet another pair of built-in manacles, and it's now 2-0 in what I didn't realize was an ongoing battle between me and Kidnappers, Inc.
Raaf captures my other ankle, and although I do my best to kick him, I might as well be an ant going against a dragon, and all it takes is another moment before he has both my ankles shackled in place.
Straightening up, he calls for Mickey to come forward, and I suddenly remember something he said before. Something about a punishment that would force me to do the unthinkable—-
Like taking care of another man's needs?
My heart slams against my chest as Raaf bends close. His breath caresses my ear, and my toes actually curl hard. And when he finally whispers into my ears—-