Page 34 of Vows of Ruin

We’re still laughing an hour later when Donnie opens the SUV door for us. His eyes snag on the crop poking out from one of the matte black bags, but he wisely says nothing, just shuts the door behind us with a quiet, “Ma’am.”

We opted for the scenic route home. No city traffic. No watchful eyes.

Donnie grumbles from the driver's seat, “Longer drive, but I guess it’ll be smoother.”

Catching my eyes in the rearview, he adds, “Sorry, ma’am.”

Margot smirks, leaning her head against mine. “Wow. They really are all afraid of you.”

I laugh. “As they should be.”

The world explodes sideways. Metal screams. The SUV lurches violently as something slams into the driver’s side. My stomach plummets. Margot screams. I grab for anything. Her, the seatbelt, air. We flip. Everything is weightless. Glass shatters, steel groans. My shoulder hits the door, the air is yanked from my lungs, and I think I hear Donnie curse before the windshield explodes inward.

Then… black. Silence.

I wake to the sting of cold air on my skin and a sharp burn in my shoulders. My arms are stretched wide, lashed between two thick tree trunks with rough rope that bites into my wrists. My feet barely touch the ground; I’m missing a shoe. Every muscle screams. My head pounds, my lip is split, and blood is starting to crust on my cheek.

The woods are quiet, too quiet. Just the faint whistle of wind through the branches and the occasional chirp of birds that sound more like warnings than song.

I twist my wrists, testing the bindings, but the knots are solid. Whoever tied this knew exactly what they were doing. A low laugh cuts through the stillness like a knife. Cold and cruel.

I lift my chin, eyes locking onto the source of the sound as Sebastian steps from behind a tree, grinning like this is some game he’s winning.

“Well,” he says smoothly. “You’re awake. Good. I was starting to worry I hit you too hard.”

“Fuck you,” I rasp.

He strolls closer, hands in his pockets, every inch of him radiating smug satisfaction. “Now, now. That’s no way to talk to your loving brother.”

“You’re nothing to me.” I spit at his feet.

He moves in a flash grabbing my throat. It's tight, slowing every breath I draw, and enough to bruise. Enough to remind me he can stop my breath at any moment.

“I used to wonder for hours at a time, what you’d look like all grown up,” he murmurs, leaning in taking a deep breath of me. “And damn. Worth every second.”

“You’re fucking sick.”

He just grins wider. “And you’re so goddamn pretty when you fight.”

His hand tightens even more, enough to make my head buzz. He releases me, stepping back.

“You know, I don’t want to kill you.” He says, pacing now, weaving between the trees like a predator circling a wounded animal. “I like to play with my food before I eat it. That’s part of the fun.”

“You won’t win this.” I hiss. “They’ll kill you for this.”

That laugh again, empty and sharp.

“Maybe. But they won’t do it today.”

He hits me. Fast and brutal, my vision whites out.

“You will be mine, but first I want to see what happens when I finally peel your world apart.” He says. “When your husbands find what’s left, I want them to know they can’t save you.”

Another blow. My lip splits again. My knees buckle, but the ropes hold me up like a crucifix.

“I will never be yours.”

“You already are, you have been since the day you were born.” His voice drops to a whisper, almost gentle. “You just don’t realize it yet.”