Page 24 of Monster Made
Fuck, I should have gagged her. This girl’s voice is driving me absolutely insane.
I don’t even know what I’m planning to do until I’m wading out into the lake. I whip her glasses off, stuff them into my back pocket, and then, before she can even utter a cry of surprise, I dunk her into the cold water.
“What the—what the—!”
I had a lot of things on my mind before, a lot of things I wanted to do to her, but dunking her repeatedly in the Astley Lake didn’tfeature on that list at all.
And yet, something about the way she squirms helplessly, something about feeling her completely in my control… it makes me drunk on power. So drunk it’s all I can do to not give in to the sensation entirely, and… drown her.
No, Quill. No!
Luckily, I manage to overcome the urge, and when I pull her back up, I’ve already decided I’ll carry her back to the shore, though I’m not sure what comes next.
Until she spits in my face.
Dane gasps and Liam actually fucking laughs. All thoughts of pity are gone as I look down at the skinny girl thrashing helplessly in the water.
Did she really just fucking do that? Did she really just fucking spit in my face?
Anyone else would be fucking dead if they did that. She should consider herself the luckiest girl on Earth for only getting ducked. Again, and again, and again.
“Holy crap! Stop that, Quill! Stop tha—”
It feels like the next minutes are a blur as I watch myself pull her down under the water and hold her there, each time wondering if that will be the time I leave her in too long. But every single time, I save her life, again and again, although I know there wouldn’t be any need to save her if it weren’t for me.
I’m a fucking monster.
By the time I’m done with her, she’s holding onto me limply, wheezing hard, but for the first time, there’s no fear in her eyes.
She looks… needy.
Weird.
“Come on, Quill!” calls out Liam impatiently. “We’ve had our fun. How about letting her go now? Let’s go set some trash cans on fire.”
Piper’s hands clutch my right wrist, as if begging me not toleave her.
But that can’t be right, can it? She hates me. And if she didn’t before, she certainly has reason to now.
What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I just hurt her like that?
It’s like I turned into a zombie. Like my brain just shut down and allowed my hands to torture her.
Remorse overwhelms me as I stare at the shivering girl in my hands. But I don’t know how to make it right. I never know. What am I supposed to say?
The old familiar powerlessness overwhelms me. The powerlessness that had me leaning against the wall as a kid while listening helplessly to Mom saying she wanted to leave.
I had no idea what words to use to get her to stay.
I have no idea, now, what words to use to reassure Piper.
Fuck, she’s shaking. I did that to her, didn’t I? I terrorized her.
The only thing I can do is tear my face away from her and call out, “Go.”
“Uh…go?What do you mean? Aren’t you coming with us?”
“Go.”
