Page 156 of Aftershock

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“Hey.” His thumb drags over my bottom lip.

At least I think it does. The light pressure over my mouth tells me his finger is there, moving, except…

I only feel it on parts of my lips.

Is my mouth numb?

As the question rises, my pulse starts to pick up. My subconscious warns me against…

Against what?

I force my senses to work. To sharpen.

It’s then that I realize that I have crumpled fabric filling my mouth. That another piece of silk is wedged between my teeth.

I’m not spoiled.

I’m…

Gagged.

I’m gagged, and Alaric doesn’t do anything about it.

Because.

Because—oh, no.

Oh,no.

Flashbacks from yesterday pummel into me at a frightening speed.

The storage unit. Fraser. The notebook.

Everything had been going according to plan. Alaric’s and my happily ever after was just within reach.

Then.

The needle.

The binds and gags.

How he wouldn’t listen. How he held me while I cried myself to sleep.

The more vivid these images become, the stronger the nausea that’s churning in my stomach.

I’m not afraid of him.

But why did he have to do this?

A few days to let it sink in.

Won’t have a chance to run.

I’ll have to work harder to convince you staying is the right thing.

Why? Why, why, why?

I told him I loved him. I saw the notebook, and I told him I loved him still.

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