The rock glistened in Daniel’s hand, slick with blood and moonlight. Time fractured. Every heartbeat became its own eternity. I could hear nothing but the rasp of Adrian’s shallow breath against my thigh, the pounding in my ears, and Daniel’s voice echoing in my skull: If I can’t have you, no one will.
“No!” I screamed, throwing my body over Adrian’s. “You’ll have to kill me first!”
Daniel froze, the rock trembling in his hand. His chest rose and fell in violent heaves. For a moment, I thought—hoped—that the sight of me shielding Adrian would break something in him, remind him of the man I once loved, the man who had whispered promises into my hair at midnight.
But his eyes were wild. That man was gone.
“Emma…” His voice cracked, a whisper carried on rage. “You were mine. You are mine.
