In His Ruins

Episode Four

CHAPTER FOUR

POV — ARIEL

I don't think I can keep up this pretence for much longer.

My heart races as he runs his fingers through my long black hair before carrying me in his arms.

For a moment, I think he's going to choke me again.

But he doesn't.

He carries me instead.

I feel the warmth radiating from his six-foot frame and almost flinch. My heartbeat pounds in my ears, but I force myself to control my trembling.

It's the only way I can survive this.

I need to stay calm. Watch him. Wait for the perfect opportunity to escape.

He drops me into the passenger seat and walks around to the driver's side.

The moment he opens the door, I jerk toward the other side, reaching for the handle.

Locked.

How...?

Before I can try again, he catches me and pins me against the seat. One hand holds my wrists down while his other arm blocks my escape.

"Trying to escape?" he snarls.

"Let go of me!" I growl, struggling against him.

Surprisingly, he does.

He releases me.

Just like that.

I stare at him, momentarily stunned. It's the last thing I expect from someone who seems to enjoy making my life miserable.

I swallow hard.

His grey eyes scan my face as though he's deciding what to do with me. His features are handsome but rigid, his expression unreadable.

I feel almost lifeless beneath that stare.

When our eyes meet, I quickly look away and push my glasses back into place.

Just as I expect, he grabs me again, stopping me from moving.

"I gave you a chance, but you messed it up, little ass."

His husky voice brushes against my ear.

"How would you like to be punished?"

Chills race down my spine.

"Please, stop," I mutter.

Then I force myself to ask the question that's been tormenting me since I woke up in that basement.

"Who are you, and why are you doing this?"

My voice sounds broken, but curiosity slips through despite my fear.

"Don't be so curious." His grip tightens. "I have no plans to kill you or let you go."

My heart races.

I struggle, but he's too strong.

"You filthy bastard!"

"Your cursed mouth is something else, hmm?"

"Get your f*****g hands off me!" I bellow.

"If you don't stop, I'll make you regret it."

His voice thunders through the car, and my breath catches.

"And why the hell should I listen to you?" I whisper. "Why shouldn't I try to save myself?"

He's not bluffing.

"Don't."

One word.

That's all he says, but it makes me freeze.

His grip tightens, and he pulls me back against his chest.

"I decide what happens here," he says quietly.

"You can't escape me, no matter how hard you try. Not unless I let you."

He smirks.

"Why can't I? What the hell do you think you are?" I snap, struggling to keep my cool.

Somehow, this man knows exactly how to make me angry, and it's f*****g annoying.

"Surely, I'm not God." He gives a low, humourless laugh. "I'm just the worst nightmare you've ever had."

Then he leans toward my hair and inhales.

My entire body stiffens.

His voice might be quiet, but everything about him makes my skin crawl.

"What? You expect me to kneel and beg?" I retort. "Wish harder. My life is already f****d up, so there's nothing more you can do!"

He leans closer, and I instinctively pull away.

My heart pounds. My palms grow damp against the seat.

His scent fills my nose, something warm and smoky beneath the sharpness of the night air.

It's almost pleasant.

Almost.

But all I can associate with it is danger.

I brace myself for another threat, another painful grip, another reminder that he has complete control over this situation.

Instead, he suddenly pushes me away as though he's lost interest.

What the f**k?

Why threaten me like this in a f*****g car?

He releases me, his expression giving nothing away.

Good-looking, but dangerous.

The engine roars to life.

He grips the steering wheel without looking at me, and the car jerks forward, carrying us out of the darkness and onto the road.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask, forcing my voice to sound steady.

Finally, he turns his head slightly and smirks.

Before he can answer, his phone buzzes.

Carl.

The name flashes across the screen.

He answers without taking his eyes off the road.

"Talk."

His expression hardens as he listens.

A pause follows.

"Okay," he says quietly. "Nah, I'm already on my way. Meet me there."

He ends the call, and the car speeds up.

And my phone?

Where the hell is my phone?

I search my bag, then the space beside me, but I can't find it.

"Looking for something, little ass?"

I freeze.

"Nothing."

"Good."

I hate him.

I hate the way he speaks as though he knows every thought passing through my head. I hate the way he can frighten me one moment and act as though nothing happened the next.

The windows are tinted, and he drives as though he owns the road.

Just as he claims to own me.

Then I realise something.

This isn't freedom.

It's only a pause.

I stare at his profile, at the same face that whispered threats into my ear in that room.

A question returns to me.

He'd mentioned a secret earlier.

I turn toward him.

"Well?" I snap, my voice shaking. "You asked if I wanted to know a secret. So tell me."

Silence.

He doesn't blink or say a word.

His grey eyes remain fixed on the road, his jaw tight, as though I haven't spoken.

"Hello?" My voice cracks. "I asked you a question."

Nothing.

Instead, he switches on the radio.

Classical music fills the car.

I stare at him in disbelief.

Is he seriously ignoring me?

Outside, the night has turned ugly. The sky is black and starless, heavy clouds hanging low over the road.

Rain begins tapping against the windows, slowly at first, then harder.

That's when I notice them.

Headlights.

Too many headlights.

For the past ten minutes, cars have been following us. Black SUVs, three of them, maintaining the same distance no matter how fast we drive.

At first, I convince myself I'm being paranoid.

But now, watching them through the tinted window, I'm certain.

Someone is following us.

"Those cars—"

The car suddenly jerks to a halt, throwing me forward.

I catch myself against the dashboard.

"What the hell—?"

Darien's gaze snaps toward me before shifting to the road ahead.

And then I see it.

A cliff.

The road ends here.

Beyond it lies nothing but darkness, with waves crashing somewhere far below.

My stomach drops.

Standing across the road are several men.

Armed men.

At least six, their guns raised toward us.

Flanking them are animals.

Not dogs.

They're bigger, their bodies covered in black and grey fur. Their teeth are bared, and their low growls rumble through the rain.

Wolf-like.

My blood runs cold.

What kind of place have I been dragged into?

"Get out," Darien growls.

I turn to him, convinced I've misheard.

"What? That's a f*****g cliff!"

"There are armed men outside, a cliff ahead, and in here..." His grey eyes meet mine. "There is me. The monster."

I stare at him.

"So you want me to go out there and get killed?"

"It's your choice." His voice is infuriatingly calm. "Stay with a monster or go outside."

"What kind of choice is that?"

"This is your only chance."

Rain lashes against the windshield, and the wind howls around us.

I look toward the armed men, then at the animals prowling beside them.

My fingers curl around the edge of the seat.

How am I supposed to choose between being trapped with a man who has already hurt me and stepping outside into a group of armed strangers?

Neither option feels like survival.

"You have five seconds," he says.

What?

Five seconds?

I rub my sweaty palms together, struggling to make my legs move.

"One..."

My heart pounds.

"Two..."

The animals howl, and I flinch.

"Three..."

My breath catches in my throat.

"Four..."

I look toward the armed men again.

They're still waiting.

"Five."

I can't move.

I can't decide.

And suddenly, I understand something I wish I didn't.

He has arranged this moment so that every choice feels like a mistake.

Then he reaches across me and clicks my seat belt open.

I stare at him, frozen.

"Time's up," he whispers.

His grey eyes meet mine.

"Guess you chose me."