My heart thudded once against my ribs, heavy and jarring like the c***k of a thunderclap. I said nothing even when his large hands tightened around my hips, his thumbs digging in with just enough force to make me shudder at their insistence. I felt small and flimsy in his grasp, no match for the inhuman strength I knew he possessed. I didn’t know why the thrill of answering fear that coursed through me felt so warm - so yielding.
“Astra,” he said again, and this time, my chin ducked down to my chest. I didn’t mean to: the movement had been involuntary, the result of a shiver that I futilely tried to suppress.
I didn’t know if I could speak. Didn’t know if the next sound that came out of my mouth would be a word or simply a broken noise. My heartbeat was beginning to quicken, working its
