Before Katia could scream, she was yanked backward with brutal force. Her back slammed against a hard chest as she was dragged into a darker, more secluded section of the hallway. Panic exploded through her body.
"Shh," a familiar voice breathed against her ear, making her blood run cold. "Don't make a sound, or I'll make this much worse for you."
Xandar.
Katia's eyes went wide with terror. She tried to scream against his palm, but he pressed harder, cutting off most of the sound. His other arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides as he pushed her face-first against the wall.
"I've been watching you all night," Xandar whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear in a way that made her skin crawl. "Watching you disappear. Watching you come back looking
