He didn't release me.
Darius tightened his grip on my neck and wrist, his cold hand still a subtle, terrifying promise.
"Let us go. The night is short, and I am weary of waiting for what is already mine."
He opened the shed door with a lazy flick of his free hand, bathing the darkness in moonlight. He didn't drag me. He simply walked, his hand on my neck a leash, guiding me out of the shadows.
We were out of the shed and onto the grass in a single, impossible blink. One second I was breathing in gasoline; the next, the freezing, humid night air slammed into my sweat-damp skin. It was a physical shock, and my body reacted instantly, a deep, rattling shudder tearing through me.
It was a show of weakness I hadn't intended, and I braced myself for the mocking cruelty that usually followe
