Chasing Demons (Book 2) Rated R

Chapter 20

Rodrigo was a lot stronger than I'd thought.

I struggled to pick myself back up off the ground. My elbows wobbled, but my knees refused to give in.

I stood, after taking yet another beating from him.

I realized at that moment how poor I was at hand-to-hand combat, despite the brief training I'd had at the Defender Embassy.

It felt a little like I was a ragdoll, being tossed around like this.

And, like the stubborn fool I was, I stood up and told him, "Is that all you got?"

Without my magic, I was just Aimee.

But just Aimee would have to do for now.

How much longer before Chris realized I was in trouble?

I hoped the answer was soon.

"You know my favorite part of all this?" Rodrigo said as we skirted around one another across from the dining room table.

The dishes Christian and I had used earlier for breakfast lay broken on the ground.

Rodrigo pushed the table in my direction. It bumped into me with the force of a wrecking ball, and I toppled over. My hands wrapped around a sliver of broken china, a bruising pain over my entire body.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, I pushed myself back onto my feet. My side was sore from the hit and I limped back into the living room.

"I'm sure you're dying to tell me," I gasped.

Rodrigo followed me into the next room with slow and easy steps.

"The best part," He went on. "Is that you think your prince will come."

"Oh, he'll come," I said.

"Maybe," He sighed, gesturing around again. "But not in time to save you at least. These crystals keep people in as much as they keep them out. So useful."

"They'd be more useful, I'm sure," I said, through deep breaths. "If you shoved them up your ass."

Rodrigo growled, the calm façade slipping. He lunged toward me and he grabbed me by the arms. My skull collided with the wall and my vision swam.

Every fiber of my being knew I had to fight him or else he'd kill me. I could see it in his eyes: a hatred so deep for me I could have drowned in the wake of the dark ocean it left behind.

"I want to take your life slowly, painfully. I want to crush every bone in your body and peel your skin off with my bare hands. I want to make you suffer for what you did to my family! And it will somehow still not be enough."

"You'll have to try pretty hard," I said into his ear. "What with the built-in healing and all."

"No!" He roared. "I won't let you heal from this. You will suffer. Just like I've suffered for the last--"

"Aimee?" Christian's voice called out, muffled by the front door.

Rodrigo swung around to face the door where the doorknob rattled.

"Told you he'd come," I spat.

I shoved Rodrigo's elbow from my neck and scrambled away from him.

"Doesn't make a difference. This will only speed up your death."

"You can try, Rodrigo," I said. "But if you kill me, Christian won't let you live."

"Aimee, what's happening? Open the door."

"Chris!" I shouted. "Chris, help!"

Rodrigo reached me in two blinding strides, striking me across the face.