"Well, whatever you do, I'm sure it'll be great," he said, his smile lingering. "You deserve to have an amazing time."
His words made me blush a little, and I was about to reply when I felt it-that familiar prickle on the back of my neck. I glanced toward the corner, and there he was. The man with the whiskey. Only this time, his gaze wasn't just lingering. It was burning. His eyes were locked on Mark, sharp and intense, and for the first time, I felt a real chill. There was something different about him tonight-something I couldn't quite name, but it sent a ripple of unease through me.
"You okay?" Mark asked, his voice pulling me back to the present.
"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "Just got a little distracted."
Mark nodded, his expression softening as he leaned a little closer. "Well, if you need a break or want to chat, I'm around."
He reached out and lightly touched my hand, his fingers brushing mine for just a second, but it was enough to snap me out of the moment. Because across the room, I heard the sharp scrape of a chair against the floor.
I looked up, my heart skipping a beat. He was now on his feet, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle twitch. His eyes-dark, angry-met mine for the briefest moment, and I swear the air in the room thickened. He didn't say a word, but it made me feel like it was a warning.
Without a word, he then stormed out, the door slamming behind him with a bang that made everyone in the bar pause for a second.
Eliana is running from her past, and it's chasing her with a vengeance.
When her loved ones are murdered before her by a cruel family, Eliana escapes to America and hasn't stopped running for six years. Now, they are getting closer. A dark twist of fate means that ancient bonds are revealed and Eliana is forced to question everything that she knows.
*Excerpt*
This time, I only made it about twenty feet before a large force slammed into me from behind, a tight hand wrapping around my mouth preventing me from crying out. Desperately, I reached my hands up to tug at the arm around my face as a second powerful arm snaked around my stomach, keeping me flush to the warm chest behind me and stopping me from falling from the impact of his collision.
"Enough!" He growled close to my ear.
Despite the strong arms and seething tone keeping me contained, I used all my might to struggle, squirming frantically to try and loosen his grip. My shouted pleas were muffled uselessly by the hand over my mouth and warm tears burned against my cold face as they streamed from my ballooned eyes. My legs kicked helplessly, and I must have got a hit in because I heard him curse under his breath before he easily but surprisingly gently, kicked my legs from under me and forced me into a kneeling position on the forest floor, lowering himself afterwards to match my stance. With this new position he could release the arm around my waist without allowing me any wriggle room and I felt him reach behind him to grab something.
Shit. My breathing picked up and my cries increased in volume. Was he just going to kill me like this? In the middle of nowhere?
Trigger Warning: This is a dark romance. Themes of abuse, death, violence and all around some pretty toxic behaviour.