When she stepped through, into the vast complex, with its confining square rooms and oppressive low ceilings, there was no rush of adrenaline, no choking anxiety…because she no longer ruled her body. There was, however, a sense of giddiness that didn’t belong to her.
Although she wanted to deny the horrid suspicion, she couldn’t quite manage in the face of the familiar path being taken. You can’t go there. He’ll kill me!
Her feet continued with swift, sure steps, and her plea went ignored. She struggled to regain authority over her actions, to push the overpowering consciousness out of her mind. It worked only to exhaust her, causing her to lose even more control.
When her hand reached for the metal door barricade, she screamed No!
She thought her body flinched, but it did nothing to keep her hand from sliding that heavy bar to the right and tugging the door open with much more ease than she’d been able to before.
Knox sat up on the cot in nearly the same position as before, only this time it was as if he’d been caught off guard by the visit. It appeared to take him a moment to realize she was alone. When he did, his expression became a mixture of roguish interest and leery suspicion.
Cora expected him to do something: make another conjugal visit comment, move to attack, or merely shove right past her to freedom. The opportunity had to be too good to pass up. But he did none of those things. He only tilted his head and studied her with an ever narrowing gaze. Could he somehow tell she was different?
In a throaty seductive voice Cora had never before utilized, she heard herself speak. “Hello, Knoxy.” Then, to her horror, she leaned against the door frame flirtatiously.
Knox grinned then, the expression triumphant. “Hello, Sadira.”
Sadira?
Still smiling, Knox stood and took long strides toward her. Whereas Cora was flooded by a keen sense of warning, Sadira fluttered with anticipation, and therefore Cora’s heart pounded with fervid anticipation instead of a dire need to escape.
Cora made one final appeal to this Sadira. Run! He’s dangerous! But whoever Sadira was, she still wasn’t listening. She sauntered to meet Knox halfway, her body moving like a well-seasoned seductress.
Cora saw the clenched fist coming miles before Sadira did. And just before hard knuckles knocked into her forehead with impeccable speed and precision, she felt Sadira’s utter surprise.
In the seconds it took for the blow to shut down Cora’s mind, she managed a succession of thoughts. First was a string of curses aimed at Sadira. The second was a wish for Mace not to find her mangled body. She wasn’t sure what something like that might do to him. Hopefully Knox could back up his earlier and disturbing boast. No one would have ever found the body.
She thought of her parents next, wondering if she might see them on the other side, if she might finally get some answers, or better yet, some peace. The last, as she accepted her fate, was a tranquil goodbye to a life that, at best, had been tough; at worst, punishment for a crime she had no memory of committing.
But it was over now. Of that she had no doubt.
Just before she dove face first into the hard concrete, Knox caught hold of her listless body and lifted her in his arms.
Her vision dimmed as a terrible blackness consumed her.
———
Don’t worry fans, Cora’s journey is just beginning. There’s a lot more in store for her. I have a lot of juicy twists planned for the series and all the characters in it. Stick with me because it’s only going to get better.
For news about the next book in the Creatures of Darkness series, sign up to Kiersten Fay’s newsletter at
www.kierstenfay.com
Other books by Kiersten Fay:
Demon Possession
Demon Slave
Demon Retribution
Demon Untamed
About
Kiersten Fay is the author of the steamy paranormal romance Shadow Quest series and Creatures of Darkness series. Like many authors, she loves creating new worlds with brooding alpha males and strong, yet vulnerable, female leads.
In 2012, she received a nominated for favorite author of 2012 via gravetells.com, and that same year, won Favorite Story of August for Demon Retribution, the third book in her Shadow Quest series. Before becoming an author, Kiersten worked as a graphic designer, and now enjoys designing her own book covers.
To learn more about Kiersten Fay, or to get info about upcoming release dates, go to
www.kierstenfay.com
Or follow her on Twitter @KierstenFay,
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A Wicked Hunger (Creatures of Darkness 1) Page 28