Aflame (Apotheosis) Read Online Free PDF Page B

eyes.
    “Oh God, please don’t take me back to him. I’ll do anything. Please.” Full blown panic mode set in. “I have money. It’s not a lot, but you have to understand. I can’t go back.”
    “Listen, nobody sent me. I found you. We found each other. Let me explain, please.” His pathetic attempt at offering comfort only fueled her fire. He reached around to hold her but she squirmed from under his grip, slid to her knees and crawled across the floor. After she’d cleared the dining area, she pushed to her feet, rounded the corner to the kitchen and grabbed her chef’s knife from the counter.
    “Get the hell out of my house.” Did she sound insane? Without a doubt. Could she stop it? No. Emotion had taken over the driver’s seat and steered her straight toward Crazyville. “Get out. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill myself before I let him get near me.” Clumsily, she pointed the knife at him. “I will not go back to that life.” Head throbbing, she wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. Anger held the tears at bay. “No. No! Tell that sick, psychotic piece of shit I’m not running anymore. He can come after me with everything he’s got, but I’m not running anymore.”
    Everything turned red again. A warm glow surrounded her, urged her to continue. “I won’t let him touch me ever again.” Conviction carried that statement through the small apartment. Bravery replaced fear, and damned if it didn’t feel amazing.
    Zander’s demeanor changed in an instant. One second he was pleading and bewildered, the next, he radiated stone cold fury. A burst of heat pulsed through the room. In a flash, they were nose to nose. The blade of the knife bent like putty in his fist and flew across the room. Cupping her cheeks, he growled.
    “Did he hurt you?” He drew jagged breaths. Attempts at freeing herself from his grip were futile. He wouldn’t budge. “Answer my question, Grayce. Did he hurt you?” His hands seared her flesh. Or was it her cheeks burning his hands? Hard to tell.
    “Let go of me. Get the hell out of my house.” She struggled to loosen his grip, to pull heated fingers from her skin, but it was like trying to bend a railway tie. Useless waste of energy.
    He released her, and in a split second was gone. A rush of hot air blew her hair up and across her face. Her cheeks burned. Every inch of her skin was hot. She stammered to the couch, threw herself into the cushions and gave in to a full blown snot and tears meltdown.
    * * * *
    Grayce woke with a jump to a racing heartbeat, spurred by more dreams of the monster. Damn, this had to stop. Peeling her face off the pile of tissues she’d fallen asleep on, she rubbed swollen eyes before she was able to focus on the clock above the television. Thank God, it was only six.
    Letting the shower run extra hot, a luxury she rarely indulged in, Grayce curled in a ball under the soothing water. Brushing a finger lightly across her lips, she closed her eyes and replayed the kiss over and over in her head. No revulsion, no compulsion to punch him, no retreating to her dark place. She stayed present. Wasn’t afraid. Wanted more. How was that possible? If anything, she should be more afraid of him for the mere fact he was impossibly large and fierce.
    Steam billowed around her as she stepped out. She wiped condensation from the mirror and gasped at the sight. Her face glowed where Zander had grasped her cheeks, like she’d spent a day in the sun. She ran her fingers gently across the sensitive skin. They weren’t sore, but they tingled, and when she closed her eyes to picture his hold on her face, she was disappointed by the warming in her lower belly. Oh my fuck.
    Must be getting sick. It was the only logical explanation, because in no known universe would her body react this way to any man. Least of all this beast who could crush Tyr with one strike of his powerful fist. Grind his bones into the pavement.
    Shit. Tyr. Why the nightmares? What’s changed? And