Chapter 13: Cornered by the Dark
The door rattled.
A slow, deliberate shake.
Kavy's breath locked in her throat.
He wasn't knocking.
He wasn't demanding.
He was testing her.
Like a predator circling its prey.
Her heartbeat slammed against her ribs. Too loud. Too fast.
She knew he could hear it.
Knew he was listening.
Her body was betraying her.
The silence stretched.
Then—
Another sound.
A deep inhale, slow and sharp.
Like he was savoring the air.
Like he could taste her fear.
Kavy's stomach twisted.
She pressed herself deeper against the wall, as if she could disappear into it.
But she wasn't invisible.
She wasn't safe.
Then—
His voice. Low. Rough. Inevitable.
"You're shaking."
Her nails dug into her arms.
She didn't answer.
Didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Dante hummed. Amused. Pleased.
Her chest clenched.
She knew what that sound meant.
He liked this.
Liked her fear.
Her pulse screamed at her to run. To escape.
But there was nowhere to go.
The bathroom was small. A trap of her own making.
One door.
One way out.
And he was standing right there.
Blocking her only escape.
The air was suffocating. Thick. Heavy.
Her body tingled—not from fear alone, but something worse.
Something dangerous.
Something she shouldn't feel.
Then—
The lock turned.
Kavy's heart stopped.
Dante was coming in.