When Darkness Falls(71)

Devon dragged his nails down her side, their sharp edges cutting her skin. His teeth sunk deeper at her neck. He scratched again, this time on the outside of her thigh, and Haley flashed to the last time he’d scratched her, the night he apologized for making her bleed.

Fear jolted her as he dragged his fingernails down the inside of her thigh this time, and she felt blood trickling. She tried to twist away, but his mouth stayed fastened to her neck.

“Devon.” She pressed her hands against his chest. “Wait.”

He did not seem to hear. She yanked his head away. Blood smeared his lips. His eyes were black all the way through. She couldn’t see the irises anymore, and his breath came in quick, hard gasps. He stared down at her without seeming to see her, grabbed her by the hair, and continued to drive himself into her.

Waves of sensation pulsed through Haley mixed with terror. A drop of blood fell from Devon’s lips into her mouth. Its coppery, salty taste brought back another memory, the night she had come home and he’d surprised her and thrown her onto the bed, and this was the taste that had been in his mouth. Blood, it had been the taste of blood in his mouth.

She struggled beneath him.

“Devon, stop. Please.”

“Why?” he said, breathing into her ear. His voice was smooth and dark. She felt as if he’d caressed her entire body simply with that one word.

“Because,” she said, “I want you to.”

And yet she didn’t want him to. She wanted to follow the darkness, to get lost in it, in him.

“No, you don’t.” Devon grasped her hands, flattened her arms on the floor over her head. “You don’t want me to stop.”

“Please.”

He bent his head again, this time to her shoulder, and bit hard enough to bruise. His hands stayed clamped on her wrists, his nails digging into her skin. Haley felt dizzy and afraid and excited. His whole body slammed down on hers now, flesh on flesh, his breath hot and stinging on her shoulder. Her gasps turned to screams. Devon let go of one of her arms so he could clamp his hand over her mouth. His teeth had not left her shoulder, and Haley felt dizzy and close to fainting, though she could not possibly have lost that much blood yet. It must be fear, or lack of air. She bit his hand as hard as she could.

He yanked his hand away, and his mouth left from her shoulder.

“Godamnit.”

He grabbed her hair and shoved her head to the floor so hard it made a deep thump on the carpet. With the other hand he slapped her, a stinging slap across her cheek. His eyes glittered black, his mouth showed white, sharp teeth. He clutched her shoulders. Panic overtook Haley as she realized he could do whatever he wanted and she could not stop him. He was too strong.

She tried to turn onto her side beneath him, eyes searching for the pull cord. A few feet closer, and she’d be able to reach it. His fear of the sunlight, based on reality or delusion, would drive him back. It would have to.

One of Devon’s hands was still in her hair and he yanked her head around to face him and brought his lips down on hers. She kissed back, slid her arms around him, wanting him to think she’d stopped resisting.

“That’s so good.” Haley wrapped her legs around his waist, scooting her whole body back as she did so.

“Where are you going?” Devon said, but he was laughing. He must believe she was only trying to get a better position. He pulled away slightly and maneuvered her legs so they were over his shoulders.

Haley shook her head and reached down, stroking his stomach as she brought her feet to the floor again. She scooted back a little farther. “Better.”

The cord was to her left and behind her, just out of reach.

Devon held her by the waist. She kept her arms flat on the floor over her head, stretching her hands to give her the longest reach possible. Devon bit her neck again, and she stifled a scream because he broke the skin immediately. It was not a gradual sinking in of his teeth as it had been before.

He was sucking at her neck now. She stretched her left hand up and back, straining until her arm burned, but the pull cord still hung out of reach. With each thrust, Haley let her body slide another inch along the carpet, her skin stinging and raw from the rug, conscious of more of her blood draining.

Devon seemed lost to everything else, unaware of what Haley was doing. She felt pressure in her chest and despite her gasps, couldn’t take in enough air. He lifted his head for a moment, and she stared into black eyes that held no trace of the man she had married. Warm blood trickled down her neck.

It’s true. Everything Lydia said. All true.

She grazed the knot on the end of the cord with her fingertips. It swung away and back, but she was too slow and couldn’t catch it.

Devon caressed the sides of her neck as he licked and sucked. His thumbs moved to the base of her throat.

She forced words out. “Devon. You’re hurting me.”

Devon froze. He blinked. Haley imagined some of the color came back to his eyes.

“I can make you like me,” he said. “We can be together forever. That’s all I want. I love you.”

“No.”

The knot was centimeters away from and above her left hand. Using her feet and calling on all that was left of her strength, Haley shoved herself backwards, grasped the cord, and yanked.

? ? ?

The blinds reeled back and bright sharp sunlight flooded the room.