She heard the distant wail of the approaching police siren that frightened the thugs away. Suffered again the agonizing crawl towards Tommy. Felt the moment of his death as she held his bloody body in her arms, the touch of his soul as it passed on its journey towards eternal darkness. Her curse, her fault. Over and over and over...
* * * *
"Say my name."
The chant sang through her brain. She shook her head, the movement feeble. Everything ached—her head, her muscles, her heart. The night went on forever, and time became a frozen wasteland of madness.
Resist, resist. The weak litany overran his chant, helping her ignore it. Fire touched her leg, burned through her bloodstream.
The drug. Her heart shook with fear as the craziness danced in fevered delight.
* * * *
"Jasper Harding."
The words were torn from her. She couldn't stop herself repeating his name, though her heart wept in bitter defeat.
The darkness stilled its dance. Sweet silence filled the void.
"Repeat it,” Jasper urged, elation running through his voice.
"Jasper Harding.” She croaked in reply. How long had she sat here? How long had she resisted the drug? It felt like forever, but it was probably little more than a day or so. Fatigue trembled through every muscle, but that in itself told her little. Her head swam, though she wasn't sure if the cause was lack of food or the drug. Her throat was parched, and it hurt to swallow, let alone speak. Jasper would kill her if he weren't careful.
She studied the darkness wearily. She may have lost the battle, but not the war. Jasper couldn't guard her, or control her, twenty-four hours of every day. She'd beat him yet. If there was one thing she'd learned during her years with Tommy, it was that no matter how bad things seemed, you could never give up. Hope might only be a heartbeat away.
Jasper appeared out of the darkness, a presence she felt rather than saw. She closed her eyes, refusing to acknowledge him.
"Resistance is feeble,” he mocked quietly. “You are mine now." She made no comment. The chill air caressed her sweaty flesh, making her feel colder than she'd ever thought possible.