Chapter 272

No.1

August slammed the half-empty bourbon bottle down on the glass coffee table. The impact sent a spiderweb of cracks through the surface, and amber liquid splashed onto the expensive white rug.

Elisa took two quick steps back, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her hand dove into her evening clutch, fingers closing around her phone.She pulled it out, her thumb already dialing 9-1-1,but her eyes shot to the top right corner of the screen.

No Service.

"A signal jammer," she whispered, a cold dread washing over her. "Germaine thought of everything." She shoved the useless phone back into her bag.

Across the room, August tore at the collar of his shirt, ripping the top three studs from the fabric.His chest heaved, his breaths coming in short,ragged gasps.

No.2

"Damn it, is the air conditioning broken in here?"His voice was rough, hoarse. A fine sheen of sweat

was already beading on his forehead.

Elisa's medical training took over, her mind cataloging the symptoms with terrifying clarity.Dilated pupils, flushed skin, labored breathing. "It's not the air," she said, her voice flat and cold. "It's the bourbon,you idiot."

August's head snapped up. His gray-blue eyes,normally so cold and controlled, were now shot through with blood-red veins. The look in them was no longer human; it was predatory.

He stared at the bottle, then back at her, a flicker of disbelief warring with the chemical storm raging through his system. The last remnants of his rational mind were crumbling.

No.3

"Stay away from me, Elisa," he ground out, his teeth clenched. He stumbled toward the master bathroom, his movements clumsy, his body already betraying him. "I just need...cold water."

Elisa ignored him. She spun around and ran to the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the city. She grabbed a heavy bronze sculpture from a pedestal, hoisted it with both hands, and swung it with all her might against the thick, reinforced glass.

The sculpture hit with a dull, sickening thud.The

impact vibrated up her arms, making her teetn ache. The reinforced glass didn't shatter, but a dense, white spiderweb of cracks instantly bloomed outward from the point of impact. Still, it held firm, an impenetrable barrier mocking her attempt to escape.

As she looked around for a heavier weapon, the bathroom door was thrown open with such force that it slammed against the wall.

No.4

August stood in the doorway, his shirt and hair soaked, water dripping from his chin onto the carpet. The cold shower had done nothing. Worse,it seemed to have accelerated the drug's effect,pushing him past the point of no return.

The man who emerged was not her husband. It was a beast, stripped of all reason, operating on pure,primal instinct.

His burning gaze locked onto her, the only other living thing in the room. He saw the midnight blue dress, the pale skin of her shoulders, and his eyes narrowed. He was a predator, and she was his prey.

Elisa's heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of her chest. She raised the heavy bronze statue again, holding it in front of her like a shield. "Don't come near me, August!"

He let out a low, guttural sound, something that wasn't a word, and launched himself across the room. He moved with a terrifying speed and power,swatting the sculpture from her hands as if it were a child's toy.

No.5

The bronze statue flew through the air and crashed into a floor lamp, shattering the bulb and sending shards of glass skittering across the hardwood floor.

He slammed her back against the cold, unyielding wall.His body heat was a furnace against her skin.His hot, ragged breath, thick with the smell of bourbon, ghosted across her neck.

"Let me go! You're insane!" she screamed,twisting in his grip. She drove the heel of her shoe down onto his expensive dress shoe, aiming for the delicate bones of his foot.

The pain didn't stop him. It only seemed to enrage him further. With a roar of frustration,he hooked an arm around her waist, lifted her clean off the floor,and carried her toward the bedroom.

He threw her onto the massive king-size bed. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of her,her head spinning as she sank into the soft mattress. She immediately tried to fight back,bringing her knee up to strike at his groin.

No.6

He was faster. He caught her legs, his body pinning her down. With one hand, he captured both of her wrists, slamming them into the sheets above her head. His grip was like iron.

His other hand went to the neckline of her dress,tearing at the delicate velvet. The blue diamond brooch, the symbol of Thorne's protection, was ripped from the fabric and clattered uselessly to the floor.

"Are you going to pay for your mother's insanity?"she screamed, her voice raw with desperation.She forced him to meet her eyes. "Look at me! It's Elisa!"

For a single, agonizing second, his movements paused. A flicker of profound, tortured conflict crossed his face. The man she knew was in there,fighting,trying to regain control.

But the battle was lost before it began. The drug washed over him again, and he lowered his head,his mouth aiming for hers.

No.7

In that last possible moment, Elisa wrenched her head to the side. The motion gave her just enough slack to pull one hand free from his grasp.

She summoned every ounce of fear, rage, and adrenaline in her body.

And she slapped him.

The sound was a sharp, clean crack, like a gunshot in the silent room. August's head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. His body went completely still.