Free Uncovering You 3: Resistance by Scarlett Edwards Page B

against the bonds, but it’s as futile as it was in my dream. My ankles are bound, too, so that I am lying there, spread-eagle, completely at his mercy.
    He stands up and walks to the front of the bed. In one quick move, he throws the sheets to the floor.
    Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.
    I feel like I’m lying on an altar ready to be sacrificed. I can’t move my arms or legs. The only thing I still have control over is my head.
    I’ve never felt as exposed as I do now. As vulnerable. All I have on is my flimsy night shift.
    I watch Stonehart through eyes wide with fear. He spins the blade in his hands.
    Why does he have the knife? What’s he going to do with it?
    My thoughts are frenetic. Growing terror makes me thrash against the restraints in a futile effort to break free.
    “Save your strength,” Stonehart sneers. “I’m only going to let you go, Lilly, once I’m done with you.” He leans close. “But we have hours of playtime left.”
    He starts pacing around the bed. “You see, Lilly, I’ve thought a lot about what happened earlier today. And I’ve come to the conclusion…” he walks behind me and out of sight, ‘…that you simply cannot be trusted.”
    My chest heaves with short, sharp gasps as I feel Stonehart hovering just behind my head. I see the knife dangling in front of my eyes. Adrenaline is pumping through my body. I feel utterly defenseless.
    Stonehart brings his lips to my ear. His fine stubble scratches against my skin. “And then I thought: What have I done to deserve such disloyalty?”
    I cringe, but Stonehart catches my chin with his free hand and forces me still. The knife dips down to press into my sternum, dangerously close to drawing blood.
    “I just could not come up with a satisfactory answer.”
    He draws the dull edge of the knife to my throat. I stop struggling immediately.
    “Ah,” he says. “Now, you’re learning.”
    The blade disappears. I sigh in relief. The reprieve lasts only a moment as Stonehart appears to my left and leaps onto the bed.
    He traces the line of my jaw with the knife. “You know,” he says, as I do everything in my willpower not to move, “I have not lied to you yet. You really are very beautiful.” The knife dips down to the hollow of my neck. “And I would love to take you with me to the gala at the end of the month. Unfortunately…” he clicks his tongue, “…that would require a certain degree of trust between us that we currently lack.”
    He pulls the knife away. He begins to caress the blade with his fingers. “And so, I thought that this little exercise… might help us… work out some of our issues.”
    Without warning, he jumps onto me. I redouble my efforts to break free. But with the weight of his body crushing mine, I am more trapped than ever.
    I start to scream. The rag in my mouth muffles every sound.
    “Oh, there, there, Lilly. Hush, hush,” he says, stroking my cheek. “I’m only going to hurt you… a little.”
    He brings the knife to his lips and taps them in thought. “Now, let’s see… What comes first? Oh.” He raises an eyebrow. “I know.”
    The knife flashes and the point goes straight to my throat. I close my eyes and scream into the rag, waiting for the piercing stab of pain. I’m going to die. I know I’m going to die—
    I feel the faintest prickle against my skin. I open my eyes, and, trembling, look down.
    Stonehart is holding the knife against the soft flesh above my collarbone. He’s not pressing hard enough to draw blood.
    “Are you frightened?” he whispers. “You shouldn’t be. Not yet. I’m only going to do… this .”
    He slides the knife down my skin. The sharp edge rips into the bodice of my gown. He cuts the fabric open all the way to my belly, then throws the two pieces aside.
    Cool air rushes over my breasts. Goose bumps break out over my tummy.
    “Ah,” he says, holding the blade between my breasts. “That’s much better.” His savage eyes consume my flesh.
    My breaths are