Free Unhidden (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1) by Dina Given

struggled, trying to free my wrists from his iron grasp, but it only caused him to press harder against me.
    His presence was overwhelming, and his effect on me was terrifying. Were my struggles meant to escape or to move against him more provocatively? How was it possible that I didn’t know the answer to that question?
    He kept speaking to me as if he knew me … intimately. Did he know me from before my car accident? Did we go to high school together? Maybe we dated once upon a time. What the hell was I thinking? I didn’t go to high school with a guy who could command shadow demons, for cripes’ sake!
    Maybe he was lying about knowing me. I certainly couldn’t trust him to tell the truth when he was there to kill me … or seduce me…, I couldn’t really tell what his plan was at this point. My goal was to kill him or, at the very least, capture and torture him for answers, but maybe I should just rip his clothes off and take him right there in the filthy alley. If I was being completely honest with myself, the thought wasn’t entirely unattractive.
    He ground himself against me, and my brain almost short-circuited as I felt his desire through his leather pants. He pulled away from my neck, looking into my eyes. We were almost nose-to-nose, and I was shocked at what I saw. His expression was filled with desire, longing, sadness … and recognition. He did know me, but from where?
    His hands came free from my wrists and moved down the length of my arms, causing my skin to catch fire. They slid to my shoulders and grazed gently against my chest above my breasts, which were now heaving slightly as my breathing increased. His eyes raked across my body, and he made a soft moaning sound.
    I took advantage of the moment and threw a right hook, hitting him squarely in the temple. He staggered back, giving me enough freedom to lift my knee and nail him in the groin. He doubled over with a grunt, his face turning blood red, glaring up at me with eyes that held murderous intent. That had brought him back to his senses—or away from his senses, depending on how you looked at it.
    I pushed off the wall, attempting to make a run for it; however, his shadow demons had his back. They closed in on me immediately, pressing me back to the wall as I tried to avoid their striking claws. Their screech came again, painfully piercing my brain as ice flooded through my body. I realized the noise was speech.
    Careful, girl. Marduk would be greatly displeased with us if we let anything happen to the mage. We have worked too hard and come too far to allow you to destroy this alliance. Marduk might need you, but we do not.
    When it stopped speaking, I found myself doubled over, clutching my head. The silence in my mind washed away the agony, and I was able to straighten, although it felt as if frost coated my brain. The creature had given Zane the time he needed to recover, and before I could react, Zane was on me again.
    “You dare try to manipulate me, you harlot? You will never sway me from my commanded duty! I will make you regret your treachery.” His long, nimble fingers closed around my neck and began to squeeze.
    My eyes widened in shock and fear, but I was unable to do more than squeak with the increasing pressure on my larynx. I clawed at his hands and face, trying in vain to get him to relax his grip. Finally, my thumbs found his eye sockets, and I pushed. The soft orbs gave way beneath my fingers, but only for a brief moment. He pulled his head back and turned away from me so I lost contact, yet his grip on my neck never wavered.
    My flailing arms grew heavy, falling limply at my sides. I tried to get them to obey me, but they were like immovable lead weights. My legs buckled, and Zane followed me down to the ground.
    His face became fuzzy as blackness crowded in at the edges of my vision. I had always thought I would go out in a blaze of gunfire. I had never expected I would be throttled by a hot guy in a grimy back alley only a