Stay(65)

Phoebe tipped her head down and walked over. She leaned away from Zane, trying to stay as far away from him as possible, and picked up the bowl. She pulled back the shower curtain, ready to turn on the water when Zane stopped her.

“No,” he said. “From the toilet.”

Her dark eyes twitched but she did what she was told. Jackson took several small, tentative steps toward me. Phoebe carried the full and dripping bowl back to Zane. I wanted her to throw it in his face. She set it on the floor and wiped her hands on her pants.

“Adeline,” Zane said, drawing out my name. He clipped the leash to the chain. “I hear you like dogs.” He looped the chain through itself, making a self-tightening circle. He flicked eyes up at me. I used to think demons only existed on the pages of fantasy books, but in that moment, I knew they were real. I looked into Zane’s sky-blue eyes and saw into his dark, empty soul. A twisted smile pulled his lips up.

He pulled the chain, opening the loop. Then he lunged forward and grabbed my arm. His fingers dug into a sensitive spot behind my shoulder, and pain rippled through me, rendering my body useless. I felt my knees begin to buckle, and he pressed harder on the pressure point. He slipped the cold metal collar around my neck and pulled. I coughed, gasping for air. Using his foot, Zane shoved me forward and onto all fours.

“Good dog,” he spat and yanked the leash. My hands flew to my neck and I tried to slip my fingers under the collar. Zane let the leash go slack and I could breath again. “Get a drink, dog,” he said and used the toe of his shoe to strike me on the tailbone.

“Stop it!” Jackson said, rage taking over his broken demeanor. “Let her go!”

“Or what?” Zane laughed. He picked up his foot again, ready to kick me.

Then Jackson lunged at him. Zane fell back. The leash was still wrapped around his hand. The chain tightened, and I was yanked back.

“Get the hell off me!” Zane yelled.

I twisted around, trying to scramble closer to Zane so I could breathe. I couldn’t see what was going on, but I heard the distinct sound of someone getting punched in the face. I could only hope it was Jackson doing the punching.

Zane moved his arm up, blocking Jackson’s blows. As his arm raised, the chain tightened around my neck. My eyes bulged and I heaved forward. I couldn’t breathe. It wouldn’t take long before I would pass out. And then die.

I tried to stick my fingers behind the chain, but I only scraped away a layer of skin. The chain was too tight. Black dots speckled my vision. I needed air, I needed to breathe. I planted my feet and pushed myself toward Zane where I could see Jackson on top of him. Jackson raised his fist and brought it down, hitting Zane in the mouth. He grabbed the neck of Zane’s shirt and lifted him up before shoving his head down against the ground. He scrambled up and kicked Zane hard in the ribs before scurrying to my side.#p#分页标题#e#

“Fuck,” he breathed and shook his head. He grabbed the leash and yanked, making Zane slide forward. As soon as it was loose, Jackson unclipped it and pulled the collar over my head. I put my shaky hands against his chest and looked into his eyes. Jackson placed his hands on my arms and nodded, understanding my unspoken question. He stood and pulled me to my feet.

“Phoebe,” I panted and looked behind me. “Come with us!”

With his hand still wrapped around mine, we ran up the stairs. My heart was pounding when I reached the door. The knob slipped from my grasp as I madly turned it. When I finally got my trembling under control, I threw the door open.

“What the hell is going on?” Nate demanded, standing in our way. The air slipped out of my lungs and I suddenly felt dizzy. My head swam as my choices buzzed through my brain. In a split second, I decided to push past Nate and run.

But he was faster.

His hands found my chest, and he shoved me backward. I tumbled into Jackson, who tried to catch me. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion: Nate’s startled expression, helplessly crashing into Jackson’s body, the feeling of my feet leaving the wooden stairs. Then we were falling, and I felt each and every step on the way down.

Jackson protectively wrapped his arms around me, keeping me from whacking my head on the cement floor. He suddenly pushed me away and rolled on top of me, shielding me from one of Zane’s blows.

“He attacked me!” Zane screamed. I heard Nate rush down the stairs. “He fucking attacked me!” Jackson hugged me tighter as Zane kicked him. I could feel the force of Zane’s violence as Jackson flinched in pain.

“What?” Nate asked, his voice shrill. “Jackson doesn’t fight back. He never has!”