"You belong to me, Elena. You always will. On your knees."
"No!"
I thrash against him, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it's going to explode.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
His face looms closer, his breath hot against my skin.
"You're never leaving, Elena. Never."
I wake up screaming, hitting the air as I bolt upright.
"Adrian!"
The name rips out of me, desperate and terrified, and I can't stop shaking.
I'm back in the room, but the nightmare clings to me, its claws sunk deep into my mind, and I can still feel Maxim's hand on my wrist, still hear his voice in my ears.
He sold you.
The door slams open as Adrian bursts into the room, his gun drawn, his eyes wild and feral.
"What is it? Are you okay?" he says, scanning the room, his body coiled, ready to kill, and then his gaze lands on me.
I scramble backward, my back hitting the headboard.
The gun. The look in his eyes. The way he's standing there, ready to tear someone apart. It's too much.
He's going to hurt me.
The thought flashes through my mind, irrational and panicked.
"Leni."
His voice is soft, but he doesn't move.
I can't answer. I can't speak. My throat is locked, and all I can do is stare at him, my chest heaving, my heart pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears.
He stops dead in his tracks. His eyes drop to the gun in his hand, then back to me.
And then I see it, the shift. His body goes still, his shoulders dropping slightly, and he lowers the gun slowly.
He tucks it behind his back, and then he raises his hands.
Palms open. Empty.
"You're safe, okay."
His voice is low, steady, and he takes a step backward.
"I think you were having a nightmare."
I don't move. I don't breathe.
He takes another step back, his hands still up.
"I'm backing up, okay? I'm giving you space."