But even as her heart pounded, the chill that thrilled along her nerves began to falter. She should be scared, and she was, but she could swear there was something familiar about him.
He removed his left hand from her wrist, but she wasn’t fast enough. He trapped both hands above her head with his right hand and ran his other hand down her waist to her hip. He squeezed and her stomach dipped. The smell of crushed grass wafted around her, mingling with his heady, masculine scent.
He was looking at her like he’d been waiting to see her for ages, but when he slid his hand back up her waist, she tensed.
“What’s your name?” His voice rasped over her nerve endings.
He was attacking her. She should be afraid of him. But her body wasn’t, almost as though it recognized him. No. She was stronger than her body, and this was madness.
“Get off me!” She thrust her knee upward, nailing him between the legs.
He cursed, and a grimace twisted his handsome features.
She used his shock to her advantage and funneled her anger and fear into a great shove against his chest. He’d dropped his guard, and she was able to wriggle out from under him. She scrambled on the wet grass, then heaved to her feet and sprinted down the field.
Desperate to reach the dim yellow streetlights ahead, she pumped her arms faster, breath sawing in and out of her lungs as she ran. The lights ahead glowed, beckoning. If she could just reach the lights...
Footsteps pounded behind her, sending her heart into her throat. They were coming fast. Way too fast. No escape. She was swept up into his arms before the thought left her mind.
“Stop running,” he said. “I’m here to help you.”
She whimpered and began to struggle. He glowered at her, beautiful in a terrifying way. A dangerous way. She twisted in the iron cage of his arms.
Trapped. She didn’t stand a chance against his power. With her rage gone and fear overwhelming her, the strength seeped out of her muscles. Though she pressed weakly against the hard planes of his chest, she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
Out of tricks.
He strode toward an inconspicuous black car in the small parking lot next to the park. He yanked the passenger side door open, almost growling as he did so, but placed her gently on the seat.
“Where are you taking me?” She cowered in the seat next to him. She was beyond caring that she was acting like a terrified mouse, cringing from a broom. He hadn’t blindfolded her, which meant he wasn’t planning to let her live. She had no control over what he could do to her, and it terrified her.
He started the car without answering. The quiet streets of one of Edinburgh’s outlying neighborhoods flew by, a black and white blur illuminated by the moon. She desperately tried to remember the turns they were taking and the street names, but the lefts and rights had long since begun to collide in her mind. He drove so quickly, with a cold control that made her nervous and even less likely to remember where they were going.
“To the university.”
She flinched at the dark timbre of his voice, and he scowled. Apparently he didn’t like that she was afraid of him. Too bad.
“What do you mean? The University of Edinburgh? Why would you take me there?” This had to be some kind of joke. They had left the city and the University of Edinburgh miles behind, and were now in the rolling countryside surrounding the city. A dark copse of trees, looking like something out of a Halloween tale, passed on their left.
“No’ that university.” He jerked the steering wheel left, and she sucked in a breath as the car turned smoothly off the road and headed straight for an enormous oak only a few feet ahead of them, its twisted branches reaching for the dark sky. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could utter a sound, the car passed smoothly through the tree.
“What?” she squeaked. The trees around her began to disappear.
“This university.” A towering wrought iron gate appeared. Two large gargoyles clutched gas lanterns at the entrance, and he slowed the car to a crawl as the gate parted to admit them.
She expected to hear it creak ominously and spiders to drop down from the pinnacles at the top, but it swung open noiselessly. Wait, had one of the stone statues grinned evilly at her?
There was nothing ahead of her but a manicured lawn dotted with large oaks. After a moment, a collection of enormous buildings came into view. The elaborate stonework that decorated most of the buildings suggested that they were old, and that this was no normal university.
She laughed bitterly. As if elaborate stonework was all that indicated this wasn’t a normal university. Disappearing trees and a gate that could keep out an army suggested something wasn’t quite right.