My heart hammered against my ribs, but that spark of defiance refused to be extinguished. "Haven't you ever heard the word 'no' before?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly but gaining strength with each word.

A cruel smile played at the corners of Lysander's mouth. "Oh, I hear it often," he said, his tone casual but laced with menace. "The guy whose throat I crushed, he said it over and over and over again until he couldn't say it anymore."

His words sent ice through my veins, ...