"Run all you want, girl. You'll never escape him."

The words, low and grating, didn't belong to Therion…but they sliced through the rain like a blade. Caelira froze mid-step, her lungs burning, her body slick with sweat and rain. A hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream. Another arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her back into a wall of muscle.

"Stay still if you want to survive," the stranger whispered against her ear, his breath hot and foul.

Her heartbeat thundered. She ...