Rising From Ashes: The Betrayed Heiress

Dorene pushed open the frosted glass door of the bathroom. Thick, warm steam rolled out into the hallway, instantly blurring her vision. She took one step onto the cold hardwood floor when a heavy, muffled thud echoed from the living room of her penthouse suite.

Her stomach dropped. The muscles in her thighs locked instantly.

She grabbed a thick, pure white towel from the rack and wrapped it tightly around her wet body. Her bare feet sank into the plush wool carpet as she crept toward the living room. She forced her breathing to slow down, inhaling shallowly through her nose.

The heavy glass door leading out to the penthouse terrace had been forced open. The locking mechanism was visibly mangled. The night wind howled through the wide gap, sending the heavy curtains thrashing wildly in the dark. Dorene reached her trembling hand toward the wall switch to turn on the lights.

A massive hand, reeking of fresh, metallic blood, shot out from the pitch-black shadows.

Before she could scream, the rough palm clamped hard over her mouth.

Dorene's eyes widened in pure terror. Her survival instinct kicked in, and she thrashed violently, kicking her legs and twisting her torso. The body behind her was heavy and dense, but in the split second their bodies collided, she could feel a slight, involuntary tremor of exhaustion vibrating through his muscles. The agonizing pain in his bleeding abdomen clearly made his movements slightly stiff. Yet, survival instinct fueled him. Even with compromised strength, his arms were still like bands of steel. He managed to overpower her, though a suppressed, ragged grunt of pain escaped his lips, vibrating deep in his throat as he pulled her backward until her bare spine slammed against his burning hot, rigid chest.

"Shut up, or we both die," a man whispered directly into her ear.

His voice was a harsh, raspy gravel, tight with obvious physical pain. The sheer ice in his tone sent a violent shiver down her spine. Dorene froze instantly, her lungs burning as she held her breath.

Heavy, chaotic footsteps suddenly thundered from the hallway outside the suite. The sound of heavy leather boots stomping against the carpet felt like a countdown to an execution. Dorene felt the man's chest muscles tighten against her back like coiled springs.

A violent pounding hit the heavy wooden door of the suite. Muffled, foreign curses bled through the wood.

Augustus spun Dorene around by her shoulders and slammed her back against the cold wall. His dark eyes locked onto hers. They were the eyes of a cornered wolf-feral and lethal.

The towel around her chest slipped half an inch during the struggle, exposing the pale skin of her collarbone. Augustus's gaze dropped for a fraction of a second before snapping back up. He didn't hesitate. He grabbed her waist and shoved her backward onto the wide leather sofa.

His massive frame covered her instantly, pinning her beneath him.

Dorene opened her mouth to scream.

"Play along,"