Rex looked down at the girl pressed against his chest. The oversized white shirt had ridden up just enough to remind him she was completely bare underneath.
Twin tails, glasses, tear tracks, and that open-mouthed pleading expression— all of it should have been ridiculous.
Instead it sat heavy and dangerous in the quiet living dorm room.
He didn't raise his voice. He simply placed both hands on her shoulders and pushed her backward, step by step, until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the low coffee table. Then he applied a little more pressure.
"Kneel."
The word was soft. Almost gentle. Elara's eyes fluttered. She sank down without resistance, knees meeting the floor, the baggy shirt pooling around her hips.
The moment her knees touched the ground a full-body shiver ran through her. Inside her head the thoughts were already racing ahead of reality.
