I swallowed a breath as he straightened, and a split second later, the ruler slapped against me in a sharp, quick strike. It stung. The sensation of it forced me to suck in a breath through tight teeth. But apparently this wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for, because Clay repeated the action, and this time the crack of the ruler brought fire. Pain throbbed and lingered in the aftermath of the metal biting into my skin. “Fuck,” I swore. His tone was sinister. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” My head spun at this version of him. Up until yesterday, he’d been my shy and quiet next-door
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