<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff9999">She could hear him moving around the room, even with her eyes tightly closed, and knew he’d moved to her back. She didn’t know where the blow would come down, but braced for it, a grunt emitting from her lips despite her best efforts as the metal studs stung her skin. What hurt most was the betrayal, more than his assault on her body. And that made her more angry than afraid, the adrenaline slowly numbing her to the pain. She jerked violently when the knife sliced into her once more, despite not being where he’d struck her, another hiss escaping.</span>