Phoebe's POV
I didn't want to relive my darkest nightmare. This wasn't like being in heat—I was completely aware now, and I refused to let him touch me this way. I couldn't bear being hurt again.
Too many people had already broken me. My mate couldn't be another one.
"No... please..." The words tore from my throat as panic consumed me. When Perry's fingers circled my neck, I thought he might actually strangle me.
It was exactly what Kevin used to do. He fed off the terror in my eyes, thrived on my pain and suffering. That's what turned him on.
But something was different about Perry that I couldn't grasp—the king didn't seem to enjoy seeing me fall apart.
He loved making his enemies suffer, basked in their blood and agony.
Yet when he saw me gasping for air with his hands around my throat, something made him pause.
I didn't actually believe he'd kill me, did I? Still, the horror blazing in my eyes made him stop.
