"Kolton, please just let me go. I'm begging you," Kimi whispered, her voice breaking with exhaustion and pain.
His fingers slowly released their grip on her wrists. She spun around immediately, pressing her back firmly against the cold wall to conceal what lay beneath her torn shirt.
Kolton stumbled backward, his face draining of color. What he had glimpsed in that brief moment defied comprehension. Her back was covered in angry red welts that branched across her skin like lightning strikes, raw and fresh as if they had just been carved into her flesh.
"Your back..." His voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
Kimi's eyes widened at hearing the usually composed Kolton Zachary stutter. She leaned her head against the wall, watching him with a mixture of wariness and resignation.
Kolton's mind raced as he tried to process what could have caused such devastating injuries. His thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm. Nothing made sense.
