She had time to toss her purse onto the passenger seat. That was before she smelled man-skin and the tingle in her spine registered that something was off, something slight; there wasn’t enough air and the nighttime felt displaced, cool air and fragrance of oleander and the ghosts of oil-stains on baked pavement. She heard the crunch of gravel under cat-quiet and thick-soled shoes and had time for whuh. Not even what; her purse hit the passenger seat and body heat wafted across her bare back in the instant before an arm hooked around her throat, a reality shift so swift and sudden that she had no time to register it. Her breath exploded. She banged herself in the face with her keys as her hands flew up and struggled to get a grip on the wrist. Her back arched in a hard shove. She slammed backward into a body much larger than her own. Her feet scuffled. The body behind her lurched and stumbled around in a staggering circle, bleeding her actions dry of momentum. A hand covered her mouth. Each syllable broke down, went softer than the one before it; in the spaces lurked sweet panting hesitation:

“Rhiannon.”

A burst of adrenaline drenched her mind. It was white-hot; it filled her eyes and unraveled her breath.

“D-Don’t.” The whisper flooded her ear. “Shhhh.”

Her knees quivered and her belly heaved into the waistband of her jeans. She whimpered.

“No.” His fingers tightened on her face. “No noise. Shhhh.”

She lunged and tried to twist away but he held fast to her collarbones. She dug her nails into his arm. He drew in a sharp breath; she lifted up her knee and brought her heel down on his instep. He grunted and swung her around and she shrieked against his palm, a muffled inarticulate sound of rage. He shoved her into the brick wall. Her breath rushed out of her lungs. He grappled with her and yanked her arms, pinning her wrists to the small of her back. Her forehead stuck the wall. He let go of her mouth. Her cheekbone scraped up against the clay. He grazed the back of her head with trembling fingertips. Her spine jerked. His thumb slipped into the valley between her tendons. Her breathing roughened. Her skin crawled with a million tiny sparks.

“I want,” he whispered. “Calm…from you.”

“Carl.” The tingling stormed her throat. “Let go of me.”

“Shhhh.” He brushed his nose against her fuzz of hair. His hand skimmed and settled, light as a kiss, across her throat. “Calm.”

Her mouth opened and her collarbones lifted up and down. Her breath came in frantic gasps. Her eyes stung. He tightened his fingers and held her throat, stroking her pulse with his thumb. The tears welled up and spilled over. She sniffled and her chest hitched. She tried to breathe as the tears cut hot streaks down her skin. They dripped off her chin, landing on the back of his wrist. He stroked the well between her collarbones and her body squirmed. He moved his hand over her chest. Her breath deepened, smoothed out into long agonized strokes. His hand settled over her heart. It knocked against his palm.

“C-Carl.” Her chin quivered. “Please.”

His breath broke. He moved his cheek against her scalp.

Rhiannon twisted her numb wrists. He tightened his grip and her arms pulled, her body shuddering. She put her forehead on the wall and started to sob. He passed a shaking hand over her mouth. She twisted her head twisted away and he took hold of her jaw, hauling her head into his chest. Her neck arched up. He let go of her wrists and she flattened her hands against the wall, pushing back into him, trying to knock him off-balance. He caught hold of her shoulders and tried to wrestle her around. She grabbed the edge of the wall. He bared his teeth and pulled until her grip broke and he turned her around and slammed her into the wall. She panted through clenched teeth. He leaned a knee between her thighs and held her forearms against the building. She squirmed around and worked a knee up and planted a foot on his thigh. She tried to leverage herself upward and he flattened her with his body. Her face mashed into his shoulder. She sobbed, inhaling a mouthful of cotton, her bones loose and her muscles prickling along the inside of her skin. He snatched up her face. She clasped his wrists. He shook her head. He looked down at her and his eyebrows softened, knit together with brief agony. Snot gleamed on her upper lip. He pulled down her jaw and opened his mouth and bit down over hers. Her hands clawed toward his head. He filled her mouth with his tongue, his teeth bruising her lips. She took handfuls of his hair and made fists and uttered a soft strangled noise. Tears coursed down her cheeks. He dug his fingers into her jaw, licking her palate until she couldn’t breathe. Her hands went limp. Her joints unlocked like ice melting, one drip at a time, until her arms slithered to her sides. His hands scooped up her pliancy and brought it close, jammed it up against him. She breathed hard, her tongue touching the inside of his mouth. He groaned. She put her arms around his neck and left them there, loose and draped, and kissed him back. She pushed into him. He pushed back. She landed up against the wall with a grunt. Her shaking hands unfastened her jeans and shoved them down over her hips. He took hold of her wrists.

“No,” he said. “Not this way.”

“I d-don’t…w-what do you…?” The tears welled and she bit her lip.

“Shhhh…no tears.” He wiped one side of her face with his knuckles. He used his thumb to wipe the other. “No. Shhhh.”

Her breath hitched. He put a hand on her throat. Her hand settled over his hand and he brought his face in close to hers. She opened her mouth. His nose touched her nose. He leaned his forehead against hers. She lifted her chin. His fingers tightened.

“W-What do you want from me?”

“I…want you to pass out,” he whispered.

She froze. “What?”

“Please.” She heard the rustle of plastic. “I-I…need you to.”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t understand.”

He looked into her eyes. She looked up at him. A sharp chemical odor wafted to her nose. Her breathing grew shallow.

“Say yes?” He kissed her cheek.

Her eyes closed. “Please don’t hurt me.”

His mouth brushed hers. Her tongue nudged his teeth. “You don’t have to hurt me,” she whispered.

He looked into her. “Say yes.”

Her chest heaved. “Okay.”

His breath rushed out of him. He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead and pressed the rag over her mouth. The fumes gagged him and made him dizzy. He turned his face away. Her chest locked as she struggled to breathe. Her fingers twitched. The awareness sagged out of her and he caught her before she folded to the ground. He tossed the rag aside and gathered her up. She reclined in his arms, all long arms akimbo and lazy torso and long legs and pale arching throat. Her feet swayed, toes pointing down. He put her in the passenger seat of his truck and pulled up her jeans and fastened and zipped them. He buckled her in. He shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. Her head lolled and she slumped to one side. He lifted her with both hands, easing her face up against the window. Her hands lay in her lap like broken birds. He picked one of them up and turned it over, the bones lax in his fingers. He touched the hummingbird inked into her skin.