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As I ran, I scanned what I could see of the ground in front of me, careful not to pass the gift Greyson claimed he left for me out here.

So far, I hadn’t seen anything resembling the gift boxes they’d given me before, so I kept moving, trying to at least reach a running pace before he was on my trail.

Thanks to the footprints I’d left in the snow, he wouldn’t have to try hard to find me.Maybe that’s why he wanted to give me a head start.

Pulling in a lungful of cold air, a panicked huff left me when I turned in a circle and everything looked the same in every direction.

Tall trees. No leaves. Snow blanketing the forest floor.

My thighs ached, but I kept running.

My chest burned, but I kept running.

Desperate and directionless.

“It had to be four minutes by now,” I mused, only slowing to a jog to catch my breath.

But apparently, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I stumbled over my own feet, falling knees-first into the icy snow.

“Red?” The first sound of Greyson’s baritone had me scrambling back to my feet.

He wasnotcatching me on my knees. My pride wouldn’t allow it.

“Fuck!” I hissed, pushing myself up on my hands, ignoring the bite of cold through my gloves.

A cramp formed behind my ribcage and I forced myself to breathe past it, adopting a jog again to get away from the man chasing me.

“Reddddd, is that you, baby?” His voice came out sing-songy and it was more taunting than playful.

My stomach lurched and fear added speed where sheer will alone wouldn’t.

I couldn’t hear anything but his voice, his footfalls were too light to track, and I refused to look over my shoulder to check how close he was.

“You can run, baby. But when I find you, remember what I promised you.”

His voice sounded closer than before.

Shit.

Using the last burst of energy I had on reserve, I broke into a sprint.

“How long are we gonna do this, Red?” A rumble of laughter followed his question. He didn’t even sound like he was winded. “You know I can see you, right? Turn around, baby…”

“No!” I yelled, eyes forward. The trees passed me in a blur.

He hadn’t caught me yet. This wasn’t over.

Running in a zig zag, I almost tripped again, but I righted myself by hugging a tree trunk instead of toppling face first into it.

The move slowed me down and when I pulled away from the tree, I collided with a solid wall against my back.

Fuck. Why was he so silent?

I didn’t get to form another thought before his hand was fastened over my mouth and his other hand wrapped around my shoulders and chest from behind, dragging me back where we had come from.

I kicked my legs, but he was so strong, they flailed in the air while he effortlessly dragged me through the snow.

“That was too easy, Red.”