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Chapter Two

Evander

My little kitten is faster than I would have given her credit for, given none of my research on her indicated any particular affinity for exercise.

But then again, she has just spent the better part of a month working a cargo ship, so she’s likely built up some muscle, not to mention a good bit of a stamina.

Good. It’s no fun when you catch them too quickly.

She’s halfway to the dock when Lucas appears beside me, his ever-present scowl etched into his features.

“You’ll have to be careful with that one. She’s more clever than you realize.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” Curious and clever, with claws to match her nickname. Clapping one hand on his shoulder, I give it a hard squeeze. “Thank you for watching over her. I know you hate this kind of work.”

“You can thank me by keeping her safe now that she’s on the island.”

“I will. I just want to have a bit of fun, first.”

With a deep huff, Lucas shakes his head. “I’ll head home, ensure everything is ready for you once you’ve had your fun . Is the nursery complete?”

“Nearly. There was a bit of a delay with the painters, so the furniture is still being set up if you wouldn’t mind overseeing that.”

“Will do. You’d better hurry though. Don’t want to lose your curious kitten her first day on the island.”

There’s no real danger of that happening, not with the safeguards I’ve put in place, but I am eager to get my hands on naughty little Natalie, so I head for the docks.

She’s taller than the other Littles by a few inches, but still a good head shorter than most of the men milling around the docks.

Still, she’s easy to keep track of, as the men all pause and frown after her as she makes her way through the crowd.

“Yours?”

I glance over at the mountain of a man leaning against a pole, his gaze fixed on my little kitten as she darts this way and that.

Axel, one the seven Thorne siblings out of Colorado, who provide us all the lumber we need to turn the island into our perfect home.

While the island boasts rich, dense forests, we were keen to keep as much of that natural beauty as possible, so we’ve relied on the Thorne family for much of our supply.

“Mine,” I confirm, keeping my own gaze on the long, brown braid bobbing in and out of the crowd. “Just giving her a bit of a head start.”

Chuckling, Axel shakes his head. “You and Dane would get along well. He enjoys the chase, too.”

“Does he, now? Perhaps when he has his own Little one, we can arrange a hunt.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Better get going, your Little one is getting away.”

She is, and I can’t help but be impressed by how easily she moves through the throng of people on the docks.

Not that it matters. She can run as fast and as long as she wants. In the end, I will find her, and I will claim her.

Run, little kitten, run. Daddy’s coming.

Natalie

Running is easier said than done with how packed the docks are. But once I break free of the swarm of people, I head for a street that hopefully leads somewhere safe. Or, as safe as I can be on this mysterious island.

I still have no clue who he is, the man who calls himself Daddy . All I know is that Lucas seems to defer to him, and that some deep, primal instinct is telling me that if he catches me, I will never know the taste of freedom again.

There’s a more logical part of my brain that insists I’m overreacting. That even if the stranger with the deep, gravelly voice were to catch me, there’s no way he would actually hurt me.

But he did hurt me. Or he had Lucas hurt me, at least. Even if it wasn’t permanent, and even if I did maybe sort of deserve that spanking, I know he isn’t entirely against violence. He isn’t above using pain to gain my compliance.

And I have no intention of seeing exactly how far a man like that is willing to go to get what he wants.

So I run, as fast as I can, and I nearly weep when I see the buildings rising up in front of me. Not the tall, gleaming skyscrapers of home, but shorter brick buildings. Like some kind of forgotten western town, only in much better condition.

And with people. Oh, thank fuck, there are people. A sob rises in my throat as I spot two women holding hands and laughing together as they each hold an ice cream cone in their free hands.

“Help!” My shout isn’t nearly as loud as I’d like, thanks to how out of breath I am, but it’s loud enough to get their attention.

The taller of the two women hands her ice cream off to her companion, who watches me with wide eyes as I come barreling toward them.

I manage to skid to a stop without actually knocking them over, and the taller of the two reaches for me, surprisingly firm hands gripping my arms as worried eyes scan my face. “What’s wrong, little one? Why are you running?”

“He-he’s coming for me. Please, you have to help me h-hide.” My words are stilted as I try to drag air into my overworked lungs.

The woman frowns for a moment, and then she… smiles. But not a comforting smile, like she’s trying to calm me. It’s a knowing sort of smile, as though she’s suddenly realized something.

“Ah. You’re Evander’s Little one. You should keep running, sweetheart. He’ll be very disappointed if he catches you so quickly.”

“Wh-what?” Jerking out of her grasp, I stagger backward, my gaze shifting from her to the woman beside her.

For the first time, I really take her in, really take notice of how she’s dressed.

Of how… young she looks. Dressed in layers and layers of silk and tulle, her dark hair curled into careful ringlets.

“Mommy, she looks scared,” the smaller woman says, worry creasing her features. Something about her seems familiar, so familiar, but I can’t quite place her through the haze of fear clouding my brain. “Maybe we should help her.”

“It’s just a game she’s playing with Mr. Evan, little elf. Her Daddy will take good care of her.” The taller woman winks. “Once he catches her.”

Dread settles, heavy and nauseating in my stomach. Whatever this sick game is I’ve found myself trapped in, these women are clearly in on it.

Sobbing loudly, I take off running again, desperation gripping me as I search for someone, anyone who might be able to help me.

I run into two more people on the street, both of whom have the same reaction as the first woman. A moment of concern, followed by that knowing smile, a wink and a nod as they send me on my way.

At the end of the street, I take a hard left and head straight for the woods. If there is nobody here who will help me, then I’ll have to fend for myself. The woods at least provide enough cover for me to slow down and hide for a bit. Catch my breath and think .

Once I’m far enough into the dense forest, I duck behind a large tree, sliding to the ground as I gasp for air.

What the hell is going on? Nobody was supposed to even know I was here, nonetheless who I am, and yet every person I’ve run into on this island knows of me. Knows I supposedly belong to this… Evander person.

I’ve spent a week trying to figure out who he might be and how he knew I was on the ship. How he’s connected to Lucas. But I’m just as at a loss now as I was back on the boat.

Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back against the trunk of the tree and will my mind to clear.

Okay. Enough worrying about what I don’t know. What do I know?

I know I’m on an unnamed island in the middle of the Atlantic.

I know that Jasper Blackwood is here with his stepsister, and neither of them have been spotted at any social events for months.

I know that Maxwell Stone, one of the richest men in the whole damn world is involved—I got that much from my contact at the airport—and I know that he, too, has been absent from his company for several months.

I also know that one of his employees quit around the time he disappeared, and none of her friends have seen her since, though they don’t seem too worried about it and they claim she emails them on a regular basis about her “travels”.

And now I know that a man named Evander lives here on the island with them as well, and the residents of the island are in on his sick, twisted game. Whether that’s because they’re too scared of him to go against his wishes, or because they’re just as fucked-up as he is, I don’t know for sure yet.

I also know that he had Lucas watch over me on the boat. Which means he knew I was on the boat in the first place.

Shit . Does that mean I’ve already been found out? Did I somehow give myself away while I was digging into Jasper and Juliet and Maxwell Stone?

More questions I don’t have answers to. There is one man who could answer them for me, but that would mean I have to stop running. To let myself be caught.

Should I let myself be caught?

Since I don’t know exactly what Evander plans to do when he does catch me, I can’t really answer that question. There are too many unknowns, too many variables.

I’m still sitting on the ground, my breaths finally coming somewhat normally, when a shadow once again falls over me.

“Hello, kitten.”