Page 7 of Hunted by Them (Primal Desires #1)

SAGE

The cabin door groaned like it was telling me off when I shoved it open.

The rumble in the distance said that round two of the rain was well on its way.

A thrill raced through my body. Looking around, I froze as I spotted a few pieces of wood, some kindling, and flint.

All I could do was stare in disbelief. My muddy boots left tracks across the warped floorboards as I stepped closer.

Dropping my pack on the floor, I crouched and looked inside the small fireplace to make sure that the chimney was clear.

This is insane. How did they know I would be back?

It felt like I’d been lured in by unseen forces. I braced my hands against the wall, my pulse hammering out of control. My skin felt too tight.

Why did I come back? I had lost my mind. That was all there was to it.

Sitting down, I stared out the window at the gray sky. The steady rain sounded like pebbles hitting the roof. I pulled out my flashlight, but when I turned it on, it flickered and died.

Dammit.

I had it on all night last night and wore out the batteries.

With a sigh, I gave up and decided to start the fire. It wasn’t terribly cold, but my skin and clothes were damp. It took a few tries, but I managed to get it going. The glow threw shadows that stretched across the walls.

Standing, I went to the window and caught my reflection in the glass. I had mud streaked down my cheek, rain had plastered my hair to my temples, and my eyes were wide and wild.

God, I look like prey.

In an attempt to keep myself busy, I pulled the cot away from the wall and sat down. It wasn’t winning any awards for comfort, but it wasn’t as bad as it looked. My knee bounced, and I realized sitting was pointless.

Every creak of the wood made my nerves spike. I pressed a fist to my chest, trying to breathe.

“Just one more night,” I whispered to no one. “One more, and I’ll go in the morning.”

The storm outside worsened, calling me a liar. It was quickly building again, thunder shook the old wooden structure, while the wind rattled the door. My skin prickled. The air shifted, feeling much heavier…waiting.

And then I heard it.

“Sage…”

My name was drawn out, the voice thick with amusement. I turned in a circle, the sound as clear as if the voice was part of the smoke from the fire.

I froze, my heart in my throat.

Footsteps echoed outside on the little porch. My head whipped in the direction of the door, eyes darting between it and the window that revealed a darkening sky.

Thump, thump, thump.

I wasn’t sure if the steady sound was them or my heart in my chest. I backed away from the door and pressed against the furthest wall. It sounded like they were circling the cabin. There was definitely more than a single person.

The tread of boots stopped right outside the door, but I couldn’t see any shadows moving. I swallowed hard. The knock that followed was soft like a warning disguised as a promise.

“You came back to us, Sweet Daisy,” he said, gravelly and certain.

I knew it was the leader of the three without looking. It was as if his voice was already layered under my skin.

“Didn’t last a single day.”

“Who are you?” I called out again. It seemed like the stupidest question. The chuckle that answered confirmed as much.

“You keep asking the wrong questions.”

My knees were locked, holding me in place, and my breath shivered out of me.

Another voice came from the side of the cabin. It was taunting, like his voice was wrapped in a grin I couldn’t see. “You couldn’t stay away. We felt it.”

My heart sped up a little more.

What have I done by coming back here?

I should’ve gotten the hell out of here when I had the chance. What if they were cannibals and all they wanted to do was eat me?

The third voice came from right behind me, and I jumped away from the wall. There was a narrow gap in the slatted wood. His voice was smooth and slid in like a knife, finding the space between my ribs.

“Open the door, Sweet Daisy. The storm’s only the beginning,” he whispered, and goosebumps rose all over my skin.

I licked my lips and then clapped a hand over my mouth. It didn’t stop the broken gasp that tore from me. Heat coiled low in my gut, and I rubbed my thighs together. This was completely humiliating.

I had no idea who or what these men were and yet…I was ready to run outside and find out. There was no way they were…creatures…lore…something unexplainable. I refused to believe that. They couldn’t be things…they were either real or a figment of my imagination.

Suddenly, something struck the wall again, and I jumped, letting out a little scream that I knew they would hear.

“Run if you want us to chase you,” the leader’s growl reverberated through the wood.

“Scream if you want us to take you,” another breathed with a laugh. The voice was laced with hunger, and it was the same one that had been at the side of the house.

There was a tap at the door.

Tap, tap, tap .

And then a whisper filtered in like it snuck through the cracks. “Open…if you want us. We know you do…we can smell it.”

My cheeks burned hot, and I bit my lip as my whole body shook. Fear and lust braided so tight I couldn’t tell them apart. My thighs squeezed tighter without permission. My heart stuttered, frantic, not just from terror but from the raw ache of wanting what waited outside.

I took a tentative step toward the door.

You are crazy.

I scolded myself, but took another step.

“Yes…come to us…come and become ours,” the leader’s gruff voice beckoned.

Don’t do this.

Part of me yelled and waved a red flag in the air. But as I took the final step, I heard the scrap of something dragging against the wood right in front of me.

This is how people die in horror movies.

Reaching out, I touched the latch, the old metal cool between my fingers. My breath rattled in little gasps.

I didn’t have to do this. I could hide in the corner and drown their voices with denial. I would leave at dawn and pretend this night had never happened.

But that wasn’t why I came back.

Another knock rattled the door.

Thump, thump, thump .

“We’re patient, Sweet Daisy, but…even we have our limits,” he warned, and I swallowed the lump in my throat, my hand shaking harder.

He was standing on the other side of the door, a sweet sin to my senses.

“Let us hear you scream. Let us taste your sweet pussy,” the second begged, closer to the door now. “You want this. That’s why you returned to us.”

I moaned, then covered my mouth. I was torn in two. Fear and shame on one side, dark desire on the other. My fingers tightened on the latch, and I watched myself lift the flimsy lock as if my fingers belonged to someone else entirely.

With a hard yank, I opened the door.

The storm crashed and lit up the sky. Gone off the porch, the three stood where I’d seen them last night. Unmoving in the rain, their skin wet, jeans drenched, and masks firmly in place.

The Buck, the Elk, and the Caribou. Their antlers rose into the air, and the lightning sparking in the distance looked like it was connected to the sharp points of bone. They were predators…maybe men, but either way, they were my undoing.

I should’ve slammed the door shut. But I didn’t.

I stood there shaking, my pulse in my mouth, with my lips parted.

“That’s a good girl, Sweet Daisy…now run.”