Page 68 of Hysteria Rises
Cutting a path where there is none, branches scratch along my arms and legs and even my face. Undergrowth reaches out with greedy fingers to grab at my ankles. My breath heaves raggedly, and I struggle not to lose my sense of direction. I whip my head around toward where I left the main building of the compound. Through the trees, I can just make it out because they’ve scattered a dozen torches along the side of the building.
A shudder runs through me as I scan the area. Dark figures of close to a dozen men fan out to enter the woods. The light of the flickering flames allows me to see them as they approach. Ice cold fingers crawl down my spine. They are, indeed, each wearing a mask. Some have antlers, horns, ears, and what might even be a lion’s mane. It’s a creepy effect, the way they’re backlit by the firelight behind them.
A whoop of laughter reaches my ears,making sudden hysteria rise within me. Blood pulses through my head, drumming an incessant beat.
I begin to shake. Those masks… I remember in my dehydrated state that night I’d thought at first they were real animals, but then they’d moved like men.Actedlike men.
My gaze shifts, moving from one to the next, trying to ascertain who is whom and therefore where the most danger will come from. Quickly, I realize there’s no telling them apart. Not like this. In the dark, I won’t be able to discern which is the wolf until he’s right on me. And I don’t know who else to trust, if I even trust Hayze. I don’t know. I’m torn.
Picking my way along, I get as far away as I possibly can. Finally, I spot a thick bush I might be able to hide beneath. Hunkering down, I crawl on hands and knees, then work to conceal myself by scraping leaves and twigs around me.
All the while, I can’t see the men, but I sense them stalking closer. They’ve entered the woods. Taking off in different directions, they’re mostly quiet at first, other than the snapping of twigs and the occasional whispered shout.
At the sound of someone crashing among the underbrush, I peek through the leaves and branches, catching a glimpse of a figure in white. It’s Twenty-one. Now I understand why they dress us like they do. We’ll be easier to find. As much as I’m unsure about her, she looks frantic and is turning in circles.
Just as I’m about to call out and tell her to finda spot to hide, a man with antlers—maybe a deer?—grabs her arm. She squeals as he shoves her up against a tree. I blink, my throat going dry. Her gown is bunched around her waist in a matter of seconds, and he takes his cock out. I muffle a gasp as the fuckery unfolds. Gripping her hips, he rams himself inside her body. And then, all that remains are the sounds of slapping skin and his grunting filling the air. My face burns.
A moment later, another set of footfalls edges closer. As soon as the man behind the mask with antlers finishes with a satisfied groan, this newcomer—a horned beast of some sort—steps in to take his place. Twenty-one is thrown to the ground. To my surprise, though, as she looks at him over her shoulder, she smiles invitingly. My brow furrows.Who is that?He flips her over before kneeling between her legs, gripping behind her knees and shoving them up on either side of her torso to spread her wide.
To my amazement, she whispers something to him, and I swear I hear her say his name. Kiefer. He doesn’t seem to give two shits that some other guy’s dick was just where his is going to be. I hear his zipper drop, and then his cock is out. As he begins to plunge his cock in and out of her with quick, harsh strokes, I squeeze my eyes shut.I can’t watch.
Kiefer lets out a pleasure-filled roar, but at the same time, she lets out a loud, lusty moan. I flinch, so surprised that I gasp audibly.
His head swivels around to stare in my direction.Oh, fuck.Does he see me?I have to get the fuck out of here.
Taking advantage of the fact that he’s still heaving over Twenty-one, as quickly and quietly as I can, I crawl from my hiding place, gaining my feet quickly, and take off at a sprint, no matter that rocks jab into my feet and I’m running half blind into a void.
Is Hayze nearby? How long is longenough?Two fucking seconds is too much of this madness. But he’s out here somewhere. Arrow, Cross, Malakai all must be, too.
A branch snags on my gown and tears it at the shoulder. Frustrated at the hold up, I wrench myself free, then take off again. I go quite a ways, then realizing all has been quiet for a while, I slow, then duck behind a tree. Maybe I can climb it and hide? Uncertain, I glance upward.
Terror lances through me as a twig snaps. I squint into the dark nothingness, my eyes rapidly searching for the source of the noise.
And then, I’m swept off my feet, held against a broad, muscular chest. Somewhere in the back of my head, I know it’s not Hayze. “Well, well, well,” rasps a faintly familiar voice, “if it isn’t the little cunt who tried to brain me with a fucking rock.”
I gasp aloud, angling my head to the side, only to stare into the eyes of the Wolf.
TO BE CONTINUED …