Page 33

HALLIE

A flash of darkness crosses his eyes as I stumble back toward the door. The way he told me to run lit a fuse under my skin.

So that’s what I’m doing.

I cut a sharp left, skirting the edge of his unit and bolting for the tree line. No footsteps yet. Just the wind needling across my face, cold against the fire building in my chest.

The second I cross into the woods, the air shifts. Branches scrape past my arms as I weave through the trees. Everything’s shadows and movement, like the forest is watching. But all I feel is him.

My blood’s roaring in my ears. My lungs burn. I’m not built for sprinting like this, especially not with a six-foot-six beast chasing me down like prey.

Then I hear it. A crack that sounds like a punch landing hard against bark.

I freeze. Leaves crunch underfoot as I slip behind the nearest tree, my back pressing flat against its rough trunk.

“Hallie, Hallie, Hallie…where are you?” His voice floats through the trees.

I bolt. Again. Deeper into the woods, deeper into the dark. The moon spills in through the gaps in the canopy, a silver blur through the branches.

My foot sinks into a puddle, sending me sprawling.

“Fuck,” I hiss, palms slamming into the dirt. Mud sucks at my sandals as I clamber upright, soaked and panting.

A pain radiates in my ankle, but I try to ignore it. I have to run.

“You better still be running, trouble.”

His voice is closer now. So close it sizzles down my spine.

I spin, breath ragged, eyes flicking left and right. No end. No clear path.

Panic and anticipation twist into one as I dart left, weaving through the trees. I hear his footsteps now.

A thick arm wraps around my waist.

I scream, kicking back. But it’s too late.

I look up. All I see are his green eyes, wild and glowing in the moonlight. The rest of his face is hidden beneath a black balaclava.

He tosses me to the grass like I weigh nothing. I scramble backward, chest heaving, but he just stalks forward. I’ve never been more turned on in my damn life.

“Looks like I caught my prey. Too easy.”

I shake my head. No way. Not like that.

I leap up and tear off again, bare legs pumping, dress flying. I can still feel his hands on me. I can smell him—dark spice and danger.

I don’t care. I’m not giving him the satisfaction.

This is foreplay. Twisted. Raw. Addictive.

He’s right behind me again. I zigzag through the woods, whipping a branch behind me, hoping it smacks him across the face.

This is the most alive I’ve felt in years. No rules. No walls. Just heat and adrenaline. It’s like being on the track, but hotter and hornier.

“Come on, beastie. I thought this was your thing?”

I don’t hear him. I risk a glance over my shoulder, and my body slams into something solid. Stone? No… him .

His hand wraps around my throat before I can recover.

“What were you saying?” he rasps, voice low, lethal.

Fuck.

I claw at his grip, nails scraping his black shirt, desperate. He doesn’t let go.

“Make me bleed, trouble. I dare ya’.”

I scream as he slams me back against the bark of the nearest tree. I dig my nails into his throat, leaving marks.

And he groans. Like he fucking loves it.

His body pins me tight.

“I can’t breathe,” I gasp.

“Good.”

My eyes widen. There’s something wild in him that I don’t want to tame.

How far is he going to take this? How far do I want him to?

His hand slips up under my dress, fingers sliding into me so deep I gasp out loud.

“Fuck. So tight. So fucking wet. Such a little slut for me.”

I nod, moaning, back arching as he fucks me with his fingers.

Cold air hits my skin as he rips my dress clean off of me. I gasp.

“Much better.”

He leans in, lips grazing my ear.

“That was too easy, trouble. Next time, fight me off. Don’t let me get you. You only submit once I get my dick inside your tight pussy.”

He curls his fingers and I whimper, legs shaking. Then he withdraws, grabbing my chin, holding me in place.

“Do you understand the rules?”

I’m naked. Panting. Mud-covered. And my ankle really fucking hurts.

And soaked in more ways than one. I should be scared. I am.

I stare into his eyes. That fire. That need. It’s all for me.

“Got it, beastie. Chase me. Fight me. Fuck me. Good luck catching me this time.”

I tap his cheek. He catches my wrist, holding it there.

“That was just our warm-up, darlin’. Now I know how soaked you are… that’s just given me the green light to show you what I really want to do to you.”

He releases me and takes a slow step back. The hunt’s not over. It’s just begun.