Page 64 of Presence

I take a deep breath, my mind racing as I look around the dark forest. The trees stand tall, their branches whispering in the breeze. Shadows stretch between them, twisting and moving with a creepy vibe.

They’re hanging back, letting me catch my breath before the chase begins. It’s just another one of his tricks, giving me a moment to grasp the sheer number of them surrounding me before I fight against them. They’re exactly what I’ve feared for so long. Now, I have to outrun them to save myself.

Fuck you, Echo. Fuck you, you hear me?

I know he can hear my thoughts. He’s been listening ever since I let him in. When was that? During Camilla’s pseudo-summoning, or later? Doesn’t matter. I’m his prisoner now.

His shadows hover around me like vultures, shifting and coiling in anticipation. Their presence prickles my skin, sending cold shivers down my spine. Knowing they’re a part of Echo doesn’t change the chaos, revulsion, and dread they stir in me.

Maybe that’s why I’m even more afraid.

I can feel his gaze now, cold and penetrating, tracking my every move. He’s somewhere in the canopies above me. I don’t see him, but I feel him. He waits, reveling in my fear, savoring the thrill of the hunt. How do I know this so surely? I don’t know. Maybe we’re connected now. I am in him, and he’s in me. Woven together like fabric.

He must know how I’m feeling—that my legs still tremble from the pleasure he instilled, and my heart pounds because of the rose petal he made me consume. Part of me doesn’t even want to run away. Part of me wants to rub my thighs together to ease the pressure between them. Part of me wants him to finish what he started.

But I’m also human.

With the shadows hanging in the air, eager to catch their prey—me—and devour my soul, I can’t stop the adrenaline and terror coursing through my veins. My palms are sweaty, my breathing erratic, and my spine is stiff.

The moss beneath my feet shifts as I take a cautious step back, my eyes flickering upward to the canopies.

He knows.

He knows how my desire and fear tangle up inside me. My heart wants his touch, even though every instinct I have is yelling at me to run away.

“Run,” his voice calls out from above. “Run, my Little Soul.”

A shiver runs down my spine, my muscles tense, ready to bolt. But for a moment, I hesitate, the warmth between my thighs tempting me to surrender, to sink into his darkness. Why fight?

No, don’t think like this. Run!

Gasping for air, I whip around and dash into the forest, shadows twisting and curling behind me. My heart’s pounding in my ears as I dodge through the trees, my dress getting caught on low branches and thorny bushes.

The forest is nothing like it used to be. Before, I saw it bathed in diluted rays of sunlight, thick tree trunks standing tall, free of any bushes. Only soft moss, specks of light, and the sun surrounded them. It was cozy. It was my promised land.

Now, it’s dark and cruel, new bushes sprouting up from the ground as I dash past, branches and leaves clawing at my body, growing just to twist around my limbs and tear at my dress. There’s no sun, no warmth. The sky above has turned into a starless night. There’s not even a single star dotting its navy expanse.

I’m terrified before the shadows even leap after me. But when I hear them coming, my heart jumps into my throat. Every step is a struggle. My ankles twist on the uneven ground, and I stumble over roots that weren’t there moments ago. Leaves slap my face, and the underbrush clutches at my dress. The forest floor is slick with dew, and I slip as I round a bend, my palms slamming into the earth as I scramble to my feet.

“Fuck!” I curse.

My dress is torn and bloodied from the grasping brambles, and the chill of the night air bites at my exposed skin.Moving hurts. Breathing hurts. Everything hurts.

But then, darkness presses in from all sides, swallowing the faint moonlight filtering through the trees, and something awakens inside me.

I’m not going to give up. I’m still here. I’m still breathing. He hasn’t won yet.

I repeat the words in my mind like a mantra, pushing myself forward. My lungs burn, and my heartbeat pounds like a war drum in my chest. The whispers of the shadows grow louder, curling around my mind and digging deep into my thoughts.

“So sweet...” the shadows hiss, their voices slithering through the trees like snakes. “So tender...”

The darkness is closing in, and every branch and leaf twists into monstrous shapes that leer at me from the corners of my eyes.

“We’re going to eat you, Little Soul,” they whisper. “Take a bite after bite. Make you bleed. Make you scream.”

They circle me, waiting for a sign of weakness, a stumble. They want to drag me away.

“No,” I mutter, my breath hitching in the cold night air. “No!”

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