Page 17 of Brutal Mate

“It's decaf,” her mother said, picking up her own mug and taking a sip. When she smiled again, Miley noticed what she thought was a new, badly hidden cut at the edge of her mother's lip. Her father had hit her again. For what this time, it wasn’t obvious, but it could have been anything as small as giving him his coffee too hot. Heaven forbid he should have to test it himself before chugging it down.

“Mama, maybe it's time we—” Miley wasn't entirely sure what she was about to say. Maybe she had been about to suggest it was time they both left her waste of space father behind, but before she could finish, she heard the door to her father's office upstairs click open.

The sound of two sets of boots pounded down the stairs. The floorboards creaked as they reached the front door.

“I must thank you again, Mayor Blackwell,” she heard her father say when she strained her ears in the direction of the hall. She didn't hear any response, but she did hear the front door opening.

“Take care!” her father called loudly out of the door. “We shall speak again soon!”

Then the door closed, and Miley's throat constricted as she heard her father's footsteps coming toward the kitchen.

“There are my two favorite girls!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide as he entered the room. His good mood only made Miley's worse, and she stared down into her coffee mug, leaving it untouched.

“Well?” her mother asked, standing to step into her husband's arms. “How did it go?”

Miley cringed, half-expecting her father to yell not to question him. Instead, he picked her up and spun her excitedly, only making Miley more nervous. She had never seen either of her parents so happy before.

I should have run when I had the chance, she thought even before her father made his grand announcement.

“Our debts are paid!” he declared. “And you, my dear, Miley, are going to be married!”

Miley was so shocked that she had no control over her actions. She leapt to her feet and turned on her father. “This isn't the dark ages! You can't just marry me off to pay off your debts! I'm not a cow you can just send to slaughter to pay your bills!”

Too late she realized what she had done as the back of her father's hand swung toward her.

It connected with her face with such force that it made her head spin and her ears ring.

“You will be and do exactly what I tell you!” her father snarled at her, grabbing her by the elbows.

The fear and anger she felt then were like nothing she had ever felt before. This was it, it was now or never, she had to do something.

“No!” she screamed, jamming her heel down on the top of her father's foot.

“Ahh, fuck! You little bitch!” her father exclaimed as he reeled backwards but Miley didn't stick around to see what happened next. She didn't like the feeling in her gut, the one that told her whatever semblance of a life she had was over, the one that told her she wasn't safe and never would be again.

And so, she ran. She ran to the only place she had ever felt safe. She ran to the woods.

By the time she finally stopped, the forest around her was pitch black with only the light of the waxing moon to see by. She was panting so badly that she thought she might bring up a lung.

With only a glance back over her shoulder to be certain her father hadn't followed her, she started to wander more slowly through the trees, trying to catch her breath by sucking in deep lungfuls of fresh night air.

And after a while, when she was absolutely certain her father hadn't followed, she stopped again. In a clearing, she turned her head to the sky and enjoyed the sensation of the breeze upon her sweat-slick face.

This was as free as she had ever been, as free as she would ever be again, and she wished to make the most of it while it lasted. Sooner or later, she would have to go home. She couldn’t survive out here alone.

It was as she lowered her face again that she heard the snapping of twigs. Immediately on alert, she yelled, “Who's there?”

Her throat tightened, stomach twisting. Glancing around the clearing, she listened. The forest seemed eerily silent, as if even the trees were holding their breath.

One thing was certain. She could feel eyes on her. Whether they were human or animal, she didn't know. What she did know was that they made her feel more than a little uncomfortable. Especially when she remembered that damn wolf she had seen.

There aren't any wolves around here, she told herself over and over, her feet rooted to the ground as she tried her hardest to bring herself to believe that damn Kane.

“Who's there? I know you're there!” she called again, listening.

What an idiot she was. This was usually the part in every horror film where the stupid nineteen-year-old runs away into the woods only to never be seen again.

Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing if she could guarantee that wherever she ended up wasn't as bad as where she was now. But she couldn't do that. And so, she turned and started to run back in the direction she had come.

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