Page 42 of Cruel Knots

I need to get out of here. The thought takes root in my mind, blinding me to all logic and reason.

Gathering all my strength, I run past Leon, sprinting down the hedge-lined path.

“Hey!” he calls out. “Come back here right now!”

I don’t even turn around to see if he’s chasing me.

I barely get to run for a minute before my feet come to a skidding stop in front of a tall, solid wall of green hedges.

There was a different route back there, I think, deciding to back up and go that way.

Panting, I run in a different direction but a minute later, I come across another solid wall built of the same green hedge.

No matter which way I run, I’m always met with an obstacle. My insane need to escape keeps getting blocked by hedge walls that are too tall to climb. It’s a while before I realize what is happening.

I’m trapped inside a hedge maze.

Soft, maniacal laughter sounds from somewhere close by. “You’re such a naughty kitty,” Leon’s voice floats toward me. “There’s no escaping us, darling.”

“Shit,” I mutter, turning around to go the way I’d just come from.

“Oww!” I moan, feeling a painful stab in the sole of my foot.

Sinking to the ground, I raise the hurt foot and find a large splinter poking out from my heel. A tiny trickle of blood flows from the wound, mixing with the dirt caking my sole.

I pull the splinter out and bite my lip to drown a pained groan.

A little more blood flows out and the wound hurts worse than before. “Damn it!” I moan as my eyes water from the pain. Hurt and lost, I feel the bite of crushing defeat.

Lazy footsteps soon approach me. Looking up, I see Leon drawing closer to me.

He kneels before me, giving me the first opportunity to gaze at his face.

Surprise flickers through me. He’s beautiful despite the flaw marring his face. A long, thin scar runs across his forehead, cutting a path to his left cheek. Thankfully, his gorgeous amber eye remains unscathed.

There’s a tiny skull tattoo underneath his right eye while a snarling wolf’s face is engraved over the expanse of his neck. His fiery strands fall into his eyes, giving him a dark, sinful look.

I draw in a shuddering breath. Leon’s face is hauntingly familiar.

“Recognize me?” he asks, bringing his face so close I can feel his warm breath fanning my lashes.

Leon is familiar but the only thing I recognize about him is his unique amber eyes. He reminds me of the boy I’d fallen in love with a long time ago.

“I killed them,” Callum’s callous voice rings in my mind.

Seven years have passed since I last saw Leon and his brothers. Even though they share the same name, could it be really him? Is my terror-stricken mind playing tricks on me?

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly while he flicks and rotates a butterfly knife at a blinding speed in his right hand.

“I’m sure we can help you remember.” He sets the blade at the base of my throat.

I want to scream but I’m afraid to even swallow. A single wrong move can cut me.

He presses the blade deeper and I scoot away, my back hitting the branches and twigs from the hedge.

“Please,” I whisper, feeling the twigs digging into my back painfully.

Leon’s amber eyes gleam like liquid gold as he soaks in my terror. “I’d have cut you if that’s what I wanted to do,” he says in a low, throaty growl that reverberates through me. He moves the blade away from my throat but only to have it glide over my collarbones and then down my bare arm.

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