Page 27 of From the Ashes

It was almost too fucking easy to slip past her guards and break into the house, and I make a note to myself to speak to Crew about getting some additional security around the house for however long she’s here. Which if I have anything to say about it, it won’t be long.

I need her back at the compound where I can keep her safe.

I don’t bother to dodge branches before my heavy boots snap them, because I want her to hear me coming. It’s better this way.

I catch sight of her darting between trees ten yards ahead of me, and I wonder if she realizes just how close I am.

“Little Lamb,” I call out, my voice bouncing off the trees, and she pauses behind a large tree that conceals her from my line of sight.

This is where the fun begins.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CAMILLA

Every breath makes my chest ache. The mix of panic and adrenaline beat down on me as I dodge past trees and duck behind a log toward the back of the property.

The only edge I have right now is the fact I know this yard. This is where I grew up, where I spent my summers playing and exploring. Kovu is the definition of a predator, but I’m not going to make it easy for him.

“Camilla,” Kovu calls through the quiet night, but he doesn’t sound close. If I stay here long enough, one of two things will happen. Either he’ll keep moving and I can circle back to the house before he notices, or he’ll find me crouched and at his mercy.

But the worst part of this game he’s got us playing is how little I hate it. Even the thought makes my cheeks heat. Why would I like being chased? Like being hunted down like an unsuspecting deer. I’ve spent my whole life learning how to not be vulnerable, and yet here I am.

Perhaps it’s just the knowledge that Kovu won’t kill me that makes it more exhilarating, but nonetheless, I’m not going to let myself analyze any of it right now. I have bigger things to worry about than why I like being chased by the man who killed my father.

His footsteps fade away, and I chance a peek over the edge of the log, surveying the quiet night and the trees beyond. Part of me wonders if it’s better when he’s close because at least I know where he is, whereas right now, I’ll be running blind.

I swallow past the lump in my throat and stand slowly, keeping my eyes on my surroundings as I quickly move back the way we came. I don’t think I’ll be able to get back to the house without him noticing, but if I can make it to the other side of the yard, he may not think to look for me there.

My bare feet protest against the rough foliage, but I ignore the pain the same way I’m ignoring how fucking cold I am. My skin is cloaked with goose bumps as I wrap my arms around my middle and flick a look over my shoulder into the dark trees.

Once I’m sure he’s not following me, I turn back around and stop dead in my tracks.

Standing in front of me is Kovu, his hood dropped back so I can see his face in the dim moonlight. His wild eyes lock on mine as a manic smile tugs up the corners of his lips.

“Got you, Little Lamb.”

He lunges toward me, and I stumble backward, slamming into the tree behind me. The rough bark bites into my skin, and I cry out as he traps me between his hard body and the unforgiving wood.

He presses into me, and even with all the self-defense training I’ve done, I’m not going to be able to overpower him. Not when he has a foot and at least a hundred pounds on me.

“What are you doing?” I whisper, not trusting my voice to remain even under my heavy breaths.

“Did you think you’d be able to outrun me, Camilla?” He tilts his head to the side, staring down at me with an intensity that should terrify me. And maybe it does on some level. But there’s something to say about a man staring at you with this much obsession in his eyes. It’s a heady feeling.

“You should have known I’d never let you go.” He drops his face until his lips are trailing across my cheek and a shiver of need vibrates through me. My body is betraying me the same way my heart has time and time again when it comes to these men. But I’m smarter than this. I know better than to let myself get caught up in my emotions.

“Kovu,” I warn. “If security catches you, they’ve been instructed to shoot to kill.” Just the thought of it makes my stomach do an uncomfortable flip-flop. The idea of one of them being hurt, of pressing my weight against a gunshot wound the way I did Crew just a couple of weeks ago, has bile climbing up the back of my throat.

He chuckles. “What makes you think they’d catch me, Camilla?”

I tremble beneath his touch as he drags his tongue down my cheek, and it’s only then I realize I’m crying. Tears of fear and need and anger all meld together until I can’t hold them at bay any longer.

“Your tears taste almost as good as your blood does, Little Lamb.”

He drops a hand to my bare thigh and slowly brushes his fingers up the inside of my leg until he reaches the sleep shorts that are doing very little to protect me from the elements. I need to dress more appropriately when I leave my bedroom, just in case anything like this ever happens again.

He pushes them and my panties to the side until cool air brushes over my pussy, and I gasp at the sensation, drawing a chuckle from his throat, closely followed by a growl when his fingers move over my embarrassingly wet pussy.

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