Page 22 of The Hunt

She opened her mouth to scream but the sound was stuck in her throat. Kaliah had never been more scared in her life because this time, she had nowhere to run. The terror did a number on her bladder and to her shame, urine slid down her thighs.

The figure outside the shower, pulled the curtain back. She was too scared to look up not wanting to see the hairy beast in the light of this brightly illuminated bathroom.

“There’s no need to be frightened. You’re home now.”

Home? The voice almost sounded comforting. It wasn’t the same as the gravely monster from the forest. Was this another part of her nightmare? Did the monster decide to keep her like she’d been warned?

She shook her head. “Please let me go.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. It won’t ever happen.”

“Do…do you plan to kill me? You can be honest. If that’s your intent, could you please make it as painless as possible.”

“Oh, there are lots of things I’d like to do to you but kill you isn’t one of them. You should get cleaned up. Leland and Zeke are chomping at the bit for you to get out of the shower.”

Leland and Zeke. Usually, the killers didn’t give their first names to their victims to prevent being identified later on.

“Who are they?”

“My brothers. My name is Colten by the way, but I go by Colt. And you’re Kaliah.”

“How did you know my name?”

“I asked Trudy. She spoke very highly of you.”

Trudy. That traitor.

“She seemed so nice,” Kaliah said more to herself than to this mystery man.

“She is nice. I can understand why you’d be upset with her but she has a job to do. It’s nothing personal.

Kaliah snorted. “Her job is drugging people and sending them to their impending dooms? That must look great on her resume.”

“It’s not her fault. And I’m not going to make apologies for bringing you here. Or what’s about to happen to you. But I promise, after tonight, we’ll make life for you at Serenity Falls as comfortable as possible. Now wash up. Or do you need my help?”

She shook her head and waved him off. “You seem reasonable. Please let me go. I promise I won’t say a word about what’s happened in this town.”

“You can tell anyone you want, darling. You’re never leaving this town anyway.”

“What does that even mean?” Kaliah forced herself to raise her head and look up at her captor. Her mouth fell open at the sight of a tall, blond man with startling green eyes staring down at her.

She expected a hairy beast but instead she saw a ruggedly handsome man with chiseled, rough-hewn features. There was a quarter inch scar that slashed into one of his dark brown eyebrows. And his nose seemed slightly off center as if it had been broken more than once.

Tufts of thick hair poked from the top of his plaid shirt and his arms were a bit hairy but he looked like an ordinary human being.

“You’re not a monster,” Kaliah noted in wonder.

Colt chuckled. “My brothers would argue otherwise when anyone gets on my bad side. His gaze roamed over her, and he licked his lips.

How could this stranger be so unfazed. And how was he so calm about living in a town full of monsters?

Kaliah remembered she was nude. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t…” she turned her head in shame.

“Don’t look at you? Why not? You’re gorgeous. Beautiful dark skin, big brown eyes and luscious lips. And your body is incredible.”

No one had ever called her beautiful before and the intensity of his green gaze made her tremble. The crazy thing was, Kaliah couldn’t figure if it was from fear or excitement.

“I need some privacy.”

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