Page 21 of Thrill of the Hunt

0:30.

I stop thinking, making the only decision that feels natural right now. My fingers spread, shaking as I blindly feel around the table for a blade. The cold steel hits my fingertips, and I grab it, twirling it around so that the handle is firmly gripped in my palm.

Mason lunges for my neck, choking me with the full weight of his body. I can’t breathe, and I can’t even force out a sound. He’s going to kill me if I don’t kill him first, and we’re both going to die if I don’t kill him in less than thirty seconds.

Through the struggle, I manage to put the blade between us, pointing at his heart. I’m on the verge of passing out now, but I refuse to die like this. Iwon’tdie like this.

My watch begins buzzing, and I don’t have to look to know it’s the final ten seconds counting down.

I plunge the blade into his chest, cutting into flesh and bone. Blood almost instantly begins spraying out of him, covering me in the warm liquid. He’s gagging on his blood as he hovers over me.

“You,” he chokes.“Fucking.Bitch.”

I withdraw the knife from his chest, then swing toward his throat. His jugular is cut cleanly as I slide, opening his neck. Pulling my legs up, I plant my feet on his chest, then launch his body off of mine. Stumbling to my feet, I begin rubbing the blood and paint around on my body, mixing them frantically as the alarm on my watch goes off, signaling time is up.

I don’t breathe, dropping to my knees as I wait.

Mason is already dead. He bled out within seconds, which isn’t a bad death considering the various ways he could have died tonight. He won’t feel a thing when our collars explode.

My eyes flutter closed and my lip quivers as tears begin steaming down my face.

Cheers erupt from the balcony. The unexpected applause makes me jump, and I look up to find Greyson descending the stairs. He’srunningto me.

“You did it,” he says in disbelief, sweat beaded across his forehead. “You fucking did it.”

“I killed him,” I point to Mason’s limp body, dropping my head.

“You did what you had to, to survive. You have one more trial, and it’s the easiest of them all.”

That catches my attention, forcing me to sit upright. “What is it?”

Greyson’s eyes are sparkling as he watches me. “The chase through the forest, the sacrifice in the game, and now you’ll share a glass of blood with me. It’s a celebration.”

I open my mouth to ague, but then again, what’s the fucking point? My body is covered in fresh blood, and I just killed a manwho was tongue deep in my pussy less than fifteen minutes ago. How bad could it even be? Is a flute of blood worth dying over after all of this?

No, it’s not.

Greyson sees my submission, and he extends his hand to me, helping me to my feet as a man dressed in black enters the room with a tray. He approaches us, ignoring the dead man at our feet.

“Congratulations,” he says as he plucks a flute of blood from the tray, offering one to me, and then one to Greyson.

We both take them. Greyson thanks him graciously, but I can’t form the words, so all I do is nod before he turns, leaving the room. The Elders have all left, and the two of us are all that remain.

Holding his glass in the air, Greyson points it toward me. “Cheers.”

I swallow, noticing how dry my mouth suddenly feels. “Cheers,” I whisper as I tap my glass against his.

Greyson drinks first, drawing the flute to his lips without hesitation. He doesn’t break eye contact as he tips it, taking the blood into his mouth. My hand is shaking, not only from the nerves, but because Mason’s blood has cooled and I’m soaking wet.

A softness rises on Greyson’s face. He sighs lightly before wrapping his free hand around the back of my neck, sternly but swiftly pulling my face to his. Greyson takes more blood into his mouth, swirling it around before lowering his lips to mine. He presses them on me, and I open for him. The metallic tang fills my mouth. My natural reaction is to spit it back at him, but I can’t do that when his mouth is dominating mine and his tongue is exploring my mouth. The blood seeps from our lips, falling down our faces.

I moan as he tilts my head back, holding my throat in his hand. He’s rough with me, but knows how to walk the line between pleasure and pain. The familiar pulsing returns to my legs as he deepens our kiss, pushing me against the table.

Mason is still dead at our feet, but we don’t stop.

Greyson frees his dick from his pants. His voice is throaty as he says, “As much as I enjoyed watching you play with him, this pussy ismine.”

His hand comes down on my pussy, sending a sharp pain through me just before he slides two fingers inside me, curling them and pumping hard as I squirm beneath him.

---