Page 6 of Thrill of the Hunt

Turning back toward the direction of the lodge, I immediately faceplant into Greyson’s chest. It’s hard and warm, and he doesn’t budge as I run into him.

I squeal, completely shocked at how close he managed to get without me knowing. I’m such a fucking idiot. How am I supposed to survive the night if I couldn’t even hear him a foot away?

Self-defense sessions with John couldn’t fix my stupidity.

Greyson’s arm is raised above my head, resting on the tree trunk. His pupils are so dilated I can no longer see his brown irises. They’ve completely vanished within the darkness of the forest.

“Going somewhere?” he asks, his voice low and husky.

Chills roll down my spine as his breath hits my face. He’s so fucking close.Too fucking close.

“T-to the lodge,” I breathe, struggling to form words.

A smile breaks across his face, but it’s not friendly. He’s amused by my lack of survival skills. I didn’t make it morethan a few hundred yards into the forest before he found me. I thought if he passed by me I’d be able to get through, but he knew exactly what I was going to do. He knew before I did. That’s why he’s been studying me for so long.

Greyson Matthers knows me better than I know myself.

“I gave you a head start with the intention of letting you get at least halfway into the forest, but you couldn’t resist the temptation to hide from me. You really are the perfect little prey, my sweet gazelle.”

His mask moves slightly as he speaks. The neatly trimmed beard along his jaw is tight against his face, and I can see his jaw muscles flexing as he watches me. My thighs press together again on instinct, betraying my mind as my clit begins to pulse. I can feel the slickness of my pussy as my legs slide together. Some of the intensity is relieved with the pressure.

“I’m going to claim you long before we leave this forest,” he says as he lowers his hand to my chin, grasping it between his fingers. “I’m going to wound you, then watch you run from me.”

“What?” I gasp, taking a step back.

There’s a flash at his side, catching a stray ray of moonlight being cast through the trees. My eyes fall to it, quickly realizing that he’s holding a knife. Greyson’s hand slides around the back of my neck, forcing me to stay where I am. I grip his wrist with one hand, then surprise him when I raise the stone in my hand, slamming it down on his temple. There’s a loud crack as I connect with his skull, and he roars when he releases my neck. His fingers go straight to the spot where I struck, and blood wets them as he slides his fingertips across the broken flesh.

Twisting away from him while he’s stunned, I drop the rock and push my legs forward, trying to get solid ground beneath me. Before I make it two steps away, there’s a sharp pain shooting across my lower back. I cry out at the pain, wincing as Greyson’s blade easily breaks through my dress and skin.

Stumbling, I fall to my hands and knees where the ground is rocky and uneven. Frustrated and hurt, I hiss as pebbles grind into my kneecaps. Greyson is on me within a second, wrapping his huge hand around my hair, then yanking me upright so I’m on my knees, back pressed against his legs. He pushes his right leg into where he cut me, making me yelp. His hand is holding my hair so tightly, I can’t move beyond wrapping my hands around his wrist. I can’t fight him with how hard he’s keeping me here.

“The gazelle wounds the lion.” He tsks, running his blade behind my ear, then down my neck.

It hurts, but he isn’t breaking skin. He’s pressing just hard enough to inflict pain, but he knows what he’s doing. If he presses too hard, he’ll cut my jugular and I’ll bleed out within a minute. Pulling harder, he lifts my knees off the ground, but I can’t get my feet underneath me. I’m levitating under his grasp, and my skull is on fire. Every strand of my hair is within his fingers.

“Let go of me,” I gasp through ragged breaths. I can barely speak through the pain.

Greyson’s voice is a little less controlled than before as he says, “I’m going to give you one more chance. Take it, and run, Isabelle. Let me chase you for real this time. Let me hunt you down. Give me the thrill of hunting down the pretty little gazelle I’ve chosen for tonight’s feast.”

“I’m not giving you anything,” I spit, still trying to find my footing.

He laughs in the most menacing way, making my blood go ice-cold. “You will run from me, Isabelle. If you want to survive the night, you willrun.”

“You’d kill me for something my father did?” There’s no longer fear in my voice, only spite. “You’d torture me in the same way he did to you? Did you lose yourself that day? Wasthatthe day you chose violence and darkness over everything else? Is your sole purpose for this revenge? Because if so, kill me now. Don’t play these stupid fucking games with me, Greyson. I don’t want it.”

Greyson’s knife presses into my neck harder, and I feel a warm trickle of blood fall, coating my chest and shoulder.

“Do it,” I spit, daring him to end it now.

What’s the point of living if he’s this hell-bent on revenge? What kind of life will I have after tonight if I live to see tomorrow?

“No,” he grunts as he releases my hair, pushing the back of my head forward so that I fall quickly. “Thesegamesare for your survival. Prove your worth and you’ll become a lioness, strong and capable of the most wicked sins.”

“That’s not what I want.” Catching my breath, I sit back on my heels, turning just enough to see him. “I’m not fucked up likeyou.”

“You aren’t?” He cocks an eyebrow, flipping the blade between his fingers. “You didn’t bat an eye the day your father died. And every day after that, you moved on as though it didn’t happen. What kind of daddy’s girl doesn’t shed a tear when daddy dearest dies?”

Greyson circles me, glaring down at me as he steps. I watch him, not breaking eye contact through our masks. He has no idea what I’ve been through. He’s making assumptions based on my life prior to my mother dying. No one knew how my father and his men treated me.

---