Page 26 of Captive Souls

instincts to give him my back.

I started running.

“Try to keep up. And don’t break an ankle on a protruding tree root,” I called over my shoulder, willing him to do just that.

The crackling of detritus behind me was the only thing that told me he was running behind me. That was it, though. The initial crunch of boots against the forest floor, then … nothing. I listened for him with an experienced ear, but I couldn’t hear him. He moved through the brush like a hunter. Impossible. Even me, someone accustomed to these woods made small missteps, making my presence known.

Even though he made no sound, I didn’t need to turn to know he was behind me. I felt him. The hairs on the nape of my neck were raised in fear.

My heart slammed against my breastbone as I pushed my already burning legs to go faster. I kept mind of the roots, rocks, the uneven terrain. Even nature was primed to test you to see if you could survive there.

The woods flashed by; my previously cold body warmed up, more sweat running down my skin, my pulse pounding in my ears.

It was an eternity and a second when the small cabin came into view. I let out a fractured breath of relief, of victory.

This had been what I wanted, wasn’t it? To prove to Knox that I was no damsel in distress. To prove to myself that I wasn’t afraid of him. I turned, panting with a self-satisfied smile, planning on gloating.

Until I saw the expression on Knox’s face.

There was no longer cold calculation holding his features captive. No, there was a wild animal, a demon glowing behind his ferocious eyes.

Reflexively, I scuttled back, almost tripping on the uneven ground of the cobbled walk to the cabin.

Knox advanced, prowling toward me like a feral animal. And the animal inside of me responded with a singular instinct—to run.

The door to the cabin hit my back hard, stopping my retreat. Just as I was about to dart to the left to run toward the overgrown garden, Knox’s arms caged me in. His palms rested on the wood of the door as he leaned forward, his face inches from mine but not touching me.

Still, my body trembled. Fear was a physical, tangible thing inside of me, squeezing at my throat.

He didn’t speak immediately; he just stood there, hovering close to my face, eyes locked onto mine, pupils dilated, his entire being a threat to my very existence.

My heart must’ve been beating because I didn’t drop dead there and then, but my lungs shrank. Not from the run but from the pressure that was burgeoning inside my body, the very air being sucked from them.

“Don’teverrun from me again.” Knox’s voice was featherlight. But there was a tension there, as if he was about to snap. The pulsating cords in his neck told me that he was having trouble holding himself back.

I couldn’t tear my gaze from him.

Nor could I speak.

I just stood there in the cage of his arms, breathing rapidly like the prey I was. Like a scared rabbit. It didn’t seem out of the question that I was going to have a heart attack from terror.

“Piper.” My name was like the crack of a whip I swore I could feel tearing apart my skin.

All I could do was blink at him.

“If you value your life, I need you to tell me you won’t ever fucking run from me again.”

It struck me that I’d never heard him curse before. I got the sense he didn’t do it often, only when needed. The four-letter word was spoken in a velvet tone, but it cut like that same whip.

I was scared. I don’t think I'd ever been more scared in my entire life. But not just that. I was filled with shame and disgust about it, but there was a wetness between my thighs. And it was not my bladder releasing.

It was from desire. My clit pulsated in response to the violence emanating from Knox. Because I would’ve bet my life on it—my life that could very well be in jeopardy right then—that he was feeling some kind of desire right then too. Yes, he was a predator. But he was also a male predator. Some primitive chase and mate instinct.

Mate. Rut. Fuck.

Filthy carnal words for an act I previously considered sacred, something I only did with people I respected. I certainly didn’t love or respect this barbarian.

But I wanted him.

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