Page 80 of Hunted By Valentine

“Please!” I cry out, my voice breaking with fear. “Why are you doing this?”

Shit!

I need to stay quiet instead of giving away my location. I realize my stupidity the second the last word passes my sore throat. Then again, I’m sure he isn’t fucking blindfolded. So if he can see me, what’s the point of staying quiet?

The only response is the eerie quiet of the outside, punctuated by the sound of snow crunching beneath my feet and the occasional snap of branches as I step on them. The darkness is suffocating, disorienting me further. I don’t know where I’m going or what’s waiting for me.

Are Michael and John playing some kind of twisted game with me?

“I’m coming for you,” the chilling, unknown voice sneers, sending shivers down my spine. A whimper escapes me just as something whistles past my ear, so close that I feel the air shift as it goes by.

I race straight ahead, but quickly realize that’s dangerous as well when I’ve been smacked by a few frozen branches and run into at least one tree trunk. But I can’t slow down, can’t stop.

A scream is torn from me as there’s a thud like something hit the tree next to me, and I’m showered with what feels like debris. The threat is real, and I know I have to keep moving if I want to survive.

“Leave me alone!” I scream.

My desperation grows with each passing second, and whizzing sounds keep coming, each one closer than the last, the unknown voice continuing to torment me.

“Keep running. See how far you get.”

My legs burn with exhaustion, and my breath comes in ragged gasps, but I can’t stop. I won’t let this unseen assailant hurt myself or Valentine. I’ll fight until my last breath if that’s what it takes to save the both of us.

“Please,” I gasp, stumbling.

It dawns on me that I’ll never outrun him, but the fight within me refuses to surrender. With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I force my tired legs to move again, pushing myself beyond my limits as fear propels me forward.

“Running won’t save you,” he growls menacingly, his voice unfamiliar and cold as ice. “You can’t escape me. Mhmm, I look forward to catching you. The things I’m going to do to you. Fuck.” The last part morphs into a lustful groan.

The sound of his footsteps crunching on snow grows louder as he closes the distance between us. Despite my best efforts, I know I won’t be able to keep this up much longer. My body trembles from the exertion and the biting cold, and my lungs burn from the frigid air I desperately suck in.

Suddenly, I feel a strong arm wrap around my waist, yanking me off my feet. “Caught you.”

I scream as I’m thrown down onto the frozen ground with brutal force, pinned beneath whoever is chasing me. His aggressive dominance sends shivers of terror down my spine, and I struggle beneath him, bucking and kicking in an attempt to free myself.

“Get off me.” My voice cracks with fear and desperation. But he doesn’t relent, holding me down with relentless determination. “What do you want from me?” I grit out. My teeth chatter, both from the cold and the all consuming fear holding my heart in its cold grip.

“Everything,” he growls, leaning closer so that his breath warms my ear. “You’re mine now.”

I barely hear his words over the whooshing of my blood as I continue to struggle against him, I notice a familiar scent that seems out of place in this terrifying situation—something warm and earthy, with a hint of spice. It’s both comforting and unsettling.

“Why are you doing this?” I demand, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound brave.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he whispers darkly.

I gasp as his hand closes around my breast, squeezing roughly. My body reacts involuntarily with a shudder of embarrassment and arousal that I can’t control. “Please,” I whisper, trying to squirm away from him. “Don’t do this.”

Ignoring me, his free hand grips my other breast, pinching my nipple through my clothes, and there’s no stopping the moan that escapes my lips. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I struggle to comprehend how my body can betray me like this.

“Look at you,” he taunts, his voice low and cruel. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Please,” I beg again, desperately trying to push him away, but he easily overpowers me.

“Your feeble attempts at resistance only make this more enjoyable for me,” he says, before suddenly releasing my breasts and grabbing the hem of my shirt. With one swift motion, he tears it off my body, leaving me exposed to the freezing cold.

“Stop!” I scream, my voice shrill with fear, but he ignores my pleas, continuing to strip me of my clothing until I’m completely naked in the snow. The cold bites at my skin, but it does nothing to quell the heat pooling in my core.

“Such a pretty little thing,” he murmurs, his eyes roaming over my naked form.

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