Page 21 of Priest and his Anarchist

weather.

I look back at the four people. “I don’t want to.”

He glares at me. “I don’t care.”

Needles prickle over my body, as I tiptoe closer to each one. They’re all different. Various height, weight, and level of fear.

I stop in front of the boy with blue eyes and blonde hair. The kind you expect to see

anywhere but here.

“Who are they?” The question is for Priest, but I don’t glance away from the boy.

“That doesn’t matter.”

I turn slightly over my shoulder, but not enough to be facing him. “Are they at least bad?”

Silence. With one final look at Priest, they turn and disappear into the daylight. That same cold familiarity snaps through me when his hand lands over my ribs. Even through the thick material of the dress I’m wearing, my body recognizes him as if he created it himself.

A rock forms in my throat. Every passing minute that he’s touching me feels like a

lifetime.

“You’re asking the wrong questions, Madness.” His fingers bite into my hips, forcing me against him. “Open your eyes.”

My chest rises and falls. Every breath I take is a reminder that at any moment, he could take it away from me, but I do as I’m told. Dark clouds form around the sun as the smell of damp asphalt thickens the air. Thunder rolls through the sky as the first drops of rain explode against the patio.

“We’re going to play a game.”

I keep myself focused on the trees in front of me. “I don’t like games.”

“You’ll love this one…”

I lick my lips. “You don’t know me enough to know what I like.”

“You sure about that, Madness?” His deep voice sends violent shudders through my body.

I don’t reply, the weight of my stance heavy on my feet.

“Ever played hide-and-seek?”

“Are you being serious?” I try to turn, but the hand that’s on my hip shifts lower to just above my thigh.

“You’re going to hide, and I’m going to find you, but you don’t want me to find you.”

I can’t help the thoughts that keep popping up in my head, that this is all some sort of

twisted way of teaching me. What, I don’t know.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to want you to find me.”

His fingers dig deeper into my thigh as he spins me around and shoves me up against the wall that’s beside the door. He’s even taller than the last time. Now a whole foot than me. He cages me in by resting his hands against the wall, keeping his knee pressed against my leg. The shallow flutters of my heart grow thicker the longer we’re locked together. Shadows contour his sharp cheekbones, drawing attention to lips far too soft for a man with a face carved from stone.

“If I find you, I’ll either kill or fuck you.” The size of him shields us from any prying eyes, feeding the tension between us.

My mouth slams shut.

He pushes away, widening the door. “Run, Madness. You really don’t want me to find

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