Page 159 of The Hunt

The sky above began to flicker with red and blue flashing lights, and Rhett and I finally broke apart and tilted our chins to gaze upward. “That was fast,” he muttered.

“Tessa really came through for us,” I said. “And Nikki, too. But Peter shot—”

Rhett cut me off. “Nikki’s going to be okay,” he said. “She’s on a boat with Ari, and he’ll get her to a hospital as soon as he can.”

A sudden rush of relief and elation flooded through me. “Oh, thank god!”

“That girl is like a cat with nine lives. Seriously.”

“She really is.” I smiled through the tears. Then I jerked my head around, looking into the dark woods surrounding the clearing. “What about the players?”

“They’re still out there, but they’re all safe,” Rhett said. “The hunters were recalled to the Lodge, and those who couldn’t make it back are too injured to move.”

“Good.” I exhaled deeply, shoulders sagging with relief.

More flashing lights appeared in the sky, and I could hear the distant hum of engines too, but I didn’t care about any of that. In this moment, it was just me and Rhett.

I tightened my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. “I can’t believe it’s really over,” I said. “We actually did it.”

“We did,” Rhett replied, planting a kiss on my forehead. “We really did.”

“Promise me you’ll never let me go now,” I murmured, voice almost cracking with emotion.

“I won’t,” he said, his voice raw. He pulled me even tighter against him, like he was holding on for dear life. "I’ll never leave you, Ev.Never."

I swallowed thickly. “I’m all yours.”

“That’s right. You’re all mine.” Rhett pressed his forehead against mine, his breath warm against my lips. “Always.”

Epilogue

Everly

Three yearslater

The woods stretched before me,endless and alive with shadows. They were quiet, almost unnaturally so; the kind of silence that made my skin prickle.

The golden light of the setting sun bled through the canopy, casting fractured patterns on the forest floor. Shadows stretched longer by the second, the day slipping into twilight as I crouched near the edge of the tree line, trying to steady the pulse thundering in my ears.

Then I heard it.

The horn.

Its low, mournful wail echoed in the distance, a haunting sound that sent a jolt through me. My body tensed, every muscle coiled tight, and the air seemed to still around me, like the entire forest was holding its breath.

Run.

The command was unspoken but undeniable, etched into the marrow of my bones. My legs moved before I consciouslydecided to go, propelling me forward into the dark embrace of the forest.

The world blurred around me as I ran, the air rushing past my face, and my heart pounded a frantic rhythm, adrenaline spiking with every step. Thankfully, the ground beneath me was soft, covered in a carpet of moss and damp leaves that muted my footsteps.

Three years ago, the sound of that horn would’ve been my worst nightmare; a grim reminder of the island and the blood-soaked hunt that changed my life forever.

But now, it was something else. A thrill. A game.

Ourgame.

My fingers brushed against the cool bark of a tree trunk as I fought the urge to look over my shoulder. I knew Rhett wasn’t behind me. Not yet. He’d give me a head start. Always did. But that didn’t mean I could waste time.

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