Page 89 of Exes and Oh Hell No

Adrenaline courses through me, preventing me from feeling the pain from the stones beneath my feet or the cold air against my overheated skin.

From the corner of my eye, I see a shadow.

My head whips toward it, my eyes wide from fear.

That mistake costs me.

I stumble over a root.

I look down in horror, finding my foot entangled in it.

At the same time, his low, dark, and dangerous laugh comes from behind me.

A sickening sense of dread courses through me.

A certainty that is woven through the fabric of my DNA.

He let me get this far on purpose.

I fell right into his trap.

I tug and yank, feeling the skin split as I yank my foot free of the root.

I take off, wincing from the pain but not letting it stop me.

My confidence soars as I take off again, my hair flying behind me.

Freedom, sweet freedom, is just ahead.

I’m almost there.

My foot lifts, about to hit the pavement, freedom just inches away.

But his fingers claw into my flesh, yanking me back into the darkness.

A primal creature claiming his prey.

A scream rips from my lungs as my world spins.

The harsh reality slaps me in the face.

I never had a chance.

He was always going to catch me.

Instead of trying to flee, I whirl around, a scream ripping from my lungs as I stare at the white mask.

I rake his bare chest with my nails and stomp on his foot.

A stunned howl comes from him as his hand flies to the wound.

I whirl around, tugging with all I have to get free and take off again.

But he’s too strong.

I flail against him, my hands flying, my feet kicking, my body squirming desperately.

Wildly.

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