Page 14 of The Devil's Hunt

Whatever it was, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. "I will go with you on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You have to answer my questions."

"About?"

"Anything I want."

Archer smiled, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. "Anything you want, little rabbit."

He handed me a helmet, and I paused, meeting his gaze. He nodded for me to get on the bike behind him. I slid my legs over the smooth leather of his seat and tried to keep some space between us, but the way the seat dipped down made it impossible not to have my crotch pressed against his backside. As he started the motorcycle back up, I pulled the helmet over my head and wrapped my arms around his waist, careful not to get too close. I tightened my grip as he picked up speed, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins. It was exhilarating being on the back of his motorcycle, feeling the machine's power beneath me and his body's warmth against my own. The wind whipped past us as we sped through the country roads, heading farther away from town. I tried to focus on the questions I wanted to ask Archer, but the feel of his strong muscles under my fingers distracted me. The scent of his cologne mixed with the leather of his jacket was intoxicating.

We rode through the dark roads until we found a clearing in the forest, tucked away from the main road, easy to miss unless you were looking. Archer parked the motorcycle next to a blue one similar in style to his. I pushed away from his body, lifting my leg over the bike and placing my helmet on the seat. I tried to brush my hair down while he removed his helmet, placing it next to mine.

"Where are we?" I asked him, taking in my surroundings. I could hear loud music floating through the trees, and a small stone path peeked out from the thick tree line.

"The quarry."

"Lacey mentioned that she would be here tonight too."

"Ah, the friend that left you alone at the cornfield party?" he said flatly.

"She's a good friend," I protested, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he reached out his hand for me to take, and I hesitated before taking it. His hand was warm and strong, cradling mine, and my body shivered in response. I let him lead me down the gravel path through the trees. The ground changed from dirt to gray stone, and the music got louder with each step we took. We reached the entrance of a large clearing that opened up to the mountains of slick rock. I peered over the cliff's edge and saw dark blue water sparkling in the moonlight below. Dozens of people were gathered around a massive bonfire, dancing, drinking, and laughing. The music was so loud that I could feel the bass vibrating in my chest, and the air was thick with the scent of alcohol and smoke. The quarry was lit with strings of fairy lights draped from the trees. Archer wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in close to him as we navigated our way through the crowd. I could feel the eyes of the other partygoers on us, and I couldn't tell if it was because they recognized Archer or because they wondered who the new girl was. He led me to a small group sitting around a fire pit, passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth.

"Hey," Archer said, and the group turned and looked at us.

"I wondered when you would finally show up. And it looks like you brought a littlefriend." The guy speaking had dark brown hair, a chiseled jaw to die for, and big blue eyes that stared at me like I was a juicy steak, and he hadn't eaten in days. I'm almost positive he licked his lips, but maybe I was daydreaming. Either way, I found myself staring at his lips like a fucking creep. The girl on his lap, a petite blonde, noticed how I was looking at him, and she shoved her tits into his face, stealing his attention from me.

My face was on fire with embarrassment, and I cleared my throat and looked to the ground like there was something more interesting there.

Archer pulled me closer, and I felt his arm wrap possessively around my waist. "This is Mila," he introduced me to the group. Thepossessiveness in his tone did not go unnoticed by the others in the group or me. "She's with me."

I felt a blush creep up my neck at his words. I didn't know how to feel about being claimed like a piece of property, but I couldn't deny the excitement in my stomach.

His eyes flicked from Archer back to me, and I felt like he could see right through me. "Well, if she's with you, you better take care of her, or someone else might," he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

Archer tightened his grip even more, and I hissed in pain, turning my head to look at him. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes stared murderously at the brown-eyed stranger. I could feel the anger reverberating through his touch, and I did not doubt that if someone didn't break this stare down, there might be another murder.

"I want to go get a drink. Will you come with me?" I turned and asked Archer, desperate to pull his attention to me.

"I'm just messing with you, brother. I wouldn't dare touch what's yours unless youletme." He turned his gaze to Archer, letting out an amused laugh. Turning back to me, he introduced himself, flashing a playful grin. "I'm Kai, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, but I'm nothis."

Kai smirked and laughed, the rest of the group joining in. "Okay, sweet girl. Whatever you say."

I rolled my eyes, pulled myself out of Archer's grip, and stormed through the crowd toward what looked like the alcohol table. I grabbed a red cup, filled it to the brim with rum and coke, and gulped it down, hissing at the bitterness that burned my throat and warmed my insides. The blonde at the table smiled at me, letting his eyes slither down my body before returning to my face.

"Can I get you another drink, beautiful?"

"That'd be great," I responded in irritation.

"You got—" his voice trailed off, and he took a few steps away while looking to my right.

"What?" I asked in confusion, following his gaze to Archer, who stood beside me.

"I-I'm sorry, Archer, I didn't know she was with you." He lookedbetween Archer and me, then turned around and almost ran through the crowd to get as far away as possible.

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