Page 2 of The Devil's Hunt

“Mila, girl, you look hot as fuck.” She grasped my shoulders and gently spun me around to face the full-length mirror.

I didn’t recognize the girl looking back at me. My waist-length black hair cascaded in thick curls down to my mid-back, while my amber eyes were lined with heavy black eyeliner that truly made them glow under the light. My already long lashes were thickly coated with mascara and a smoky eyeshadow that made them appear feline-like. The finishing touch was nothing less than scandalous: deep red lipstick across my full lips and a skin-tight, long-sleeved, little black dress revealing every curve of my body before flowing loosely down to mid-thigh. I wasn’t sure I had ever shown this much leg before in my life, but I’d never felt so beautiful.

“Wow,” I whispered and ran my hands down my body, marveling at the curves I didn’t realize I had.

“Now, to finish off this ensemble. Put these boots on.” She handed me black, knee-high boots with a flat sole. “Sexy, but practical. You don’t want to get a heel stuck in the mud out there. Trust me, it’s a lady boner killer.”

Adrenaline surged through my veins as I zipped up the boots and watched her finish getting ready, snapping what felt like a hundred pictures of the both of us and posting on her Instagram with captions like, “Cinderella is ready for the ball,” and “Look who I convinced to come out. She’s hot, right?”

She drove out into the countryside, in the middle of nowhere, to a place that I don’t think you could even find on GPS. It was pitch-black—until it wasn’t. The bright orange glow of a massive bonfire drew us in like moths to a flame, its blaze licking the sky with orange embers that flew high above us. Cars lined up like fenceposts, creating an eerie perimeter, and rock music blared through the darkness. The steely night air sent shivers over my bare skin, and I felt asense of excitement and dread as I followed Lacey to the center of the crowd.

Everywhere I looked, people were dancing—drunkenly swaying and spinning around me in wild abandon. I suddenly felt self-conscious about my outfit and wished I’d brought a jacket to cover up. It wasn’t that I was dressed any skankier than the other girls there, but I was way out of my comfort zone.

“Dance with me," she screamed, but all I could do was stand there motionless, feeling completely out of place in this drunken social setting.

“I’ll pass.” I pulled my arm back and went to sit on a hay bale to start people-watching. Everywhere around me were people drinking, laughing, and flirting. Lacey was the center of attention, spinning between groups like a pretty butterfly, and I envied her confidence. She’d begun to chug beer from the keg when Chad materialized next to her, and then, within seconds, they were all over each other on the hay bale next to me.

It was a carnival of lust and breathy energy, and my heart clenched in jealousy. I felt out of place, so I walked across the field to grab a cup of something that looked like it contained mostly vodka and sipped it while observing the flaming bonfire in front of me. The comforting warmth of alcohol started to spread through me as I sunk into a hay bale, looking out over the fire that illuminated the faces of the people around me. Trying to let go of my inhibitions, or at least pretend that I belonged there, I glanced around and surveyed the scene—a cornfield maze to my left and a game of strip poker to my right, while couples occupied couches nearby. My gaze swept past all of them until it rested on a dark-haired man whose intense stare was locked on something in my direction. However, it wasn't the pretty redhead in his lap wearing a skirt so short I was pretty sure I could see her cervix that caught my eye and rendered me frozen like a deer in headlights. It was the intensity of his gaze and the realization that he was looking atme.

Not someone else.

His eyes were dark, mesmerizing, and overpowering. Sucking theair from my lungs and wrapping around my entire body until every nerve ending hummed with electricity. It was like I was being held captive by invisible chains.

My skin heated up with an unfamiliar sensation, a strange mix of excitement and fear coursing through my veins.

The girl on his lap was devouring his neck, and her perfectly manicured hands were sliding up and down his chest while she gyrated against his cock.

But it was like she wasn’t there.

Not while his eyes bore into mine.

They never wavered; the smirk on his face held me captive in a trance-like state. It felt like time had stopped; there were only us two. No one else existed in that moment.

I felt my skin being ripped apart from his stare, as if he had peeled back all of my inhibitions and exposed the darkest parts of my soul.

Suddenly, I felt a hot breath whisper into my ear, “Looks like you could use a drink.” An overwhelming cloud of cigarettes and alcohol engulfed me as I jolted to look at the source of the voice. The drunken brute stood inches from me with icy blue eyes, golden hair, and an aversion to personal space.

“I’ve got one, thanks,” I muttered before turning back to look at Mister Tall—I think— Dark, and Handsome, who had piqued my curiosity. But all I saw was his back as he walked hand in hand with the redhead to the cornfield, leaving me behind and alone with the blonde hulk next to me.

I clicked my tongue in disappointment and looked back at the blonde. “You know what? I’ll take you up on that drink, actually.”

I mean, why not?Lacey was playing tonsil hockey with Chad, half the crowd was engaged in an orgy, and the other half was either passed out drunk or giggling and running through the corn maze. And here I was, sober, a party-pooper, the pariah of this shindig—invisible Mila, standing by the bonfire like a fucking loser, ignoring attention all because a dark-haired snack of a man had a staring contest with me for half a second.

An intense staring contest, but nothing to read into.

“That a girl!” Blondie handed me a red Solo cup of some brownish alcohol and toasted me. “I’m Zach, by the way.”

His pearly white teeth glinted in the orange glow of the fire, making me feel a strange chill creep up my spine. He reached out for a handshake, and I reluctantly slid my hand into his.

“Mila.”

“I’ve never seen you at one of these parties before, and I would remember a pretty face like yours," he continued, devouring me with his eyes as if I were prey in a jungle.

“That’s because I don’t normally go out,” I retorted coolly, trying not to show my lack of confidence or the uncomfortable feeling of fear that was building inside me.

“And what changed your mind?” he asked, now inching closer to me. The smell of alcohol on his breath made me cringe as he lingered just inches from my face.

“See that long-legged blonde currently swallowing that guy’s face?” I pointed toward Lacey, who had her arms around Chad's neck and was kissing him passionately—no, more like licking his face.

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