Page 6 of Seducer

As I backed away, fixing my dress, he made no attempt to capture me as he’d done before, standing stoically and waiting to see what I’d do. There was only one chance I had of saving my soul.

Running.

I turned and fled, sprinting at full speed until my heart was chasing breaths as my mind filed with horrible images of what he could do to me if I was caught. I lunged forward, darting a single look over my shoulder.

He continued advancing, the glow of his menacing fake features something that would haunt me for weeks to come. There was no sound other than the hard rush of my ragged breathing, the bursting pulse of my heart hammering in my chest. I bolted up a sidewalk, rushing toward the front door of a house with lights on inside.

I pounded on the door, frantic for anyone to help me.

Play the game. Play the game.

No one came to provide assistance.

Turning, I noticed he was taking his time walking up the driveway, as if he had all the time in the world. I pounded three more times, praying the door would open.

It didn’t.

So I turned and fled again, this time racing around the corner of the house into the darkened woods lining the property and every other one on the street. Perhaps I wasn’t thinking clearly, continuing my path into the denseness of the forest, but all I could think about was escaping the monster. If I didn’t, there’d be no recourse.

I’d belong to him forever.

The slender moon barely lit the way. I stumbled not once but twice, almost falling to my knees. I saved myself, but not before being caught by a group of briars. A moan gave my position away, the pain biting as I freed myself.

I heard his footsteps, his dark laugh. He was finally chasing me. Hunting me.

Eager and ready to capture his prey.

Run. Run.

That’s all I could think about as I zigged and zagged, finally tripping on a fallen limb. As I fell to the ground, all the air was knocked from my lungs. This was exactly like the game, the level I’d reached the last time I’d dared play Dark Nights. I laughed bitterly, the sound breaching the darkness.

“Come here, kitty kitty,” he growled.

Dear God. He was only a few feet away. I scrambled to the side, using a large oak tree as a hiding place. With effort, I controlled my breathing, remaining silent so I could hear his approach.

Only I didn’t hear anything except the tickle of the breeze flowing through the overhead canopy of leaves.

But he was there. I could feel him. I could almost detect him breathing.

The utter silence was killing me. Seconds ticked by. Minutes.

Staying here was the end game. I was certain of it. The final chapter in a real life play I’d wanted yet had no business playing.

Fear was my motivator, the desire to win coming in a close second. He would not beat me.

As soon as I took off running, the crushing heat of the man and his body was right behind me. There was no time to react, no chance at screaming for help.

He was on me, the mark of a powerful man who’d learned to lie in wait.

The air was knocked from my lungs as I was tossed against a tree. With one hand wrapped around my throat, he held me in place, never flinching as I pummeled my hands against his chest.

“As I told you. Time is up, Wild Kitty. You will always be my prize, my perfect prize.” He captured my mouth, instantly thrusting his tongue between my lips and gritted teeth. With all sense of rationality lost, I succumbed to my body’s betrayal, slowly sliding my arms around his shoulders. As I arched my back, he swallowed my moan as he consumed every inch of my mouth.

There was no turning back time, no chance to alter the finish.

When he pulled away, I gasped for air, so lost that nothing seemed real any longer.

I didn’t need to see his real eyes to know he’d just made a decision, altering the course of my future.

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