Page 12 of Beneath the Starlight and Storms

As if he knows it’s a lie I just spun, amusement flashes in his eyes, along with a challenging look.

“Then prove it.”

CHAPTER4

“What?”I frown at his challenging stare.

“I’ll even give you a head start and point you in the right direction.” He steps closer and searches my face for something before glancing behind me.

“Head straight through those trees, pass that bush you were heading for and keep moving until you come to the garden. It sits directly behind the house. Only a few more steps and you’re free.”

Free…I glance behind me and swallow hard as I try to see past the thick trees of the forest to get a glimpse of the house. But it’s too dark, the trees too thick to see beyond it.

“You could be lying,” I tell him, questioning his motive. He could be sending me in the wrong direction or tricking me with this farce of a game.

“Do you think I’m lying?” He asks with a softness to his voice.

I glance back at him. His soft voice is a vast contrast to the possessive, dark gleam in his eyes that reveals one thing… If he is telling the truth, he wasn’t going to give up easily.

Why I was even considering this idiotic idea made no sense. But if I really thought about it, I was going to try to escape anyway. Trying it his way could possibly give me a quicker way out.

I pin him with a hard look. But it seems to be all he needs as an answer as he takes a step back, a slow grin sliding across his face.

“Ten…”

I glare at him as his eyes light with delight. Of course, the bastard would only give me a ten second head start. I should have known better than to have an ounce of hope.

But even with his short head start, I would not give up. I would run as fast as I could and make it.

“You should be running,” he sings, taking another step back from me, his eyes glittering with mirth.

Damn him.

That grin grows into a look of wicked delight as I take a step away from him, my movements hesitant as I keep a watchful eye on him.

“Nine…”

I narrow my eyes on him before swiftly turning and running as fast and as far as I can toward the house.

“Eight…” Hook shouts from somewhere behind me, the delight in his tone only pushing me to go faster. Even when my legs soon tire, and my feet start to turn numb.

“Seven…” His distant laughter follows me as I weave around the trees. I push on, ignoring the tremble in my legs and the cold night air as it seeps into my bones.

I no longer hear Hook and his taunting countdown, and my sliver of hope grows. Only to soon fade as I hear multiple twigs break behind me.

I try to listen out as I keep moving but quickly notice that I’m slowing down as I try to hone in on the sound that is now moving closer and closer in my direction.

Something that shouldn’t be able to move that quickly. At least, nothing human.

The thought of wild beasts laying hidden within the forest never crossed my mind until now.

An extra dose of adrenaline rushes through my system at the thought and I pick up my speed once more, pushing my body beyond its limits.

Just as my energy starts to wane, I spot the edge of the garden and grit my teeth as I press on, the possibility of my freedom giving me the extra push I need to keep going.

With a renewed sense of energy, I rush toward it, my eyes marking three thick trees spread out before it.

I move past the first one, ignoring the wild beast behind me as it moves closer. I quickly reach the second tree while my mind already moves to the last one I need to pass before I reach the garden.

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