Page 51 of Cast in Shadow
I got out of the Jeep and turned my attention to the trail. A walking warm up was out of the question today. I was in the mood for a hard burn, so the minute the ground shifted from asphalt to combed dirt beneath my feet, I broke into a jog.
It was still dark out, and this particular trail wasn’t exactly well lit. That was half the reason I chose it. The idea of meeting Emerson, intentionally, had this taboo element that lit up my nerve endings. Taboo things happened in the dark, away from prying eyes.
Plus, if anyone or anything was stupid enough to come at me on that trail, well, it was their funeral.
When my muscles felt nice and warm, I picked up the pace. The only way to stay in shape was to put in the work, even for a powerful witch with healing magic. And yeah, sometimes, the work sucked, which was why I usually ran with music. Running without it was a reminder of how much of the natural world I missed when I cranked the tunes.
Of course, communing with nature wasn’t always the goal. Some days I had to turn the music up just to keep moving. There was something about the right beat and the right volume. It carried its own kind of magic, pumping motivation and drive into my system even when I wasn’t feeling up to it.
I was less than ten minutes in when a sliver of warning slithered down my spine. The trail looked empty in the pre-dawn darkness, but I got the sudden crawling sense that I wasn’t alone. I scanned my surroundings without slowing my pace,throwing a quick glance over my shoulder. A fine sheen of sweat had formed on my neck and back, giving my heated skin an unsettling shot of cold when the breeze shifted my way.
There was no clear visual sign anyone was out there, but that warning tingle would not relent.
After another minute or so, the trail split into a slightly rougher four-mile loop. The path on the left would take me uphill first. The path on the right would take me down.
Did I want a harder climb to try to lose whoever or whatever was following me because of the effort? Or did I want the gentle downward slope for speed?
Neither, actually. Because I would ultimately end up running right back to this point. Which made this fork in the trail the perfect place to lay in wait.
I stopped abruptly and turned in a slow circle as I tried to steady my breath. I wasn’t winded yet, but my senses were alive with the knowledge that someone was out there watching me, which seemed to amplify everything. Except that eerie feeling sliding across my sticky skin was still all I had. There was no whisper of magic hiding in the trees. No pungent scent of a lingering attacker.
The fine hairs on the back of my neck rose. Whatever was out there was dangerous.
“I know you’re there,” I called.
My stalker surely already knew that from the way I’d turned and scanned the area, but it was still worth saying aloud, if only for my own peace of mind. Plus, if there were any other non-threatening runners and walkers out this early, hopefully it would serve as a warning to them.
I stood there waiting for something to reveal itself, inhaling the nip of cold and the wild scent of forest around me with each breath. Leaves rustled in the crisp breeze, and my skin broke out in goosebumps when another wave of awareness hit me.
Adrenaline spiked in my veins as I wheeled around, and there he was. Emerson. Fifty-paces away. Dressed in black joggers and a fitted black t-shirt. Wearing an expression that made my pulse trip.
Hungry was the only way to describe it, and the gleam in his eyes promised trouble.
When he didn’t move, I eased my mental barriers down.“Is everything okay?”
He rolled his bottom lip between his teeth.“I brought my running shoes,”he said in my head, his voice deliciously wicked.“Now run, Sai. Fast as you can.”
Electricity raced up my spine. I spun and took off without thinking. Within a minute, my heart was beating bloody bruises against my ribcage.
Alarm and excitement warred within me as I pushed my muscles harder. My logical brain said I should stop this. Encouraging a demon to chase me—to hunt me—was so incredibly foolish. But that other part of my brain, the only one that was left functioning when all my blood rushed to other places, was too caught up in the thrill to care.
Fear was an excellent motivator, except now, I wasn’t really afraid for my life anymore. I had been once, for a very long time. Now, I was afraid of what Emerson would make me feel if he caught me.
That thought was almost enough to pull me to a stop. My feet stuttered and I tripped. It was pure luck that I was able to catch myself before gravity dragged me down, and when I righted myself, I shot off the path into the trees.
I could hear him behind me. With every labored thump of my heart and every rapidly shallowing breath, he was gaining on me.
It was clear what he wanted. His lust pulsed through our connection like a heartbeat all its own. The sensation made mynipples pull tight in my sports bra, and the ache between my legs was getting harder and harder to ignore.
The man had an undeniable effect on me, but just because my body craved him, it didn’t mean my heart would survive this game.
But what if I wasn’t the only one risking something here? Through the lust, I could feel Emerson’s longing, and it wasn’t just sexual.
My heart lurched. I knew that longing. I’d lived with it. Breathed it in deep. Barely survived beneath the crushing force of it. It was the kind of longing that had left me curled in a ball in an empty bed for days at a time after I’d left him.
The kind that made a person sick and half-crazy.
If I let him catch me, it might just ruin us both.
