Page 38 of Within Shadows
“You want to go for a late-night jog, in boots, through the dark and creepy woods?” I snort, thinking he’s joking. When I turn my head, my smile drops when I see the look in his eyes. He isnotjoking.
“I want to see if you can make it through these woods and back to the house before I catch you.” He speaks so calmly, but there’s a darkness in his words. It excites and terrifies me.
“What if I get lost?” I ask.
“I’ll always find you, even if I have to scour every inch of this fucking earth. There’s nowhere you can go that I wouldn’t follow.” His words are comforting and also slightly unnerving.
“What if you catch me?” I slowly stand, brushing my hands on my pants nervously. Knox gets to his feet in one fluid motion and grabs the front of my shirt, yanking me to him until our shoes brush.
“WhenI catch you, these woods will echo you screaming my name for all of eternity.” He growls the words and releases his hold on me. My legs nearly turn to jello as I stagger back a step as Knox rolls his shoulders, unbuttoning his shirt further as I take another shaky step backwards. He flips the corner of the blanketup and pulls out his mask, slipping it over his face and crossing his arms tight enough to make his muscles bulge.
“Go on, muse. I can’t wait to make you scream.”
Fuuuuuuck.
Chapter 24
Maeve
Why am I still running? I could just give up and get naked at this point, but there’s a primal survival instinct inside of me screaming to run faster. My lungs are burning and the stitch in my side is threatening to rip me in half, not to mention the sweat dripping down my cleavage. He could start a fitness program and make millions just chasing women through the woods with his veiny arms and that damn mask.
The loud crunch of a stick breaking behind me cuts through my thoughts and has me pumping my arms harder. I sprint around a tree and immediately skid to a stop, nearly tripping over fallen branches to keep myself from running face-first into a massive tree. My head whips around as I decide which way is fastest to get around when a haunting voice starts singing behind and to my right.
“Over it is,” I hiss, scrambling up onto the tree. Chunks of rotted bark tear away under my hands as I struggle to find purchase and heft myself up. Taking a deep breath, I swing one leg over, but when I try to swing my right leg, a hand wraps around my ankle and tugs. I scream, throwing my body sideways to escape.
Thankfully I land in a bed of damp leaves and roll onto my back in time to see Knox crouched on the tree, his head tilted as his shoulders shake with quiet laughter.
My heart thunders in my chest as I scramble to get my feet under me, running away with renewed energy. “You’re an asshole!” I shout over my shoulder, grinning when I hear his snarl. I veer to the right, breathing hard and fast as I push my body to its limit.
“Thalia!” Knox roars, charging straight at me as I glance over my shoulder. When he gets close, I lunge to the left and dive under a fallen log, flinching when a sharp stick tears across my thigh. The burn is quickly pushed to the back of my mind as Knox slows and I put distance between us. Darting between thetrees is harder than it looks in the movies, and my legs slow to a light jog. My steps slow, but I can’t hear him chasing me; my heartbeat is as loud as thunder in my ears, and my ragged breaths fill the quiet forest. I duck behind a tree, bracing my hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath, but that’s when I finally see it. There are lights ahead, and in the last glimmer of daylight, I can see the metal fence that surrounds Knox’s property.
I grin and take a deep breath, shoving off the tree towards victory.
“So close, little muse.” His voice is right at my ear, and my scream is cut short as he cups a hand over my mouth and wrenches my back against his chest. His throaty chuckle sends a chill down my spine as I try to thrash and break free but stop when he grinds his erection against my ass.
“Watching the glimmer of hope in your eyes, with that cute little smirk on those plump lips, I almost couldn’t hold myself back. I wanted to slam you to this tree and fuck you senseless.” His arm around my waist tightens, and I crane my head to the side, staring into the depths of the skull mask. I shift and intentionally press my backside against him, biting my lip to hide a smile. Knox groans, snagging my ponytail with one hand to wrench my head back while his other hand flattens against my stomach, inching beneath my shirt.
His rough hand leaves a trail of heat in its wake as he reaches higher, over my ribs and beneath my bra. He cups my breast, pinching the nipple hard enough to make me suck in a sharp breath. Knox releases the torment, turning his hand to grip my collar from inside my shirt and drops his hold on my hair.
“Don’t move.” His tone leaves no room for argument. The soft sound of a blade unsheathing makes my head turn, and Knox clicks his tongue, warning me. I watch as he brings a knife towards my chest, the blade longer than my hand and sharpenough to make me flinch as he rests it against my shirt. With one motion, he splits the front of my shirt and pulls the front of my bra up.
“Wait a minute—” Before I can finish, he cuts through one of my brand new bras. “Knox, what the hell!” I try to turn in his grip, but he puts the knife to my throat, using the back of it so all I feel is the cold of the blade as he grips my hair once again. He turns us until I’m facing a tree and uses his chest to push me forward, forcing me to grab the tree for support.
“You nearly ran off the edge, Muse.” His voice shakes, and I frown, trying and failing to turn my head so I can look at him. “Do you realize how close you came? If I hadn’t called your name...” He swallows hard and my heart tightens behind my ribs. He wasafraid.
“Knox, I had no idea.” My throat tightens and I struggle to swallow, even as his hand holding the knife drops lower, and he uses the tip to flick open the button on my jeans. He lifts his arm and plunges the knife into the tree before taking my hand and wrapping it around the hilt. Knox slowly tugs my pants down until they pool around my ankle.
He grips my hips and helps me shuffle back a few steps until my back is bowing and I have a death grip on the knife to keep from face-planting to the ground. The sound of his zipper makes my pulse jump as I clench my thighs, adrenaline still flooding me from the chase is only making everything more intense. Feeling the heat from the head of his cock press against me makes my arms tremble as I try to spread my legs further.
A bird flies overhead and I jump from the sudden burst of sound, and Knox takes that moment to ram his hips forward. My mouth drops open on a silent cry at the overwhelming sensation of being stretched to my limit. Knox leans his body over mine, reaching one hand up to cup my breast and pressing the other between my thighs. He swirls his fingers around my clit and Irelease a whimper, my body rocking as he starts to thrust slowly. His pace becomes punishing between one breath and the next, stealing every one of my senses.
The panted cries he draws from me echo in the woods, joined by his deep, guttural moans that shiver straight to my core.
“That’s right, muse. Make those pretty noises for me, let me hear you,” he grunts, pistoning his hips into me and matching speed with his fingertips. My knees buckle as stars burst behind my closed eyes, his name a scream on my lips as I tumble from the edge. Strong arms band around me, holding me to him as his movements become erratic and he buries his face in my neck.
“Thalia,” he groans, his body jerking as he fills me with his release. The sound of him moaning my name damn near sends me headfirst into another orgasm as we both pant, struggling to catch our breath in the dark woods. I peel my hand away from the knife, grimacing as I open and close my aching hand. Knox gently pulls out of me and helps peel my ripped shirt and bra off my shoulders before unbuttoning and tugging his shirt off. His mask drops to the woods beside us and catches the rising moonlight. He pulls his shirt over my head and bends low, kissing my cheeks, nose, and forehead as he buttons it shut.
I giggle and wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder as he pulls my pants back on and fastens them. The warm, wet puddle that gathers in my panties makes my lip curl, but at the moment I’m too happy to care. Knox takes my sore hand in his and frowns at the heated skin on my palm. He easily wrenches the knife from the tree and puts it back into the sheath on his hip.
