Page 24 of Within Shadows
“Did you miss me, muse?” His familiar voice is different, less rough than I’m used to, but it still has me spinning around. My feet catch on a stick and I fall onto my ass just as the clouds part. Leaning against the tree, no more than two feet away, ishim.Knox is there, his face hidden beneath the mask.
“What are you doing here?” My voice wavers, giving away my unease. Knox pushes away from the tree and steps forward, the toe of his boot gently bumping the bottom of mine.
“I’m just here to answer the call of my muse. Your scream is haunting, and I had to force myself not to snap Al’s neck for it. I want to be the only reason you ever make those pretty sounds,Thalia.” He leans down, offering me his hand, but I slap it away and scramble to my feet, backing away from him.
“I’m not yours, Knox. You need to stay away from me.” I grab a broken branch from the ground, holding it out in front of me in warning. Knox takes a step closer, his head tilted as he looks me up and down.
“You are mine, as I am yours. Don’t just take my word, I’ll prove it to you in action. The way your body responds to me, begs my hands to cover your flesh, and your soul calls to mine. I know you feel it, Thalia.” His voice nearly draws me in like a moth to a flame that will only burn me alive when I surrender to it.
“I’m going to get a damn restraining order on you. I’ll tell everyone what you’re doing; your band, your image will be ruined.” My threats make no difference. Knox sighs and shrugs.
“The sick, twisted world we live in wouldn’t believe you. Or worse, fans would destroy your life, throwing out crude allegations, blaming you, or even envying you. Our society is fucked, my darling. I’m sorry.” His voice is sad, tinged with anger as he speaks, and every word is true. My shoulders sag as I back away, but Knox keeps closing the distance with his long strides. I swing the branch, and he easily catches it, wrenching it from my hands and tossing it aside.
I turn and run, forcing my feet across the uneven ground as fast as I can. My lungs burn within seconds, and I curse myself for my aversion to exercise. Deep laughter seems to come from every direction, bouncing off the trees as they taunt me. Sweat begins to drip down my back, and my steps slow when I look over my shoulder. Everything is dark, shadows sway with the breeze that ruffles the trees, and I know in my gut that I’m screwed.
Ducking a crop of low limbs, I force myself through tangled bushes and swallow back the sounds of pain from each newstinging cut. A massive fallen tree blocks my way with a one-foot gap beneath it and the ground. Making a quick decision, I manage to scramble over the tree and fall to the other side into a pile of leaves. While grateful for the soft landing, I curse the loud rustling as I flatten myself to the ground and try to hold my breath. The pounding in my chest and burning of my lungs demand that I gasp for air. The clouds finally break just enough for me to look under the fallen log, and I watch a pair of boots slowly break away from the shadows, heading right towards me.
I am so fucked; he’s going to catch me and kill me in these damn woods and nobody will ever find my body.My mind rambles as I watch him come closer, at a pace so leisurely it’s almost an insult. He suddenly stops, slightly turning as he starts humming again before walking off to my right. My breathing finally slows as I drop my forehead to my hands and nearly sob in relief.
But another part of me, something deep and twisted, felt athrillbeing chased. I make a mental note to finally take my mom up on finding a decent therapist if I make it home alive. I slowly push myself up onto my hands and knees, shaking as I take every movement slow. Something clamps onto my ankle and yanks, dragging me away from my pathetic hiding spot as I kick and scream.
“I found you, muse,” Knox says with pride as he grabs my wrist to pull me up to his chest. “You are more enchanting than any prize I could have scoured this earth for.”
Chapter 15
Knox
Her eyes are so wide it’s almost comical. Watching her skirt sway as she got to her knees nearly had me folding to the ground behind her. I can’t decide if I want to watch her prance around in her costume or see it ripped to pieces on my bedroom floor. I notice red welts and scrapes covering her arms and even her face, and I stop, frowning as I look her over.
“We need to get those cleaned up. Did you crawl through a thornbush?” I shake my head, and her fight slips as she gives me a dumbfounded expression.
“You chased me through the woods, I was running for my life. Why do you care if I’m hurt? You’re just going to kill me.” Her voice breaks and a piece of my heart follows it. I grip both of her upper arms and pull her against my chest until she has to crane her head back to stare up at my mask.
“The things I plan to do with you will have your heart racing, but you’ll beg for more. But to kill you, Thalia? Never. No one will ever hurt you again, and the only pain I’ll give you is the kind you enjoy, baby.” I push my forehead against hers, but Maeve tries to shrink away from me, and irritation puts me on edge.
“So you’ll just let me go right now if I say no?” The hopefulness in her words almost makes me consider it.Almost.
“Let me be clear, I won’t fuck you until you beg me to. And you will. But no matter what, you belong to me.” Leaning closer, I push my mask against her throat as I take a long, deep breath. “You smell fucking delicious,” I groan, and she tenses. Before I can pull away, Maeve makes her move. Nails scrape against my throat and jaw, catching beneath the mask as she rips it from my face. While I was distracted, losing myself in her, she was plotting.
My hair tumbles from where it was pinned back by the mask, and I sigh, leaning back to stare down at her. Call it divine intervention, or my karma, the clouds part and moonlightshines down where we stand in a break between the trees. The expression on her face morphs from curious triumph to betrayal.
“No,” she whimpers, lip trembling as she slackens in my grip. I wrap my arms around her as she shakes her head, her fists pounding against my sides as tears stream down her face, smudging her makeup even more.
“Get away from me! You’re fucked in the head, Garrett!” she cries, weakly trying to push away from me. Even through the depth of her hurt, I can feel the way her body relaxes. Trusting the face she knows behind the mask. After the shock slowly wears off, her crying slows, and Maeve finally speaks as I pull back.
“Which is it? Knox, or Garrett?” she asks, staring at me with so much intensity that all I want to do is kiss and hold her.
“Which do you prefer?” I ask, tilting my head. I keep one arm wrapped securely around her as I reach up to pull a stray piece of hair from where it’s stuck to her cheek.
“Neither. I don’t know who you are.” Her chest jerks with a hiccup, and I groan.
“Fuck, that is adorable.” I drop my forehead to hers, and she stiffens. “Let's get you home and washed up, then I’ll answer your questions.” I suggest, trying to turn her and guide us out of the woods. Maeve plants her feet angrily and slams an elbow into my ribs. I grunt against the sharp pain but don’t loosen my hold on her.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Yes, you are. These woods aren’t safe.”
“You’re the most dangerous creature out here,” she says stubbornly. Before I can say anything, a soft howl comes from behind us in the distance. Maeve sucks in a sharp breath and leans harder into my side before she realizes it.
