Page 2 of Hysteria Rises
On a gasp, I whirl around, scrambling haphazardly away from the hysteria. I give no care to the branchesthat reach out to snag at me, letting them tear at my skin. A shriek rips through the night.Faster. Move faster.Lightning streaks across the sky, illuminating the dense woods for a split second as thunder cracks, but not enough to give me any indication what else could be hiding there. What the actual fuck have I stumbled upon?
Before I can take another breath, a second bolt of lightning slices jaggedly from the clouds above. I skid to a stop, blinking into the inky void. Rain hits my face like the prick of a thousand needles while I fervently pray they won’t give chase—that they’ll just let me go. But I can’t deny I wonder both where they came from… and what the hell they’re all doing out here.
I sidestep, obscuring myself behind a tree, glad my T-shirt is black and my jeans are dark. Yet somehow, from deep in the gloom, I get the eerie feeling they know exactly where I am. They’re watching me. Waiting for my next move—whoever they are.Whateverthey are.
Just then, a bloodcurdling scream shakes me to my core. Eyes wide, I dart out from my hiding place with my heart cramming itself upward and lodging inside my throat. I’m so intent on my escape, I almost miss the log blocking my path. I manage to hurdle it, expecting my foot to find earth on the other side. Instead, down, down, down I go, ass over head, in a gasping, tangled mass of limbs. Pain explodes in my temple, and I cry out as everything goes black.
I have no way of knowing how long I’ve been lying here when whispers bring me back from the edge. Undiluted panic builds in my chest. Those same voices I heard before are right here, close enough to raise goose bumps on my skin and make it crawl all at once. My ears are ringing, I can’t concentrate on a word they’re saying. The thumping in my head quickens. I must be skating along a very thin line between consciousness and oblivion.
Nothing makes sense. Not the whispered conversation swirling around me, not anything in my range of sight when my heavy eyelids lift, then drop closed again.
The rain continues, the noise of the storm muffling the voices surrounding me and making it impossible to decipher much of anything.
I moan, unable to do anything but wince at the battering my head is taking. My eyelashes flutter for a split second, but my head swims and my vision is badly blurred. Every drag of air I pull into my lungs hurts in a way that terrifies me. Lips trembling, I croak out the only words I can. “P-please help me.”
As I lie here, knowing full well that I’m at their mercy, warm skin touches my face above and below myright eye. A moment later, it’s forced open. My chest jerks in surprise. A muscular body is braced over my upper half, shielding me from the rain… and a feverish gaze set behind a black mask—the wolf—watches me, unblinking. For several long, nerve-racking moments, he doesn’t budge. Not so much as a millimeter, with the exception of breathing. Those exhalations of air from between his lips coast along my cheek as he cocks his head to the side.
My lungs have completely screeched to a halt. A guttural sound rumbles from the man above me. Panic surges.Oh god. Chest jerking,a nervous swallow works its way down my throat. As I shake, my focus lowers to the unconcealed portion of his face. Full, soft-looking lips hover not far from my own. They’re pulled into a tight, pinched line. Stubble coats his jawline. His face lowers.
I let out a weak, strangled cry. “No!” It’s a last ditch effort, but I’m positive it’s futile. Because not only does this guy not even flinch… but from the way my head is swimming, I’m about to pass out again. And then who knows what he’ll do to me—whatthey’lldo to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the other three men approaching.
All at once, the wolf man caging me between his arms wrenches his hand from my face and pushes upward. Without looking, I sense that he’s gotten to his feet and backed away. I take one careful, slow breath after another. Despite the pain streaking through me, I know I have to look, need to knowwhat’s happening. More angry whispers. Will they leave me here to die?
This time, I fight like hell to open both eyes. The glimpse it gives me is unnerving. A short distance away, the wolf stalks toward the other three. None of them have noticed me struggling to watch them yet. My brow furrows in concentration. They appear to be having a heated discussion, so while they tear into each other, I take in everything I can. Bare to the waists, their skin practically glows under the moonlight. My vision grows foggy. Then, as I slip slowly from consciousness again, the argument escalates.
“I’m taking her home.” The insistent rasp leaves no room for questions.
Barely able to hang on, another voice drifts to me, murmuring low this time. Softer. “Yeah, they’ll want her. You know they’ll fuckin’ want her.”
TWO
HAYZE
This unexpected interruptionof our ritual is a harbinger of trouble. I sense it with every fiber of my being. My jaw clenches hard as I admit something else to myself—Cross likely isn’t wrong. The Collective—the leaders of our commune—will be interested in what we found in the depths of the woods. In fact, I know what the reaction will be when I bring havoc in female form to the compound.
I silently grumble to myself as I cast my gaze to the right, watching Cross’s tall form as he strides purposefully in the direction opposite the main building with Arrow at his side. There’s no longer any sign of Malakai. Prickly fuck that he is, he’s already disappeared into the trees. Not a problem. He can do what he likes. He’s probably sulking. Brooding over what he’ll perceive as yet another slight against him. Well, he can pitch a fucking fit about my decision. I don’t give a rat’s ass what hethinks. Malakai has no authority over me—or anyone. He doesn’t get to change the rules set forth for us.
And if there’s one thing I absolutely amnotgoing to let happen, it’ll be giving in to him. Malakai won’t be the one to take this girl back to the Collective. No fucking way. I spotted her first. He’d been too busy unfastening his pants and pulling out his cock in his pursuit of Eight. He hadn’t even noticed the girl fleeing from meorthat she wasn’t one of ours until I got to her.
The rain muffles all sounds of the forest until a twig snaps violently behind me. Whirling around, I find none other than Malakai, chest rising and falling rapidly as he stares daggers at me. Strands of wet shoulder-length blond hair frame his face—or rather, the mask he wears—but it’s not the tangled tresses I notice so much as I do the indignant fury filling his eyes.
“What are you going to tell them?” His jaw locks below his half mask.
I roll my eyes, annoyance surging to the surface. “About what?”
“Don’t play dumb,” he growls.
“I’d never.” My lips curve into what I know is exactly the sort of obnoxious smile that will rile him even further. I know what he’s getting at. I didn’t let him just have her. But she’snothis to claim. The reality is that no one ownsanythingwithin the compound. I shrug, finally relenting. “I’ll obviously let them know she appeared out of nowhere.” Pausing, I can’t helpmyself when I finish, “And also how you were a pain in the ass about it when I called a halt to the Hunting.”
“Asshole,” he hisses, lip curling. “You shouldn’t be the one to make decisions. You haven’t ever done anything but what your father tells you to do.”
I work my jaw to the side. That’s what I’msupposedto do. “The fact that the Collective say I’m in charge when we leave the compound is all you need to worry about. It’s up to them. Always. But you can think what you like. To be honest, your opinion isn’t important.” Needing to make my point, I take a quick step toward him, then lift the opposite leg and plant the flat of my foot on the hard wall of his lower abdomen, shoving him away from me with all my might. “Now take a fucking seat.” He stumbles, then lands on his ass in the mud. Ruthless? Yes. But a fitting repercussion for his insolence.
He remains still as a statue, there in the muck, his gaze lethal as it moves from me to the stranger. To be fair, I don’t know what’ll go down upon my return about our surprising discovery. I only know I did what needed to be done.
“The Collective decides exactly what protocol will be in this situation.” We live by their rules. We owe them everything. This life—everything we are given—comes from them. “What’s mine is yours.” I pause, waiting for Malakai to finish the exchange.
It takes him several seconds before he finally bites out, “And what’s yours is mine.” His chest heaves as his gaze narrows. “Watch your back.”
