Page 67 of Hysteria Rises
For several long seconds, I fight for air until I finally press my hand to my heart and feel its beat under my palm. Determination to pull out of this on my own rushes through me. Lips dry, I slide my tongue over them as I attempt to calm myself and shove the all-consuming fear down. Pressing a few fingertips to my temple, my head swims sickly with the memory of all the things that happened out there. What I witnessed. And what I escaped.
I did it. I killed him and I’m not even sorry. My thoughts divert to the man I left bleeding out among the trees and mud.
Fuck him, anyway. He got what was coming to him.
THIRTY-SEVEN
DELILAH
The frantic thuddingof my heart only serves to mark each agonizing second that passes. I have no idea how long we’ve been waiting outside this door in the looming darkness, but I figure it must be near midnight. Not helping matters is that we’re shivering with the cold, and overhead, the cloud cover blocks any sliver of moon that might otherwise be visible. Despite the cooling temperature and the wind that’s picked up in the last few minutes, my palms slicken with sweat. A storm is coming—in more ways than one.
Oh my god. I have to go back intothosewoods.
All those days ago—another lifetime ago—when I first stumbled upon these men among the trees in the middle of the night, I hadn’t understood the chaos unfolding before me. This time, though… I’m part of what I think might be some sort of deviant breeding ritual.
There are four of us waiting for hell to find us.And I don’t want to think about how many men will be involved. These crazy fuckers intend to turn us loose in these woods and make a sport of catching us.
Twenty-two is absent—there’s no reason for her to be here. At that thought, I grow shaky, studying those who are present again. There’s not a severe bun in sight. Instead, all hair is loose, flowing around shoulders. It’s jarring. They look so different than they had just a few hours ago. Correction:welook so different, because I’m now included in their numbers.
Also gone are the shapeless cream-colored or gray shifts, replaced by sheer white gowns. We’re nearly fuckingangelic. Anxiety has me in its jaws like a lion set to tear out my throat.
Lips trembling,I look around, my arms crossed in front of my chest. Anticipation floats all around us on the wind, but I can’t tell what any of the other three women are thinking. I want to scream at them to talk to me. Fill me the fuck in. How is this going to go? Butno. Sixteen and Eight stand on either side of me and seem contemplative. Almost serene. Twenty-one paces a few feet away, her back to us. Slowly, she turns, a peculiar smile on her face, her eyes bright. Strangely, the vibe I get from her is excitement.
I exhale hard, taking a page from Twenty-one’s book and begin to pace to give myself something to do. Each time I separate from the other women, I tread a little farther away, venturing to the corner of the building before pivoting on my heel to return. I look off into the distance, blinking into theinky dark to scan the tree line. I can’t believe I’m going to end up out there again. A violent shudder rattles my bones, and a shiver of unease teases its way down my spine.
I stare at the three women waiting with me. Which of them did I see flitting through the trees the last time? I recall how the men were giving chase but not much else except the frightened look in her eyes. I’d wager all three were out there, somewhere, experiencing god knows what. Closing my eyes, I shake my head, despair washing over me.I don’t want any part of this.
Out of nowhere, all the air whooshes from my lungs, and I’m pulled backward by an arm banded around my midsection. Before I can make a sound, a hand muffles my cry. “You’re okay. Shh.”
Hayze.For a moment, he simply holds me against him as I drag in one chaotic breath after another. The warmth of his skin seeps into me, only the gauzy fabric of my gown between us. He shifts, turning a bit, and my eyes widen as soon as I spot Cross, Arrow, and Malakai hovering near a partially open door, also nude from the waist up. Hayze sets me on my feet a moment later and spins me around. His palm still serves to silence me, but the other hand cups my cheek as he ducks his head, meeting my questioning gaze head-on. “Can you remain quiet?”
Surprise courses through me, but I nod. A moment later, his hand slides downward, and I draw in a gasping breath. Otherwise, he doesn’t move an inch. There’s a sense of urgency rolling off him in waves as he staresintently into my eyes. “I don’t know why I’m here,” he mumbles quickly, biting down on his lip. “I don’t know what it is about you that makes me take fucking risks, but I had to make sure you understand what’s at stake.”
I blink, shaking my head. I’m speechless. Terrified.
“There’s something about you. Whether it’s because you’re new or something else, I don’t know. But every man out there will stop at nothing—and I meannothing— so they canhaveyou. They won’t stop until they’re satisfied.”
My heart trips all over itself in my chest. The thought of what I’ll be subjected to if I’m caught makes my stomach twist into knots.
He glances toward the other sons, the ones I believe are his friends—brothers?—then returns his attention back to me, lips pressed together so tightly, they’re leached of blood. “Listen to me. If you can hide well enough—long enough—I’ll come for you. I’ll be the wolf.”
My brows crash together, none of the synapses in my brain working properly.
“Mymask.” When I stare at him, words caught in my throat, he gives me a little shake. “Do you understand, Twenty-three?” His whispered question floats between us, and I stare intently into the blue pool of his eyes, seeing there the man I felt something for even when I knew I shouldn’t.
I give him a swift nod, and in that moment, something comes over me. There’s a part of me that doesn’twant to go out into those woods as just another oftheirwomen. I can’t stop what bursts from my lips. “Delilah. My name isDelilah.”
Shock reverberates through his gaze, almost as if it had never before occurred to him that I might have a name of my own. “Delilah?” he rasps out, like he’s trying it on for size. Raking a hand through his hair as his lips curve ever so slightly.
“Hayze!” His name is a shouted whisper, mostly drowned out by the wind that is picking up. Back at the door, Cross’s eyes dart between the two of us, his hand beckoning.
Frustration slips over Hayze’s features, and his gaze drops to my lips before flicking back up to search my eyes. And then, his lips are on mine, feather soft but full of agony, leaving me disoriented when he pulls away to grit out, “I have to go. There will be a horn that sounds. When it does, take off as fast as you can. I’ll come for you.” Unsure what to make of anything he’s said or done in the last minute, I simply let his words play on repeat in my head as he urges me back toward the other women with a gentle nudge of his hand to my lower back.I’ll come for you.His words repeat in my head, giving me hope that I might get through this.
When I rejoin the women a moment later, I’m greeted with a flurry of hand movements by Eight and Sixteen. Twenty-one simply shakes her head, a twisted grin reaching her lips. I have no idea what the othertwo are trying to tell me, but a sharp blast of a horn has fear slicing through me.
As a unit, we surge forward, running across the damp grass.Run.I break off from the others, figuring I’ll have a better chance of hiding myself if I’m alone. Pushing hard, I sprint for the cover of the forest. A shout from somewhere behind me has terror lodged in my throat like I’m choking. Then finally, I plunge through the tree line and into the deepest dark.
Slowing for a moment, I blink, trying to acclimate myself to my surroundings at the same time I gather my wits about me.Use your head, Delilah.
