Page 74 of Light As A Feather
“I will. But first, I need to do what I came for.”
“Now,” I insist—attempting to sound more confident than I feel—and press my trembling hand against Jayden’s chest togive myself enough space to slip past him when the opportunity presents itself.
“It won’t take long.” Jayden leans down to reach for something, and I see my chance. As he twists to his right, I take off to his left. “Motherfucker,” he mumbles under his breath. Within seconds, he’s in pursuit of me.
The house is big with a lot of options for hiding, but we both know it like the back of our hands. Whoever’s inside Jayden will use that information to their advantage. The forest, though, there I have an advantage, so I race out the back door, turning the table over behind me in a pathetic effort to slow him down. Despite nearly twisting my ankle taking the stairs at breakneck speed, I don’t stop, barely daring to glance over my shoulder as I head for the tree line.
“There’s no point in running,” he growls as he closes the distance between us. You wouldn’t know his soccer days were long in his past, the way he effortlessly pursues me.
Weaving in and out of trees, I attempt to lose him or at least confuse him, so he has to slow down to get his bearings. Each breath rakes through my chest, but I don’t stop. If I can just get a bit deeper before he catches up to me, it’ll give me a better chance of hiding. Risking a glance over my shoulder, the sherbet glow of the setting sun makes it difficult to see, but between squinted eyes, I catch the gleam of a knife’s edge.Fuck.
That premonition of me stumbling down the stairs comes to mind.Is it possible I missed a bleeding wound?My heart is hammering, my side cramping, a painful reminder of just how vulnerable I am. Regardless of whether it’s inevitable, I don’t intend to make it easy for him to catch me.
The forest grows denser around us, evident by the constantthwackof greenery whipping against our arms and legs as we sprint recklessly. One minute I’m on my feet, and the next, the ground is racing up to meet me. Landing face first in the dirt, theimpact knocks the wind out of me, forcing me to take a gulping breath and sucking in debris that I choke out noisily. I have about five seconds before Jayden tramples me.
Crawling behind a large redwood, I cover my mouth and nose with my sleeve, trying to dull my heavy breathing. The sun has set now, and while that should be an advantage, if Jayden is possessed, which I’m nearly positive of, he’ll have much better sight than I do. My best bet is to remain as still as possible until he hopefully moves on.
“Solaneen,” his whisper is a mocking roar. “Where are you, Little Dove?” He sighs with disappointment. “It’s an unfortunate inconvenience that he’s found a way to keep me at bay. I can’tsenseyou like I usually would. I had to get creative. But it’s just that, an inconvenience. It’s not going to stop me. Borrowing this body even has its perks.”
Tears spring from my eyes at the familiar nickname. The situation I’ve found myself in is even worse than I thought.
“Come to me and make this easier on both of us. You’re so passionate about having a choice, I’m giving you one. Come out and I’ll make it quick. You won’t even have time to process the pain. If you keep hiding from me, Solaneen, I will make a show of claiming you as mine.”
My limbs lock, keeping me tucked behind this tree, gripping its bark, begging it to keep me safe, while adrenaline pulses through me, urging me to run, to put my faith in myself. In my wavering indecision, my weight shifts, and a stick snaps beneath my foot.
I dart in the other direction, but he’s on me quickly, long fingers tangling in my loose hair. I bounce back against his chest with force. He brings the knife in front of me, holding it horizontally and tilting it so it catches the moonlight, allowing our eyes to meet in the threatening metal.
“A deal is a deal, Little Dove. And you would rob me of that? You would go back on your word?” He tsks. “When we first met, I was drawn to your candor, but you’ve been corrupted by your desires. You’ve become lustful and greedy. It’s such a shame, really.”
“Fuck you.”
“And that mouth. We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we? Maybe you’ll even enjoy it. We both know how much you seem to love being on your knees.” His smile is leering. “Quite the whore you’ve become, haven’t you?” His words are flies landing on my skin, leaving me feeling violated and dirty just by their presence.
Unable to stomach any more, I elbow him in the side and take great satisfaction in hearing the air whooshing out of him in a pained grunt. The second his fingers release my sweaty, tangled waves, I push off him and bolt.
It’s not enough, though. I only make it a few steps before he tackles me to the ground. Jayden might be slender, but he’s strong and familiar with taking a hit without letting it bring him down.
“Get off me,” I plead.
“You’ve made your choice. I didn’t want to have to do it this way, but you leave me no other options.”
Ivan raises the knife, intent on ending my life by force, using Jayden’s body. He couldn’t have planned it better to establish maximum impact on both Hawthorne and me. But there was no planning. He never could have known that Thorne would bring me back here, that he and Jayden would still be so close—relationships fail, I left him, people grow apart all the time. No, this is something far greater than him or me.
It’s fate.
Not that golden hand of the future that Hawthorne believes it to be, where he and I are destined, and wejusthave to work outbecause. No. I know better.
At least, I should have. But I drowned out that voice so many times because I wanted to hope. So foolish, so juvenile of me. Always that little girl who can’t help but wish that she might have what others do…
A happy family, where people aren’t maiming each other, only stopping when the last shred of their self-control strums with a hint of remorse.
A charmed life, with friends and plans and a future that I can picture beyond just the distant hope that maybe someday I can be free.
To be easily liked, to fit in, to be digestible, instead of someone that people have to make concessions for, that people have to handle with care.
But no…that was all just a fantasy, one I allowed myself to get lulled into again, and again, and again.
Fate is a bloody hand that wields a sword with cruel precision for those it deems deserving of suffering by whatever arbitrary measure.
