Page 15 of Hunting Her
Shoving behind the counter, I head to the door he noted. It opens with a creak, and I sprint through a cluttered storage room and out the back door into an alleyway.
Izoran is hot on my heels and soon the police will be too, so I look both ways and then pick one at random. Each breath creates a cloud in the air, and I don’t dare look back. I need to keep my attention forward, the weight of my new weapons banging against my thigh with each stride while I clutch the largest blade.
I’ll need it, because there’s no more hiding.
There’s only the thrill of the chase, the rushing terror of not knowing when he’s going to grab my shoulder and haul me to a stop.
In a small stroke of luck, the sirens and lights of the police fade into the distance as sweat beads on my brow and drips from my upper lip. I only need to contend with the demons hunting me, which still isn’t as comforting as I would like.
I’m not going to last long at this pace, not with years of captivity making my endurance a shell of what it used to be. The direction I chose is taking me toward the woods again, a haven of places to hide—for both me and my hunters.
Vaulting over a short stone fence, I tear down a sloping stretch of grass and between the thick trunks of some evergreen trees. Thorny bushes tear at the hem of my pants, threatening to catch me in their grip and stall me precious seconds. I don’t look back, but I can’t hear the pounding footsteps of Iz following me anymore.
He’s probably creeping around in the dark. The light from downtown is dwindling now that I’ve gotten beyond the first few trees.
I move the knife to my dominant hand, trying to get a solid grip on it despite the sweat. It’s hard to breathe and move quietlywhen I’m panting, desperate to catch my breath, but I do what I can.
The longer it takes him to find me, the better.
If he drags out this game, I won’t have to spend as much time fighting back.
My feet catch on the dried brush and leaves, giving away my location to anyone paying attention, but Izoran doesn’t burst out to catch me. He lets me get deeper into the woods until all artificial light is gone, only the moon to guide me. I can’t hear the sound of cars or the buzz of streetlights—only the occasional hoot of an owl and the sound of crickets chirping.
No one will hear me out here.
He’ll be able to do what he wants with me without risking human interference.
A shiver trails down my spine, and I do my best to shake off the instinctual fear threatening to freeze me into place. It’s good we’re far away from everything—I don’t need the cops to catch me committing a murder, too. If they do, my newfound freedom will be short-lived.
And I’m aiming to kill tonight.
My goal is killing these four demons who are hunting me, who think they have some kind of claim over me. I’ll teach them that they don’t, and I’m not a human that’s easy to mess with.
Getting stabbed must hurt them, right?
When I step into a clear area, free of the bushes and ferns layering most of the ground, Iz waits with his back against a thick tree trunk.
“Brellan loves smart women,” he comments glibly. “He’ll be infatuated when he finds out you wasted hours of our time and then broke into a rifle shop to steal that gorgeous knife.”
I glance down at the knife in my hand. It’s impossible for me to make out the details in the dark, but it is obviously well-crafted. “I don’t want him to be infatuated,” I hiss. “Andwouldn’t he already know what I’ve done? Aren’t you all hunting me?”
Iz laughs, striding across the clearing until he’s within striking distance. He doesn’t have a care in the world for the weapon I’m wielding.
“We’re taking shifts on the hunt, Fire. There’s no fun to it if we’re all hunting you at the same time. Besides, we wanted to give you a chance to get to know all of us as individuals.” His smirk shows off gleaming white teeth, pointed and sharp.
They didn’t tell me that part of the deal. I clench my jaw. They’re taunting me by not giving it their all, but as much as it stings my pride, I can’t complain.
Only evading one at a time will be easier—bordering on actually possible. Although I have a feeling in this case, there are two hunters on my tail. It’s not only Izoran’s attention making my pulse spike. I bet his twin is hiding in the dark, waiting for me to make my move.
They took the first shift together.
I’ll have to stab both of them.
“Well, you’ve found your prey. Come and get me,” I say.
I don’t want to make the first move. Not because I have any hesitance about hurting him, but because I know he’ll be anticipating it from me. I have the knife pointed in his direction, serrated blade glinting when it catches the moonlight.
If he moves first, I might have a chance to surprise him.
