Page 2 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

A quick look around the park told me I was alone. The mothers watching their kids play in the sand had left, and so had the elderly couple who had been feeding the ducks. There wasn’t even anyone walking their dogs.

Honestly, I kind of preferred it like this. The park was dark, eerie, like you could never know what secrets were waiting for you to discover them. I loved the possibilities of what could be hiding just beyond the shadows. Right now, they were just concealing the reality I needed to get back to. I needed to stop daydreaming about a random hot guy I saw in this park a few weeks ago and figure my shit out.

Ugh, fuck that. Five more minutes.

Switching my Spotify playlist from “Bad Bitch Workout” to something more chill, I lay down in the soft grass just off the path. The park had turned the fountain in the lake off, and the water reflected the moonlight and the little solar lights placed around the path.

Part of me wanted to take a picture. It was so pretty, but trying to capture the magic of this moment just seemed like it would ruin it. This moment was meant to be lived in, not remembered.

That’s what made it special.

Two large beams of light rolled over my body, shattering my illusion of solitude.

Headlights.

When they shut off, I had to blink a few times for my eyes to readjust. Three large men, wearing dirty clothes and talking and laughing amongst themselves, stepped out of an old van.

Something about them made my stomach clench in warning.

Time to go.

Thankfully, I parked the car on the street on the other side of the lake. I should be able to leave before they even realized they weren’t alone.

“Hey, girly, where you going?” one man asked.

So much for that brilliant plan. I told myself it was fine, just some assholes who never learned any manners. I just had to get in my car and get home.

I took my keys out of my running belt and laced them in between my fingers, just in case. I sped up my pace as much as my battered legs and bruised ass would let me.

“We are talking to you, girl.”

I pushed myself, trying to get to my car faster, and hit the button to unlock just the driver's door.

This was not what I meant when I said I needed excitement in my life.

“I don’t think she wants to play with us,” the first man said. He sounded closer.

Looking back, I could see they were only a few yards away from me now. Two men with wide, cruel smiles walked to catch up to me, eating up the distance between us no matter how quickly I moved.

I gripped my keys tighter in my hand, the rings biting into my palm.

“Aww, come on, darling. We won’t bite hard, I promise. We just want to play a little.”

The words came from only a few feet behind me. My heart raced, and I sprinted the last few yards to my car. My fingers just brushed against the handle when a large meaty arm appeared around my waist and yanked me away from the door.

“No,” I yelled. “Let me go!”

I swung my hand in a punch with my keys. The man grabbed my hand, twisting it behind me, squeezing my wrist, making the bones grind together until I dropped my keys.

“Aw, don’t be like that, sweety,” the deep voice said against my ear. His rancid breath filled my face with the scent of stale beer and burnt tobacco.

I had to force down a gag. “I just want to go home. Please.”

“It really doesn’t matter what you want, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, and thick fingers dug into my hip so hard I was sure there would be bruises in the shape of his fingerprints branded into my skin.

I gritted my teeth and tried to fight my way out of his grip.

“Don’t worry, little girl. We have plans for you,” the other man said. “She looks sweet. I bet she tastes sweet, too. Don’t you, darlin’?”

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