Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
“Kane?” I whisper.
“Shh…” He tightens his grip on my hip. “It’s time to test if you truly want this, Dahlia.”
“How…?”
“Run,” he growls, the word sliding like silk over my skin, low and dangerous.
He releases me and I stumble forward, my heels slipping on the grass.
I turn around and can barely discern his shadow in the darkness, tall and cloaked by the night.
“Three.” His voice is sharp, landing on my skin like a whip.
I take a step back, my heart hammering in my ears.
This is crazy.
“Two.”
I turn forward and my vision blurs as adrenaline kicks in.
Why do I want this?
“One.”
A yelp rips out of me as I lift my dress, kick off my heels, and do what he commanded.
I run.
18
DAHLIA
My breath comes in short gasps.
The cold earth shocks my feet.
The air asphyxiates my burning lungs.
But I don’t stop.
I can’t.
The wet grass slicks beneath my feet, and every time my skin brushes against the damp ground, a shiver ignites in my bones. But I pick up speed, my heart hammering against my ribs. The maze looms over me, its towering walls of hedges swallowing me whole as I plunge deeper into the darkness.
The thick night air wraps around me in a suffocating noose. My shallow inhales scrape my throat as some of the branches claw at my arms, snagging on the fabric of my dress.
I hear the rustle of leaves behind me. My spine tingles with a sharp chill.
He’s close.
I can feel him along with the beat in my chest.
Hear him amidst the buzz in my ears.
That quiet, steady presence hunts me through the dark. Sometimes clear, sometimes faint, as if he’s playing with me.
Actually. He is playing with me.
He clearly said I’m his toy.
Now, if my insides wouldn’t liquefy at the prospect of being chased, that would be great.
I try to focus on the path ahead, but the sound of his calm, controlled footsteps keep pulling me back. The thrill of knowing he’s there, always just a step behind, twists with the fear in my chest. My mind tells me to run, but there’s something else, too.
Something darker.
A part of me that wants to slow down.
That sick, twisted part wants him to catch me.
The ground beneath me shifts, wet grass slipping under my bare feet. I stumble, my body pitching forward, and my knees hit the hard earth.
A sting of pain shoots through my legs. I’m pretty sure I scraped my knees, but that’s the least of my worries.
Thundering footsteps echo in the air and I push myself up and take off again. Despite my blurring vision. Despite the sharp metallic taste on my tongue.
It’s survival.
I’ve always been good at survival.
Then I see a sliver of light in the hedge, barely wide enough to fit through. In a snap decision, I dart toward it, then break a branch and throw it in the opposite direction as far as I can aim.
Hopefully, that will distract him.
I slip into the narrow space, pressing my back against the rough leaves, and hug my knees to my chest.
The branches dig into my skin, but I ignore the discomfort. My chest rises and falls, my ears pound, and sweat coats my temples and trickles down my back.
The footsteps stop.
Thick, oppressive silence swallows me whole, and I bite down on my lip, trying to steady my breathing. But my heart’s frantic beat threatens to give my position away.
Not to mention that the air is so cold, I’m afraid I’ll crumble.
For a moment, the only sound is the whisper of the wind through the hedges.
But I know better.
He’s there.
Somewhere in the dark, stalking and watching like a predator.
The electric tension in the air makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle.
He’s close. Too close.
Then I hear his footsteps carrying him in the opposite direction.
Oh. Thank God.
For a moment, just one moment, I think I’ve lost him.
But before I can release a breath of relief, a rough hand wraps around my ankle.
A sharp scream rips from my throat as I’m yanked out, my body sliding across the damp ground, my fingers scrambling for a branch or anything to hold on to.
My nails dig into the earth, dirt gathering beneath them as I claw at the grass, but it slips through my hands like water.
I twist, kicking my legs with all my might.
For a moment, I truly believe I’m in danger and fight, aiming for maximum damage.
However, his grip is effortlessly strong, and it fires me up even more.
The world spins as I’m hauled back, the ground rough beneath me, the grass scraping against my legs.
The cold, unforgiving wind slaps my face, but all I can hear is his steady breathing as his deep voice rumbles in a hushed whisper, “Caught you.”
A rush of crippling terror and morbid thrill courses through me, and I lift my trembling hands in the dark. “Kane…hold on…let’s talk about this.”