Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 159420 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 797(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 531(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 159420 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 797(@200wpm)___ 638(@250wpm)___ 531(@300wpm)
Behind me, I feel a movement. The arm around my body vanishes, leaving me shaky once again, and I feel him climb down in one graceful motion. My heart jumps to my throat at the thought of being alone up here when he comes for me. He grabs me by the waist, his large hands spanning my entire torso, his thumbs meeting just above my belly button—something I completely missed before—and sets me down on the ground. His hold isn’t tight but firm, and I realize I need it because my body feels weak and heavy after that terrifying horse ride. I let my hands grip the sleeves of his shirt as, shaking, I look around. We’re at a clearing of some sort. It’s narrow enough that I can see both edges and the ground beyond. The other two sides are covered by dense woods, and all I can see is bottomless darkness.
What are we doing here?
Before I can gather my words to ask him that, he breaks away from my grip. My eyes snap back to him just as he goes for my arms. He yanks them both forward, causing me to stumble. “What…” I begin but forget all the words when I see what he’s got in his other hand.
A rope.
That he throws around my captured wrists and begins to loop.
I snap my eyes up to him. “Wh-what are you doing?”
His head is bent and his face is covered by the brim of his Stetson. The only things I’m able to see are his plump lips and his harsh jaw that’s pulsing as he focuses on the task.
Terrified, but now for a different reason entirely, I start twisting my hands, trying to get free, but he doesn’t let me go. He keeps winding the rope around my wrists without stopping, without sparing me a glance. And I plead, “Look, I know you’re angry. I know I shouldn’t have…” I pull away from him again; in fact, I keep pulling as I speak, but nothing seems to deter him. “I shouldn’t have snuck out of my room… or snooped. But I had to, okay? I mean, you can see that, right? It’s obvious. It’s so… I had to do something. To protect myself. To p-protect my best friend, and I… There’s no way I can trust you guys. After everything you did, everything y-you… You toyed with me for m-months. You watched me. You stalked me. You made me think that you cared when you were just doing it for your family, for… for revenge and…”
No, that’s not what this is about. That’s not why I went snooping. I didn’t go snooping because I’m angry; rather, I’m heartbroken—over what he did to me. Over the fact that he knows everything about me when I know nothing about him. When he won’t even talk to me. That’s not what I was doing, was I?
My idiotic thoughts break when, at last, he looks up.
His green eyes shine like emeralds. Like tiny but ferocious fires that I feel in my own belly. I don’t know how I can think what I’m thinking in this moment, but it’s unmistakable. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He’s the most beautiful man there ever was. In the pale moonlight, his sharp, cutting, angry features glow, just like eyes, and truly make him look like an angel. But then you see that scar running along the length of his face and you know he’s not just an angel. He’s a fallen angel who lost his wings and turned into a devil. And stupidly, you think you can’t even blame him for the horrible things he does because he didn’t ask to be a devil, did he? He was made into one.
My Phantom. No, my Cowboy Phantom with a haunting face and a tragic history.
I step closer to him, keeping my eyes locked with his. “Please. Please, just… I won’t do anything like this again. I promise. I promise, please. Just… Let’s talk about this, okay? I’m sorry I went snooping. I’m sorry I… Just, Radisson—”
“Run.”
He says it softly, this one word that sends chills running down my spine. “Wh-what?”
His nostrils flare with a large breath and without looking away from me, he gives me a shove, letting me go. I stumble once again, and petrified, I look down and see my hands are all tied up now. The rope he’s used tonight is slightly lighter in color than the one he used the first time—yesterday morning, was it?—and feels different too. Coarser, rougher. Like if I struggle too much, it’ll leave a mark. Like the first rope he tied me with, the one made of hemp, was to simply bind me, while this one is meant for punishment. It’s meant to hurt.
I flinch when I hear a shrill whistle. It came from him, and I notice his eyes are pinned on the far horizon. Slowly, I follow his gaze and turn around. At first, I don’t see it. I see nothing but dark woods. Until there’s something shining through the darkness. I immediately know what it is or what they are: a pair of shining eyes. And it’s not just a pair; it’s more. They emerge like the stars through the dense darkness, these eyes, and my heart drops to the bottom of my stomach.